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Desktop computer renewal.
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<blockquote data-quote="Cowabunga" data-source="post: 7109808" data-attributes="member: 718"><p>Since 2011 I've used an Apple iMac. A 21" replaced two very well used laptops. Very recently upgraded to a 27" iMac with a very high specification and currently have both on the table. May well hook up the old one as a second monitor but for now the 5K 27" display is great. The whole machine is aesthetically pleasing and complements any room and the wireless mouse and keyboard gives great versatility without clutter. External extra drives take care of backing up and they fit neatly on the iMac's foot.</p><p>If an Apple product is your cup of tea, then it should be noted that an iMac of roughly the same spec as a MacBook Pro laptop is the cheaper option with greater versatility, easier upgrade of RAM and a way better screen. Get a good 27" 4K screen to complement a fairly high spec Windows laptop and you will be near iMac price.</p><p></p><p>Do not get a basic 21" iMac. If you must get a 21" you should get one up with a separate internal graphics card and a factory RAM upgrade, because unlike the 27" the 21 is not user upgradable.</p><p></p><p>If a desktop replacement laptop is your preferred solution, don't get a cheapy for goodness's sake. Get one with a nice keyboard that's durable, with a good screen [even if you intend adding a desktop screen] that has HDMI and display ports as well as three or four USB3.1 ports if not USBC or thunderbolt. Also make sure it has adequate RAM, although some have easily accessible ports to add more [check for that]. Also a ninth or tenth generation i5 or i7 CPU and a quality graphics card for your intended use with at least 4GB RAM on the card. The computer….all computers really should have a minimum of 8GB of main RAM [as distinct to graphics RAM] in order to work seamlessly these days. 16GB is well worth paying for and will ensure fast operation with multiple browser windows open with many tabs open in each plus a word processor and spreadsheet on the go. 4GB of RAM will balk at some email clients if there are thousands I the inbox, or if you have multiple tabs open in a browser. Theoretically it will shut down browser tabs in order to keep going and reload when you again access the tab, but this slows things down.</p><p></p><p>Also make sure you get an SSD storage drive rather than a spinning disc one. This is very important for the boot [main] drive to get a fast start and loading of apps. I'd go for a minimum of 256GB SSD, but if you are a demanding user a 500GB or more SSD would be indicated. For backups a cheap 500GB or larger spinning disc external drive is the economical answer, connected to a USB port. If connected to a laptop though, perhaps a faster backup drive might be advised, so a low and SATA SSD [solid state drive] may be a better option due to speed of transfer, which is more important if the laptop is shut down immediately after active work.</p><p></p><p>My portable needs are met by an iPad Pro, so I've no need for a laptop. The iMac shares and synchronises many apps with the iMac and indeed the iPhone.</p><p></p><p>Your Mrs will be eternally grateful if you get her an iMac, especially if you pay the small amount extra for the extended keyboard with numerical keypad [which I make do without]. It is dead easy to use and there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube and various web sites that help find and use advanced productivity features. I especially like the Macmost channel. Macworld has written tutorials about how to type special characters like Æ € # © ® or ™ and to print, copy, cut, paste, highlight, delete forward, move a word at a time or to beginning or end of a line or a paragraph and so on and so forth. All optional but amazingly productive to a power-user.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cowabunga, post: 7109808, member: 718"] Since 2011 I've used an Apple iMac. A 21" replaced two very well used laptops. Very recently upgraded to a 27" iMac with a very high specification and currently have both on the table. May well hook up the old one as a second monitor but for now the 5K 27" display is great. The whole machine is aesthetically pleasing and complements any room and the wireless mouse and keyboard gives great versatility without clutter. External extra drives take care of backing up and they fit neatly on the iMac's foot. If an Apple product is your cup of tea, then it should be noted that an iMac of roughly the same spec as a MacBook Pro laptop is the cheaper option with greater versatility, easier upgrade of RAM and a way better screen. Get a good 27" 4K screen to complement a fairly high spec Windows laptop and you will be near iMac price. Do not get a basic 21" iMac. If you must get a 21" you should get one up with a separate internal graphics card and a factory RAM upgrade, because unlike the 27" the 21 is not user upgradable. If a desktop replacement laptop is your preferred solution, don't get a cheapy for goodness's sake. Get one with a nice keyboard that's durable, with a good screen [even if you intend adding a desktop screen] that has HDMI and display ports as well as three or four USB3.1 ports if not USBC or thunderbolt. Also make sure it has adequate RAM, although some have easily accessible ports to add more [check for that]. Also a ninth or tenth generation i5 or i7 CPU and a quality graphics card for your intended use with at least 4GB RAM on the card. The computer….all computers really should have a minimum of 8GB of main RAM [as distinct to graphics RAM] in order to work seamlessly these days. 16GB is well worth paying for and will ensure fast operation with multiple browser windows open with many tabs open in each plus a word processor and spreadsheet on the go. 4GB of RAM will balk at some email clients if there are thousands I the inbox, or if you have multiple tabs open in a browser. Theoretically it will shut down browser tabs in order to keep going and reload when you again access the tab, but this slows things down. Also make sure you get an SSD storage drive rather than a spinning disc one. This is very important for the boot [main] drive to get a fast start and loading of apps. I'd go for a minimum of 256GB SSD, but if you are a demanding user a 500GB or more SSD would be indicated. For backups a cheap 500GB or larger spinning disc external drive is the economical answer, connected to a USB port. If connected to a laptop though, perhaps a faster backup drive might be advised, so a low and SATA SSD [solid state drive] may be a better option due to speed of transfer, which is more important if the laptop is shut down immediately after active work. My portable needs are met by an iPad Pro, so I've no need for a laptop. The iMac shares and synchronises many apps with the iMac and indeed the iPhone. Your Mrs will be eternally grateful if you get her an iMac, especially if you pay the small amount extra for the extended keyboard with numerical keypad [which I make do without]. It is dead easy to use and there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube and various web sites that help find and use advanced productivity features. I especially like the Macmost channel. Macworld has written tutorials about how to type special characters like Æ € # © ® or ™ and to print, copy, cut, paste, highlight, delete forward, move a word at a time or to beginning or end of a line or a paragraph and so on and so forth. All optional but amazingly productive to a power-user. [/QUOTE]
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