Looking to buy a new computer

[dennis thompson]

My computer is old and slow and I'm thinking of getting a new one.
I know nothing about buying a computer.
I use my computer for spreadsheets, email, browsing the internet, Turbo Tax, and very occasionally a word document.
I would describe myself as a very unsophisticated user.
I see a mini computer that has:
8GB ram
Windows 11 Pro
256 GB SSD
Intel celeron quad core N5105

Note that I barely know what this stuff means.
The computer is described on Amazon as: Kamrui AK1 pro mini 11th generation N5105.
It is about 5" x 5" X 2", seems really small to me.
It costs $169.94

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks

[Michael Weber]

Dennis, I just bought a Beelink windows 10 model out of curiosity mostly. Prices are astonishing to me. I attached it to my TV’S HDMI port and using 20 year old keyboard and mouse the installation went smoothly without issue. I think the last version of windows I used was 7 or maybe XP. Windows has changed a lot. What little effort I’ve put into understanding it has been frustrating to my 76 year old brain. There was some discussion in another tread about version 11 GUI being almost Apple like. IDK. Anyway, just as a warning, if your Windows OS knowledge is ancient like mine be prepared for a bit of a learning curve. You might want to read the “Mini PC Purchase. Maybe.” thread posted a few days ago.

[dennis thompson]

Dennis, I just bought a Beelink windows 10 model out of curiosity mostly. Prices are astonishing to me. I attached it to my TV’S HDMI port and using 20 year old keyboard and mouse the installation went smoothly without issue. I think the last version of windows I used was 7 or maybe XP. Windows has changed a lot. What little effort I’ve put into understanding it has been frustrating to my 76 year old brain. There was some discussion in another tread about version 11 GUI being almost Apple like. IDK. Anyway, just as a warning, if your Windows OS knowledge is ancient like mine be prepared for a bit of a learning curve. You might want to read the “Mini PC Purchase. Maybe.” thread posted a few days ago.
Michael
Thanks for the response
This 79 year old brain has been using Windows 10 for a while so I think the move to 11 shouldn’t be too difficult.
How do you like the Beelink ? It’s one I have considered

[Bill George]

My computer is old and slow and I'm thinking of getting a new one.
I know nothing about buying a computer.
I use my computer for spreadsheets, email, browsing the internet, Turbo Tax, and very occasionally a word document.
I would describe myself as a very unsophisticated user.
I see a mini computer that has:
8GB ram
Windows 11 Pro
256 GB SSD
Intel celeron quad core N5105

Note that I barely know what this stuff means.
The computer is described on Amazon as: Kamrui AK1 pro mini 11th generation N5105.
It is about 5" x 5" X 2", seems really small to me.
It costs $169.94

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks

As long as you have a USB keyboard and mouse, and usually they take a HDMI monitor. I have a Intel NUC in my shop with a recycled monitor (HDMI Input) USB keyboard and mouse and it runs my CNC router and both my lasers without issues. Get at least 8 Gb memory and 256 Gb SSD might be enough for you. Oh you will also need a USB DVD/CD drive they are about $25 or so.

[Brian Tymchak]

..... so I think the move to 11 shouldn’t be too difficult.


I recently upgraded from Win 10 to 11. Except for having to restore my background wall paper and getting used to the shortcuts in the task bar being centered instead of left justified, I haven't noticed any differences. I use the classic view. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough.. I'm not the power user I used to be before I retired (and damned happy about that :D).

[Michael Schuch]

The N5105 should be plenty of processor for the workload you describe.

256GB is considered kind of on the small side these days but it all depends on what you store on your computer. For a mess load of spreadsheets, word processing documents and tax files it should be plenty. For a bunch of photographs or videos you will probably want bigger. I would look at your current computer for guidance What size harddrive do you have now? How full is it?

8mb of memory should be fine for your use cases.

