Looking to buy....

[Redglyph]

That's a big affirmative on both the intel brand and the NVMe SSD. I'll just have to hope my monitor works with it and that I can actually figure out how to install windows eleven, lol.

Isn't that pre-installed?

I remember a quirk for Win10 and it's apparently the same with Win11. The post-installation process pushes the user to have an online Microsoft account and gives concerning warnings when opting out - the first time I was fooled because I wasn't prepared for this and had to do a lot of clean-up later.

It's perfectly safe to say 'no' to this and have a normal, local offline account like before. Unless you really want an online account but I haven't seen any upside, quite the opposite. Sites like this one give steps but since I don't have Win11, perhaps others can confirm it's the right method.

 

[Carnifex]

Oh I have a rule about being forced to establish accounts or link them: I never do it. Anything that actually requires it also gets black-listed. I simply don't have time for that nonsense in my life, and I'd never dream of asking anyone to subject themselves to anything similar.

 

[Stingray]

If you're using a monitor from 13 years ago or whatever, you'll almost certainly need an adapter. Probably DisplayPort-to-DVI?

Also, Win11 made it very difficult to install the Home version without signing in to a Microsoft account during installation. It's not supposed to be possible actually, but there are some workarounds, you'll have to look them up. I use the Pro version personally, so hasn't been a problem for me yet.

 

[basharran]

Sign in using fake@fake.com with password f and you het the option to make a local account.

 

[Pladio]

Good luck. Looks like a good pc

 

[Carnifex]

Computer received! I had a difficult time getting the thing as the email I received said it would be coming next week, and it came initially on Wednesday while I was visiting my mum, who was ill. In any case, I'll probably set it up tomorrow as I've class this evening and don't want to mess anything up before that!

 

[Pladio]

Let us know how it goes

 

[Carnifex]

And I'll likely hold off until I finally finish Cold Steel Four as well. So far I've gotten it out of the several boxes and verified that everything shipped at least, it looks rather spiffy.

 

[Carnifex]

It seemed to make sense to at least verify that the new computer works, so windows 11 is set up and everything seems fine so far!! The only issue I've had is that the system seems to have a lot of lights running and I don't see how to turn them off. And blimey, is this thing fast!!

 

[Carnifex]

As a person not really big on change, I will have to admit I'm enjoying my new machine so far. The old one booted up in less than two minutes, and this one is even quicker. And I truly preferred how windows seven looked when compared to windows eleven, yet I can understand most of the changes. So far I've not encountered anything that has really put me off, other than how microsoft keeps badgering me for some account and whatnot.

 

[Carnifex]

Well, now my whole new computer situation has taken a turn for the ugly, and I'd recommend folks here to never deal with a company called Computer Upgrade King. Right now I'm seeking a full refund through my credit union, once I have my money back I'll return their computer and find another company to deal with.

 

[Redglyph]

What went wrong?

 

[Carnifex]

I had a question about how to turn off the lights in this computer (no idea who the heck would want like fifty lights on!), and the guy said somehow the remote that came with the computer could turn off the lights by using the OFF switch. There is no off switch on the remote.

Then I asked if the fans on top should be running (they are not) and he said they should be. At that point he said I needed to ship the computer back and they'd fix it, then return it to me. Now, being disabled this computer is my sole contact to the outside world....it's how I shop, continue my education (currently in third year of PhD studies), get my news, entertainment, etc. I wasn't even able to set up the new computer myself, one of my brothers did all the heavy lifting but now he's in south Florida for four to six months.

Another option they gave me was to send me a new computer now but they'd charge me again.....well, at that point I stopped talking to them and contacted my credit union, demanding an immediate refund. Once I have that I'll consider somehow getting their computer back to them and going through the process of getting a new one all over again.

 

[skinnychicken]

As a possible option, maybe consider a gaming notebook as a desktop replacement from one of the larger companies like Asus, Gigabyte, or Lenovo, etc. (one problem is they tend to run hot and can get loud with fan noise)

With an external monitor, keyboard/mouse, and speakers, you would have a very capable desktop replacement with the option of portability.

I've been struggling to decide for a while now on doing a desktop upgrade or going the notebook route.

 

[SirJames]

well, at that point I stopped talking to them and contacted my credit union, demanding an immediate refund. Once I have that I'll consider somehow getting their computer back to them and going through the process of getting a new one all over again.

That sounds like way more effort than working out how to disable the lights.

I'm not familiar with computer remotes, but it's probably not a button labeled OFF and something related to "RGB" (red, green, blue) under a menu somewhere.

The next place I'd look is for motherboard and/or GPU software and find the RGB setting there.

If that fails, I'd reboot the computer and hammer the DELETE key right when the computer first turns on and get to the BIOS menu and look for RGB settings there.

If that fails, I'd just get in the case and find the lights and unplug them. Also, check the fans power cable is plugged in.

 

[Redglyph]

I had a question about how to turn off the lights in this computer (no idea who the heck would want like fifty lights on!), and the guy said somehow the remote that came with the computer could turn off the lights by using the OFF switch. There is no off switch on the remote.

Yeah, that's something I never understood. The only computer I could find when I had to change during COVID had a transparent panel on the side and the graphics card - of unknown brand, constantly light the whole room and it's impossible to switch them off. I'm sure there are enthusiasts for that but I'm not one of them, and the glass panel is more a liability than an advantage.

I simply attached a foam panel inside to mask the lights (after exchanging a zillion emails to the incompetent Lenovo support who couldn't help me or even tell me which brand it was).

The fans are normally handled by the BIOS (or UEFI now), and often by the bloatware that comes with the motherboard, the same that can sometimes control the LEDs. I had to set that up a few times on new computers because it's not always properly set (except on the Lenovo that has no settings at all).

If you're not into those things, can't someone more geeky come and help with that? You may have similar issues with another PC.

PS: first time I hear about a remote for a workstation, what other nonsense are they going to come up with?