4 things you MUST know before buying ANY computer

#blackfriday #blackfridaycomputer #blackfridayscams
Not every computer deal you find on Black Friday is REALLY a good deal for you. If you don't know what you ACTUALLY need in a computer, you could very well spend more money than you need to. In this video, I briefly explain the 4 basic things you need to know when buying ANY new computer. Having this information could save you HUNDREDS of dollars at checkout!
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[@AskYourComputerGuy]

One of my favorite computers I've reviewed. If this thing goes on sale for Black Friday, I'd snatch it up in a second! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaGqd6RnjtSVpck

[@MHow-qc3ns]

This video has super-fantastic information. Now I understand what I need, don't need, and what parts are really important for my decision. You have saved me a lot of grief and money. I no longer feel like a deer in the headlights. Thank you so much,

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

My pleasure! Glad it helped you out 👍

[@merrillcraig8260]

Cogently and simply and honestly presented by a mature man. Thank you

[@swallowedinthesea11]

LOL, the intro! My Dad went to Microcenter and got sales pitched to buy the new Pentium 2 computer as a gift for me when I was 10 years old. I became a paraplegic from a car accident when I was 9 years old. Lived at hospital for 8 months and when I arrived home was gifted the computer - it had the whole package printer, speakers, mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc. Found out it was $2000 and all it could play was 1996's Chex Quest that was in a cereal box (still remember the kid in me loved the game) and a golf game. Used it until 2005 when I bought a Compaq.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Wow! What a story

[@432001ttaylor]

Thanks for explaining the basics.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Glad it helped, thanks for watching!

[@annamay731]

Thank you for laying this out so clearly, and in an easily understandable manner. I really appreciate it!

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Good deal, glad it was helpful for you!!!

[@lou08071]

Thank you! I'm in the process of buying a new computer..... and it's overwhelming! My young grandkids know more about it than I do. LOL... your videos have been very helpful.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

I've been there. Don't worry, you'll learn more than you thought you could! 😂

[@MarinosMysteries]

Nice video with great info. Warranty doesn't make as big a difference here in Maine as it does other places because Maine has a 4-year implied warranty on almost everything even stuff bought online. Exceptions are used cars and such things.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Wow! Didn't know that about Maine! Thx for the share 💪❤️👍

[@f1remandg]

Good solid sound advice! There is always a balance to be struck, there’s no point in having a Rolls-Royce when all you need is a Ford.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

👍

[@RONBONIX]

Thanks for laying it all out.....makes tons of "CENTS".... Hugs from Okinawa! :)

[@akitatrips]

Thak you for this video. It's easy to understand and explains more things that people miss when giving you advice on gaming computers.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

I appreciate that 👍

[@crymsondrummer]

Good info for the holiday season

[@SpiritintheSky.]

Excellent advice that avoids expensive mistakes.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Thank you, I appreciate that 👍

[@DosBear]

The last laptop I purchased was a Vivobook ASUS for about $325.00 Canadian and I must say I am very pleased with it. It only has 50gbs of storage space but I purchase external hard drives that holds 1.5TB's/70 bucks Canadian and store everything I want to keep on them for use on any lap or pc, mac i come across. The nicest thing about this unit is that it has no fan and no problem with overheating. I literally never shut it off. It's very light and compact so it's perfect for travelling around town etc. It has 2 usb ports and an HDMI port, so I can plug it into my 65" Webros smart TV along with my USB external HD and a USB compatible mouse. But I would not recommend it for anyone who does a lot of gaming or wants to access multiple web pages at the same time. It perfect for my purposes though. I also purchased an external Hisense sound bar for very reasonable price so I get great sound for music and movies etc. So all in all with everything included I'm set up great for about 1000 bucks total if you add in the price of the TV.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Nicely done!

[@Вадим-к6ж8р]

Not all modern laptops allow to upgrage or add RAM so it's better to check

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Agreed!

[@electroraptor71]

This video was fantastic, thank you!

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Yolduranduran]

Thank you, thank you, thank you 😊

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

💪

[@rubenmartinez6661]

Such a helpful video.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Thank you!

