Desktop tower - i5 v i7

2

Comments

  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,773
    And don't forget, he's only going to about 16 more months out of it. It won't run Win 11.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,933
    I don't want to run Win 11 either.
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,994
    Why not?

    Takes a few tweaks, but I like it a lot. Especially with UWT and a Start Menu tool. It's the first Windows OS since Win7 that I find pleasing to look at.
    I disabled signatures.
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,610
    I've been running 11 for a while and it is basically the same as 10
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,773
    msg wrote: »
    Why not?

    Takes a few tweaks, but I like it a lot. Especially with UWT and a Start Menu tool. It's the first Windows OS since Win7 that I find pleasing to look at.

    True, but rumor has it the next version 24H2 is blocking third party start menu apps, and some other tweaks. It in the latest preview build, which is believed to be the release build.
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,994
    Great. I had that one thing to feel good about, and you wrecked it.
    I disabled signatures.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,933
    msg wrote: »
    Why not?

    I'm resistant to change, even if it's for the better.
  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,773
    msg wrote: »
    Great. I had that one thing to feel good about, and you wrecked it.

    I didn't wreck it, but Microsoft seems determined to do so.
    I prefer 10, I see no improvements with 11. Remember when they claimed 10 would be the last operating system? I do.
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,994
    Nah, I don't remember hearing that about 10, but I don't really follow that stuff very closely.

    I like the UI refinements in 11. Looks nicer to me. Contemporary and smooth. I enjoy aesthetics in the tools and toys I use. Just like audio gear, it's a factor in the overall experience for me. 11 runs nice, and I have some things in it tweaked to work like 10. Probably even some like 7.

    Like @Clipdat, I don't like change in certain things. A lot of that has to do with workflows and customizations, and having that disrupted with change. I'd have been fine running XP or Win7 forever. Guess it depends what you like and what you're used to. I haven't had a bad OS computing experience since Millennium.
    I disabled signatures.
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,610
    Windows 10 was supposed to be the start of the windows as a service and no one more news operating systems
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
  • Jimbo18
    Jimbo18 Posts: 2,334
    Well, he ll, now I am not sure and thinking about going with the RAM and getting another year out of this thing. I don't really watch videos on it and it's mostly used for light browsing and fantasy football.

    The frustrating issue with it is how long ads on the side take to load pictures. If RAM helps that, I can go a while longer with this thing.

    And I dropped Avast years ago when I read a couple reviews that rated Defender as nearly as good. I have that, CCleaner and Malwarebytes free and haven't had any issues.
  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 7,042
    msg wrote: »
    I haven't had a bad OS computing experience since Millennium.

    You must have skipped over Vista. :p
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,412
    One thing to consider is just how much ram will it recognize. On most machines there is a limit, anything more is wasted.
    That should be looked into before you start buying sticks of RAM.
  • CGTIII
    CGTIII Posts: 1,069
    Most applications (other than gaming, video processing and such, you'd know if you were going to use one of those) are single-threaded, so on Passmark's CPU Benchmark the relevant rating is the single-thread speed, not the total.

    I second everything @ChrisD06 said above. If needed for cost savings, you could start with 8 GB RAM and upgrade to 16 GB or more as needed. Very important to have an SSD though, even if you upgrade to NVMe later. Samsung makes the most reliable SSDs in consumer grade - that's not from my limited experience but from Steve Gibson, storage drive testing expert.

    I've been into computers professionally (building, servicing, upgrading) since I was about 26 years old and have over 35 years under my belt of experience with this stuff.
    Expect that there will be bumps in the road. Choose to not let them rattle you.

    Polk - Monitor 10As, SDA 2Bs, LSi9s, White RTi4s, S4s, M3s, various centers.
    Boston - CR7, CR6s, CR4s.
    Subs - M&K V4, M&K VX-7B, JBL SUB150P, Jamo Sub 250, and others.
    ​Thompson Adventures, Inc.
  • Jimbo18
    Jimbo18 Posts: 2,334
    edited May 11
    billbillw wrote: »
    FYI: If you decide to upgrade RAM, I would just get a pair of 8GB sticks if you can find them on eBay. DDR3 is super cheap on the used market. You probably won't find anything decent in stock at stores.
    Something like this would do: https://www.ebay.com/itm/126427666162

    Well, it's become something of an academic exercise now so I ordered the RAM in the link from @billbllw. I checked to see how much the Inspiron will recognize and it is 16Gb.
  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,773
    That's a reasonable amount to spend. I don't think it will make ads load any faster though.

