# Tell us about your computer(s) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 1, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869 "2019-04-01T16:32:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/21 "2019-04-03T21:25:33Z")
My newest computer is a clone of the Altair 8800 - it’s based on an Arduino, but functions as a faithful replica of the original. It was supplied as a bare board and front panel only, so I built my own case for it that isn’t at all faithful to the original, but does evoke a little nostalgia. I’ve had a lot of fun with this incredibly basic computer. Here’s a video I made about it: [A Nostalgic Case For My Arduino Altair 8800 Clone - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko6W_zuHgfE) ---
**Author:** ![Kimble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimble/32/19185_2.png) [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/22 "2019-04-03T22:24:46Z")
All-in-one with 4th-gen Intel i5 CPU (4690), 8 GB RAM, 2 GB Radeon R9 M290X GPU, 1 TB HDD/SSD hybrid drive, and a 5120x2880 screen. It’ll turn 4 this August. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/23 "2019-04-03T22:49:29Z")
I quit gaming a few years ago. Our desktop is a Mac 27", which I rarely use. My laptop is a 17" HP Envy which does everything I need it to. I also have an iPad for travel. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/24 "2019-04-04T00:31:26Z")
2017 27–inch iMac. 3.8 GHz, Intel Core i5. 48 gigs of ram. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/25 "2019-04-04T01:21:33Z")
I sold my 1976 IMSAI 8080 with 64K RAM (the max) 20 years ago, and boy, do I miss it. Now I’m stuck with a Win98 box with 2GB of hard drive storage. Yes, I use it daily. But enough nostalgia. I can’t give you the brands for most of my computers, since I build them myself. But since I do video editing and am moving into Hi-Res, copious storage is most important. I have about 60TB online over an Ethernet network, 10TB in cloud storage, 1TB in SSD, and close to 100TB off-line, that is, disconnected SATA hard drives in boxes. The online storage is mostly in 4 Drobos (2 8-units, 2 5-units), NAS devices with data protection and redundancy built-in. This doesn’t include my library of tapes (8mm, Hi8, VHS, DV) and disks (CD, DVD and Blu-Ray). I estimate about 1000 copies of commercial movies plus another 2000 original productions, which serve as desperation backups to the hard drive data. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/26 "2019-04-04T12:41:43Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Very nice! That’s all very new gear, you’ve been upgrading recently? Yea. It’s all completely new. In November, after years of upgrading, I decided to just replace my computer entirely. I love it! ---
**Author:** ![mdcatdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@mdcatdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mdcatdad)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2019, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/27 "2019-04-12T09:56:38Z")
How about a 1994 Amiga 4000 and a 1998 Mac Powerbook? (both working fine!) ---
**Author:** ![Newtosite](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/newtosite/32/8623_2.png) [@Newtosite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newtosite)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2019, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/28 "2019-04-12T10:30:37Z")
A Lenovo ThinkPad laptop, almost 2 years old, with Intel Core i-5. I also have a 1980’s Mac which I haven’t used in years. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2019, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/29 "2019-04-12T14:59:49Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 - 8GB (GDDR6) With all the rest of the [del]goodies[/del] top end components you have, I’m surprised you wimped out here. BTW Anyone looking at a major monitor upgrade should take a long look at the Acer Nitro 4k monitors. I have the Freesync one and it really is awesome. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2019, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/30 "2019-04-12T15:56:30Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > With all the rest of the [del]goodies[/del] top end components you have, I’m surprised you wimped out here. I don’t know what **Bear** ’s reasons are, but at the very high end of GPUs, you’re looking at another $400-500 more (over a unit that’s already $760) to step up to the next better model for about a 10% performance increase. Nobody is ever going to notice that. He did just fine. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2019, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/31 "2019-04-12T17:10:36Z")
I don’t have a computer, just a smartphone, but it’s very capable. It has a 1.4 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor with 32 Gb of storage and 3 Gb of RAM. I also have a 32 Gb SD card for extra storage. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/32 "2019-04-12T18:26:39Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I don’t know what **Bear** ’s reasons are, but at the very high end of GPUs, you’re looking at another $400-500 more (over a unit that’s already $760) to step up to the next better model for about a 10% performance increase. Nobody is ever going to notice that. It’s much more than 10% and if you’re playing at 4K or a high refresh rate - or both 😃 - you appreciate it. Now the Titan over the Ti, that’s only 10% or less better and you’d be right there. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/33 "2019-04-12T21:03:43Z")