[@vittoriaconn958]

Exactly what I needed. Thank you. I have decades of experience in using software (mainly MS Office) to provide legal document support, but didn't know what I didn't know about hardware. As I'm writing this, I have one year and one month before MS stops supporting Windows 10, and I want to know what to save up for when that happens. Thanks again.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

You bet 👍

[@geraldnemeth7944]

Thanks for your help.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Glad you enjoyed it 👍

[@safianimoid]

As a more technical person (I daily drive Linux if that's anything to go by) I love how well condensed this is... There's a few technical nuanced inaccuracies that make me cringe a little but ultimately that new ones is completely irrelevant for the vast majority of non technical computer users That being said I do find the 4-8 gb ram number to be a bit low... I feel like for basic document / web browsing applications 4 gigabytes is more than enough on a clean or well-maintained installation but given how much blow is ofteten pre-installed and configured on start up I do feel as though 8-16 seems like a better metric... I feel like 8 is enough for the majority of this video's target audience with 16 offering solid future-proofing The only real catch is if we're discussing something like a Chromebook instead of windows in which case even 2 gb probably be sufficient for light use (though I would still say at least 4 even then)

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Excellent insight, thank you 👍

[@Dannytube46]

Good solid sound advice!

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Thanks!

[@keithbrown7685]

I've noticed that when it comes to phones and computers, people get "memory" tangled up. We always thought of "memory" as the amount of volatile "RAM" on the system. But people extend that to include hd storage or permanent storage. And the sellers don't always help, certainly not online. The result-- confusion.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

100% right, my friend :)

[@themoonasmr926]

When you say can always upgrade later, do you mean RAM and/ SSD physical parts of a laptop can be replaced with a new one?

[@wesleyrichards8027]

Lots of thin and light laptops now have memory that is soldered on the motherboard so is not upgradeable.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Agreed. Always important to find out before you buy

[@keithbrown7685]

Does anyone suppose that most people or the majority of people would have the most peace of mind if they just got a Chromebook? Trade-offs, for sure. The functionality is mostly Google's, but so is the upkeep. Just a thought. But sometimes it's more than that.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

You're not wrong 😂

[@emmanuelchisom6503]

nice ,video.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Many many thanks

[@underby2483]

you forgot video game installing on that list which trumps all those catagories........1 game can be over 100gigs by itself alot for me average about 30 to 50gigs

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Good point. Not everyone is a gamer, so I didn't think to include it as a "must", but certainly a point to consider if you are a gamer! 👍

[@keithbrown7685]

My first question when confronting my Win11 computer was, where is everything? I'm always comparing with earlier versions of Windows, where you had a clearer picture in your mind about where your files are, where those folders are, and where (in reality) are the files and folders in the directory tree. This is what I have to work on. Because I want to know and I want control. This machine is mine, not Lenovo's, not Microsoft's. Speaking of "everything". There is a free program by that name. And though it indexes files differently from Windows Search, it works better. It actually finds the files I'm looking for, and a few that I wasn't. : ) It can't index contents but I'm usually just looking for names.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

You should definitely watch my next couple videos then. One is why to NEVER use Microsoft login. The other is how and why to downgrade back off of W11. I was the same way...hated it! I had tons of programs installed but figured it was worth the effort, I couldn't stand W11 a minute longer

[@keithbrown7685]

I'll be here! Bring it on! 🙂@@AskYourComputerGuy

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Polishing them up as we speak 💪

[@D.von.N]

I see this is probably more than a year old. How many PCs or laptops are sold with a spinning HDD these days? And I have noticed some videos (haven't watched yet) mentioning issues with CPU on Win11. But thanks for clarifying that CPU is more important than the RAM. I'll try to remember it in the future.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Tons of machines still sold with HDD. Those are usually the "crazy discounted" prices. It's less common every day but always good to be aware of WHY a PC is "so cheap". That's usually it 👍

[@leonlewis9551]

I am part of the warranty 😂 as I'm the one building the PC 😅but this kinda works out better as most parts come with a 3 year warranty 💯

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Most PC'S come standard with a 1 year warranty, that's why I made the video. Most people never think to extend because prices are so cheap

[@leonlewis9551]

@@AskYourComputerGuy yeah all jokes aside the video helped me either way and actually reminded me about an important part of flipping PC's... Customer support and after care. Thanks 👍🏾

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

💪

[@giovannipascarella3167]

Hey Scott, what gives the most "bang-4-your-buck" when it comes to speed? Hard drive, RAM or CPU ?

