Getting a new computer... laptop or desktop, PC or Mac

[Kingdom Of Me 171]

So I need a new computer, the laptop I have now works fine for the most part, but is slow and has trouble running certain games when it should and runs other games that it shouldn't.

 

This computer I'm mostly going to be using for both Gaming and work stuff, so it needs to run PowerPoint, Photoshop, but also play most Steam games.

 

I don't have the money, need, or time to invest in a "Gaming PC", I just need something that can play X-COM without crashing...

 

As far as I know, Most steam games work on newer macs as well. I've always used Dell Windows at home, but I use the School computers and laptops and they are macs, so i know both. 

 

What do you think i should get? Thanks in advance. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ace326 79]

My suggestion is to get a laptop with at least an intel i5 processor. 8 gb of ram is also useful.

[Saber Lily 1,543]

Desktops are theoretically cheaper...

 

What is your price range? And avoid dell, avoid them with a passion. Stick with PC, Macs...they aren't the best for gaming honestly.

[Awesomeness12 6]

For starters, PC stands for Personal Computer. I understood what you meant but you might as well say Macs aren't computers. Anyway, I hate Macs, so my biased opinion suggests that you buy Windows. And it works because your requirements for computers request that they are able to run PowerPoint. Go Microsoft for that. I'm not to familiar with Office for Mac, but it can't be better than it is for Windows. With Windows being my suggestion, other than that, you can't really go wrong with Windows. Just don't buy an Acer.

[Guest]

So I need a new computer, the laptop I have now works fine for the most part, but is slow and has trouble running certain games when it should and runs other games that it shouldn't.

 

This computer I'm mostly going to be using for both Gaming and work stuff, so it needs to run PowerPoint, Photoshop, but also play most Steam games.

 

I don't have the money, need, or time to invest in a "Gaming PC", I just need something that can play X-COM without crashing...

 

As far as I know, Most steam games work on newer macs as well. I've always used Dell Windows at home, but I use the School computers and laptops and they are macs, so i know both. 

 

What do you think i should get? Thanks in advance. 

Hi!

 

For one, its a good idea to prioritize what kind of device you want. Laptops aren't great for gaming, as they're smaller and as such can

t put in power house parts to do the graphical processing for gaming needed, but they can do the job, however you can bring it everywhere. A tower PC isn't portable, but it will easily have more power than the laptop.

 

Next, OS.

 

Apple OS systems are not very powerful, but can render graphics pretty well. However, outside of rendering, Mac's aren't very good at gaming. They by no means are out of the question, but games come out a lot less often for Mac OS software, the settings are limited, the keyboards are limited, ect. However, if you need the extra graphical processing ability and video rendering ability, it's worth looking at a Mac for. However, if price is a big issue for you, they're not what you're looking for. They're very expensive.

 

Windows/Linux/other more open OS can work with any sort of parts you can get, so they're much more versatile, however they have less processing power dedicated to just rendering video, audio, ect. However, they can use a number of different programs and a large number of systems use the the file type for windows (.exe) over Mac OS (.hex, if I remember right). They are also far cheaper overall as well as more customization. If you're not working heavily on a large number of videos with a heavy amount of rendering needed, a Windows system is likely more for you.

 

So with that in mind, what kind of computer do you want?

 

I don't know much on Macs, so I'm not the person to ask about it. Google around and ask people who know more to tell you what you might want.

 

On PC, I would suggest not buying a pre-made PC. The price is far cheaper, and putting a PC together isn't very hard at all. If you want some build suggestions, I would like to suggest Austin Evens on Youtube, he has a number of budget builds that work well enough to do what you want and more for less than a standard build would run you. He also has tutorials on how to build PC's, and other tech information you may wanna check out. If you want to try it on your own, make sure to find a site to order your parts off of and to google and search for any issues that your parts might have in compatibility, as not every part works with one-another. A good site to do this is www.newegg.com, but I would suggest not buying from them and instead use them as a price guideline and compatibility checker as they're customer service is hit or miss from what I hear.

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

While I love Macs because they're convenient, don't get viruses as easily, and don't get outdated as quickly as PCs, I'd honestly suggest getting a PC, and maybe even a desktop.  You're looking at convenience in a laptop, but as others said they don't seem to be as powerful as the desktops, especially if you're wanting to run games.

 

Macs are terrific, and I'm fortunate to own one, but if I were on a budget and needed something as you're describing, I would probably go with a PC desktop.  They're going to be more affordable than a Mac by far, and probably more powerful.  I'll let these computer experts tell you which one specifically to go with, as I won't pretend to possess such knowledge, but I just wanted to offer my two cents on computer choices and what I've found to be true with my own computer experimentation.  Good luck, and enjoy your new computer!  How exciting!

[OmegaForte 1,674]

Don't go for HP at all when it comes to computers, especially laptops. They die on people fast, especially with gaming. *Looks at 2 dead laptops that only lasted 2-3 years*

[Ace326 79]

My assumption is that you are looking for a laptop. Unfortunately any gaming laptop will cost over $1000. 

[VisitJoan 2,713]

The Toshiba Satellite I have is pretty good.  Three years old and still runs The Sims 3 almost flawlessly.

[nikkij 0]

Get new laptops from https://errorcode0x.com/resolve-steam-error-code-80/ and also see the specifications from it. Hope it helps you.

[Alicia Maddox 2,141]

I feel you. I want a good gaming computer too, but I'm a poor broke college girl. XD The laptop I have is an HP with an i5 core. I have steam and it runs PC games ok. It also runs powerpoint and Adobe Premier Pro. Its an old laptop though. XD Its about 4 years old, but I've more than gotten my 400 dollars worth. My last laptop was also an HP and I would prolly still have it had I not stupidly killed it with a strawberry smoothie. XD I highly recommend HPs. But I agree with an earlier post. Stay away from Dells.