I don't plan to do any gaming nor video editing, but do use photoshop and some mapping programs. I made have made my request more confusing by mentioning Debian; I actually want two computers, one with Windows (10?) and the other with Debian. For $1500, I can get a Lenovo computer with

• 4 GHz Intel Core i7-6700K Quad-Core
• 16GB of DDR4 RAM
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (8GB GDDR5)
• 128GB M.2 PCIe SSD + 1TB 7200 rpm HDD
• SuperMulti DVD Burner, 7-in-1 Card Slot
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
• 6 x USB 3.0, 4 x USB 2.0

but maybe that's overkill.

You should be able to buy one computer windows 10 and dual boot Debian. Something to think about. Google dual boot Debian win 10 see what comes up.

Yes, it does seem like significant overkill. Why exactly do you think you need such an over-spec'd machine? I think you could take each of the listed features, click them down a notch or two, and have a nice machine for half the cost or even less.

zep, the two computers will be in two different locations. Elmer, for the Debian computer, I need fairly high performance, especially in the video department and for simplicity, it's worth the extra money to get two which have identical hardware.

Fairly high performance to do what?

A year ago, I bought for my work a Dell computer with an i7-6700 3.4 GHz CPU, 16 GB RAM, and 2-HD monitor ports. It also has a 256 GB SSD HD and a 2T hard drive, which my proposed computer doesn't have. It doesn't have 4K video, which I would like. Except for the video (and the fact that it has Win 10, which I just have to get used to), it is very satisfying. It cost $900, without the 2T HD, which I bought separately.

I have owned Dell, HP and Macs. I now own a Lenovo desktop and swear by it. The best support system I've ever seen or had.

One thing that nobody has asked is expected life of said pc. The pc he has specced is fairly high end FOR NOW unless he’s doing some serious computing or rendering (it would be under powered for that). But in 5 years time, it will likely still be plenty of computer unless the needs change. I have basically the same pc but built my own because I dont want to have to buld another pc in 3-5 years or less. My last pc lasted well over 10 years and was still more than servicable. Can he spend less and still buy a capable pc? Absolutely. But ask how much he still likes them in 3 years.

in terms of brands, none of the oem pc’s are all that great. Make sure whatever you buy, get a big warranty because if you want help without a remaining warranty, forget it. Build your own, or work with a decent custom pc builder to get quality parts and you likely wont need a warranty.

I sent a Lenovo laptop back for repair almost three weeks ago and getting information from them is like pulling teeth from a hungry tiger. While I was very please with the computer up until I sent it back, at this point I can not recommend their products.

According to the Consumer Reports, Lenovo's service is on par with every other mainstream computer manufacturer. Only Apple shines.

Anyone buying an Apple laptop should be sure to get the extended coverage of Applecare Plus. Why? Because you'll likely need it. I have two Apple devotees in my family. Apple makes cool products and the capabilities and features (especially when seamlessly integrated with an iPhone, etc) are very compelling. BUT, these two family members, with multiple Macs over the years, have had more reliability problems and hardware failures than anyone else I know using the MS flavor of PCs from the various top name manufacturers. Lenovo included. Everyone throws out a lemon once in awhile, maybe you were unlucky in that regard johnc.

Yes, Apple service and repair (conveniently available at Apple stores all over) does shine. They get plenty of practice.

I'm not arguing against the extended warranty. However, I've owned 7 Apple products over the last 12 years and I've never needed a repair on any of them.

Elmer,

There's a 600 message thread on Lenovo's own support forums about the same problem I'm having. Near as I can tell, there's a defect in the LCD panel that Lenovo is well aware of and has been for 6 months or so. My complaint isn't that something when wrong, but rather how it's being handled. After them having the machine for 10 business days, I was told it had been fixed but was undergoing testing. A few days later, I was told that they had received the part but hadn't been fixed it. A few days after that, they're still not sure what's going on but they were going to email the repair depot and inquire. I asked that the case be elevated and was told that I'll receive a call from whomever within 3 business days. We'll see if anyone contacts me.

Frankly, I've been pretty lucky with computers and the last time I had to return a laptop for repair was in the 90's. I've largely built my own desktops so support was top notch! I've never had a problem with a Apple product nor do I know anyone who has. Of course, that's a only a tiny sampling and probably not an accurate representation of the population.

As with many things, companies are so busy introducing the latest, greatest technology (to drive sales) and trying to keep costs as low as possible that quality suffers. Not only the quality of the product but also the quality of service. Unfortunately today too many people are only interesting in what it costs to buy something, not what it costs to own it. That's why airlines are selling seats for cheap and charging you for everything else.

johnc, sounds like you were on the receiving end of a problem, as I mentioned above. And it sounds like Lenovo is a bit overwhelmed and stumbling in trying to get the right outcome for customers. Something that affects its reputation and is important to them.

