5 ms·

Ask HN: What computer should I buy?

I only have one shot at this. The computer needs to last me for the next 5 years. Can be a laptop or a desktop. I like Windows 10, Linux and OS X all the same. Thinking about a Retina MacBook... I don't play games, don't need a GPU. I don't compile things or render video, so a good CPU isn't that important. I think I could live with a Core M, but not sure. SSD is a must, preferably a PCIe NVMe one. Budget is $1700, but add 20% to the price of the computer for the european tax because I live in Serbia and everything is expensive. Help me HN.

wolfgang42 10y ago
I recommend a used ThinkPad (probably in the T series), with some variety of Linux. I bought mine from my high school when I graduated, but they're readily available for a few hundred USD. ThinkPads are renowned for being virtually indestructible; I personally have dropped them onto concrete floors, stepped on them, and dumped a liter of water in one, with no major failures. On mine (currently a T420) I can run KUbuntu with a fairly heavy instance of Firefox, a small VM, and a few other programs with no difficulty at all. It's not quite as fast as a brand-new computer might be, but not problematically so. I see no reason why such a computer couldn't be stretched to last 5 years for light use; the main reason I've needed to upgrade in the past has been that I've started doing things that needed more RAM and it was cheaper (due to the school's program) to get a new computer. The one thing the above does not cover is the SSD. If this is actually a requirement for you (I've never particularly needed one myself), you will probably need to buy that separately and install it (a single Phillips screw), but that will still be significantly less than $1700 and you may even be able to get a discount on a laptop that's missing its hard drive.
- milankragujevic 10y ago
  I will look into it definitely. There are lots of cheap business Thinkpads from Germany in Serbia, so I will find some. The only shitty thing about old laptops is that the screen is 1366x768. That's too damn small. Yet you can find budget laptops that are Full HD, but are built so bad they can break if you open them (for example recent HP 15 series which I've fixed for someone and had the body crack because I opened it (you need to remove the whole back cover and what's left is the top cover and the screen and the guts stuck to the top cover, but the bottom cover overhangs the top one so it's difficult to remove. )) Note on the SSD, if you ever upgrade to an SSD you will not be able to go back. At least I can't. Even a slow eMMC card is faster than a HDD in access times, and in a laptop makes a huge difference.
  - wolfgang42 10y ago
    Many of them are available in higher-resolution models; for example the T420 I have (released 2012) is 1600x900. I also suggest getting an external monitor so you can have two screens--until recently I had an awful 800x600 LCD I got for $10 and it was still better than nothing.
__d 10y ago
Well, what do you want to do with it? - Do you need lots of screen space? - Do you need lots of local storage? - Do you use lots of applications simultaneously? - Do you use large data files? - Do you care how it looks? - Do you care how physically robust it is? - Do you have any existing components that you could reuse (eg. a monitor)? You've said you don't game, compile or render video, which is helpful. But then you say you want fast storage. You said it could be laptop or desktop. There are so many possible answers, you need to help narrow things down a little more ...
- milankragujevic 10y ago
  Okay so I don't really know. Currently I'm a coder and do PHP NodeJS etc. But in the future I might do something else, and I'm not sure. I might need a laptop or not, I'm not sure. I'm still in high school living with parents so I have lots of space and don't worry about the power bill but that will change when I move out.
CyberFonic 10y ago
I would suggest buying a minitower or building your own. Several motherboards, e.g. Gigabyte, support M.2 SSD which is the fastest option. I would also add a 1 or 2 TB SATA hard drive. Personally I would pick Linux, Ubuntu LTS has been consistently good for me. Since you don't need a GPU you will avoid the most common compatibility issues. A desktop/minitower is cheaper than a comparable power laptop. It is easier to repair or upgrade. Both Gigabyte and Asus make excellent motherboards and have online configuration tools to help you select the CPU, RAM, etc.
- milankragujevic 10y ago
  What do you think about this? i7-4790 311€ ga-z97-d3h 96€ sm951 m.2 128gb 86€ 850 evo 500gb 160€ wd blue 4tb 120€ 16gb ddr3 85€ 16gb ddr3 85€ case atx 20€ psu 500w 40€ I might host lots of VMs so I might need the RAM and the CPU. For now I could live by on a Intel Atom. In fact I'm using a Celeron and 4GB of RAM right now.
  - CyberFonic 10y ago
    That is a nice configuration - rather powerful. It is a very long way beyond your current configuration. Reading your other responses, it would seem that you might be better off doing some more work and waiting until you are clearer about what you need. The great thing about PCs is that over time you get more for your money. So delaying the decision until you really need a new system works in your favour.
    - milankragujevic 10y ago
      Okay, I think that's good too. I __do__ need to learn to save money, I haven't learnt that yet and always spend it. I will probably upgrade to 4+4GB just because I'm really starting to need it but will keep the CPU and the rest and wait... AMD Ryzen sounds very nice, and it's only going to get better.
flukus 10y ago
Why only one shot? You could probably get a decent enough machine for half your budget and then replaces it in 3-4 years.
- milankragujevic 10y ago
  I got a job that paid me well, but I'm not sure whether i will have spare money in the future (planning on moving out my parents' house when I'm 18 and will need every cent). If I knew for a fact I'd have money every 2 years I would just buy the latest shiny Apple thing because Apple.
  - flukus 10y ago
    Money you don't spend now can be saved until you need it.