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

CPU always first. RAM second, hard drive last, SSD or m.2 for fastest speed. Just released a video last week about hard drive speed comparison 👍 HDD vs SSD - is upgrading your hard drive ACTUALLY worth it? kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3vJgIN-ibiEbcU

[@botrrun9399]

Can you buy extended warranty on a used laptop, is there a limit on how long after you purchase?

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Great question! Yes, but usually your warranty options only are available for about 6 months after the original warranty expires

[@botrrun9399]

@@AskYourComputerGuy Thanks for the information. Great video

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Thanks so much!!!

[@sjddavis1]

Advice is skechy at best. Agreed on HDs & CPUs. 4GB RAM is barely enough to run windows. 16GB is the sweet spot. The extended warranty is worthless. Most manufacturers will require you to send it in and you will likely lose your data as they will send you a refurb to replace your dead PC. Seen it too many times. I've been doing IT for over 30 years. Most PC's will last 3-5 years.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

The fact that you think a certain amount of RAM Is necessary for "everyone" is disturbing. Grandma June who only wants to spend all day on Facebook playing games doesn't need 16gb of RAM, 1TB drive and anything beyond an i3. An all-encompassing solution just costs average people more money than they need to spend

[@tegathemenace]

​@@AskYourComputerGuy 8gb is a must these days tho. Especially on win 10+. Mac would make 4gb if they could get away with it.

[@Vector_Ze]

Not covered, and my case. I want the speed of an SSD for the operating system and software, and 1TB is sufficient for that. So far as large multimedia files and large image collections, an external USB drive is the choice. The solution in a case like mine isn't either, or, it's both. A 5TB USB HDD is only a little over $100. Keep the SSD for what it does best, and that's not mass storage. USB HDDs are also my choice for backups. In my case, the extended warranty would be a complete waste of money. Even under the basic factory warranty, if my computer went belly up under the warranty, I probably wouldn't go to the bother of packing the dead dog up and returning it. I'd just write it off to my rotten luck and fork out the funds for a new PC. I'm glad to say I've operated many computers YEARS out of warranty. To me, a manufacturer's warranty is an indication of their confidence in their product, but I'll probably never take advantage of them. My issue now, and what landed me on this video, is that my aging Dell Workstation (dual Xeon processor, 128GB RAM, etc et al) can't run Win 11. I HATE leaving Windows 7, which is an excellent OS. But Win 7 is no longer supported, and even Firefox has abandoned me for updates . So, it's time for a new computer. I'm taking a close look at an HP Envy I7 system. The I9 is a tad out of my budget, and probably beyond my needs anyway. I'm thinking dual boot (Win7/Win11) so I can continue to use my beloved legacy (non-subscription) software that does everything I want to do, but that doesn't need an internet connection. I will continue to resist the plague of subscription/cloud based software as long as I can!!!!

[@alexr6114]

So you think that all the computer companies honor their warranties to the same extent. I hope that you are right! I loved the way you presented the information. It was far more rational and intelligent than the one other "computer expert's" analysis.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Legally, they have to. FTC will put them out of business if they don't. It's a legal and binding contract with the customer 👍

[@michaelwaters9875]

@@AskYourComputerGuyLegal warranty commitments are one thing, actual fulfillment is another. Most consumers of any kind of product, have experienced good and bad support from manufacturers. Warranties cover defects, but the consumer has to prove that it’s a product failure. Legal fights aren’t worth the cost. Customer Service is the best way to judge a manufacturer, not the warranty.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

@michaelwaters9875 fair argument

[@captainsenileinfo]

Your video on myths you were saying theres nothing wrong in buying a refurb pc just happen to see it now.i just bought a HP DESK ELITE i5 800g4 pc for 234.00 us dollars waiting for it as it comes with 32gb ram and 1 tb ssd.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Refurbished doesn't always mean "bad or broken". Sometimes someone just returns a machine, it gets checked out and it's 100%! fine. Can't be sold as new, so you get a deal! Let me know what you think of it when it comes in 👍

[@captainsenileinfo]

@@AskYourComputerGuy I will thanks,all i really do is stream movies and you tube videos.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

@captainsenileinfo good deal, looking forward to hearing back from you! 👍

[@captainsenileinfo]

@@AskYourComputerGuy ok

[@henrybarnes5003]

Hey Scott, is it true that 'business' grade laptops are easier to repair than normal machines ment for the general public?

