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New PC - any recommendations?
Thread poster: Clare Bentley
Clare Bentley
Clare Bentley  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:45
German to English
+ ...
Nov 17, 2020

I currently have an ancient PC and a laptop. Whilst I find my laptop useful if I'm travelling, I much prefer using the PC. It's 11+ years old and is now painfully slow.
It's clear that I need to buy a new one, but I'm not really sure where to start. A lot has changed in the last 11 years! I was wondering if someone who knows about these things could give me any pointers for the sorts of things to look for.

I'll need to install my CAT tools on it. I'd also use Microsoft Word
... See more
I currently have an ancient PC and a laptop. Whilst I find my laptop useful if I'm travelling, I much prefer using the PC. It's 11+ years old and is now painfully slow.
It's clear that I need to buy a new one, but I'm not really sure where to start. A lot has changed in the last 11 years! I was wondering if someone who knows about these things could give me any pointers for the sorts of things to look for.

I'll need to install my CAT tools on it. I'd also use Microsoft Word etc. I'd like a computer that is quite fast. I often have lots of different tabs open (internet research, online dictionaries etc) when I'm translating, so I'd like to be able to switch between them quickly. I also like a large monitor, but I know I can buy that separately. I also do some online teaching via Skype, so I guess I need one with a microphone.

Are the new 'all in one' type computers any good? They look like a neat solution, but are they powerful enough? Or am I better with a traditional tower type one?
I've started looking online and I mainly find links to gaming PCs and laptops. Are the 'traditional' types of PCs no longer as popular? Or does a gaming PC just mean it's powerful?

I'd be extremely grateful for any hints, tips or indeed concrete recommendations of what to buy (or what not to buy!)

Thanks in advance.
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Antonio Mateus
 
Martina Klett
Martina Klett  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 09:45
Member
Italian to German
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My current configuration from August 2020 Nov 17, 2020

Dear Clare,

I had to buy a new computer in August since my old one crashed and couldn’t be repaired. Here is the configuration recommended by my computer dealer / repair shop (I am working with SDL Trados 2019 which is quite “RAM hungry”):
Midi Tower PC (I am not sure whether it is allowed to name the brand)
Intel Core i7-9700 (3.0–4.7 GHz, 12 MB)
16 GB RAM
512 GB SSD disk
1 TB hard disk
Intel UHD Graphics

All the software is
... See more
Dear Clare,

I had to buy a new computer in August since my old one crashed and couldn’t be repaired. Here is the configuration recommended by my computer dealer / repair shop (I am working with SDL Trados 2019 which is quite “RAM hungry”):
Midi Tower PC (I am not sure whether it is allowed to name the brand)
Intel Core i7-9700 (3.0–4.7 GHz, 12 MB)
16 GB RAM
512 GB SSD disk
1 TB hard disk
Intel UHD Graphics

All the software is installed on the SSD disk and also my current projects are saved on the SSD. Once finished, I transfer the projects to the “normal” 1 TB hard disk.

It has integrated loudspeakers (I use a headset for webinars and the like) and I am very satisfied with the speed when translating.

HTH,
Martina
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Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 09:45
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@Clare Nov 17, 2020

Clare Bentley wrote:
I was wondering if someone who knows about these things could give me any pointers for the sorts of things to look for.


I know slightly more than you do.

Go here: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/amd-am4-home-office/
Unfortunately they don't allow me to save quotes as a URL, so you'll have to select these things manually:
* Processor (CPU): Ryzen 3 with Vega Graphics
* Motherboard: B450 motherboard (you'll need a slightly bigger case)
* Memory (RAM): 1 x 8 GB of RAM (or more if you can afford it, but 8 GB should be enough)
* 1st Storage Drive: NONE (or whatever your budget allows)
* 1st M.2 SSD Drive: 1 TB PCIe M.2 SSD
* Power Supply: 350 W power supply (you can buy a quieter one later if budget allows)
Comes to about 500 quid. It's ugly but it's a workhorse. This excludes a new monitor. You can save money by installing Windows yourself (it requires a bit of skill, but you can use the free version of Windows just fine).

Note: I have never used the store mentioned above and I don't specifically recommend them, but they seem okay, and I like the fact that you can customise many options.

I mainly find links to gaming PCs and laptops. Are the 'traditional' types of PCs no longer as popular? Or does a gaming PC just mean it's powerful?


A "gaming" computer is a computer that the store is desperate to sell to people who want to believe that they're buying a powerful computer. The store takes any computer and label it a "gaming" computer to make it sell faster.

What is your budget?