You may know that there is almost nothing tangible in a major brand name PC that the brand manufactured. Apple included. And that's nothing new or recent. Nearly all the components, subassemblies, peripherals, etc., etc. are made by outside suppliers and even the "manufacturing" (which is really just assembly and test) is done by third party companies. So when you say that the PC companies are distracted doing other things - they're busy but not distracted. These are all large companies and the departments doing each of those tasks are different. They negotiate hard in the competitive world of PC part suppliers for the costs they pay because their customers - YOU AND ME- have come to see PCs as undistinguished commodities and with just a few exceptions, make buying decisions based largely on prices.

Airline pricing - not all that different, also the same with some car brands. Customers said - hey, we want lower prices. Airlines (and PC makers and some car brands) responded and said - Sure, we'll lower the price and sell basic models (or bare bones services). If you want something more, that'll cost more. And if you want a lot more, that will cost a lot more. In the past month, I was on a trip abroad. I had a flight segment to arrange and the most convenient flights were from one of the low cost operators. Did I want a specific day - Yes, well that was extra. Baggage - Yes, well that was extra. A reserved seat? Also extra. Did I want a window or aisle instead of a middle seat? Yes, that was extra too. When I was all done, the fare was reasonable but also about double the starting point.

The days of fully-equipped or full service anything are long gone in these markets. In the end, except for people who are happy with bare bones choices, I'm not sure anyone is paying anything less. It just seems that way (to some).

Elmer,

As I said, my disappointment centers around the lack of transparency in the repair process. How difficult would it be to tell me what the problem is, what steps are necessary to fix it, and how long they anticipate that to take. So far, I feel like they are mostly trying to avoid answering any questions. This problem is 6 months old, which should be sufficient time for them to figure out an answer. If they don't have an answer by now they should tell me that too. From what I've read guys are having their machines repaired at Microcenter, which I guess is a Lenovo authorized repair center, and it's taking about a week. Most of that time is getting the parts in.

I had a co-worker who was booking tickets for his family on one of the low cost carriers. Add back the fee for this and the fee for that, it wasn't so "cheap" any more. He closed the browser window with, "#%&$ them..."

I don't do gaming and video editing, may be someday in the future. I use photoshop element frequently.

Last summer when I could no longer put up with my decade old Dell Vista computer (I swear there was a demon lived in the computer even after I installed a different OS), after extensive research (it is an engineer's personality deficiency as I research every purchase to death), I purchased a Lenovo Y520. For below $1000.00 I thought it was a good balance between performance and pocket book for what I intended to use. It might be a little over kill for now, yet I could envision it would serve me for next 5-7 years.

Admittedly, I am a PC parts snob, so I picked it for Intel Core processors, Nvidia graphical capability and its bus (forgot its maker, apologize I am not near my Y520 now to verify it). So far I love its RAM and storage sizes. I like the 15.6" monitor as I hook it up with another monitor and use both as dual screen desk top. I took it on trips as a laptop, it's size and weight are adequate. It does not have DVD burner (not a problem for me and I could live without the added weight).

I would like it to have a longer battery life, brighter picture color and key board in regular black color instead of the silly juvenile red color. I would like the window 10 is as elegant as my Mac, nonetheless, I have been very very happy with the computer and its performance. It definately is a much better machine than a Dell.

I purchased it through Cotsco for the free extended warranty it offers.

If you are going to do photo editing and similar stuff ... It's as graphics-intensive as gaming, and even more CPU-intensive because the gaming has pre-calculated scenarios while the editing software has to calculate it all on its own.

RAM is where the real work is done, and if the CPU is constantly having to shuffle things on and off the hard drives because of too little RAM, it will be slow.

Put your money into as much system RAM as you can stuff into the motherboard and a separate high-end Video card with a lot of RAM. Don't worry too much about CPU speed. That's where you can save money. Buying a slightly
older generation processor with slower speed saves the most and no one
can tell the difference if the RAM and video card are maximized.

I noticed a definite improvement in image editing speed when I replaced the 2005 video card in my "Frankenputer" with a brand new one with lots more video memory and a far newer video processor. There were no other changes to hardware or software. Second Life got a lot better too - it was straining the limits of my old video card's capacity to draw quickly.

The reason I began assembling my own computers is that it saves a bit of money and you get what you really need. Keep the old case, power supply, and hard drives. Buy a new processor, a motherboard designed for it, system RAM and any other things you want, like USB front panels and a video card that can handle the size monitor or monitors you need.