[SOLVED] I am going to buy a PC but I have no technical knowledge. Experts please help!

[Abdull4h]

I have a computer with 4GB ram and 256 GB Hard-disk. I am not a gamer but I have to install heavy programs for doing my tasks like, Adobe photoshop, illustrator, premier pro etc, MS office, and other similar software. Then there are never ending windows updates always installing. As a result i get many lags and slow performance.

I can not buy brand new PC as it costs a lot but here in Karachi we have some markets which sell used PCs but in good condition. I want to get a PC made on my own specifications but I don't know what those specifications should be.

The work I do is related to Photo/video editing, blogging, writing, etc. and for that i have to open many programs at a time.

The only specifications I know about are Hard drive and RAM and nothing more than that. I want to know about processor, and other intricacies.
Also I am thinking about buying brand new DDR4 RAMs and Hard drive (1TB).

Rest, I am not sure about anything. If anyone of you guide me about the kind of system I should buy also the price range then it will be really helpful.

Regards,

 

[FuriousNinja]

The sort of work you do requires minimum 8GB ram and a i7 preferable 3rd gen but 2nd gen would also suffice alongwith a 256 GB for OS and scratchdisks for Adobe.

If you have a limited budget, I'd suggest you to go for used branded system, preferably Dell.

In Karachi, Techno City and Unicentre are the places where you can get them easily.

Used Dell Optiplex 9010 which comes with i7 3770 (3.4 Ghz), upgrade its ram to atleast 16GB or just stick to 8GB and upgrade it in future but do buy 2 x 4 GB sticks as to keep 2 free ram modules free for future upgradation (the mobo in this PC supports only DDR3 not DDR4 but this doesn't matter much), a brand new 1 TB drive will cost you Rs 6k from Seagate, I'd also suggest you to go for atleast a 256GB SSD for your OS installation and scratch disks for Adobe as it will greatly speed up your PC. 256GB SSD would be more than enough for those pesky OS upgrades and all those softwares but don't keep anything else on it like videos, pictures etc.

This setup would cost you around Rs 30K considering brand new HDD and SSD.

You can also throw in a GPU later on to compliment your graphic needs.

Do take your old PC with you as they can trade it +- the difference.​

 

[Abdull4h]

Thank you so much for your reply.

Can you guide me if I want to upgrade my existing PC then what should I do? also is it a good idea or not?
The specs are:
system: precision workstation T3400
bios version:A14
Memory speed: 800 mhz
memory technology: ddr2 SDRAM
Processor type: Intel (R) Core(TM) 2 quad cpu Q9550 @ 2.83 GHz
Processor clock speed: 2.83 ghz
Processor bus speed: 1333 mhz
processor L2 cache: 12mb

The system has a graphic card as well but I don't know its specs.. i think its 256mb

Can I upgrade it to 16GB RAM and 1TB Hard drive?

 

[FuriousNinja]

Thank you so much for your reply.

Can you guide me if I want to upgrade my existing PC then what should I do? also is it a good idea or not?
The specs are:
system: precision workstation T3400
bios version:A14
Memory speed: 800 mhz
memory technology: ddr2 SDRAM
Processor type: Intel (R) Core(TM) 2 quad cpu Q9550 @ 2.83 GHz
Processor clock speed: 2.83 ghz
Processor bus speed: 1333 mhz
processor L2 cache: 12mb

The system has a graphic card as well but I don't know its specs.. i think its 256mb

Can I upgrade it to 16GB RAM and 1TB Hard drive?

You can install 1TB HDD easily but I'm not so sure about RAM. It is DDR2 and the maximum supported memory (non-ECC) on T3400 upon searching on internet is 8GB while some are saying it is 16GB.

The processor is old, pretty old.

The 256MB card is useless. It wont help you regarding your needs.

I'd advice against upgrading it, it would be better if you simply trade this in for a better used branded system like I suggested above. Don't got for Workstations though.

If the budget is getting out of your range, then downgrade to 8GB and put SSD on hold. You can always add more RAM and SSD later on.

EDIT: If it's still outta your budget, then go for i7 2nd gen, preferably 2600, it would also fulfil your needs adequately and would be a bit lighter on pocket and can be upgraded to 16GB easily.

 

[Abdull4h]

Thank you so much.. i think now I have many good options. You really helped me a lot..
I will sell this pc and will buy the recommended one.. InnshaAllah..

I have another question.. I know about RAM and HDD but I don't know about SSD... i googled but couldn't understand....
you said I can get 1 TB HDD then why do I need SSD? what is its purpose actually...

Once again thank you for your help...

 

[Abdull4h]

Also what GPU will be suitable for the i7 3770 system for video editing and other stuff..?

 

[FuriousNinja]

Thank you so much.. i think now I have many good options. You really helped me a lot..
I will sell this pc and will buy the recommended one.. InnshaAllah..

I have another question.. I know about RAM and HDD but I don't know about SSD... i googled but couldn't understand....
you said I can get 1 TB HDD then why do I need SSD? what is its purpose actually...

Once again thank you for your help...

SSD basically consists of memory chips unlike HDD which has spinning platters which store data.

The basic and most important difference is that SSDs are way faster in reading and writing data than a conventional HDD.

Simply put, if you have an SSD and install OS on it alongwith all of the essential softwares, the system will respond very fast. The bootup time can be as little as 30 secs or even less than that. That is the major advantage of a SSD.

Consider SSD as an optional upgrade. You can always buy it later and install OS on it. But if it is in your budget, go for it. Go for atleast 240GB variant. Kingston's SSDs are generally cheaper and good.

As for the graphics card, go for one with atleast 2GB video ram. It would suffice. New card with warranty and 2GB ram would cost you under RS 10K. GT 730 is going for RS 9500 on czone.com.pk. Again, you can always buy this later if you feel the need.



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