Best Buy Geek Squad is just fine – they’ll take care of you perfectly well. For normal use, a consultant is overkill.

Heck, if I lived closer I would do it myself at no charge.

And I agree with the choice of desktop. Better screens, easier ergonomics.

As far as the brand – it really doesn’t matter. All Windows machines are pretty much commodity items these days. You won’t go wrong with HP, Dell, Gateway, Asus, or any familar name.

@elbanditoroso Thank you. What i have now is a Dell.

Your Best Buy plan is fine. If you’re not comfortable setting it up on your own and they will set it up for you it’s a fine plan. You don’t need to spend a ton of money on the PC as anything will be faster than what you have now.

I suggest you buy a desk top at Costco. They provide telephone support for everything connected to and related to getting your new computer working. We have two Windows 7 desktops and will not let them go as long as repairs keep them going. I don’t like what came after 8.

@snip is Costco still selling desktop computers? I was at my local one this past weekend and they had no desktop computers and only one or two printers, which is a change from years past.

Since they make their money on volume, I wonder if computers wasn’t very profitable for them.

I’m happy with going to Best Buy in any case since I ill want them to come out and set it up.

I also vote for going to Best Buy. Have fun!

And Best Buy will match any costco price.

@elbanditoroso They seem to have quite a selection. Some are online-only. https://www.costco.com/computer-towers.html I noticed they do still have very good support built into their prices.

I know you’ve already excluded a Mac. But there is a reason your son suggested it. There is no bigger bargain right now than the new Mac Mini.

I work in IT, and it’s become the standard recommendation given to all who are looking to replace an aging desktop PC.

Of course, there would be the learning curve, which may or may not be a positive. But going from Windows 7 to Windows 11 isn’t going to be without a small curve.

I need Windows for work, but ever since moving to an iPhone I have been using a Macbook Air at home. If you own an iPhone, there are some integration features you wouldn’t have with a Windows PC.

Just thought I’d throw that out there.

@hat Thanks for the suggestion.

@janbb If I were just by myself I would agree with @hat and buy a mac. But my wife is used to Windows and trying to get her used to a new operating system would be too much work for me. I think that nowadays a Mac is probably a better choice. And the files are all cross compatible now.

^^ I’m pretty set on a PC. I’ve got enough challenges in my single life.

@janbb I quit buying Macs when they had the Mac Cube, which was an overpriced, underpowered machine. They’re better now, and I’ve bought both machines. But PCs are better now too so it’s really six of one half a dozen of the other.