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Nope. Hardware is hardware. They are all designed differently but the core components don't change. With the exception of one brand that is user-part-hot-swappable (can't remember the name but they are $$$$), they're all the same inside 👍

[@henrybarnes5003]

Right, but i have been told that business class laptops are designed to be more easily serviced by company IT staff. Ie, perhaps screws used to hold case and components together instead of hot glue. Is it your experience that these machines are easier to work on and service?

[@txkflier]

A hard disk has one or more spinning platters and will likely fail at 3 to 5 years. You’d better keep it backed up. Get a Solid State Drive (SSD) of 500GB or 1TB if you store videos. The more programs you run at one time, the more memory you need. My minimum recommendation is 8GB. I wouldn’t recommend an Intel I3 or Ryzon 3; get at least an I5 or a Ryzon 5. An Intel processor will be more expensive than an AMD Ryzon. I only buy Dell computers. HP isn’t your dad’s Hewlett-Packard. It’s more like Compaq.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

👍

[@NumptyMcNumptyface]

There are plenty of laptops (usually low specced ones, like most 10" models with an Intel Atom) that have everything soldered on, from CPU to storage and RAM. So no, upgrading RAM (or storage) isn't always an option.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Agreed

[@rohitk8797]

Even my top end Acer Swift 5 has everything soldered…only storage is upgradable.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Unfortunately thats becoming more and more common lately. At least you can upgrade storage, so all is not lost!

[@432001ttaylor]

I'm kind of likin' the experts! 😅

[@jmflournoy386]

most modern computers 4-6 gb memory ment 16gb around 12

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

👍

[@prodigys9823]

I just watched your video and some of what you I have to disagree with. NO one should choose in this day in age an I3, an I5 would be the minimum for anyone who wants to productive with their system, don't t forget the windows system background services will eat up at a 4 gigs memory computer so 8 gigs would also be the minimum and brands do matter. The quality of the manufacture and history of success with production such as the mac book pro series is an example this is just my opinion, but I have also notice that results when these basic requirements that I stated preciously generally enhances the user's experience when using his/her computer.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

I have plenty of local clients with i3/i5 and even as low as 4gb of RAM that can do everything they need to do. Everyone has their own needs 👍

[@rosewd2]

I have a question for you. whats up with windows 11? I have a dell precision M4800 laptop, 32gb ram, I7-4930 mx 3.2ghz, 64 bit, 1tb ssd, on windows 10 pro. Nvidia quadro k2100 graphics. I run chief architect x11 doing 3d modeling. And this computer cant run windows 11 ? wow!!! Id have to upgrade to an i9 processor for about $4000. For what ? seems like a scam going on here to me.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Excellent question! Primary reason is money. Microsoft wants a handful of people who you would ordinarily think could run Windows 11, that they have to upgrade to do so. Upgrading means new PC with a...wait for it...Windows license. Cha-ching. The good news is that even if you don't have TPM and secure boot (which you absolutely would) you have the ability to install W11 and bypass these restrictions. There are tons of videos on KZbin that show how. The bigger question I would ask, after saying that, is why do you want it? It's new and fancy, but a) it IS new, which means it's going to be buggy and b) it's entirely cosmetic. There is zero performance increase over W10 in my experience. I would wait 12-18 months for all the patches to be released and make it more stable, then research how to bypass the "you don't qualify" stuff and install it then. You have until 2025 when Microsoft stops supporting W10 to upgrade. I recently upgraded to W11 and kinda wish I had kept W10. The videos I make need to be for the largest portion of active Windows OS's, which is W10. So I upgraded to W11 and will just install W10 on a virtual machine for youtube video purposes, but I'd roll back to W10 if I had my preference. Just my 2 cents. Hope this helps a little ;)

