clanger
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 10:21 AM |
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time for a new pc, any recommendations ?
time to upgrade to a new system........current one (circa 5-6years) is getting on a bit and getting increasingly clogged, clunky and frustratingly
slow 
just want good browsing speed/capability, bit of I-player watching, bit of Mp3 playing, online radio listenting, usual office stuff, downloading
pictures from camera etc, etc, nothing to exciting........don't do gaming, video editing, streaming films, file sharing, etc etc, saying that
daughter is off to Uni this year so missus might want a bit of webcam action to keep in touch (now, now, not that type of action!!!)
not one for visiting PC world etc, to be bombarded with gigabytes this megabytes that, just want reliable, delivered to the door system I can plug
and play...........for that reason have always had Dell systems, which tended to be on offer at the time and have suited my requirements great,
budget............about £750 is suppose???? with a monitor
any suggestions??? lets hear them !!!
cheers
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dave_424
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 10:30 AM |
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I would really suggest building a PC.
People are always put off buy the though of building their own PC, however these days everything has a set standard so basically it is just a large
meccano set. Screw in this, plug in that, clip that in. £750 with a monitor on a self built machine can net you a PC better than what PC world has to
offer.
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Not Anumber
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 10:40 AM |
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+1 for buildng your own PC everytime.
Make sure the RAM and processor are compatible with the motherboard you choose and the rest is easy.
Building one yourself is more satisfying and that way you know you can always upgrade bits as and when you need to. It also allows you to make the
choices and spend the money on where it's needed. For instance if you aren't into particularly graphics intensive gaming theres little
point in spending the earth on a very high spec graphics card so you could save money in this area and spend it on more RAM or a better monitor
instead.
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dave_424
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 10:44 AM |
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One thing also to add is that most PC parts places have bundles that usually include a motherboard, processor and some ram, then also you can get
bundle cases that include a power supply. Then basically you just need to choose how much hard drive space you want and if you want a CD drive or not.
Dave
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Opirun
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 11:13 AM |
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Hi,
Also +1, for building your own PC, when you do, you will probably wonder why you ever bought pre-built ones. Hop over to
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/ and post your requirements, this is why I started and found the help on there really useful. Sometimes people even
post a complete build list to fit your requirements.
All the best!
[Edited on 2/4/13 by Opirun]
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Barkalarr
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 11:28 AM |
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Buy one of these : http://www.ebuyer.com/443470-zoostorm-desktop-pc-7873-1081 - £199
Get a Logitech C270 webcam : http://www.ebuyer.com/230435-logitech-c270-hd-webcam-720p-hd-video-usb-960-000582 - £22
Samsung LED Monitor : http://www.ebuyer.com/368395-samsung-s22b300b-21-5-led-lcd-dvi-monitor-ls22b300bs-en - £136
Because you're daughter is a Student, you can get the student edition of Windows & Office. Don't get windows 8... it's like
nothing you have ever seen before !! - should be < £100 ???
I've got pretty much the setup above and it's superb. I admit, I don't play games - just spreadsheets and documents + some web
browsing and iplayer also use skype a lot to speak to my family.
One thing to note - my monitor doesn't have the mounts on the back so I can put it on a wall - other than that, it's great.
All in approx, £400 - use the other £350 for something new in the garage 
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Slimy38
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 11:52 AM |
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I will go against the majority and say go for pre-built. Last time I priced up a pre-built versus components there really wasn't much in it. I
only buy components because I rarely need to replace everything at one time, but when my mate wanted a full PC I just sent him over to Dell. They do
pretty decent kit for a good price, and take a lot of hassle over matching components. Zoostorm (as linked by Barkalarr) are also very good at putting
together high spec hardware that is difficult/impossible to beat in component form.
I'd like to throw something else into the mix, have you considered a laptop rather than a desktop? For £750 you could get a pretty good laptop,
and while they aren't for some people they are so much more convenient. I'm writing this sat in front of the telly downstairs, rather than
being stuck in the cupboard upstairs where my main PC is.
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Opirun
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 12:07 PM |
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I agree with Slimy38 in that your will not save much (in some cases even spent slightly more in custom built PC's), however the key in that in
the long run you will save by not having to keep rebuying new PC's and throwing away components only to purchase similar ones to replace them (a
DVD drive is a good example of this). Also you can do the repairs and upgrades yourself.
Therefore it really depends on you as an individual and how much time you want to spend on this project.
Personally, I would not buy cheap brand PC's, I have had bad experiences with them, but know others who have had no problems. For example, what
some people don't realise is that cheap and mass PC builders use the cheapest of ATX power supplies, which can be very unstable, then a few
months or even just over a year later there PC goes bonkers and they don't know why. Of course this can happen to many PC's but you need
to be aware of it.