    If that's an issue, install Ublock origin. and use Adgaurd DNS servers. You won't have to wait for ads to load, because you won't see any.

    What type of internet connection do you have? Ever run a speed test? Ads shouldn't load slow, but they are annoying.
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,994
    Viking64 wrote: »
    msg wrote: »
    I haven't had a bad OS computing experience since Millennium.
    You must have skipped over Vista. :p
    lol, oh yeah, Vista. completely forgot that one existed. only ever saw it on friends' computers.
    I disabled signatures.
  • Jimbo18
    Jimbo18 Posts: 2,334
    WilliamM2 wrote: »
    That's a reasonable amount to spend. I don't think it will make ads load any faster though.

    If that's an issue, install Ublock origin. and use Adgaurd DNS servers. You won't have to wait for ads to load, because you won't see any.

    What type of internet connection do you have? Ever run a speed test? Ads shouldn't load slow, but they are annoying.

    I use Ookla now and then. Usually get around 275 mbs. I pay for 300 so it's pretty good. I'll check out ublock
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,994
    edited May 11
    WilliamM2 wrote: »
    That's a reasonable amount to spend. I don't think it will make ads load any faster though.

    If that's an issue, install Ublock origin. and use Adgaurd DNS servers. You won't have to wait for ads to load, because you won't see any.

    What type of internet connection do you have? Ever run a speed test? Ads shouldn't load slow, but they are annoying.
    uBlock Origin - that's a neat extension. Haven't tried the Adguard DNS servers, but that's interesting. I'd been using ABP and OpenDNS in general, but the OpenDNS is more for a little speed boost. Found it faster than my ISP and Google's DNS.

    I disabled signatures.
  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,773
    msg wrote: »
    uBlock Origin - that's a neat extension. Haven't tried the Adguard DNS servers, but that's interesting. I'd been using ABP and OpenDNS in general, but the OpenDNS is more for a little speed boost. Found it faster than my ISP and Google's DNS.

    I find the Adgaurd DNS servers stop a lot of sites from bothering you about using an adblocker. Doesn't seem to affect speed at all. I have a 300 plan, and usually get about 370 wired.

  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,741
    Jimbo18 wrote: »

    I use Ookla now and then. Usually get around 275 mbs. I pay for 300 so it's pretty good. I'll check out ublock

    uBlock will definitely improve your page loading experience. When you set it up, make sure you can see the icon for it at the top. Some browsers hide it by default.
    The reason you want the icon is because some web pages won't load properly and you'll need to toggle the uBlock extension for those particular pages. The extension will remember if you turn it off for that page.
    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,994
    WilliamM2 wrote: »
    msg wrote: »
    uBlock Origin - that's a neat extension. Haven't tried the Adguard DNS servers, but that's interesting. I'd been using ABP and OpenDNS in general, but the OpenDNS is more for a little speed boost. Found it faster than my ISP and Google's DNS.

    I find the Adgaurd DNS servers stop a lot of sites from bothering you about using an adblocker. Doesn't seem to affect speed at all. I have a 300 plan, and usually get about 370 wired.

    Okay, I'm sold. I've been meaning to setup a piHole, but just swapped my DNS to AdGuard on a test computer and a couple of mobile devices. Danged if my browsing's not 100% clean.

    That was a great tip. Thanks for sharing.
    I disabled signatures.
  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,773
    msg wrote: »

    Okay, I'm sold. I've been meaning to setup a piHole, but just swapped my DNS to AdGuard on a test computer and a couple of mobile devices. Danged if my browsing's not 100% clean.

    That was a great tip. Thanks for sharing.

