# Computer buying question **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2022, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760 "2022-07-11T14:38:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/1 "2022-07-11T14:38:57Z")
I am looking at two budget-friendly desktop computers. They are the same price. Based on the main differences below, which would you think is the better deal. I mostly use the computer for web stuff and minor document creation. Not for gaming. Not for video production. **Computer A:** Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5700 8-core (16MB cache) SSD: 256 GB RAM: 16 GB (32 max) Graphics: Integrated AMD Radeon **Computer B:** Processor: Intel Core i5 12400 6-core (18MB cache) SSD: 512 GB RAM: 16 GB (32 max) Graphics: Integrated Intel UHD 730 ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/2 "2022-07-11T14:48:03Z")
B The Intel is faster, larger SSD. Radeon integrated graphics is marginally better than the Intel UHD, but not by that much. For what you’re doing, it’s got more than enough. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/3 "2022-07-11T14:49:07Z")
What brand are these? 512GB is better then 256GB but they both are respectable for a general purpose desktop. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/4 "2022-07-11T14:49:13Z")
If all you are doing is web browsing and working on office type documents, both of these are fine. AMDs integrated graphics have tended to be a bit better, though this should not make much difference if the extent of your graphics needs are going to be browsing web videos. The Intel is a bit more powerful CPU-wise but again won’t make much difference on your expected usage. ETA: As above - at this point, look into brands and associated support and reputation and such. That’s going to make a bigger difference than the specs. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/5 "2022-07-11T15:02:16Z")
Computer A is HP Computer B is Acer I wasn’t sure how the AMD Ryzen 7 compared to the Intel i5. I thought the Ryzen 7 was comparable to the Intel i7? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/6 "2022-07-11T15:09:54Z")
To compare the processors for their power look at: [https://www.cpubenchmark.net/CPU\_mega\_page.html](https://www.cpubenchmark.net/CPU_mega_page.html) Frankly I think you can save money with a refurbished/used computer (eBay for example). Lots of corporations replace their computers every few years even though they work fine. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/7 "2022-07-11T15:19:03Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > I wasn’t sure how the AMD Ryzen 7 compared to the Intel i5. I thought the Ryzen 7 was comparable to the Intel i7? In general, yes, but AMD and Intel both have a _lot_ of products, so equivalencies are not going to be the same across the board. Isn’t computer buying fun? LOL ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/8 "2022-07-11T15:25:09Z")
According to those benchmarks the AMD is slightly better than the Intel. On my current (10-year old desktop) I’m using about 188 GB of disk space, probably 30% of which is junk. So I could get by with a 256GB drive (and always upgrade later if need be.) ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/9 "2022-07-11T15:33:32Z")
Given your intended usage, I can almost guarantee you won’t be able to tell any difference in performance between these. Drive size would make a difference to some people. If all you’re doing is document creation, 256GB is plenty. If you will be saving a lot of high-res photos, videos, music, or other large files, you could run up against that limit, but it would have to be a _lot_. In your shoes, I’d probably make the decision based on warranty, service, and support. You are much more likely to be satisfied or unsatisfied based on how easy it is to get support when you have a question or something goes wrong, and not based on computer performance. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/10 "2022-07-11T17:29:01Z")
I think you are good with either. I’m not a fan of HP support and warranty. A bad BIOS flash messed up my computer and they wanted a $150 support call to help, even though it was a known issue with the bad BIOS. I ended up fixing it myself. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/11 "2022-07-11T17:49:55Z")
Spec wise both are fine for your use, I would look into price and company a bit. These are big companies and mine is just one experience, but I too had a bad experience with HD support on a laptop and have refused to buy from them since. I cycle through business computers and laptops every 6 years or so at work (no computationally complex stuff, these are just standard machines), and I generally find Dell’s support packages to be really good, and Lenovo’s. I don’t have any real experience with Acer support, but I have had a few Acer monitors and no complaints. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/12 "2022-07-11T18:15:57Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > If you will be saving a lot of high-res photos, videos, music, or other large files, you could run up against that limit, but it would have to be a _lot_. 256 GB is a _tiny_ amount for storing a lot of large media files, especially high-resolution video, which is multiple gigabytes per hour. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/13 "2022-07-11T22:26:15Z")
While I am an unrepentant AMD fan, the first option is a no go because: 1. It’s HP. 2. The SD is tiny. You could do a lot, lot better for less money than the HP. You don’t even have to tell me the price. Keep looking. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/14 "2022-07-11T22:42:36Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > > [@TroutMan](#): > > > > If you will be saving a lot of high-res photos, videos, music, or other large files, you could run up against that limit, but it would have to be a _lot_. ⁢ > > 256 GB is a _tiny_ amount for storing a lot of large media files, especially high-resolution video, which is multiple gigabytes per hour. ⁢ Sure, but if you’re going to have a media hub, you should probably have the bulk of your storage in a much cheaper hard drive. Even UHD video doesn’t need SSD speeds—though you’d better avoid shingled drives. Personally, I’d go with the AMD. Sure, you’re not planning on doing any gaming, but occasionally the right game or other GPU-intensive item can come around around that you want to mess around with. And AMD’s onboard graphics are significantly better than Intel’s UHD stuff. But I’d also be buying (or reusing) additional storage either way. I keep all my data with me from every computer I’ve ever used. I do agree that 256GB on its own can be limiting. I just think the cost of upgrading the storage (or, more likely, reusing storage from an older computer) makes that a non-issue. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/15 "2022-07-12T00:40:10Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Frankly I think you can save money with a refurbished/used computer (eBay for example). Lots of corporations replace their computers every few years even though they work fine. I always recommend at least looking at Tiger Direct refurbs. I’ve bought about 8 PCs from them with zero issues, they’ve all been in great shape. Clean Windows install is a big plus, too. [https://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/campaigns/deals.asp?campaignid=3331](https://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/campaigns/deals.asp?campaignid=3331) (In case the link is broken, dropdown Shop All Products, then Computers, then Refurbished.) ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2022, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-buying-question/967760/16 "2022-07-13T07:39:42Z")
I have the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 8-core (16MB cache) and the only potential issue I have noticed is, it gets quite hot, especially during gaming. Temps commonly reach 90C during gaming and with routine use hovering in the 50 to 60C range. The manufacturer advises these temps are normal for this chip but I imagine these temps will decrease its lifespan as heat is not a computers friend. If I were making this decision, I would opt for Computer B.