New Computer - to buy or not to buy

[Viekn]

I apologize for the long post, but want to give as much info as possible. I am trying to determine if I should look for a new computer or have a professional look at the one I have to see if they can solve the issues. Here is a somewhat brief explanation of the issues and my current hardware/software usage:

I have a Toshiba Satellite E45t-A laptop with 6gb of RAM, a 2.6ghz max Intel Core I5 processor, and a C drive that says there's currently 518gb free out of 687gb, that I purchased almost exactly 2 years ago for about $500, so not a performance laptop in anyway. I bought it more for being ultraportable, but no longer really have much of a need to take it anywhere. About a month ago, I thought I had RAM issues because my computer would freeze up when I had a bunch of programs up and running, give me some type of memory warning, and shut itself off. I was able to determine with some degree of certainty that it was actually overheating and shutting itself off. To help fix the problem, I decreased the max processor performance (within the power options menu) to 90% and that seems to have stopped the issue.

Now for the past several weeks, I keep getting a BSOD with a System Service Exception message and the computer restarts. This happens about 3 times per week.

I am running Windows 10. I typically have IE running with about 7-8 open tabs, sometimes Firefox running as well, and Outlook, Excel, and maybe one or two other programs running, all at the same time. It's been a bit less lately, but I'll also have GS running as well sometimes. Instead of using the laptop open and using it's built in screen, I run two Samsung monitors, one via a J5Create USB adapter and one via the HDMI port, because with the laptop, there is only one HDMI port and no other video cable ports for an additional monitor. Also using a wireless keyboard and mouse. I have the laptop plugged directly into my internet gateway/router, so I am not using the wireless feature on it.

All that being said, can anyone give me an opinion on whether I should just look at getting a new computer, or have someone take a look at mine to see if anything is causing these issues and can fix the problem. If it's something that will end up costing over $200 to fix, I think I'd rather just end up getting a new computer, even though I'd obviously be spending well over $200 for a new computer.

I have never bought a computer from anywhere other than Best Buy, but I am open to suggestions on other places to buy them from. If I have to get a new computer, I am leaning towards getting one with a solid state drive and Best Buy does not seem to offer much in that regard anyway.

Again, sorry for the long post but I felt it was necessary to give all the information in order to get an accurate opinion of the situation.

I appreciate any help that someone can offer.

[Taernath]

Generally laptops aren't worth maintenance fees or upgrading. Have you tried opening up the case and seeing if any dust or lint is built up?

As far as SSD's, I'd only use them for the OS, but it sounds like you don't have a great need for storage so a 250ish gb one should be fine. Don't get anything larger until they begin to come down in price.

[Viekn]

Generally laptops aren't worth maintenance fees or upgrading. Have you tried opening up the case and seeing if any dust or lint is built up?
I haven't yet, although that was one of two solutions for the overheating issue, to make sure dust wasn't affecting the cooling fan or blocking the output of the fan in anyway. The other was reducing the processor max speed, which I did because I didn't necessarily feel comfortable opening the case. Might have to give that a shot.


As far as SSD's, I'd only use them for the OS, but it sounds like you don't have a great need for storage so a 250ish gb one should be fine. Don't get anything larger until they begin to come down in price.

Is that why some computers will come with both an SSD and a regular hard drive? Because the OS only will be on the SSD, keeping the cost down because of the size, then storage can be used for the regular hard drive?

[Velfi]

Is that why some computers will come with both an SSD and a regular hard drive? Because the OS only will be on the SSD, keeping the cost down because of the size, then storage can be used for the regular hard drive?

Exactly. I'm running a 250gb SSD + a 2TB HDD for that same purpose.

[Taernath]

I'm not really a fan of them, but you might also consider a hybrid drive. It has the storage capacity of a regular mechanical hd with a small cache devoted to ssd-like storage. It will keep performance affecting files (boot data, programs you use all the time etc.) in that cache, leading to better speeds. These caches are pretty small though, so make sure you pay attention to its size if you get one.

[kutter]

Opening the case is scary, I had an HP that I had to on two separate occasions, but take lots of pics and it is not as scary as you might think. I would try to vacuum up the fan areas first and maybe try a under laptop cooler to see if that helps, I know it did on mine before it finally quit the 3 third time and I gave up on it. The other thing you might try is scrubbing the drive and doing a complete re-install of the OS and all software. It is a tedious chore but it always seems to clear up things for me.