wolfgang42 10y ago

I recommend a used ThinkPad (probably in the T series), with some variety of Linux. I bought mine from my high school when I graduated, but they're readily available for a few hundred USD. ThinkPads are renowned for being virtually indestructible; I personally have dropped them onto concrete floors, stepped on them, and dumped a liter of water in one, with no major failures. On mine (currently a T420) I can run KUbuntu with a fairly heavy instance of Firefox, a small VM, and a few other programs with no difficulty at all. It's not quite as fast as a brand-new computer might be, but not problematically so. I see no reason why such a computer couldn't be stretched to last 5 years for light use; the main reason I've needed to upgrade in the past has been that I've started doing things that needed more RAM and it was cheaper (due to the school's program) to get a new computer. The one thing the above does not cover is the SSD. If this is actually a requirement for you (I've never particularly needed one myself), you will probably need to buy that separately and install it (a single Phillips screw), but that will still be significantly less than $1700 and you may even be able to get a discount on a laptop that's missing its hard drive.

milankragujevic 10y ago
I will look into it definitely. There are lots of cheap business Thinkpads from Germany in Serbia, so I will find some. The only shitty thing about old laptops is that the screen is 1366x768. That's too damn small. Yet you can find budget laptops that are Full HD, but are built so bad they can break if you open them (for example recent HP 15 series which I've fixed for someone and had the body crack because I opened it (you need to remove the whole back cover and what's left is the top cover and the screen and the guts stuck to the top cover, but the bottom cover overhangs the top one so it's difficult to remove. )) Note on the SSD, if you ever upgrade to an SSD you will not be able to go back. At least I can't. Even a slow eMMC card is faster than a HDD in access times, and in a laptop makes a huge difference.
- wolfgang42 10y ago
  Many of them are available in higher-resolution models; for example the T420 I have (released 2012) is 1600x900. I also suggest getting an external monitor so you can have two screens--until recently I had an awful 800x600 LCD I got for $10 and it was still better than nothing.

__d 10y ago

Well, what do you want to do with it? - Do you need lots of screen space? - Do you need lots of local storage? - Do you use lots of applications simultaneously? - Do you use large data files? - Do you care how it looks? - Do you care how physically robust it is? - Do you have any existing components that you could reuse (eg. a monitor)? You've said you don't game, compile or render video, which is helpful. But then you say you want fast storage. You said it could be laptop or desktop. There are so many possible answers, you need to help narrow things down a little more ...

milankragujevic 10y ago
Okay so I don't really know. Currently I'm a coder and do PHP NodeJS etc. But in the future I might do something else, and I'm not sure. I might need a laptop or not, I'm not sure. I'm still in high school living with parents so I have lots of space and don't worry about the power bill but that will change when I move out.

CyberFonic 10y ago

I would suggest buying a minitower or building your own. Several motherboards, e.g. Gigabyte, support M.2 SSD which is the fastest option. I would also add a 1 or 2 TB SATA hard drive. Personally I would pick Linux, Ubuntu LTS has been consistently good for me. Since you don't need a GPU you will avoid the most common compatibility issues. A desktop/minitower is cheaper than a comparable power laptop. It is easier to repair or upgrade. Both Gigabyte and Asus make excellent motherboards and have online configuration tools to help you select the CPU, RAM, etc.

milankragujevic 10y ago
What do you think about this? i7-4790 311€ ga-z97-d3h 96€ sm951 m.2 128gb 86€ 850 evo 500gb 160€ wd blue 4tb 120€ 16gb ddr3 85€ 16gb ddr3 85€ case atx 20€ psu 500w 40€ I might host lots of VMs so I might need the RAM and the CPU. For now I could live by on a Intel Atom. In fact I'm using a Celeron and 4GB of RAM right now.
- CyberFonic 10y ago
  That is a nice configuration - rather powerful. It is a very long way beyond your current configuration. Reading your other responses, it would seem that you might be better off doing some more work and waiting until you are clearer about what you need. The great thing about PCs is that over time you get more for your money. So delaying the decision until you really need a new system works in your favour.
  - milankragujevic 10y ago
    Okay, I think that's good too. I __do__ need to learn to save money, I haven't learnt that yet and always spend it. I will probably upgrade to 4+4GB just because I'm really starting to need it but will keep the CPU and the rest and wait... AMD Ryzen sounds very nice, and it's only going to get better.

flukus 10y ago

Why only one shot? You could probably get a decent enough machine for half your budget and then replaces it in 3-4 years.

milankragujevic 10y ago
I got a job that paid me well, but I'm not sure whether i will have spare money in the future (planning on moving out my parents' house when I'm 18 and will need every cent). If I knew for a fact I'd have money every 2 years I would just buy the latest shiny Apple thing because Apple.
- flukus 10y ago
  Money you don't spend now can be saved until you need it.