[@NumptyMcNumptyface]

Fun fact: newer CPUs also aren't vulnerable to Meltdown and Spectre. There's mitigations for older CPUs, but they're either in microcode or the OS and little more than bandaids applied to a gaping wound that keeps bleeding. And if Microsoft is so desperate for money, how come the upgrade to Windows 11 is free? Or that you can run Windows without the need for activation? Sure, you get a watermark and some features aren't available but unlike older versions the OS will keep ticking along.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

To Numptys point, the upgrade IS free. To your point, a brand new system, it is not free. So you're both right 👍

[@psdaengr911]

As an engineer with decades of experience in IT support and infrastructure, I disagree about what is most important. The assumptions in this video are based on a perpepuating a PC-only hardware mindset that's not the state of the art of computing - distributed services is. I'm a "computing services" guy. A computer's hardware is to good computing, as a stove is to good cooking. The user matters more than the size of the stove's burners or oven. A user's requirements and abilities come before the hardware requirements. What do you want to do with a computer? What might you want to do? Are you only comfortable owning hardware and only having data in your physical possession or can you rent services and have data stored for rapid access by somebody else? What is your level of skill? What is your budget? Those determine the operating system (Windows, Apple, Linux or Chromos), the network content and storage services you use, and how much local storage you require to hold your programs - and data. ( Any benefit to being a local data collector that outweighs the disadvantages in cost, time and effort becomes less true each day- regardless of your skill and budget. You can stream a video for display or open a typical network file faster than you can read it. ) The amount of memory needed is determined by the operating system, the programs and data you use at one time, the speed of the processor you choose and your patience. Budget is important because of the high initial cost of fast local storage, the high maintenance cost of hard drive storage compared to pay-as-you-need-them cloud storage and internet services which are dropping in cost and improving in speed.

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Fair ;)

[@VapuR8]

But you didn't tell here that the difference between i5 and i7 is so miserable, that It is more of a marketing trick than actual "more powerful processor". I googled the difference for my Intel CPU i5 and i7, and the only difference there was: i7 had 4MB larger cache, 8MB vs 12MB. i7 had a bit larger max CPU frequency: 2,4GHz vs 2,7GHz. Gamers probably would notice the difference, but I probably won't, even I do run more general intensive workloads. The amount of physical cores, threads, processor features - is absolutely the same. Which makes the difference between i5 and i7 almost unnoticeable. Why then paying more for i7? Since its the laptop, i7 would still perform a lot less than in a desktop computer, because of laptop's general low power design. Also, you didn't tell that for some laptops you can buy and switch the entire motherboard and go upgrade from i5 to i7 or even replace motherboard which has only Intel's integrated GPU with a different motherboard (compatible with your laptop model) that has a better GPU, such as NVidia or AMD. Yes, its more expensive, than upgrading RAM, but still possible and within acceptable budget for laptop models which are several years old. This means if you buy a new laptop now, expect that it's model parts will drop significantly in price after about 2-3 years, so whenever new clunky bloated OS from Microsoft comes, its still possible to get up to new system requirements.

[@Geatmon]

No info on the comparative reliability of hard drive types. Nothing about apple computers. No help here,,😕

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Ok

[@jonathanchannell7441]

😂 why would he waste his time doing that, only the Naive would buy into an apple product

[@martinbynion1589]

4 to 6 GB is normal? Please get back down to planet Earth, CG! 🙂

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Normal is subjective. Everyone's needs and desire for speed and power are different. Your results (and mine) may vary 👍

[@ut561]

thumbs down only for inserting unnecessary TV clips for humor. video should have started at 1:26 "Mechanical hard drive" not "spindle hard drive"

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Sorry you didn't appreciate my attempt to add a little humor to an otherwise humorless subject. And whether you call it a "hard drive", "mechanical drive", doesn't change the meaning and the hardware. I've called it a spindled drive for 30 years. As in the platters effectively sit on a "spindle", similar to a stack of blank DVD'S. Thanks for your comment.