So You Need To Buy A Computer But You Don’t Know What Specs Are Good These Days
Hi.
This is literally my job.
Lots of people are buying computers for school right now or are replacing computers as their five-year-old college laptop craps out so here’s the standard specs you should be looking for in a (windows) computer purchase in August 2023.
PROCESSOR
Intel i5 (no older than 10th Gen)
Ryzen 7
You can get away with a Ryzen 5 but an intel i3 should be an absolute last resort. You want at least an intel i5 or a Ryzen 7 processor. The current generation of intel processors is 13, but anything 10 or newer is perfectly fine. DO NOT get a higher performance line with an older generation; a 13th gen i5 is better than an 8th gen i7. (Unfortunately I don’t know enough about ryzens to tell you which generation is the earliest you should get, but staying within 3 generations is a good rule of thumb)
RAM
8GB absolute minimum
If you don’t have at least 8GB RAM on a modern computer it’s going to be very, very slow. Ideally you want a computer with at least 16GB, and it’s a good idea to get a computer that will let you add or swap RAM down the line (nearly all desktops will let you do this, for laptops you need to check the specs for Memory and see how many slots there are and how many slots are available; laptops with soldered RAM cannot have the memory upgraded - this is common in very slim laptops)
STORAGE
256GB SSD
Computers mostly come with SSDs these days; SSDs are faster than HDDs but typically have lower storage for the same price. That being said: SSDs are coming down in price and if you’re installing your own drive you can easily upgrade the size for a low cost. Unfortunately that doesn’t do anything for you for the initial purchase.
A lot of cheaper laptops will have a 128GB SSD and, because a lot of stuff is stored in the cloud these days, that can be functional. I still recommend getting a bit more storage than that because it’s nice if you can store your music and documents and photos on your device instead of on the cloud. You want to be able to access your files even if you don’t have internet access.
But don’t get a computer with a big HDD instead of getting a computer with a small SSD. The difference in speed is noticeable.
SCREEN (laptop specific)
Personally I find that touchscreens have a negative impact on battery life and are easier to fuck up than standard screens. They are also harder to replace if they get broken. I do not recommend getting a touch screen unless you absolutely have to.
A lot of college students especially tend to look for the biggest laptop screen possible; don’t do that. It’s a pain in the ass to carry a 17" laptop around campus and with the way that everything is so thin these days it’s easier to damage a 17" screen than a 14" screen.
On the other end of that: laptops with 13" screens tend to be very slim devices that are glued shut and impossible to work on or upgrade.
Your best bet (for both functionality and price) is either a 14" or a 15.6" screen. If you absolutely positively need to have a 10-key keyboard on your laptop, get the 15.6". If you need something portable more than you need 10-key, get a 14"
FORM FACTOR (desktop specific)
If you purchase an all-in-one desktop computer I will begin manifesting in your house physically. All-in-ones take away every advantage desktops have in terms of upgradeability and maintenance; they are expensive and difficult to repair and usually not worth the cost of disassembling to upgrade.
There are about four standard sizes of desktop PC: All-in-One (the size of a monitor with no other footprint), Tower (Big! probably at least two feet long in two directions), Small Form Factor Tower (Very moderate - about the size of a large shoebox), and Mini/Micro/Tiny (Small! about the size of a small hardcover book).
If you are concerned about space you are much better off getting a MicroPC and a bracket to put it on your monitor than you are getting an all-in-one. This will be about a million percent easier to work on than an all-in-one and this way if your monitor dies your computer is still functional.
Small form factor towers and towers are the easiest to work on and upgrade; if you need a burly graphics card you need to get a full size tower, but for everything else a small form factor tower will be fine. Most of our business sales are SFF towers and MicroPCs, the only time we get something larger is if we have to put a $700 graphics card in it. SFF towers will accept small graphics cards and can handle upgrades to the power supply; MicroPCs can only have the RAM and SSD upgraded and don’t have room for any other components or their own internal power supply.
WARRANTY
Most desktops come with either a 1 or 3 year warranty; either of these is fine and if you want to upgrade a 1 year to a 3 year that is also fine. I’ve generally found that if something is going to do a warranty failure on desktop it’s going to do it the first year, so you don’t get a hell of a lot of added mileage out of an extended warranty but it doesn’t hurt and sometimes pays off to do a 3-year.
Laptops are a different story. Laptops mostly come with a 1-year warranty and what I recommend everyone does for every laptop that will allow it is to upgrade that to the longest warranty you can get with added drop/damage protection. The most common question our customers have about laptops is if we can replace a screen and the answer is usually “yes, but it’s going to be expensive.” If you’re purchasing a low-end laptop, the parts and labor for replacing a screen can easily cost more than half the price of a new laptop. HOWEVER, the way that most screens get broken is by getting dropped. So if you have a warranty with drop protection, you just send that sucker back to the factory and they fix it for you.
So, if it is at all possible, check if the manufacturer of a laptop you’re looking at has a warranty option with drop protection. Then, within 30 days (though ideally on the first day you get it) of owning your laptop, go to the manufacturer site, register your serial number, and upgrade the warranty. If you can’t afford a 3-year upgrade at once set a reminder for yourself to annually renew. But get that drop protection, especially if you are a college student or if you’ve got kids.