[Edited at 2020-11-17 13:54 GMT]


 
Clare Bentley
Clare Bentley  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:45
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Nov 17, 2020

Thanks Martina and Samuel for taking the time to answer. Your replies really help give me an idea of what I need.

Samuel, you asked about budget. I've been working on the assumption that I would need to spend £800-£1000. I've entered the info you gave on the website. I would never have known what I needed without your help, so thank you. Is it better to buy a computer by doing it this way rather than 'off the peg' as it were?


 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:45
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
Rocking an i3 here Nov 17, 2020

Clare Bentley wrote:
It's 11+ years old and is now painfully slow.

My previous PC was a Surface Pro 4, an i7-based machine. It died. As a stopgap I bought a lightly used ex-corporate PC with an i3 chip (specifically a Core 6100), Skylake chipset, an SSD and 16Gb of DDR4 memory for £250-300. I bought from an acquaintance, but you can get similar products from websites like this.

To my surprise, it genuinely doesn't feel any slower than the previous i7-based machine in everyday use. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, given that it's clocked at 3.7GHz, and while clock speeds aren't everything, it's pretty competent. I was going to buy a newer, more expensive, "future-proof" (hah!) PC, but now I intend to stick to this until it fails or slows to a crawl.

The lesson for me was that MS Office and your CAT tool may not use the extra power of a fast PC effectively enough for you to be able to tell the difference in day-to-day operation. So don't be afraid to "settle" for an i5 or even an i3 system. [EDIT: Just to clarify, if buying new I would probably not go for an i3 - I chose this secondhand PC because it was so cheap I could write it off if it didn't work.]

Regards,
Dan

[Edited at 2020-11-17 15:06 GMT]


Luca Tutino
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 09:45
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@Clare Nov 17, 2020

Dan Lucas wrote:
The lesson for me was that MS Office and your CAT tool may not use the extra power of a fast PC effectively enough for you to be able to tell the difference in day-to-day operation.


I agree. I would not recommend anything less than 4 cores, however -- modern browsers tend to run slower with too few cores. I recommend a motherboard that is at least a tiny little future-proof in the sense that there's room for a PCIe M.2 drive on it. I wonder if one couldn't even say "any 4-core system that supports at least 16 GB of DDR4 would do". My recommendation in the previous post to Clare is actually a "bottom rung" setup -- the Ryzen 3 is the cheapest 4-core processor out there with descent graphics capability.

You can get similar products from websites like this.


Yes, there is nothing wrong with a professionally refurbished old computer if it comes with a good guarantee (1 year+), if you are on a tight budget.

Clare Bentley wrote:
Is it better to buy a computer by doing it this way rather than 'off the peg' as it were?


The advantage of a branded, factory-built system from a well-known brand is that there is a greater chance that the components would work well together and thus give you more power than the sum of the components would otherwise suggest. Such factory-build systems are often also rather more expensive, and you have fewer choices. If you're not on a budget, it's not a bad move to buy a branded system.

Systems sold by big non-computer stores (some grocery stores have "great" specials) tend to focus on which components they can make most profit out of, so be careful with those.

Buying a computer that is build by a company such as the one mentioned above means that you can choose much more precisely what you want to have in it, and it is often cheaper.

You can get away even more cheaply if you build the system yourself from separately ordered components (or get a geeky neighbour to do it), but one risk of doing that is that you might break an expensive component accidentally, and I'm not sure if the warranty covers that. If you want to investigate that route (even if only to see how it works and you're not considering this option), I recommend visiting Logical Increments and then heading on over to PC Part Picker.

[Edited at 2020-11-17 16:52 GMT]


 
Martina Klett
Martina Klett  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 09:45
Member
Italian to German
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Opting for more than the minimum requirement Nov 17, 2020

Just one more tipp from my side due to past experience: I would always look for the recommendation of your CAT tool producer regarding system requirements and would choose the "optimum performance" (e. g. for SDL Trados Studio 2019: "As a minimum requirement, we recommend an Intel or compatible CPU-based computer with 8 GB RAM and a screen resolution of 1024x768.
For optimum performance, we recommend a 64-bit operating system, 16 GB RAM, an SSD drive and a recent Intel or compatible CPU.")
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Just one more tipp from my side due to past experience: I would always look for the recommendation of your CAT tool producer regarding system requirements and would choose the "optimum performance" (e. g. for SDL Trados Studio 2019: "As a minimum requirement, we recommend an Intel or compatible CPU-based computer with 8 GB RAM and a screen resolution of 1024x768.
For optimum performance, we recommend a 64-bit operating system, 16 GB RAM, an SSD drive and a recent Intel or compatible CPU.")

With my first computer I only chose the minimum requirement which unfortunately was too "weak" for the next SDL Trados version I bought ...

