[AT] OT - Computer question

[deanvp at att.net]

My guess is that Microsoft will support Win 10 for at least 2 more years.
But I don't know which specific product you are looking at but I found 1
refurbished 9020 desktop for $225 on the Web  that only had 4 gig ram
memory.  IMHO you need 16 Gig Ram Memory to run programs  reasonably fast in
Windows 10 and it did not have any SSD.  So my guess is your less than $200
computer is going to run very slow.   I think the main CPU is probably
adequate but everything else is going to be so slow you will find it
unacceptable.    My desktop is over 10 years old. I just recently did a
Bench Mark on it compared to today's computers.  It came out at 75% of
current desktop performance.  That actually surprised me a but here is why I
think it does so well. First of all when the computer was assembled it used
the absolute highest performance CPU that was then available  then running
at 3.6 Ghz. Now you will notice that today's CPU's run at not much higher
speed.  So what gives. Intel and AMD have run into a problem making their
CPU's faster because they are up against a limitation of the speed of light.
So how are they getting around that? They are now adding multiple cores for
parallel processing to improve performance.    So be very careful which
processor is in the Dell unit for less than $200. 2, 4, 6 Core?  It looks
like it might be an I7 ???  but I don't know which one. There are several
versions of I7.   But here is the other reason my system is still performing
so well.. It has 16gb ram memory and  I added 512 Gb of SSD memory that
normally would reside on Hard disk.    SSD is known as Solid State memory.
This speeds up operation immensely. Without it my system would be truly
obsolete.   So I would not recommend any older refurbished desktop unless it
has at least 256 Gb of SSD Memory. I haven't looked at what the price is on
SSD lately but it is significantly lower than when I added my 512 Gb.  My
guess would be that 256 Gb would be less than $25. 512 Gb would be better.
and would make an unusable computer completely acceptable for the next 2
years.  A 7200 RPM Hard Disc would altos be preferable.   So be careful what
you are getting for under $200 including a monitor/  Not only could it be so
slow that it wouldn't be acceptable in 2 years it might not be acceptable
day 1. I just don't know how a $200 system with Monitor could be useful. 

If you could direct us to the web site where the less than $200 system is,
maybe we could look at what components are in it to make a better
assessment.    My gut tells me you would never be satisfied with an under
$200 system  Refurbished on not.   I don't know how much refurbished
computers are discounted off of the equivalent new one but let's say 50% An
equivalent new one costing $400  just wouldn't have the components you would
need to be satisfied for 2 years.   What I do instead of trying to find a
low cost computer is I buy a top of the line custom assembled computer and
then use it for a long time rather than having to buy something new every 2
years.  It has worked out pretty god for me.  And if amortized over lets say
10 years it has cost less per year than buying a low-cost unit every two
years or so,   I see no reason to change systems right now other than it
won't run Windows 11.   But I don't know anything in Windows 11 that would
cause me to want to change to Windows 11.   

YMMV.

Dean VP   
Apache Junction, AZ

-----Original Message-----
From: AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> On Behalf Of Mike M
Sent: Friday, February 3, 2023 11:56 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject: [AT] OT - Computer question

Hi all, Hope everyone is staying warm, it's 7 degrees in my part of Michigan
at 2:00 in the afternoon. I need to get a new (refurbished) computer as my
Dell laptop with windows 7 is getting glitchy, and it will not run my tax
software (Turbotax). I can find a refurbished Dell
9020 desktop with monitor for under $200, that comes with Windows 10 pro,
however Windows 10 is getting a little long in the tooth. Just wondering how
long MS will continue to support Win 10, before I need to upgrade to Win 11.
Most of the refurbished computers I am looking at will not support Win 11. I
really don't want to buy something that will be obsolete in a couple years.
Linux is not an option at this point because TurboTax doesn't support it.
Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike M

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