Computer spec any good? Windows 11 Home or Prof? Microsoft accounts mandatory?

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A friend of mine has asked me to source a brand new desktop computer for him. I am looking at a PC assembler company in the UK and it appears I can get a better spec machine at an ok price compared to lower spec (entry level?) machines from the likes of Currys PC World.

He predominantly uses a computer for internet browsing, emails and OpenOffice. He won’t be using the computer for any gaming. He wants the new computer to run fast and be very responsive.

I have several questions:

1. Can I have your opinions please on whether the pc spec below will meet his needs? Particularly around the processor and RAM.
2. Should I choose Windows 11 Home edition or Professional? The difference in price is GBP £30. My inclination is to go with Professional so I have the ability to delay Microsoft updates using group policy.
3. Does Windows 11 force users to have a Microsoft account?

Intel Core i3 Quad Core Processor i3-12100, 12MB Cache
Asus Prime H610M-A-CSM D4 (mATX, LGA1700, DDR4, PCIe 4.0)
8GB PCS Pro DDR4 3200Mhz
Integrated Graphics Accelerator (GPU)
256GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD
2TB Seagate Barracuda SATA-III 3.5″ HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB Cache
Onboard 6 Channel (5.1) High Def Audio

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Not enough RAM. 16 minimum, 32 excellent.
CPU old and slow. i7 or equivalent minimum.
SSD is too small. Not less than 512GB.
You don’t need a second hard disk. Buy an external USB one for backup (see your other thread).
W11 Home is plenty – it’s all I use. You can use WuMgr to control Windows Update – again, it’s what I do. Or follow our KB on taming WU.

You are buying a machine that needs to last at least 5 years. Spend the money now.

Buying from Currys makes warranty simple – is it worth £50? Or go straight to Dell / HP etc.

cheers, Paul

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Hi Paul,

Thanks for your feedback and the link to the knowledgebase post ‘Guide for Windows Update Settings for Windows 10’. Is this equally applicable to Windows 11?

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W11 is basically the same as W10 in update terms, although they have hidden more things. I use WuMgr on W10 and W11 without issue.

cheers, Paul

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bumblebee

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Has your friend considered a laptop instead?
The choice of static or portable, is a win win option IMO

HP/ Dell online have Gen 12 laptops are more than adequate
for the needs with prices dropping.
Both offer Win11 Pro (better) with either Win11 23H2 or 24H2.
(get 24H2 from new, less hassle later with online support from either provider)
i5-i7 or arm/ AMD CPU, 16Gb Ram (min), various sizes of NVMe 4.0+ M2 storage wont disappoint…

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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You can use a local account on W11 or an MS one.
As W11 comes with the disk encrypted (always recommended these days, especially on a laptop), using an MS account makes life easier. Remember to print / save the recovery keys before you need them.

cheers, Paul

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Try searching the HP UK store at   https://www.hp.com/gb-en/home.html

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bumblebee

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I agree with most of Paul T’s advice.

However,

1. For the stated uses an i5 should be plenty.
2. Make sure the motherboard has TPM2.0
3. For home I recommend turning disk encryption OFF! It’s just a hassle for nontechnical users especially when problems occur.

As for getting laptop I highly recommend NOT going that route unless you really need portability.

1. Batteries are a pain and why have one if you don’t need protability
2. You’ll always pay more for a laptop with the same specs as a desktop.
3. Fixing a modern laptop is a real pain and expensive. Where fixing a desktop is pretty easy.
4. With the money you save you can get a nice big screen and full size keyboard.

As always YMMV & IMHO!

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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bumblebee, bbearren

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My friend and I had already discounted a laptop for all the same reasons you mentioned. We agree that a desktop is the way to go.

Would it not be a given that the motherboard has TPM2.0 if Windows 11 is installed on the machine? Or should I be checking the user manual?

RetiredGeek wrote:

For home I recommend turning disk encryption OFF! It’s just a hassle for nontechnical users especially when problems occur.

Many thanks for the heads up on this! Duly noted.

 

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bumblebee wrote:

Would it not be a given that the motherboard has TPM2.0

Not if it’s a 3rd party build.

cheers, Paul

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RetiredGeek wrote:

For the stated uses an i5 should be plenty

Agreed, but what about that new software thing I need in 6 months? A bit of future proofing is a good thing – assuming you can afford it.

cheers, Paul

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bumblebee wrote:

He predominantly uses a computer for internet browsing, emails and OpenOffice. He won’t be using the computer for any gaming. He wants the new computer to run fast and be very responsive.

I’ll say that unless he’s going to be editing HD video, the system you have specced will suit him just fine. That i3 has Performance-core Base Frequency of 3.30 GHz and Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency of 4.30 GHz, plenty quick enough. 4 cores is fine, as well. My NAS runs a 4 core i5 that’s a bit slower.
As for 8GB RAM, that is also plenty. My Dell Latitude E5420 runs Windows 11 23H2 just fine on 8GB RAM.

It also has a 250GB SSD (an upgrade from the original spinner—it’s almost 14 years old), so that should be fine as well.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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bumblebee

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To future proof that computer, make it more than 8 gigs.  16 to 32 would be my minimums.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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bumblebee

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I never ever recommend Microsoft Home OS, it’s a crap OS. Go with Professional, you won’t be sorry.

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What’s bad about it except the lack of Group Policy?
It does everything I need, including running VMs, playing games…
And for the prices difference I can have a nice USB backup drive.

cheers, Paul

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bbearren wrote:

I’ll say that unless he’s going to be editing HD video, the system you have specced will suit him just fine.

I can assure you there won’t be any editing of any video. It’ll be used purely for the purposes I mentioned earlier. My friend isn’t very IT literate so I’m struggling to think what else he might want to use the machine for in the future. I take the point though others have made, that there needs to be an element of future proofing.

It’s interesting to hear the different views on what processor to go for and the amount of RAM. Food for thought!

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In this case RG is right, you can save £100+ by opting for an i5.
16GB is still a minimum.
Dell have something to suit at £490.

cheers, Paul

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Thanks Paul. I’ll take a look.

Thanks also for the link (in your post #2742418) on using a local account on Windows 11.

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