And never, ever put pens or pencils on your laptop keyboard. I’ve seen people ruin thousand dollar, brand-new laptops that they can’t afford to fix because they closed the screen on a ten cent pencil. Keep liquids away from them too.
LIFESPAN
There’s a reasonable chance that any computer you buy today will still be able to turn on and run a program or two in ten years. That does not mean that it is “functional.”
At my office we estimate that the functional lifespan of desktops is 5-7 years and the functional lifespan of laptops is 3-5 years. Laptops get more wear and tear than desktops and desktops are easier to upgrade to keep them running. At 5 years for desktops and 3 years for laptops you should look at upgrading the RAM in the device and possibly consider replacing the SSD with a new (possibly larger) model, because SSDs and HDDs don’t last forever.
COST
This means that you should think of your computers as an annual investment rather than as a one-time purchase. It is more worthwhile to pay $700 for a laptop that will work well for five years than it is to pay $300 for a laptop that will be outdated and slow in one year (which is what will happen if you get an 8th gen i3 with 8GB RAM). If you are going to get a $300 laptop try to get specs as close as possible to the minimums I’ve laid out here.
If you have to compromise on these specs, the one that is least fixable is the processor. If you get a laptop with an i3 processor you aren’t going to be able to upgrade it even if you can add more RAM or a bigger SSD. If you have to get lower specs in order to afford the device put your money into the processor and make sure that the computer has available slots for upgrade and that neither the RAM nor the SSD is soldered to the motherboard. (one easy way to check this is to search “[computer model] RAM upgrade” on youtube and see if anyone has made a video showing what the inside of the laptop looks like and how much effort it takes to replace parts)
Computers are expensive right now. This is frustrating, because historically consumer computer prices have been on a downward trend but since 2020 that trend has been all over the place. Desktop computers are quite expensive at the moment (August 2023) and decent laptops are extremely variably priced.
If you are looking for a decent, upgradeable laptop that will last you a few years, here are a couple of options that you can purchase in August 2023 that have good prices for their specs:
If you are looking for a decent, affordable desktop that will last you a few years, here are a couple of options that you can purchase in August 2023 that have good prices for their specs:
If I were going to buy any of these I’d probably get the HP laptop or the Dell Tower. The HP Laptop is actually a really good price for what it is.
Anyway happy computering.
Also:
If your computer is over 5-7 years old but is still working for you that is fine! You don’t have to replace your computer because of an arbitrary age. “Functioning” as we define it at my job means that a computer will run the latest standard operating system and the latest versions of various types of business software because that is what is required for a computer to work for an office; a home computer doesn’t have to have the same specs to stay functional for a user who is just doing email and internet, which is what most home users use their computers for.
*However* the reliable lifespan of hard drives and ssds is a lot firmer and it isn’t planned obsolescence or an attempt to degrade lifespans of consumer devices, it is simply due to the limitations of the hardware. After about five years of use, HDDs and SSDs are more likely to fail. HDDs will give you some warning about this (reporting bad sectors, clicking noises, if they fail data can likely be recovered for a fee), but when SSDs fail they fail catastrophically (they just don’t turn on and the data is gone). That is not to say that your drives will automatically fail at the five year mark, it just means that they are much more LIKELY to fail at the five year mark. So now that you know this, you should take steps to prevent a failing drive from ruining your life. Get a large external hard drive and save regular image and file backups from your computer, and if your backup drive is five or more years old buy a new one and copy any important data to the new drive then use the new drive for new backups. You should also get a thumb drive and create a windows recovery disk if you haven’t already done so. And you should keep in mind that thumb drives also have an expected lifespan of about five years, depending on frequency of use. And you can also just proactively replace your storage drives on a schedule before they fail to extend the lifespan of the device. If you plan on upgrading the hardware in your computer at five year intervals (a good plan if you don’t want to or can’t replace an older computer! I support this plan! This is what most people should do!) then you will likely never experience a drive failure on your device.
ALSO here are things that my customers frequently don’t consider that can get a lot of life or functionality out of an older/broken computer:
If your laptop screen fails and you can’t afford to replace it, go to a local thrift store, get a monitor, then go online or to best buy and get the cable to connect your laptop to your new monitor. Thrift stores have monitors for about 20 bucks and a cable will cost 7-15 dollars, which is a hell of a lot cheaper than $75-150 for a replacement screen and whatever labor would cost. This will mean that your laptop is not a laptop anymore, but it can still be a computer for you.
If your computer doesn’t have enough USB ports get a USB hub. A lot of laptops come with only one USB port these days, and many desktops come with 4 or fewer, so an 8-port hub is a great idea.
People are making computers without ethernet ports these days (evil) but you can get USB to Ethernet adapters (here is one by a reliable manufacturer). This is bad and I hate it and I’m sorry.