[Thondalar]

IMO if you got two good years out of a $500 laptop, especially stressing the CPU like you do, you should cut your losses and just go ahead and upgrade. I haven't bought anything from Best Buy since like 1998...I purchase about 95% of my electronics through Newegg (www.newegg.com). Excellent return policy, tons of helpful reviews, usually the best prices. I also occasionally use TigerDirect (http://www.tigerdirect.com/) because sometimes they have just ridiculous sales. I just got my wife a brand new ThinkPad Yoga Pro 2 for Christmas from there, $720 bucks...normal list price is over $1400, and that wasn't even a Cyber Monday deal, just happened to be something they had discounted.

A quick look at Newegg shows about 2,000 options for you in the $300-$500 range, most of which have better stats than your laptop now. I see one here with an i5, 8 gigs RAM, 1 TB hdd, and a GeForce 970 for $480 bucks.



Edit: oh, Newegg almost always has free shipping, too.

[Viekn]

Looking at these two systems and trying to decide which is best, if anyone would like to chime in...

HP Envy Desktop
Intel core I5
12gb DDR3L Ram
3.2ghz processor speed
2 hdmi ports
2 TB SATA hard drive

Lenovo Ideacentre 700 Desktop
Intel core i5
8gb DDR4 ram
2.7ghz processor speed
1 hdmi port
1 TB SATA hard drive + 8gb SSD

My initial thoughts:

1. Assuming the operating system is really the only thing you are using the 8gb SSD for, does having that 8gb ssd make a big difference? I see some computers coming with 128 or 256 gb SSD, but if the operating system is only about 3gb's, is 8gb good enough to see a noticeable difference in overall performance? As far as overall storage capacity, I won't be needing anywhere near 1 TB, so the whole 1 TB vs. 2 doesn't make much of a difference to me.

2. Does the 12gb RAM make a big difference vs. the 8gb? Does the fact that the 8gb is DDR4 make up for that 4gb. In reading up on it, seems like DDR4 might be overkill for what I'd be using the computer for, which is basic home use and business use, but I tend to run a lot of programs at the same time. Not running anything like Photoshop and not doing any gaming other than GS.

3. The lack of 2 hdmi ports on the one computer is kind of a bummer, as I run two monitors, but I guess it wouldn't be a big deal because at least that one computer has an hdmi and a vga port.

Would appreciate hearing from others. The cost is $550 for the HP and $650 for the Lenovo

[Taernath]

You don't really need 12gb of RAM for office or home use. The difference between DDR3 and 4 in your situation is negligible, it's really more like a lateral upgrade rather than '4 is better than 3'.

I think for a full Win10 install you are recommended to have at least 25gb of space, so I would bump that SSD up a bit if you were planning on running your OS off of it.

Based on those two choices I would probably go with the HP and add an SSD later, if you are still set on getting one.

[elcidcannon]

I have had great experiences at tenforums.com with diagnosing BSOD errors. I recently built a computer and was having a rash of different BSOD's.....the solution came down to me not having updated the BIOS on my motherboard. The guys there (axe01 seems to do most of the Win10 BSOD stuff) are SUPER helpful and have easy guides for the diagnostics you may need to do.

I'd recommend going here: http://www.tenforums.com/bsod-crashes-debugging/?

Make sure to follow the posting instructions (ie: run the DM log collector and put it in your post). If your computer isn't creating/configured to create minidumps after each crash (should be located at C:/Windows/Minidumps), there are instructions for that too.

BREAK BREAK

Ruby actually eats up a good portion of RAM. 6gb should be enough for 1, probably 2, instances. If you're MA's with 3+, then you might want to look into more RAM.

I also highly support the SSD + HD setup. I have the same setup as Velfi, and it works great to keep my OS and most commonly used programs on the SSD. All my music/documents/movies are kept on my HDD.

[Tgo01]

I recently ordered a new computer because my current one is getting old. It's actually still pretty decent in terms of being able to run most modern games but I can tell its getting to be on its last leg. I spent 3000 dollars for it which sounds like a lot but it's 5 years and 2 months old at the moment, not bad at all really considering it's still a pretty decent computer.

A 500 dollar laptop lasting you two years is pretty good. I wouldn't bother paying someone to try and fix it.

[Tgo01]

Also my current computer has 12 gigs of ram and I can manage to run 9 characters at once (using wizardFE and ruby), have Firefox open with several tabs, have notepad open, and even if I fire up a graphical game (while totally paying attention to my characters of course) I'm still only using like 40%-60% of my RAM. Most games don't even use more than 4 gigs of RAM but that is probably going to change soon enough.

ETA: this is running Windows 7, not sure if Windows 10 requires more memory or anything.