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My 7 year old computer is acting it's age. It's getting more glitchy the older it gets. It has a lot of software stored on it and I'm afraid it's gonna' give up the ghost some day. I do some home recording with Reaper as my DAW. But I'm not very techy.
Soooooo, I have some questions about a new computer:
1. Who makes the best PC computers? We've had great experiences with Dell computers over the years. So, we're kind of biased toward them. But I don't have anything against other brands as long as they're reliable and glitch free.
2. Should I consider a laptop, all-in-one, or desktop computer? I want a powerful computer that will have plenty of storage and speed. I'm going to spend about $1500 give or take a couple hundred dollars. Since I have mostly non-Apple software I'll steer clear of Apple.
3. What are your thoughts on making a trouble free data transfer from my current computer to the new one? Anything to keep in mind while transferring software? Is there any data transfer software that you recommend? Thank you for your help. It's greatly appreciated.
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06-07-2025 09:01 PM
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1. Best choice will always be to handpick the components and build your own; often-times it's also cheaper.
If this is not an option, then whatever brand has the best after-sales customer support in your area. Personally, my experience with Dell service was pretty bad so I'm avoiding them.
2. Do u need your PC when you travel or for gigs? This is something only you can decide. A traditional desktop PC is the easiest to service, upgrade if needed, and clean up. AIOs and laptops are more like appliances from this point of view.
In terms of power - what do you need it for? Fluid dynamics, AI, video editing, gaming or "just" browsing - answering this will point you in the right direction re: "power" and potentially avoid overspending. Something to keep in mind, especially for real-time audio, video, streaming and the likes is the DPC latency - basically an indicator of how well the components work together with the OS and it is determined by how long it takes for the operating system to tell the hardware what to do. When it comes to laptops, sites like notebookcheck.net test this in their reviews; no idea if anyone reviews pre-built desktops at the same standard, but usually buying quality components (including choosing high(er) tier chipsets, ram sticks, etc) with good driver support will ensure you are good.
3. The most trouble free data transfer is to take out the SSD (or HDD) from the old PC and put it into the new PC - obviously works best with a desktop; for laptops and AIOs you can buy an external drive enclosure and throw the drives in that.
2nd easiest method is to have old PC and new PC on the same network and transfer files between them.
You don't need data transfer software - it's a scam for people with no clue how computers work and I am against cloning software for a million reasons... especially with how quickly windows installs.
The TL;DR is that when you clone - especially when it comes to the OS drive - you are cloning all the bloat that accumulated during the years and any potential problems will be transferred to the new system; the drivers will be different because new hardware so that could also cause issues.
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You're good to go imo at the $1500 price point. Just get 64 gigs of memory (RAM) plus one of the recent processors and it will be fast. Aside from that, it's just choosing the specs you want. Wether laptop or desktop, what resolution screen you want, if you want touch screen, how much storage, etc. It's not too tough to pick.
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Seven years isn't that old for a computer these days. Could it be that the mechanical hard drive is going and making it seem glitchy?
I'm still using a 2010 laptop for recording. Many years ago I swapped its aging mechanical hard drive for an SSD, which made it run much faster.
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My new (to me) computer is a Thinkpad T480. They're available used for a few hundred dollars, and I paid under $300 for mine, with very good specs. It's easily upgradable, and it's not difficult to install more RAM, larger drives, or most anything else. The only thing not upgradable is the CPU. You can buy a large NVME ~$100. Mine came with a 500 GB drive, which I removed and set aside, because it had Windows installed and I do not do Windows. I put in a 1TB SSD that I had installed Linux on in another computer, and it just worked. For me, buying a new computer is sort of like buying a new car - you pay dearly for the latest and greatest, which isn't actually any greater than a refurbished computer a year or three old, but several times the price. I bought new for most of my computers, starting with a 286 model back 30+ years ago, but I think I'm done with that.
The best computer is sort of like the best guitar, in that they all do pretty much the same thing, but offer different advantages and disadvantages. You can get a mini-desktop, a full-sized desktop in a huge case, a laptop, or whatever, and it's just a matter of personal preference and needs. A laptop allows taking the computer anywhere, easily, and the internal battery means a power outage isn't an immediate emergency. You can connect it to an external monitor and keyboard if desired, and use it just like a desktop. I have an old one running as a file server, with multiple drives connected, so I have a LOT of storage and backup space available to any device I use. I don't even have a working monitor on it. But any computer could be used this way, and it doesn't require anything special, nor a fast or new machine.
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My laptop in a 2013 Lenovo Y510P. Since it can't take Windows 11 and Windows 10 won't be supported after Oct. 2025 I'm looking for a new computer.
I'm probably going to get a Lenovo Legion 5i Pro.
I think I'll take a chance on a certified refurbished one on ebay for around $1,500.
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The OP said he's "not very techy". Build-your-own is fun and all, but it doesn't save all that much money when the builder's time, trouble, and debugging is taken into account. Better in this case just to buy a standard business computer and be done with it.
Originally Posted by jazzloverfat
See PC Magazine, PC World, Tom's Guide, et al. for lists of companies that build reliable computers. Pick one. If you stay within business mainstream (e.g., Dell, Lenovo, HP, etc.) you can't go too far wrong.
Get lots of RAM.
If you want to haul the thing around, get a laptop. If not, it doesn't matter whether you get a laptop, a desktop, or a tower. If you want to haul the thing around a lot, get a robust laptop. If you want to use the thing in performance, that opens up an entire universe of considerations, and probably isn't what you want anyway.
No need to go nuts on video resolution on a laptop. If you need a hi-rez monitor for some reason, buy an external monitor. That way your portable laptop stays portable. If you're also a gamer, other considerations apply.
Get a moderately large storage device. Rotating-disc and solid-state storage both work well, and each has its strong points and weak points. USB-connected external storage is pretty cheap, as well, so you can always add more - reserve the on-board storage for applications.
(Possible exception - some audio/video players work best if the data storage device is as close as possible electronically to the CPU. For example, with the audio player I use, if the recordings are stored on a device that's attached to an external USB port box which is attached to the computer's USB, the data hangs sometimes. I've figured out how to deal with that, but it was a real hairball there for awhile.)
My best suggestion would be to look at reviews in the publications cited. They'll give you the best information.
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