How many usb and video ports does it have? What type of input does your current monitor use? You will need a monitor with an input that matches the computers output for ease. There are ways to adapt but that sounds like something you probably don't want to mess with.

Post a link to the system you are looking at buying. $169 for the hardware and a real licensed copy of Windows 10 or 11 "pro" seems cheap. Like it might not have a real windows license? KAmuri is a manufacture I have not heard of before. Beelink is a name that has a good reputation to it and might be worth paying a bit of extra money for to make sure you get a legal Windows license. My personal favorite is ASUS. (A Windows 11 "Pro" license retails for $199. A Windows 11 "Home" license retails for $139)
What doesn't you current computer do now that you wish it would? Where is your current computer falling short? What do you expect to gain from upgrading to the new computer?

[Lee Schierer]

I recently upgraded from Win 10 to 11. Except for having to restore my background wall paper and getting used to the shortcuts in the task bar being centered instead of left justified, I haven't noticed any differences. I use the classic view. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough.. I'm not the power user I used to be before I retired (and damned happy about that :D).

(t's pretty easy to move the shortcuts in the task bar to the left. Right-click a blank area on the taskbar, then click Taskbar settings. The Settings app will open to Personalization. Click the Taskbar behaviors drop down to see more settings. From there, you can set the Taskbar alignment to Left.

[Bill George]

Don't base your judgement on the Retail cost of a Windows OS, OEM makers get Windows 10 or 11 for almost give away prices as MS wants Everyone to use Windows. 256 Gb is plenty for what you said your doing but if you want to store lots and lots of grandkids pictures going to 500 Gb SSD is so cheap.

[John K Jordan]

My oldest son, the tech wizard, once gave me some good advice - buy a computer targeted to business and professional users and it will come with none of the junk software that typically bloats consumer computers like HP.. I’ve bought three this way, two factory refurbished Dell laptops and one new high-end Dell desktop.

In my case shopping and decisions are painless - I tell him my budget and he sends me a link to the exact computer to buy. I go with lots of ram, fast GPU, plenty of SSD storage, and room for expansion.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I believe the people saying 8MB of memory mean 8GB. It's been 30 years since 8MB of memory was enough for anything. That's back in Windows 3.11/Intel 386DX days.

If I were in the market for a new mini, I believe I would spring the extra $70 for the upgraded version of the one listed by the OP.
It has 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD. That should make it enough for the next two releases of Win.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

Two years ago, my wife bought a Surface Pro for me for Christmas,14 months ago. I like the size and the power, but the type is tiny and the curser can barely be seen. I near had a stroke when I learned what it cost. My wife was in the hospital three years ago and she was bored, so I ran down to the electronics store and got an inexpensive tablet for her. 8x10 as I recall. not particularly fast for games, but it did everything she needed. And Then when my daughter was in the hospital and laid up, we took the tablet for her to use. I tried writing a letter on it, and it was too much like work, even though I bought a keyboard for it.. The Surface is better, but still not as good as my old laptop. We have a six yr old Samsung smart TV. Back then Samsung smart TV's had a computer chip that with a wireless keyboard would allow me to sit in the recliner and surf the internet, type into forums etc.. I down loaded a free app for simple word processing and could type letters on the TV and send them wirelessly to the printer. The TV just had next to no storage memory for such things. My wife got a giant screen latest model Sony and it has 100's of apps, but none that allow me to sit in the recliner and surf the internet We also have a 7 yr old 32 Samsung in the Kitchen that is not connected to cable, but is connected through wifi to the internet. I get all kinds of movie channels, local TV stations, You tube,AND can surf the internet and type into forums etc. I have not figured out how to do it yet, but my wife can connect her new laptop to the giant Sony to use as a monitor for her little 14 inch lap top. She uses it for zoom meetings for work since sometimes there are 20 participants all in those little boxes, too small to see on the laptop. I am a bit surprised that no one has come up with a computer that just connects to a giant TV so all you need extra is the wireless keyboard. BTW, Mrs. new laptop has no disc drive, so things get saved to either 1) internally in the computer's memory, 2) to a cloud (which I don't trust) or 3) on a thumb drive.( which is where all our photos are stored, and also the with my old laptop, copied to a DVD. ) There are new HP "student" laptop computers for around $300 that do so very much more than the little tablets.