Have a nice evening,
Martina
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finnword1
finnword1
United States
Local time: 04:45
English to Finnish
+ ...
Internet speed? Nov 17, 2020

I have been updating my system from time to time. In my work, the processor speed seems to be more important than the RAM size. The biggest improvement, however, came from switching from cable to fiber optic Internet, as I normally have several databases open for reference.

[Edited at 2020-11-17 18:16 GMT]


 
Lincoln Hui
Lincoln Hui  Identity Verified
Hong Kong
Local time: 16:45
Member
Chinese to English
+ ...
£800-£1000 Nov 17, 2020

If you can spend £800-£1000, you can get a perfectly good laptop that you can hook up to an external monitor, keyboard and mouse and use it like a desktop, and still have a perfectly good laptop when you need it.

Samuel Murray
Dan Lucas
Jo Macdonald
Alaa Zeineldine
Michele Fauble
Sarah Maidstone
Ying-Ju Fang
 
Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 10:45
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
Get a second-hand laptop and external keyboard and RollerMouse Pro3 Nov 18, 2020

Ergonomically it is more important what you write on than where your software is. Any laptop with Win10 or Win7 will be an enormous improvement over your present pc. I never use the laptop keyboard but have connected the RollerMouse and external keyboard on a extendable plate under my desk.

 
Clare Bentley
Clare Bentley  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:45
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Food for thought Nov 18, 2020

Thanks again for all the helpful comments. You've certainly given me things to think about.

Martina, than you so much for pointing out the obvious - to check the CAT tool recommendations. It's clearly a sensible thing to do, but for some reason it hadn't occurred to me to do so! I use memoQ rather than Trados, but I imagine they are similar. At any rate, I shall check it out.

As far as internet speed goes, we've already got the fastest option we can for where we live an
... See more
Thanks again for all the helpful comments. You've certainly given me things to think about.

Martina, than you so much for pointing out the obvious - to check the CAT tool recommendations. It's clearly a sensible thing to do, but for some reason it hadn't occurred to me to do so! I use memoQ rather than Trados, but I imagine they are similar. At any rate, I shall check it out.

As far as internet speed goes, we've already got the fastest option we can for where we live and I'm pretty happy with it.

Re: laptop. I understand why connecting a laptop to a monitor and keyboard is a good idea, but I already have a laptop for when I'm out and about. I really much prefer a desktop set up. It's also handy to have the laptop free so the children can use it if need by whilst I'm working on the computer.

Dan, Samuel - thanks again for your tips. I'll investigate what options there are, but I think the website Samuel linked to may be a good way to get exactly the spec I need.
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Alaa Zeineldine
Alaa Zeineldine  Identity Verified
Egypt
Local time: 10:45
Member (2002)
English to Arabic
+ ...
Laptop with two monitors Nov 18, 2020

I second @Lincoln Hui's suggestion of using a laptop configuration. You can also have two monitors attached by using both, VGA and HDMI ports.

That also has the advantage of not having to sync PC and laptop, maintaining two copies of your professional software and keeping track of security on two systems.

Goodluck,
Alaa


 
Lincoln Hui
Lincoln Hui  Identity Verified
Hong Kong
Local time: 16:45
Member
Chinese to English
+ ...
Desktop Nov 18, 2020

Clare Bentley wrote:

I really much prefer a desktop set up.

What exactly is it that you prefer about desktops?


It's also handy to have the laptop free so the children can use it if need by whilst I'm working on the computer.

I'm really not seeing the logic here - you'll have 2 laptops instead of 1, so you can simply have the old laptop for the children without having to share at all.


 
Baran Keki
Baran Keki  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 11:45
Member
English to Turkish
Using a TV Nov 18, 2020

I'm wondering if using a large screen TV as a monitor is a good idea (in terms of text quality)?

 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:45
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
I wouldn't dismiss a laptop out of hand Nov 18, 2020

Clare Bentley wrote:
I really much prefer a desktop set up.

You know, I thought that for over twenty years. I built a series of large and powerful desktops myself, until one day in early 2017, when I impulsively bought a laptop as my main machine. Because you're still using a large monitor, keyboard and mouse, you get all the benefits of the usual desktop setup, but with the added advantage of being able to pick up the laptop and walk out the door whenever you need to. As Lincoln says, there's no downside in terms of functionality.

As mentioned above, I now have a desktop, but I do miss being able to pick up the laptop and simply move to the dining table to catch up with the news over lunch.

The site Samuel linked to looks good, I agree - have browsed that before.

Regards,
Dan


Michele Fauble
 
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New PC - any recommendations?






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