S11E30 – How to Buy a Computer Without Regret

Episode Summary

This was the first show in the new 11 a.m. time slot. Mike and co-host Howard said they were skipping AI for the week and spent most of it on practical advice for buying a computer, including what to avoid, how to avoid store upsells and how much memory to get.

They also introduced the helpful links section on the show’s website, covered an FCC change affecting satellite internet, and went through new features in the Windows 11 26H2 update. One listener called about a printer that had stopped talking to his laptop.

Topics Covered

What not to buy

Mike said his shop will not repair a machine when the repair costs half of what the computer cost, so he advises against buying any computer under about $650, especially laptops. He said he dislikes HP consumer machines, and noted everything on the show is his opinion. His math was that a $400 machine every two years costs more than an $800 machine that lasts six. He also warned against store upsells, giving examples of clients who left a store with a far more expensive machine plus antivirus and support add-ons than the one he had recommended.

Fit the machine to how you use it

Mike said to avoid overbuying as well, since powerful laptops are heavy and have poor battery life. He urged people to try laptops in a store for comfort, weight and touchpad, and to decide based on how they will actually use the machine rather than on a salesperson’s pitch. Howard added that you do not need a powerful processor for email, YouTube and Word.

All-in-one computers

Mike said he is not a fan of all-in-ones. He described one where the screen was held on with adhesive strips that cost $300 to replace, and said they are hard to upgrade, run hot because the computer sits behind a hot monitor, and often have soldered RAM. They suit a simple use, like a kitchen recipe screen.

Power users and RAM

For power users, Mike suggested a low-end gaming PC from a vendor such as iBuyPower at roughly $1,000 to $1,500 instead of a $2,500 to $3,000 workstation. He and Howard said 16 GB of RAM is now the minimum. Mike explained that when a machine runs out of RAM it writes to the solid state drive heavily, which can shorten the drive’s life.

Helpful links site, satellite internet and Windows 26H2

Mike and Howard described the helpful links section on gurushow.com, with recommended tools, a section of things not to install and a feedback forum. He said the FCC loosened rules so satellites can talk to each other, which SpaceX claims could greatly raise Starlink bandwidth. Windows 11 26H2 brings a point-in-time restore feature meant to fix System Restore, a movable taskbar, a way to disable or remap the Copilot key and an option to turn off Bing search in the taskbar.

Calls

• Mark asked about a laptop around $550 and said his Brother multifunction printer had lost its connection to his laptop since he tried to connect to a work setup in February. Mike guessed an ad hoc direct connection had broken, and suggested factory resetting the printer, uninstalling and reinstalling the software, or using a USB cable. He invited Mark to email the show for more help.