If the keyboard or touchpad on your laptop fail and you can’t afford to replace them, get a USB keyboard or laptop. You can get very small wireless keyboards that will allow you some measure of portability, and there are even keyboard/touchpad combos that you can get.
Talk to like three friends and go in together on a USB CD/DVD drive to share. Most computers, even most desktops, don’t have internal optical drives these days, but external readers are available for a wide variety of prices and it is not something that you are going to need every day.
Those things seem pretty obvious, I’m sure, but they just don’t occur to a lot of people. Also like at least three of those tips are “if your computer didn’t come with hardware it should have then store-bought is fine” and I recognize that that is bullshit but at least if you have your own ethernet port, usb ports, and optical drive it immediately becomes less of a concern if your computer has those things AND you’ll be able to use those external components with multiple devices if you want to.
Also I know nothing about gaming specs or video cards but Paul’s Hardware on Youtube has a 75-video playlist about video cards that I suspect will have answers to many of the questions people have about graphics cards.
This is a method I started using when NFTs were on the rise - thieves would have to put actual work into getting rid of the mark - and one that I am now grateful for with the arrival of AI. Why? Because anyone who tries to train an AI on my work will end up with random, disruptive color blobs.
I can’t say for sure it’ll stop theft entirely, but it WILL make your images annoying for databases to incorporate, and add an extra layer of inconvenience for thieves. So as far as I’m concerned, that’s a win/win.
I’ll be showing the steps in CSP, but it should all be pretty easy to replicate in Photoshop.
Now: let’s use the above image as our new signature file. I set mine to be 2500 x 1000 pixels when I’m just starting out.
Note: YES FIRST RATTER REQUEST WOOOHOOO MY BABY . Nothings really gendered, so it can be read anyway, but it was intended as male for anon.
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Okay stating off ratter is about up to your chest and Corpsecrow is about a foot taller then you, so. Uh. Good luck.
Except lots of cuddles, because of all the height differences, it’s like you all fit together perfectly like puzzle pieces. Jervis also just loves cuddling. He just loves it. He’s so tiny that the feeling of you all squishing him in little confines spaces. Just being engulfed by his beloved boyfriends, he giggles a lot during it.
Expect lots of late night talks. Jervis loves to just chat away and Jonny can’t ever fucking sleep. So in return you can’t either. They can’t sleep so it’s your problem as well. It will either get really existential, or just be the dumbest conversation you have ever heard.
They give lots of kisses, and expect you to return them. If you don’t they are very mad. It’s hard to take Jervis seriously when he’s so adorable. It is very easily to take Jon serious though, mans doesn’t blink sometimes and it’s scary as shit.
You and ratter have to wrangle Jon back to bed cause as stated earlier, he has troubles sleeping. There’s several ways to lure him to bed, but the best one is just being a whiny little shit until he gets annoyed and comes to bed so you’ll stop nagging him.
They are on the opposite spectrums of worry. Jon understands that you are an adult who can fend for yourself, and doesn’t have to be babied. Jervis on the other hand, he is absolutely convinced the world is out to get you and every person wants a to harm you. He will baby you, he doesn’t mean for it to be as condescending as it is, he just wants you to be safe.
They are both very handsy in different ways. Jon just likes to have his hand on you when you all are alone, while Jervis is hands on 24/7, and it’s very easy cause people can barely spot poor baby in the first place, so they barely notice as he runs his hands over your body.
They will both go to hell for you, Jervis in a feral rat turned human way, and Jon in a you fucked with a wrong person and he is now stalking you way.
They both are also very insecure about their appearance.
Jon tries to ignore it, and plays his form into his fear factor, but that doesn’t mean he likes it. Sometimes he’ll think about how his abnormal body looks in comparison to your and ratters. About how he’s some type of living creature.
Ratter on the other hand really just doesn’t like how small he is. Mans is at some people’s knees. Along with that he’s a tiny old man, he nitpicks at his entire body. His nose is to big and his teeth to yellow, he’s to fat and stubby. The constant rejection he’s faced all of his life has definitely played into his hatred of his own appearance.
Please comfort the two about that, they desperately need lovin. But approve them differently.
Jon needs to be eased into it, it gets really overwhelming at times and he isn’t used to it, he needs you to be gentle, and slow.
Jerv on the other hand, no just give him all the love right away, and don’t ever stop. He reciprocates it all the way, returning your praises singing and giggling.
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How would the hatters react to their s/o surprising three with lingerie? If I spelled that right..
A/N: Hey sweet anon! If you mean the word lingerie, yes you did spell it right! I know it’s one of those weird words lol. However, I’m gonna make a wee assumption that by “three” you meant “them” because I’ve had spellcheck TRY to fix that for me like that lmao. I hope this is what you were looking for! Thanks for requesting!
Btw; HQTAS is Harley Quinn the Animated Series…its just a mouthful lol
Trigger Warning: highly suggestive, alludes to sexual activity nothing explicit
Hi I'm LittleMouseRat,
but you can call me Max :D
This is my personal blog that mainly consists of my interest of the week.
I’m an actor, amateur artist and rat enthusiast.
Basic Information about me:
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If you want to know more about me feel free to ask :^)
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