BTW, 8GB ram is less memory than most cell phones have. My $40 Chinese smart watch has 4 GB ram if I recall correctly. These new watches can do more than the imaginary 1958 Dick Tracey 2 way wrist watch TV's. in the comic strips.

Get a friend or relative you trust that works with computers to help you.

[Lee DeRaud]

BTW, 8GB ram is less memory than most cell phones have. My $40 Chinese smart watch has 4 GB ram if I recall correctly.
You're either looking at relatively high-end phones or confusing 'RAM" and 'storage'. Data points: latest iPhones have 6GB of RAM, Android 13 will run (poorly) in 2GB but is quite happy in 4GB.

Win11 works quite nicely in 8GB unless you need to edit video or multi-layer Photoshop files. If I believe Task Manager, actual usage seems to hover around 5.5GB-6GB for "normal" tasks. (At the moment, I'm showing 7.4GB with Outlook, Quicken, and a half-dozen open tabs in Chrome.)

[dennis thompson]

Thanks for the advice. I ordered the Kamuri and a kvm switch. It should be interesting to try to have both computers running and being able to switch back and forth between the two. My grandson who works in IT is going to help me install everything.

[Bill George]

Thanks for the advice. I ordered the Kamuri and a kvm switch. It should be interesting to try to have both computers running and being able to switch back and forth between the two. My grandson who works in IT is going to help me install everything.

The Kamuri is a good choice, not sure what you need a switch for?

[glenn bradley]

My oldest son, the tech wizard, once gave me some good advice - buy a computer targeted to business and professional users and it will come with none of the junk software that typically bloats consumer computers like HP.. I’ve bought three this way, two factory refurbished Dell laptops and one new high-end Dell desktop.

In my case shopping and decisions are painless - I tell him my budget and he sends me a link to the exact computer to buy. I go with lots of ram, fast GPU, plenty of SSD storage, and room for expansion.

Always good to have a gearhead in the family :). I do agree that 'business machines' and 'consumer electronics' are different things. This used to mean design differences between 'easily upgradeable' and 'disposable'. Even today something like a small Dell or HP business machine is a cleaner, more straight forward build than something you pick up at Costco. For many of us either one is fine. The consumer products just require a little effort to un-bloat. Consumer units also often come with more toys like bluetooth, more flexible audio ports, and so forth. After nearly 40 years in I.T. I now use the K.I.S.S. method of hardware selection. My aging brain is happier :D. The important thing is to get a machine that is good at what you need it to do. Some of us need a sports car, some an RV, and some a pickup truck.

[dennis thompson]

The Kamuri is a good choice, not sure what you need a switch for?
I'm getting switch so I can run both computers for a while to insure all my files are transferred properly. In the past I've had some problems with this, and the switch was only $17.

[Bill George]

I'm getting switch so I can run both computers for a while to insure all my files are transferred properly. In the past I've had some problems with this, and the switch was only $17.

So I can run two computers at a time without a switch. I doubt if you planning on using the same monitor the old one has a HDMI input for use with the new one. If the keyboard and mouse are USB then your fine. Ok I see some of the lower cost ones also have VGA so your good to go.

[Jim Becker]

Even today something like a small Dell or HP business machine is a cleaner, more straight forward build than something you pick up at Costco.

A lot of the computers sold by Costco "are" the business machines from Dell, HP, Microsoft, Lenovo and, of course, Apple.

[mike stenson]

I'm not sure, other than gaming rigs, what isn't a 'business machine' anymore. I agree with Jim.