    You're welcome.
    Using Adguard and Ublock, I don't get ads on Youtube, Amazon Freevee, Paramount, or any other streaming service either. Before Adguard, these would block me until I turned off Ublock origin.
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,994
    Wow that's interesting on the streaming services. I refuse to watch those Freevee titles as a matter of principle, but there are a bunch I would like to see if I didn't have to deal with ads (commercials, essentially, right?) I'm gonna check that out.
    I disabled signatures.
  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,741
    edited May 12
    WilliamM2 wrote: »
    msg wrote: »

    Okay, I'm sold. I've been meaning to setup a piHole, but just swapped my DNS to AdGuard on a test computer and a couple of mobile devices. Danged if my browsing's not 100% clean.

    That was a great tip. Thanks for sharing.

    You're welcome.
    Using Adguard and Ublock, I don't get ads on Youtube, Amazon Freevee, Paramount, or any other streaming service either. Before Adguard, these would block me until I turned off Ublock origin.

    Does this work to block ads on streaming devices, like a Roku, or SmartTV as well? I have all my PCs setup fairly well, but the ads on my Roku and Apple TV drive me crazy, especially for YouTube.
    To do this, I assume I would plug Adguard DNS ip addresses into my router? Right now, I have my router set for Google's DNS.
    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,773
    Not sure if it works on streaming devices. I use my PC to stream. Easy enough to try.
  • Jimbo18
    Jimbo18 Posts: 2,334
    I added uBlock Origin and it helped with loading pages. I received the two 8 meg sticks today and they definitely help. Everything seems faster than before. Switching pages seems instantaneous, or at least as compared to before.

    Good move for $15, thanks for all the suggestions.
  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,741
    Jimbo18 wrote: »
    I added uBlock Origin and it helped with loading pages. I received the two 8 meg sticks today and they definitely help. Everything seems faster than before. Switching pages seems instantaneous, or at least as compared to before.

    Good move for $15, thanks for all the suggestions.

    In some ways, the longer you can put off an upgrade, the better. Hardware gets faster for the same price every year.
    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
  • Jimbo18
    Jimbo18 Posts: 2,334
    Yeah, that's the plan. I don't really need anything too powerful for the little bit I do online. Most of it is visiting a few sites, like this one, and using it for fantasy football. I do some spreadsheets for it each season and am commissioner of several leagues which require some research and communications.

    I had a serious eye issue last year and, although I can still see my phone screen with glasses, it's a struggle and the bigger screen of the monitor is much easier on me for most things.

    Thanks again, Jim
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,994
    I had the same question and was trying to find Freevee stuff to test. Figures when I'm actually looking for it, it's hard to find!

    Finally found a title and tested it on the Nvidia Shield (you're welcome @Kex). Couldn't spend too much time on it today, but the initial Amazon Freevee ad does play. The Shield would be using my access point for DNS, which I configured yesterday to use the AdGuard servers. Confirmed that other devices behind the router and not explicitly configured for AdGuard DNS do still get the adblocking benefit, as expected.

    One other thing I tested was some old favorited radio stations from 181.fm. At some point on those, they went to ads as part of the stream, and no longer dynamically injected, if that makes sense. So in cases like this, the ads still play. This was explained to me by an app or service support rep after I was still getting ads after subscribing to a service of some sort. IIRC, I was testing out Tune-In's subscription service to get rid of the ads in 181.fm Chill, and I was still hearing ads. Nothing ruins a late eve chill session more than a Home Depot or Geico commercial.

    So far so great on everything else. It's been a long time since someone showed me something super-cool and life-changing, like a once in a lifetime deal on TiVo.
    Jimbo18 wrote: »
    I added uBlock Origin and it helped with loading pages. I received the two 8 meg sticks today and they definitely help. Everything seems faster than before. Switching pages seems instantaneous, or at least as compared to before.

    Good move for $15, thanks for all the suggestions.
    Nice, Jim!

    You might want to try the AdGuard DNS that @WilliamM2 mentioned, too. I set up both, but I think the real gain comes from the DNS adjustment.
    I disabled signatures.