​​​Diekri Technology Inc.

Thoughts on Minimum Computing Requirements (September 2021)

Below is my standard list of minimum's I ask people to consider when they are looking for a computer on their own.  It should apply to PCs and Macs.  It does not apply to tablets and smartphones.

Because of the variety of brands and quality out there, it's difficult to say which is best or worst.  The recommendations and quality seems to change annually.  If you do your own research, look into several websites and not just take the thoughts of one or two.  This list is based on my experiences ... such as it is.

Brand Names: Preferred are Apple, Dell and Asus.  I have a liking for Lenovo but be aware that this company is based in China.  I am uncertain of other brands at this point.

Quality: Try to shop for business grade or mid-grade desktops or laptops.  Stay away from 'home grade' or lower end products as they are not built to last.  Consider getting 'gaming' quality computers as a step up above mid-grade or if you are working on any sort of CAD, graphic design or drafting software.

What you should be paying:
Desktop (mid range grade, or business grade) - at least $1000 plus the cost of the monitor, keyboard and mouse.
Laptop & All-In-One (mid range grade, or business grade) - at least $1200.

Hardware Warranty: Get a three year hardware warranty.  If not available, I would question the quality of the computer.

Software Warranty: Software warranties are separate and can be costly.  It's better to be proactive (and cost effective) to do image or disk backups insted.

Operating system:
PC Home computer: Windows 10 Home
PC Business computer: Windows 10 Pro

Mac Computer: OSX (you don't really have a choice anyways)

Microsoft Office 2019/365 :
(option 1) Home and Business - this has Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook.
(option 2) Home and Student - this has Word, Power Point and Excel only.
(option 3) Office 365 Home - yearly subscription of $110/year for up to 5 computers or $80/year for one computer - includes all Office products and any future upgrades.

(option 4) Office 365 Business - can be monthly or annual but cost varies between $17 and $26 per person per month.  Costly but there are several benefits that may work out very well for your business.  You may want to speak to a computing consultant before pursuing this path.

Processor: Intel CPU I5, I7 or higher if warranted
Hard Drive: I recommend a SSD hard drive.  If you store a lot of multi-media such as pictures, music and video, try for at least 1tb.
Memory: 8gb RAM memory
Video Card: 1gb video card
DVD Writer (optional, rarely required anymore)
Multi-Media Card reader (optional, rarely required, meant for reading older style digital cameras)
External hard drive(for backup): 2tb in size ... or it should at least equal the Hard Drive size.  Brand Names preferred are Seagate, Verbatim, and Transcend.

Some Additional Notes/Thoughts

Remember that almost all box-stores sell lower grade technology but maybe that's all you need.  Again, check the in-store warranty to see if they will back their products.