I have never bought a PC before.
I have an ancient Macbook Pro which doesn't run on it's own battery anymore and a Dell work laptop which I have to carry to and from the office every day. I'm also sick of switching between them on my limited desk space. I could solve all of these problems with some kind of home computer and have a much cleaner workspace.
I thought about trading the Macbook in for a Mac Mini but I'm not an Apple fanboy so if I can get better spec elsewhere I will. Last time I checked I could get a fair discount with a trade in. I did enjoy having Garageband and iMovie sometimes.
I only use it for browsing, working from home on Google Workspace. I do still have access to the full Adobe creative suite but my photography career is dead and gone. I still ocasionally mess with Photoshop and Illustrator. I have started dabbling in Fusion 360 so I do need some decent horsepower. Do they even measure computers in horses?
Anyway, I know a PC is just a plastic box full of components. Can I buy a decent one from a shop or do I have to get into speccing one up?
Can I walk into Curry's and buy a good one, or do I have to order something particular from a shop I've never heard of?
Thanks in advance.
I went through this process recently and had a whole thread on how to spec a decent replacement for my old tower PC. Got lots of good advice, but in the end I just went into my local Currys and picked up one of these:
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/hp-slim-s01pf2011na-desktop-pc-intel-core-i5-256-gb-ssd
I'm sure there are better options but it is small, quiet and after a bit of work with a hacksaw I was even able to fit in my old graphics card so I could connect to my ageing monitors 😀
I had no idea what I wanted/needed to upgrade my ~10yr old Dell in July this year. As recommended elsewhere on the forum, the Helpdesk guys at Scan listened to what I wanted to use the computer for and were very helpful in identifying options/which to go for. They had no issues with me retaining my old mouse, keyboard and screens and checked the new PC had the right connections. The price was competitive.
Have a look at Beelink Mini PC's. They fix to back of your monitor so take up no space and are fanless so no noise.
This one is £265 with the voucher on Amazon, I'm pretty sure it could cope with your needs.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beelink-EQR5-5825U-32G-500G/dp/B0CGRJSSLQ/ref=ast_sto_dp_puis?th=1
I thought about trading the Macbook in for a Mac Mini but I'm not an Apple fanboy so if I can get better spec elsewhere I will.
Go on You Tube, search for "Mac Mini", observe all the YouTubers who usually hate macs telling you how the M4 Mac Mini is the best value computer you can buy.
As you seem platform agnostic, are familiar with the macOS, and say you like some Apple-exclusive software, it would appear to be a no brainer.
The M4 mac mini is an well specced machine for the money. I use an M4 macbook pro for photo and video and I've not got close to stressing it out yet.
You can buy a decent one off Ebay. If you have an unlimited budget, of course you can spec one up and go to a computer shop, or Currys. But there are tons of businesses on Ebay selling refurbed PCs (probably Macs too) with plenty decent enough spec for what you need for a few 100 quid
Hopefully this is the link I tried to post earlier.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beelink-EQR5-5825U-32G-500G/dp/B0CGRJSSLQ/ref=ast_sto_dp_puis?th=1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beelink-EQR5-5825U-32G-500G/dp/B0CGRJSSLQ/ref=ast_sto_dp_puis?th=1
Well I have no idea what has happened to the forum tools?
AIUI something that will run Fusion at a decent lick (or indeed at all) will require an expensive outlay for something you describe as 'dabbling'. I'd want to ask a few questions before attempting to provide answers here.
How much dabbling are you doing, is this something you're getting more into and are likely to be using ever-more complex features and have higher demands, or is it more of a bored Sunday afternoon type of affair?
You talk about desk real estate; out of the gate this will probably influence whether you're looking at a desktop, a minitower, a laptop or a NUC-style PC like the Mac Mini. NUCs have their place but they can be the worst of both worlds.
Is it something you want to put away once you've finished (ie, you want the desk for other things too)? Is the work laptop coming home with you still or is this intended as a replacement for both? Will work even allow you to use a non-work device for work purposes?
