With Win 7's support about to end with Microsoft, it is time to replace my nearly 6 year-old desktop (Dell XPS i7-4770, 12GB RAM). I have always been a desktop person, with a laptop for the occasional travel or for remote desktop access to the desktop from somewhere else in the house (like when watching TV, listening to music, out in the garage, etc.).
I plan to leave the Win 7 Pro desktop intact while I try to transition my applications and scripts to another OS. I'll have another desktop PC available (Dell Inspiron i5-4440, 8GB RAM) to use for Linux to see if I want to transition some or all of my computer use to Linux. Right now, I don't have enough time to try out Linux and make a decision before Win 7 support ends, although my biggest immediate need would be for secure browsing.
I am not a gamer, so that means not needing the highest performing processor with a large amount of memory. That said, I do have some photo processing software for a Nikon DSLR that could benefit from a decently powered desktop (which doesn't run under native Linux). I do some batch processing for tasks like audio processing (converting CD music to MP3 files for our vehicles). Outside of that, everything else is fairly basic
If I were to purchase a desktop PC for Win 10 Pro given my use, I suspect just about any current Intel processor should provide a performance bump compared to what I have. I see 8th to 10th generation Intel processors available, and anything from Core i3 to i9. Six years ago, the range was more limited, mostly 4th generation.
Any recommendations, especially for Win 10 Pro? I have zero experience with the operating system, which is why I ask. When I worked, I was always exposed to the latest OS. Now retired, there seems to be less of a need to keep up with the latest and greatest, except when Microsoft's plans make my current PC potentially unsafe for future browsing use. It was why I transitioned from Win XP to Win 7 in late 2013, but at that time, I had some experience with Win 7 at work.
I plan to leave the Win 7 Pro desktop intact while I try to transition my applications and scripts to another OS. I'll have another desktop PC available (Dell Inspiron i5-4440, 8GB RAM) to use for Linux to see if I want to transition some or all of my computer use to Linux. Right now, I don't have enough time to try out Linux and make a decision before Win 7 support ends, although my biggest immediate need would be for secure browsing.
I am not a gamer, so that means not needing the highest performing processor with a large amount of memory. That said, I do have some photo processing software for a Nikon DSLR that could benefit from a decently powered desktop (which doesn't run under native Linux). I do some batch processing for tasks like audio processing (converting CD music to MP3 files for our vehicles). Outside of that, everything else is fairly basic
If I were to purchase a desktop PC for Win 10 Pro given my use, I suspect just about any current Intel processor should provide a performance bump compared to what I have. I see 8th to 10th generation Intel processors available, and anything from Core i3 to i9. Six years ago, the range was more limited, mostly 4th generation.
Any recommendations, especially for Win 10 Pro? I have zero experience with the operating system, which is why I ask. When I worked, I was always exposed to the latest OS. Now retired, there seems to be less of a need to keep up with the latest and greatest, except when Microsoft's plans make my current PC potentially unsafe for future browsing use. It was why I transitioned from Win XP to Win 7 in late 2013, but at that time, I had some experience with Win 7 at work.