[Greg Parrish]

I like apple these days and use it for just the simple items mentioned: web browsing, email, taxes, etc. I use a 21” iMac with apples M1 processor for home and have MS Office on it. I also use an iPad and iPhone in conjunction. Works great if you like simplicity with less fiddling required. However, if you want to play with settings, most don’t seem to like apple.

another consideration is if you use Vectric software. No apple version.

[Curt Harms]

Beelink is a name that has a good reputation to it and might be worth paying a bit of extra money for to make sure you get a legal Windows license. My personal favorite is ASUS. (A Windows 11 "Pro" license retails for $199. A Windows 11 "Home" license retails for $139)

I heard manufacturers pay about $20 each for Windows licenses. This was a few years ago. I'm sure Beelink or other small manufacturer pay more than Dell or Lenovo but still nowhere near retail. The thing about software is the first copy may cost many thousands or millions of dollars. Second and subsequent copies cost virtually nothing. So the more copies sold the more profit. I'm sure Microsoft sells many copies of Windows per year.

[dennis thompson]

So right now I'm using my new computer, which by some miracle I was able to hook up myself.
It seems much faster than my old one.
Still waiting for my KVM switch so both computers can be hooked up.
I haven't tried to transfer anything from my old computer, I need my grandson to do that.
I already had a total rats nest of wires and this has made it worse:)
I have to admit I'm in "no man's land" as I just fumble around trying to figure stuff out but so far so good, I think

[Lee DeRaud]

I already had a total rats nest of wires and this has made it worse :)
Almost all desks, even (especially?) those marketed as "computer desks", truly suck at cable management. :(
There are two approaches to this problem:

1. Live with the mess until the dust settles and you have everything you're going to need hooked up in its final location. Then take it all apart and police the cables into manageable bundles. Installing a KVM is the perfect time to do this, since you'll end up with cables in places you didn't even know you had. A zip-tie gun is your friend. (https://www.harborfreight.com/cable-tie-gun-57965.html)

2. Design and build your own desk. This IS a woodworking forum, after all. :)

[dennis thompson]

495725:)

Here’s the rats nest I mentioned. That little black box on top of my old computer in the new computer. It’s about 5” square and 2” high. The old computer is 7” wide by 15” tall by 15” long.

[John K Jordan]

…
I haven't tried to transfer anything from my old computer, I need my grandson to do that….

If you need to transfer files before the grand-wizard arrives a trivial way is to use an external SSD that plugs into USB. I keep some 1TB SSDs just for this. They are getting cheaper and for a bit more $$ you can get one with high read/write rates.

I use SSDs when I don’t want to go through my NAS or the local network (if one computer is turned off) and to automobile-net huge files to another location. This Samsung model is now about 1/2 what I paid for one in early 2021: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0874XN4D8

Or USB flash drives like this one, smaller capacity but so cheap now they are almost free: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015CH1JIW

JKJ

[Lee DeRaud]

Here’s the rats nest I mentioned.
I've seen worse. :)

My current one is the cabinet behind the desk: NAS and power strip inside, with the cable modem, WIFI router, phone base station, fan, and 3D printer on the counter directly above it. The power cords are bad enough, but there's also cable coax and multiple ethernet cables. The cords are (mostly) out of sight, but I know they're there, tweaking my OCD.

[Lee DeRaud]

I always keep some of these 6" extension cords handy to preserve my sanity:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DVRUTXW

[Warren Lake]

thanks for posting those. that answers a recent question. Added more to the set up and too many things have large transformers at the end. Then some companies that were thinking put them mid stream and have a regular male plug so no issues.

[Lee DeRaud]

thanks for posting those. that answers a recent question. Added more to the set up and too many things have large transformers at the end. Then some companies that were thinking put them mid stream and have a regular male plug so no issues.
The only problem with mid-stream transformers is that you end up with a proprietary "cord" that's way too long: they tend to have six feet of cord from the wall plug to the transformer, then 8-10 feet of low-voltage line to the device. (Not to mention that the big lump in the middle always seems to end up somewhere inconvenient.)

