Here is my

 2 cents.



Du not buy a computer for what your needs are  now but for the possible
needs in 5 years.



My current desktop was purchased in 2013.  I paid for the SSD drive and a 1
tb hard disk.  And the newest motherboard  chip set along with as much ram
as I could get.    And also got Windows 7 pro.  This way I can future proof
my computer and so far it has been working great and have been able to
upgrade to win 10 with no  issues.  And looking at the new low cost lap tops
and desktops, mine seems to perform better then the new ones.  And as long
as there are no catastrophic failures  expect this desktop will last another
7 years.



And lets not forget the desktop I have sitting next to it which  I had build
when Windows XP was released.  Think at least 20 years old and still running
great.  Only reason had to get new desktop was it did not support Windows 7.



In short make the investment now to get best of breed hardware to ensure a
long life for your desktop.  And find a distributor which will build it from
scratch



Thanks, Abraham



From: Chris Hill
Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2020 1:35 PM
To: main@jfw.groups.io
Subject: Re: Specs for a new desktop computer



From what I've dealt with, I'd say that four cores is a decent way to

go, unless you're doing a ton of multitasking, more than that is likely

overkill.  I've checked my system, and I seldom find it using more than

8 of my 16gb of ram.  I'm seldom using more than a web browser, k1000

and maybe word and an email program at the same time, and that is a

heavy use case for me.  If you're programming or something, you might

use more.  I also have a separate video card, so that may explain the

low ram usage as well.  If money were any kind of issue for a blind

user, I'd suggest forgetting the video card and getting extra ram only

if you tend to keep a lot of stuff open at one time.







CH





On 8/18/2020 10:51, Mario wrote:

I can only make suggestions as 8 GB of RAM is a good amount to start

with unless you intend to do intensive tasks. more RAM increases the

number of programs that can be running simultaneously. and I think

there is a small performance hit the more RAM the computer has. I'm

not clear on the role that the specifications have on the snappiness

like the type, timings and other specs. .

opting for an SSD will make access to storage of files snappy

especially at boot up time. it also has a longer life span since there

aren't any moving parts unlike a traditional spinning platter HD. and

don't forget that an SSD runs cool and produces no vibration.

I'd suggest no less than 240 GB unless you can afford to pay for 500

GB (of course, this depends if you like to try alot of programs,

tinker around with the unknown, or play it safe and stick with a

minimal set of programs that work for you), and that the SSD be

dedicated to run Windows and programs. a seperate HD can be used for

storing documents, video and music; the stuff you can't replace if

something happens to the SSD. it would also be advisable to make a

(preferrably 1to1) backup on an external HD, and you may even consider

to backup online just to be extra safe if restoring from the external

HD should fail for some reason.

having a seperate video card will only relieve the amount of RAM that

is used to display text and pictures written to the monitor. I don't

know if there is any other benefit.

I'd like to hear about the other things you inquired about from those

who know and can "do tell".

-------- Original Message --------

From: Ralph Supernaw via groups.io [mailto:rhs=startmail.com@groups.io]

To: <main@jfw.groups.io>

Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2020, 10:15 AM

Subject: Specs for a new desktop computer

It’s looking like I will be searching for a new desktop computer. I

have not been able to figure out what makes the most difference in the

speed or snappiness of the computer when using Jaws with typical

applications.  So, I’d appreciate any information you techy types can

pass along.

I know Ram makes a big difference.  What I don’t know is how much RAM is

helpful and how much is overkill.

How much difference does multiple thread processing make?  How many

threads are a good number to shoot for?

How much difference does an SSD drive make?  If they make a significant

difference in speed, what files should be on them?

Being totally blind I don’t need a fancy display.  But, does a better

video card affect the speed of the computer?

Are there other ways to increase the speed of the computer?

Thanks.