What's your output looking like? A system driving two 4k displays is going to need far more, well yes, 'horses' than a regular HD panel.
And of course the million dollar question: do you have a million dollars? What's your budget here?
(tried to help with the link; couldn't)
Well I have no idea what has happened to the forum tools?
Amazon links have been embedded as Kindle links for as long as the forum has had automatic embedding, this isn't a "something has happened" issue. Use the 'insert link' button and change the Link Text field to something other than the URL.
It is EXACTLY like buying a bike...
If you know enough about what you're buying to spec and build your own, and know where to get everything from at the most competitive prices, then you will already be doing that...
If you don't... Then there are computer shops, ranging from chain stores like PC World (think of them as more like Halfords than Leisure Lakes though, and you won't be disappointed!), there are branded stores like Apple (think of these as like Spesh Concept Stores) and then there's a plethora of smaller businesses and even one man bands too, that will do everything from sell you a custom build high spec PC having asked you lots of questions about your requirements and budget etc. right through to those who just fix broken ones when they come in...
I'm a decades long Windows user who just bought an M4 Macbook Air for home stuff. Mac OS is a bit annoying in its own ways, but I find it less annoying on the whole than Windows, and I prefer using my Macbook to my very decent Lenovo work laptop. As others have said, Apple's offerings are actually good value at the moment.
AIUI something that will run Fusion at a decent lick (or indeed at all) will require an expensive outlay for something you describe as 'dabbling'. I'd want to ask a few questions before attempting to provide answers here.
Fusion runs OK on my pretty basic mini PC.
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 5500U with Radeon Graphics (2.10 GHz)
Installed RAM 16.0 GB (12.9 GB usable)
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
I'm sure it might struggle with large complex models but for the basic dabbling it's fine.
I have started dabbling in Fusion 360 so I do need some decent horsepower.
I would look at the hardware requirements for that and buy accordingly. Your time is valuable so having to sit waiting for a slow PC to render something is costing you. If it's just a few minutes a couple of times a week, that's not a problem. If you're losing half your workday waiting on it, it's worth spending serious money buying a decent machine to run it.
Fusion runs OK on my pretty basic mini PC.
I've never used it, I looked at recommended system requirements on Autodesk's website (I should've caveated that, sorry). I guess they're going to pitch that at "runs everything really well" rather than risk a load of complaints after people try to run it on a Commodore 64.
I've never used it, I looked at recommended system requirements on Autodesk's website (I should've caveated that, sorry). I guess they're going to pitch that at "runs everything really well" rather than risk a load of complaints after people try to run it on a Commodore 64.
There is an absolutely massive difference between the recommended and minimum system requirements for Fusion.
Although there is also a massive difference between what I do with Fusion and what some engineering project team will use it for.
Fair. 😁
I should have posted this question 6 months ago when I first started wondering about this. The trade-in price on my Macbook has gone from over £400 to just an offer of free recycling. Bummer. That makes the Mac mini much more expensive to buy. I am aware they get very good reviews so might still consider one.
When I say I'll be dabbling with Fusion it's something I've tried to get into a few times but doing it on the laptop was annoying. I can get the full version for free for education reasons and I have access to hundreds of hours of guided tutorials. Eventually, ideally, I'd be designing bikes or stuff for 3D printing.
Thanks for the pointers though, I look through some of the online stores. I really only need a tower. Monitors, keyboards, mouse and everything are supplied by work but they won't give me a PC and as I said, I'm sick of carrying a laptop around. It's the main thing that puts me off riding a bike to work.
If you know roughly what spec you need, but don't want to build your own, I can suggest CCL computers.
Go to the PC's menu, then custom PC's and you can configure pretty much whatever you need, plus a build cost and they'll build it for you, tested and ship it out.
Probably the best option?
When I say I'll be dabbling with Fusion it's something I've tried to get into a few times but doing it on the laptop was annoying. I can get the full version for free for education reasons and I have access to hundreds of hours of guided tutorials. Eventually, ideally, I'd be designing bikes or stuff for 3D printing.
