I need a new computer

[Greg]

I have an ancient CPU but 16GB of RAM, and sometimes I wish for more.

Odds are, if you don't do anything like that 8GB should keep you happy. Having 'extra' RAM doesn't get you much, but not having enough is a killer.

For 99.99% of computer users 16GB is more than enough... No game on the market today will utilize that much... About the only things that will are heavily involved video rendering and 3D modeling programs outside of server applications.

For most folks I think 16GB is still overkill. But just web browsers can eat up that much on a 'lightly loaded desktop' if you push it.

[mekender]

I have an ancient CPU but 16GB of RAM, and sometimes I wish for more.

Odds are, if you don't do anything like that 8GB should keep you happy. Having 'extra' RAM doesn't get you much, but not having enough is a killer.

For 99.99% of computer users 16GB is more than enough... No game on the market today will utilize that much... About the only things that will are heavily involved video rendering and 3D modeling programs outside of server applications.

For most folks I think 16GB is still overkill. But just web browsers can eat up that much on a 'lightly loaded desktop' if you push it.

Meh...

As I type this, I have 3 instances of Chrome open, the one this box is in has 12 tabs open, one with a paused youtube video, behind it is a second instance with one tab... My right screen has another instance of Chrome, 9 tabs with a streaming 1080p youtube video and an open explorer window... My left screen has an explorer window open and a 720p .avi file that is running plus an instance of Task Manager... Also on my main screen, behind Chrome is an instance of Onenote, an instance of Excel and an Explorer window... In the background, not paused but actually running, I have an instance of Diablo III running at max video settings. Oh and for gigles, I just opened a 4th instance of chrome on my main screen with 40 tabs worth of live, streaming video cameras... AND to top that off, I opened a 1080p video file and it is running behind Chrome on my main screen.

I am at 90% CPU use but only at 78% memory use right now with a 16gig system.

After closing Diablo III and the 1080p video, it drops to 67% and 67%... Closing the video streams, Onenote and the instance of Chrome with only one tab drops it to 24% and 47%.

Now, I have a rather high end CPU, about the highest end you can go without going into the Extreme Edition Intel chips... And even with that, the CPU maxxes out before the RAM does. Lower end CPUs are going to bottleneck even earlier and slow a machine to a crawl.

Benchmark results on various articles back that up pretty handily... And for many people the hard drive will bottleneck things even further long before RAM becomes the problem.

[Greg]

That's a start.

Now picture an actual multiuser system, with multiple users logged in at all times, each with a graphical session (and X server)... And each user had at least 3 browser windows open, with a dozen or more open tabs per window, streaming videos, the occasional browser game....

The Phenom II X4 CPU was nice in it's day but it's elderly now, and it holds up fine until paging becomes an issue.

Maybe not a common usage pattern, but it's not difficult.

The real point to make, is to be aware of what you generally do with the computer so you can anticipate your hardware needs.

[g-man]

There is zero chance that their server line has such things, unless you think the third (or maybe 4th) largest seller of servers in the world could do it and not get caught... And besides, two of the machines I linked have no OS and the one that does had it installed by the reseller.

But any consumer OS load from any vendor is going to have some level of bloatware or spyware on it... That is SOP for the industry.

Good points. I re-checked the articles I've seen, and they mention the other lines, but not the ThinkServer equipment. I did see another article that mentioned now might be exactly the right time to buy from them, considering they're under a microscope and are less likely to try foolishness. That said, I'd still recommend a matched-spec machine from another manufacturer at the same price point on general principle. But that's just me.

Given the bottlenecking discussion, SSD is a big help, but also looking at a 4-core vice a 2-core processor would be something I'd also note.

[Odahi]

I like the specs on the original machine, I'm not familiar with Win 10 (yet) as I tend to wait until I buy or build a new machine to migrate to a new OS. For what you describe as your usage, I would think it will be just fine. I'd also recommend going to an SSD, you will be very impressed with the performance increase. But that's something that can be done down the road, if you want to minimize your outlay right now. I'd also suggest you consider a "downgrade" to an earlier version of Windows, if you're concerned about compatibility with older programs. I'm currently running 8.1 Pro, which is working well for ME. YMMV. http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-B ... me+premium Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1, for less than $60. Again, I'm not an IT professional, nor do I play one on TV. I would go that route, though, if I were buying that system for what you are using it for.

[rightisright]

Looks like I will be getting an SSD. 512GB should more than suit me.

The Lenovo spyware thing is concerning.... but I am having a hard time finding anything w. similar specs for the same price. Plus, Costco's customer service is outstanding.

If the OS is preinstalled, how much of a PITA is it to reinstall it on the SSD? Do these things even come w. backup discs anymore?

[g-man]

OS should have a way to burn recovery discs, or you can google Windows 10 installation media and download a copy. I'd just do that as soon as you boot the machine, and save yourself having to reinstall anything if you wait and upgrade to SSD later.

[mekender]

Looks like I will be getting an SSD. 512GB should more than suit me.

The Lenovo spyware thing is concerning.... but I am having a hard time finding anything w. similar specs for the same price. Plus, Costco's customer service is outstanding.

If the OS is preinstalled, how much of a PITA is it to reinstall it on the SSD? Do these things even come w. backup discs anymore?

They dont come with discs... And if the OS is installed, as in an off the shelf machine, then you have to reinstall from the manufacturer's restore policy, not the MS website... If you try to use the MS website, they will tell you to contact the manufacturer once you put in your license key.

With 10, most of the install process is done via the website and you have to put in a key to do it... Now you can go to another Win 10 machine and make a bootable USB key for another machine, that is how I do the ones in my house.

[mekender]

That's a start.

Now picture an actual multiuser system, with multiple users logged in at all times, each with a graphical session (and X server)... And each user had at least 3 browser windows open, with a dozen or more open tabs per window, streaming videos, the occasional browser game....

The Phenom II X4 CPU was nice in it's day but it's elderly now, and it holds up fine until paging becomes an issue.

Maybe not a common usage pattern, but it's not difficult.

The real point to make, is to be aware of what you generally do with the computer so you can anticipate your hardware needs.

Right but that goes into the realm of a server and exceeds the usage patters of almost every home user...

Btw, the TS140 with 8GB of ram is the server in my office that runs my DC and about 5 VMs,

[Greg]

Maybe not a common usage pattern, but it's not difficult.

The real point to make, is to be aware of what you generally do with the computer so you can anticipate your hardware needs.

Right but that goes into the realm of a server and exceeds the usage patters of almost every home user...

OK, that's silly.

I may be lazy and in the habit of opening things (apps, browser tabs, whatever) and not using or closing them, and use the 'bazillion open browser tabs as a filing and note keeping system', but it's not server usage.

I suspect over time and as the average desktop OS gets more stable, more people will become packrats this way like me.

Btw, the TS140 with 8GB of ram is the server in my office that runs my DC and about 5 VMs,

My server is a dual core Athlon 64 with 4GB of ram. I'd run vm's on it if the CPU supported it, but it doesn't. (Special/single purpose server vm's don't need much RAM. You need for more RAM either for virtualizing a desktop, or for a heavy duty server VM.)