Windows 7 - RIP

As you surely can imagine recently I have quite often gotten the question  

What should I get if I buy a new computer?

Here is verbatim the reply that I sent to all such requests if the question came via email:

Thanks for asking.

It may be best to look for a new computer during special sales events.

For computers I recommend to look at Newegg.com or Amazon.com. Both definitely have a MUCH larger selection than any brick-and-mortar store can possibly offer.

Any new computer IMHO should go through my Set-Up job to be safe and protected on the Internet and to be free of unwanted, unneeded and sometimes outright malicious programs.

Here are some of the IMHO important technical details to currently look for:

• 8GB or more of RAM (main memory)
  
  
• Windows 10 Professional or Windows 10 Home
  (Pro is in some technical settings more flexible than Home)
  
• Buy only a computer(s) with a SSD! SSDs are MUCH faster than HDDs!
  Storage capacity of the SSD is okay if it is about three to four times of the amount of space currently used on your C: drive or larger.
  
  Classic HDDs are in many cheap offers but it's clearly an outdated technology.

Currently I have the best experiences with computers from Dell and/or HP. And here are two warnings on what NOT to do:

• If you are looking at new machines do NOT buy any additional warranties or similar!
  
• Do NOT buy Microsoft Office!
  MS sells you a subscription with yearly payments; good for MS but bad for you!

Feel free to contact me directly with any questions you may have.