I’m always happy to work one on one with my clients to find the computer that’s right for them. But in general, here are the minimum specifications I recommend for everyone looking to buy a new computer. I’ll lay out the cold numbers and then explain them a little more:
CPU: Intel Core i5 processor, 9th generation
RAM: 8GB for desktops, anything more than that for laptops
Storage: 250GB SSD
That’s it! As long as your new computer has those things as a minimum, I honestly don’t think you can go wrong. Allow me to go a little more in-depth on these recommendations:
CPU: Intel releases a new processor roughly once a year. The way you can tell the generation is that there will often be a 4-digit number after the “Core i5” part, and the first digit is the generation. For example the “Intel Core i5-9600k” is a 9th generation processor. They’re just starting to come out with their 10th/11th generation processors, so those will have 5 digits and the first two will denote the generation.
RAM: 8GB is the minimum for any computer these days and you’ll be hard-pressed to find less. I’ll explain why you’ll want more in the next section.
Storage: I simply cannot recommend anything other than a Solid State Drive (SSD) for any new computer purchase. They’re quite possibly the biggest advancement in personal computer of the past 10 years. They’ve been around for a long time, but it’s only been the last few years that the prices have plummeted to a level most people can afford.
But naturally, you might need more than just a “minimum.” Here’s some upgrades you might consider:
CPU: honestly, I don’t think 90-99% of people need anything more than a Core i5 processor. Home computing has come so far that we’re long past the days where a faster processor will make any difference for the VAST majority of computer users. The primary people who need a Core i7 (or even the very new Core i9) models are gamers, CAD users, and generally the kind of people who are buying super high-end systems who are already not thinking about the “minimum” needs for any part of their computer.
RAM: this is the place where I recommend the most splurging. My 8GB recommendation was the most difficult spec for me, and I stuck with it because often - especially on laptops - you might not get an option for more than 8GB on some builds. The reason I recommend 8GB on desktops is that every desktop will allow the option to add more RAM later if you find that you need it, whether right away or further down the road. But it’s becoming increasingly common for laptops to be non-upgradeable. You’re stuck with the RAM that came with it. So get a good amount now just in case. 12-16GB is about as much as any home or small business user is going to need. The biggest RAM hog on the average computer these days is the web browser. Google Chrome - while far and away my preferred browser - is a notorious RAM hog. It takes up more RAM for every open tab and browser extension/plugin. And because it likes to keep a memory of closed tabs just in case you want to re-open them, it rarely lets go of that RAM until you close the application entirely (which very few of us - myself included - tend to do).
Storage: like I said, SSDs are practically a miraculous improvement in personal computing. But you’ll need to asses your current disk space usage and see how big a drive you’ll need on that new computer. If it’s a laptop, you often only have the option of a single drive, so 250GB might not be enough space. Unfortunately, companies like Dell and HP still charge a ton for larger SSDs - far more than market prices, unfortunately. But it’s worth it, in my opinion.
Still, if you need a lot more storage, many laptops and most desktops will have the option of using an SSD for the main drive (where your operating system and programs live), and an HDD for all your files. This is sort of a “best of both worlds” situation, where the things that really need the speed will get it, and the things that don’t can be located on very inexpensive storage (a 2TB SSD is around $330, but a 2TB HDD is around $50!). For a desktop, I recommend this two-drive system, and you can either buy it configured this way or add the HDD later.
If you have any questions about any of this, feel free to call for personal recommendations. As always, I’m happy to help with recommendations, and also with the transferring of data to your new computer.