Living room computer: Used Dell mini-desktop that we got from my wife’s employer when they were upgrading, for I think $150. Has run the TV, DVDs, and viewing related internet perfectly for 3 years now. Can’t complain. Can’t do much on it gaming-wise, but that’s not what it’s for. Got an ethernet dongle and wireless keyboard/touchpad combo. Gaming computer: Originally built in 2010 for about $500, I spent another $300 (?) a couple years ago before Fallout 4 came out and put in all the processor the mobo could handle, new GPU, and more RAM. Now it has an AMD Phenom 4x3 GHz, Radeon R9 (2GB), SSD, 8GB RAM. Actually does a pretty damn good job, considering. I’ve definitely gotten my $100/year average out of it. I can usually bump video settings on more recent games up from what the game recommends as default. I’m sure I’m nowhere near running the newer games at max in 1080, but I can usually find a good happy medium of looking nice and performing nice. Except Subnautica. Subnautica kicked its ass 🙂 Playable, but not _quite_ pretty. If anyone wants to recommend a benchmark to use, I’m curious and would happily post the resuts to poke fun at! I ran the Heaven benchmark when I first got it up and running but don’t remember much about the result. Nooow thinking harder, I’m pretty sure I overclocked the CPU and/or GPU. I don’t know. I tend to hyperfocus on my computer in the research leading up to building it and the honeymoon phase after, and then it’s just a tool and I don’t think about the specs until the next cycle. And the next cycle is fast approaching…duh Duh DUHHHHHH! Oh…I forgot…this POS I’m posting from. It’s a laptop I got last fall for carrying around and internetting/solitairing when I want to be in the living room. Runs like dogass. I even did a fresh Windows install and told Dell to fuckoff with their bloatware in the process. While that helped, this still runs more poorly than either of my other two. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2019, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/34 "2019-04-12T21:33:41Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Except Subnautica. Subnautica kicked its ass 🙂 Playable, but not _quite_ pretty. > > If anyone wants to recommend a benchmark to use, I’m curious and would happily post the resuts to poke fun at! I ran the Heaven benchmark when I first got it up and running but don’t remember much about the result. Benchmarks smenchmarks. What works for you should be your criterion. The best of the budget video cards - bang per buck - are the GTX 1660 and 1660 Ti. These are mostly the equivalent of a $1000 4-year old Titan X halo card. Worse performers but perfectly fine cards are the RX 570 and 580 and worth considering if you get a good deal. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2019, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/35 "2019-04-12T21:41:52Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Benchmarks smenchmarks. What works for you should be your criterion. The best of the budget video cards - bang per buck - are the GTX 1660 and 1660 Ti. These are mostly the equivalent of a $1000 4-year old Titan X halo card. Worse performers but perfectly fine cards are the RX 570 and 580 and worth considering if you get a good deal. This fall/winter I’m building his/hers gaming computers. I started poking around and decided that trying to run @4k is not something I’m willing to spend money on, especially not if I’ll just hit the lower end. So I THINK my target is just to max out anything at 1080, so I’ll definitely be looking at cards. Plus even if I want to bump up to 1440, I’ll need a monitor (mo’ money) and the TV I use is huge and hasn’t given me a problem yet. Hell, wifey doesn’t even really care that much how stuff looks, because my computer kills the X-Box 360 she’s used to. We might just move that one over to her and build mine. All depends on what Borderlands is going to need! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2019, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/36 "2019-04-12T22:19:29Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > All depends on what Borderlands is going to need! Good man! ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2019, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/37 "2019-04-12T22:58:16Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > So I THINK my target is just to max out anything at 1080, so I’ll definitely be looking at cards. Plus even if I want to bump up to 1440, I’ll need a monitor (mo’ money) and the TV I use is huge and hasn’t given me a problem yet. Sounds reasonable. Even at this stage, only about 7% of gamers go higher than 1080 on their primary display according to the Steam hardware survey. 1080 is still the standard with 61% and everyone else is going lower (next largest group is 13% running 1366x768) ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/38 "2019-04-13T02:03:45Z")
Mac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014), 4Ghz Core i7, 32GB RAM. I can’t believe it’s 2019, and this computer is perfectly adequate for me. I can’t see replacing it anytime in the near future. ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_Maven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_maven/32/3272_2.png) [@Steven\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Maven)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2019, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/39 "2019-04-13T12:58:39Z")
Kudos on using “penultimate” correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Zox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Mr\_Zox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Zox)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2019, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869/40 "2019-04-14T02:50:11Z")
Um, it’s Hewlett-Packard laptop running Windows 10, and it’s red. I don’t really care aboiut more than that, to be honest. Mind you, somewhere in the house is a beige-box Mac. The power supply is dead, but the rest of it was working fine last time anybody used it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-your-computer-s/831869.md?page=3)