Both my current Dell laptop and the Microsoft Surface Book that preceded it worked that way. But at least the Dell can also get power from a generic adapter of sufficient wattage, feeding whatever USB-C cable length is actually required. The Surface Book had a proprietary connector that made the old iPhone power connectors sem normal by comparison.

[Curt Harms]

My oldest son, the tech wizard, once gave me some good advice - buy a computer targeted to business and professional users and it will come with none of the junk software that typically bloats consumer computers like HP.. I’ve bought three this way, two factory refurbished Dell laptops and one new high-end Dell desktop.

In my case shopping and decisions are painless - I tell him my budget and he sends me a link to the exact computer to buy. I go with lots of ram, fast GPU, plenty of SSD storage, and room for expansion.

I agree with your son. I think the components on business class machines are more durable and more likely to be repairable if needed. If you want a crapware free Windows, it's possible to download a legit Windows .iso file directly from Microsoft. Unpack the .iso to a DVD or USB drive. One caveat about using DVD is Windows requires a dual layer 8 GB. disk. Easier to create a USB using Microsoft's tool. Many recent machines have a Windows license permanently burned into the UEFI/BIOS. Install fresh Windows and it automatically activates.

[dennis thompson]

I wanted to have both computers available, so I thought a KVM switch was just what I needed....not so fast. First one I ordered had no VDMI connection, so it went back, second one I ordered didn't work at all & it went back. Third one I ordered did switch computers, but it didn't recognize the wireless keyboard or mouse, and internet didn't work either, so it went back. I guess if I want to use both computers, I'll just be changing wires from one computer to another.:)

[Warren Lake]

computer broke before Christmas. Now running Linux, win 7, win 10 same time. Seperate keyboard and mouse for each one though the Anywhere 3 mouses can run up to three computers at once. Its neat to see how each one deals with the same thing.

[Jim Becker]

Dennis, I'm honestly not surprised that the KVM didn't work out very well with two very different generations of machines. Wireless keyboards and rodents don't normally even talk to a KVM but maybe there are current ones that can deal with that. Hopefully, you don't need a whole lot of time still working on the old machine and can put this all behind you.

[Lee DeRaud]

I realize it doesn't apply to Dennis' setup, but if you're looking for a KVM switch for two computers using HDMI, I can heartily recommend this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CZBPGGH
It's very small and switches either from a button on top or a couple of keystroke combinations.

[dennis thompson]

So the new computer is installed, everything has been transferred from the old computer to the new computer (at least that's what my grandson says:)).
As I said in an earlier post the KVM switch idea went nowhere.
I'm happy with the new computer, it's very fast, I just hope it lasts.
I did buy some of the extensions you suggested Lee, it helps to reduce the rat's nest, thanks.
I bought a new wireless keyboard and mouse, and this helped with the rat's nest problem.

Thanks for all the responses, this helpless non-computer person learned a lot throughout the process.

PS At the end of all this my wife said to me: " if your old computer was working well, why did you buy a new one?" Good question:)

[Jim Becker]

I see no harm in updating to a new computer from one that's pretty aged, even if it's "working". It's nice to benefit from a clean slate, faster technology and compatibility with current hardware standards. It also helps prevent the angst that can come from "age related failure", especially when one isn't a computer guru. And unlike "back in the day" it's possible to get really capable gear for a very small outlay in money. Enjoy!

[Kev Williams]

KVM switches, while handy, can suck. The computer I'm using now, an old Dell Optiplex 790 that's sitting on the floor under my workdesk, is connected to an IOGEAR 'scroll-lock' KVM switch along with my Old Dell T5400 Workstation, both running Win7 Ultimate64; I need both computers in one spot because the 2 Gravograph laser engravers I'm using can't share the same computer (driver issue)... The KVM worked wonderfully, switches over via a double pounce on the Scroll Lock button, quick 'n easy. I say "worked" because last weekend it simply stopped switching over. My workaround is, I have a switchable USB multiport plug connected to each computer now, with the to-the-KVM cables connected to them, and they're both close enough to work the switches with my 2 hands without moving or leaning over ;) -- result is the same, I turn the working computer's USB switch off, turn the other computer's switch on, and the computer's switch... same thing but slower...

