Topic: Modernizing my machine

[Oniya]

Okay - I'm one of those hold-outs that still has XP.  (I got the machine right around the time Vista was coming out, and I wasn't having any of that.)  Mr. Oniya wants to get me a new tower - not too expensive - that I can transition over to.  I'll still have my old machine until I can update some of my more obscure 32-bit applications, but the new machine would let me stop using the little Oni's machine for one thing. 

I know I need a better graphics card than the one in this machine (Minecraft borks at it if I'm not careful - something about OpenGL, and I can't run modpacks at all), and more RAM would be nice (always nice), but I'm really out of touch with what I'm really going to need.

I'm hoping to stay away from proprietary builds so that upgrading in the future is able to be more 'as needed' instead of 'Well, in order to change out your graphics card, you need a whole new system.'  (F-ing 'e-Machine')

So, Elliquiy techies, talk at me!

[Dovel]

Hello there Oniya.

Do you have a limit or range to what you wish to spend? Recently I put together a new PC for a birthday present. I was going to build it myself, but anymore the technology is so cheap that buying one from a company is almost as inexpensive as building it yourself. And you get a warranty on parts.

I have bought a few machines from CyberPowerPC in the past, and for right around $1,000 you can get a great desktop PC. They are built for gaming and are very easily upgradable.

Some things to look at.

Get an i5 System. You don't need an i7 and it will save you money.
Get name brand Ram. Kingston is a good price.
Get a name brand Power Supply. At least 750w.
Stick with Intel. I have never had luck with AMD.

I bought this Gaming Machine from them last month for the gift. I spent a little over $1,000 but that was due to the quick shipping since I needed it to get here for the birthday party.

[Valthazar]

The HP Phoenix line of desktops provide some nice, decent stats for a good price.  I got this PC in 2012 for around $900 when it was on sale, and it still works like new, despite heavy overnight use.  It is i5 with 10 GB of ram, with upgrade capability. 

HP Pavilion Elite h9-1150 Phoenix Desktop
(No idea if it is still available anywhere though)

[Nessy]

It always depends on what you want. Something like this if you are going for under 1000 and don't need a monitor can be a good start.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-8700/pd?oc=fddngp1312&model_id=xps-8700&dgc=CJ&cid=24471&lid=566643&acd=10550055-1225267-oLspVqWoEeO4vc621S3TyQ4bl3_mG4.3_.BS_0_0

Code
7CGSBDFTF3TNBR
Gives you an additional 60 off

You can also customize. I am, of course, assuming you don't want to build your own. Video card is okay, not great, but it's an easy upgrade down the line.

[Oniya]

I've built machines in the past, and could probably still assemble one from the chassis on up.  My problem is that the technology and options have grown in complexity since my days with the anti-static wrist-strap. 

I'll be honest, the most CPU-intensive thing I'm going to be doing is playing Minecraft - which my current machine struggles with.  I know I need at least Win7 to make use of additional RAM.  I know I need at least OpenGL 3.3 (although I don't think that will be a problem with any graphics card less than a year old.)

I have a monitor already, although I might 'splurge' on a new keyboard (having all the letters readable would be nice).

[Nessy]

Well I enjoy building, but pre-builts are a lot better now. I hunt slickdeals.net for deals on computers and parts. This dell is one of the better ones. These days, all the excitement is in tablets and notebooks, not desktops it seems.

[gaggedLouise]

I'd go for a Windows 8.1 machine straight away - the one Nessy suggested looks neat. Windows 7 is easy to use, but it will be dropped from the support lifecýcle in just a few years time - the powers that be announced long ago they are not going to issue any further service packs for Win7, so it won't be extended that way. Unlike XP which had three service packs and an exceptionally long support life cycle - a testament to what a good OS it has been (I'm still running XP from a floor tower at home, and intend to keep doing so even after it slips from support next month, but the next pc I'll buy will likely be a Windows 8 Blue laptop).

[Oniya]

I've heard that you can set Win8 to look and act like Win7, instead of the whole 'touch-screen theme'.  Is this a quick and easy thing?  I'm passingly familiar with Win7, since Mr. Oniya's machine uses it.

[gaggedLouise]

I've heard that you can set Win8 to look and act like Win7, instead of the whole 'touch-screen theme'.  Is this a quick and easy thing?  I'm passingly familiar with Win7, since Mr. Oniya's machine uses it.

Yes, and with the 8.1 ("Windows Blue") free update you can set the machine to go straight to desktop mode every time when booting, without having the Metro and overtly touchscreen stuff hopping around the screen.  Should be possible to combine those two "mode changes" so that it will boot straight into a Windows 7-style desktop. I haven't used Win8 at all, but I'm using Win7 at work and in a few other places, my mother has it on her laptop too and it really feels stable and easy to work in. From what I've heard the 8.1 desktop, without the touchscreen theme and so on, isn't very different from working within Windows 7.

[Nessy]

I've heard that you can set Win8 to look and act like Win7, instead of the whole 'touch-screen theme'.  Is this a quick and easy thing?  I'm passingly familiar with Win7, since Mr. Oniya's machine uses it.

I don't use Windows 8, but I've been using Windows 7 for some time. I really enjoy it. Based on what I've read, I wouldn't avoid 8 today either, and that's based on gamer forums... which tends to be more critical than other groups.