Computer illiterate here- bare with me. I am not a gamer, basically I just surf. I have a 10-year old computer. The only issue I have is streaming video is choppy. I want it to be crystal clear. I'm sick of that circle going round and round...while the video is stuck. I don't know what my specs are- I just know it is an Athlon 3000 J Series with an AMD Sempron processor. I am on Vista Basic. Ancient I know. I did put 2 sticks of memory (or I had someone do it) in there to upgrade to 2GB. Should I just get a new PC regardless- with the new technology, will I be able to see streaming vids (Youtube vids as well) much faster, with no choppiness? That is the only reason I want to get a new PC. Speed. Also I have Chromecast, and when I am on Chrome, and try to cast on to my HDTV, it is extremely slow and choppy. I'm wondering if new technology in computers will alleviate this issue. Can anyone recommend a quality system, $700-1000? I still use a desktop.
Time for New PC?
- Thread starter howie789
- Start date
You have a budget PC from the ancient days of Windows. Time to upgrade. The hardware you have is utterly worthless for today's Internet. You need to figure out what you really want from a PC and budget accordingly. Performance has gone up as prices have dropped, so you can get a well-performing machine for basic uses that costs very little money in comparison to what you would have paid years ago.
Supafly
Retired Mod
I have got me a Toshiba Satelite laptop with a 17" screen and it handles all the things I do, a bit more than yopu are using it for, but it is definitely in your budget and you save space. Plus, now I use it with wireless LAN,. so no more cable hassle.
Of course, for fluent streaming, you need to have enpugh DSL speed. Maybe an upgrade there is in order, too. I have 16 k and that is fine.
Of course, for fluent streaming, you need to have enpugh DSL speed. Maybe an upgrade there is in order, too. I have 16 k and that is fine.
GodsEmbryo
Closed Account
If you basically use it for internet and watching vids on Youtube most laptops will do just fine. I'll leave it to others what kind of hardware specs would be good, but for that price range you'll get a good allround laptop.
tHe Lenovo 3000J is actually really good for surfing, and to the best of my knowledge it supports up to 4GB RAM, yours might be different, but I used a Pentium III 550 MHZ until last year. Are these old PC good for today's HD content, of course not, core i7 sometimes lags, and don't you forget that you are using Vista a very slow and heavy operating system, and the internet speed is also a key factor in that, personally I would not throw it away yet.
If you want something decent any core microarchitecture would be good, but an i5 or i7 would be a long time investment, 4 or 8 GB of RAM and a decent internet connection and a proper configuration would do miracles, try not to install too many softwares that resides in memory and all would be good.
If you want something decent any core microarchitecture would be good, but an i5 or i7 would be a long time investment, 4 or 8 GB of RAM and a decent internet connection and a proper configuration would do miracles, try not to install too many softwares that resides in memory and all would be good.
Chromecast relies on your own WiFi network, which isn't a good thing unless you happen to use high-end networking equipment, which you probably don't. You need to buy a small PC to connect to your HDTV and toss the Chromecast into the junk drawer where it belongs. I recommend an Intel NUC unit with extra space for a 2.5 inch HDD or an Acer Revo One desktop. Both are designed for HDTV connectivity, particularly the Acer Revo One.