If you're prepared to consider a different CAD program Onshape is 100% web based and runs in a browser, so places less strain on the PC. Also has a free option.
Eventually, ideally, I'd be designing bikes or stuff for 3D printing.
That won't need much PC power.
I was doing similar with a Thinkpad plugged into an external monitor.
Eventually, ideally, I'd be designing bikes or stuff for 3D printing.
That won't need much PC power.
I was doing similar with a Thinkpad plugged into an external monitor.
Yeah there's CAD for designing a new kitchen, or a bike frame or whatever, and then there's CAD for designing nuclear submarines and suspension bridges... Very different usage cases and some require a lot more compute power than others, regardless of what software you are using.
A couple of weeks ago I replaced my laptop with a Geekom mini PC.
It's tiny, quiet, quick. I probably would have got a Mac Mini, but wanted to play various older games on Steam.
Thanks, I've never heard of Geekom but they look alright and seem to get good reviews. I struggle to tell them apart on the website though as I know almost nothing about PC hardware and it's all just meaningless letters and numbers.
Is there anything better than this for the money? https://www.geekom.co.uk/geekom-mini-it13-mini-pc
I could go a little bit either way the budget. Their most expensive minis are about a grand but they're probably overkill.
I thought about trading the Macbook in for a Mac Mini but I'm not an Apple fanboy so if I can get better spec elsewhere I will.
Go on You Tube, search for "Mac Mini", observe all the YouTubers who usually hate macs telling you how the M4 Mac Mini is the best value computer you can buy.
As you seem platform agnostic, are familiar with the macOS, and say you like some Apple-exclusive software, it would appear to be a no brainer.
This would be my answer. I used windows for work and Mac at home for years and massively preferred the Mac experience. (I still have a version of windows running on one of the last pre-apple silicon MacBooks and that view hasn't changed).
You're already using both - unless you dislike Mac OS Mac hardware just tends to be better and they're currently well in front on the chip stakes (it will run faster/cooler). It will probably be a bit more cash up front but will work well for longer and retain second hand value in a way no windows machine will. I'd bet your MacBook will still fetch a few hundred on eBay now.
Do people generally sell on second-hand Macs? (Genuine question, I've no idea.)
unless you dislike Mac OS Mac hardware just tends to be better
More expensive hardware tends to be better.
That little Geekom box linked above was £700.
I'm no apple fan generally, but my money would be going on a Mac mini given the choice between those.
Edit: didn't notice how much RAM and storage it had...
I'm in the market for a home computer for the following uses: Internet, football manager games and possibly some kind of flight sim (no not the one that's hidden in Excel or wherever).
Can a laptop handle this? I know it can do the first two.
Thank you.
lifetime cost of ownership can be lower
"Can" is doing a lot of work in that sentence.
has been, in my experience, over 20+ years of Mac and PC ownership, buying bottom of the range, standard spec Mac hardware
Theres a refurb Mac mini for £509 on Apple at the moment
Do people generally sell on second-hand Macs? (Genuine question, I've no idea.)
Errr, yes - because they are worth a good chunk of money.
The first Apple laptop I owned (a Titanium G4 Powerbook), I sold on eBay for over a grand after several years of use. (I also ended up sleeping with the lovely Swedish girl who bought it off me, but that's another story).
@mrsheen - depends on the laptop. But a desktop will handle flight sims better - they're all pretty resource intensive.
Do people generally sell on second-hand Macs? (Genuine question, I've no idea.)
Errr, yes - because they are worth a good chunk of money.
The first Apple Silicon MacBook Airs from 2020 (would have been £999 I think) are going for £3-400
10 year old Airs in good condition about £100
If you're prepared to consider a different CAD program Onshape is 100% web based and runs in a browser, so places less strain on the PC. Also has a free option.
I use Onshape and it's very good - for it to be free you simply need to make your designs public (but you can also use other peoples designs also).
Literally all my work is now cloud based so I can do what I need on almost anything that will run two screens - makes buying much easier (and almost redundant for me as my old Dell Optiplex does just fine).