I also have a 4 port KVM, electronic with pushbutton changeover switches, it works half right, monitor works with all, and all the computers will work 'by themselves' with the common keyboard & mouse I'm using, but half the time I have to unplug and re-plug in the mouse 'radio' and keyboard plugs at the switch to get the chosen computer to see them, and about half THAT time the computer just won't see them anyway.

As to the actual 'looking to buy a new computer' topic-- I just bought 4 'new' computers, all older Dell SFF Optiplex's, and all now running Win7 Ultimate64... I think I paid $140 total for them, and about $25 for 4 Window's licenses for them. Purely for work. I also bought four 250gig SSD's for them, all of $35 each, and a bunch of 8gig memory sticks. 3 are running 16gigs ram, 1 has 20gigs. All will boot up in less than 20 seconds, and they're lighting fast :D

One day I should video my HP laptop booting up its Win10 OS, it's ridiculous... It takes many minutes (like almost 20!) after pressing the ON button before I can even USE it. The ONLY reason I have the thing is you can't do TurboTax on a Win7, and I think as of this year, a Win8 won't go either...

I've tried virtual machines, but they have their own headaches, I never had any luck with getting the host to share the USB ports correctly with the VM...

[Jim Becker]

Kev you have a unique situation with all your computers because of the need to support older software and machines. I sure am glad I don't have that problem!!!

[Derek Meyer]

At work, I use a TESmart 8 port KVM on my bench. It works great - it has buttons for each channel, or you can switch with keyboard command or mouse gestures. It supports UHD resolution (HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2) and works great with wireless keyboard/mouse (I've used a Microsoft Wireless Desktop 850 and 900). They make a 4 port model of this unit as well. It's not cheap at about $130, but it works much better than most other KVM units I've tried.

[dennis thompson]

At work, I use a TESmart 8 port KVM on my bench. It works great - it has buttons for each channel, or you can switch with keyboard command or mouse gestures. It supports UHD resolution (HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2) and works great with wireless keyboard/mouse (I've used a Microsoft Wireless Desktop 850 and 900). They make a 4 port model of this unit as well. It's not cheap at about $130, but it works much better than most other KVM units I've tried.
Derek
Thanks for the information. I looked at their kvm switches and there are so many, clearly aimed at the professional, that I found it confusing. I emailed them with my requirements and am waiting to hear back from them. You’re right, they’re not cheap , I’m not sure I’m ready to spend $130 ( but on second thought that’s only the price of a good ten inch sawblade, many of which I own, I’m addicted to sawblades, but that’s another story) I’ll let you know what they respond to me

[Warren Lake]

Kev find yourself an old retired tech and your stuff will run well again with no issues. I talked to 7 or 8 people and got the no way you need to upgrade to windows 85 blah blah blah from all of them.

found someone who knew his stuff. Reminds me of past customers telling me I had to have CNC to do their work.

[dennis thompson]

At work, I use a TESmart 8 port KVM on my bench. It works great - it has buttons for each channel, or you can switch with keyboard command or mouse gestures. It supports UHD resolution (HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2) and works great with wireless keyboard/mouse (I've used a Microsoft Wireless Desktop 850 and 900). They make a 4 port model of this unit as well. It's not cheap at about $130, but it works much better than most other KVM units I've tried.

Derek
Thanks for the advice. I went back and forth with several emails to Tesmart and they were extraordinarily responsive. I ordered a KVM switch from them, it cost $100 (the other 3 i got & returned were $25-30). I hope this one works, if not, they do accept returns.