I have had good experiences with Dell laptops, so as Slimy38, mentioned you might want to consider this as an option. These days it seems that gap of
Price-Spec of laptop vs PC's is getting much smaller.
All the best with it all !
[Edited on 2/4/13 by Opirun]
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Opirun
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 12:40 PM |
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Perhaps we are getting a little carried away with selling a custom PC option based on the op's comment:
quote:
just want reliable, delivered to the door system I can plug and play
Building your own PC requires a little more than this, you might also want to consider windows 8 tablets and touch screen laptops.
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Slimy38
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 12:43 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Opirun
I agree with Slimy38 in that your will not save much (in some cases even spent slightly more in custom built PC's), however the key in that in
the long run you will save by not having to keep rebuying new PC's and throwing away components only to purchase similar ones to replace them (a
DVD drive is a good example of this). Also you can do the repairs and upgrades yourself.
You do have a valid point, it's difficult to replace components of a prebuilt PC if you ever want a part upgrade in the future. Dell's are
particularly bad at using very bespoke kit (or at least they used to be), even adding hard drives is more difficult than it should be. From memory I
believe the zoostorms aren't as bad, they tend to be based on off-the-shelf components and are easier to chop and change.
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Jasper
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 12:56 PM |
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I bought a business spec PC for my shop from Dell about 4-5 years ago for about £450 (no monitor) and it has never missed a beat, never crashes,
it's still plenty fast enough and does everything I want (email, web, music, iplayer, photoshop etc).
I would buy another one straight away. However for my home when I wanted something a bit more special I built my own - it's definitely not been
as reliable!
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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Not Anumber
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 01:28 PM |
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When i was an IT manager i often procured batches of 20 or so Dell PCs when it was time to refresh a department's desktops - until i had a very
bad experience with quality control that Dell quite refused to acknowledge despite it being common knowledge.
We are talking Rover head gasket levels of corporate of refusing to acknowledge a problem. Just Google for Dell capacitor issue and you will see what
i mean. Thats why i always build my own PCs.
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madmandegge
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 01:29 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by clanger
time to upgrade to a new system........current one (circa 5-6years) is getting on a bit and getting increasingly clogged, clunky and frustratingly
slow
just want good browsing speed/capability, bit of I-player watching, bit of Mp3 playing, online radio listenting, usual office stuff, downloading
pictures from camera etc, etc, nothing to exciting........don't do gaming, video editing, streaming films, file sharing, etc etc, saying that
daughter is off to Uni this year so missus might want a bit of webcam action to keep in touch (now, now, not that type of action!!!)
not one for visiting PC world etc, to be bombarded with gigabytes this megabytes that, just want reliable, delivered to the door system I can plug
and play...........for that reason have always had Dell systems, which tended to be on offer at the time and have suited my requirements great,
budget............about £750 is suppose???? with a monitor
any suggestions??? lets hear them !!!
cheers
I'd think you could find something to do all of the above easily for £300 to £400, maybe a bit more if you want a decent monitor. Is there
anything wrong with the existing monitor or do you just want to replace the whole lot? If you've got the time to do it building your own would
certainly be good practice, it never hurts to know how it all goes together.
I'd say a laptop might be the way to go, in which case go for a large manufacturer, either Dell, Lenovo, Samsung etc. I know Dell technical
support are fairly consistent and using them at work and at home I've never had massive problems with them.
Depending on how happy you are picking a machine, Dell's outlet frequently have good machines. The Outlet machines are usually machines that
have been returned, some have minor scratches other are brand new. This might also be one of the only ways to buy a laptop that still has Windows 7
installed. I've ordered a few laptops directly from the Outlet and have never had a problem with them.
If you feel like risking a visit to PC World, they do stock dell units in store. You could go and test out the machine, find the one you want then
locate it on the Outlet store and buy from there?
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madmandegge
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 01:31 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Not Anumber
When i was an IT manager i often procured batches of 20 or so Dell PCs when it was time to refresh a department's desktops - until i had a very
bad experience with quality control that Dell quite refused to acknowledge despite it being common knowledge.
We are talking Rover head gasket levels of corporate of refusing to acknowledge a problem. Just Google for Dell capacitor issue and you will see what
i mean. Thats why i always build my own PCs.
Strange, we had the same issues (leaking capacitors) with GX260/270 machines and the motherboards were all replaced, both inside and outside warranty
without any arguing?
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mad4x4
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 04:21 PM |
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+1 for Build for Personal Use
For Industrial apps we'll buy pre assembled industrial spec units.
Scot's do it better in Kilts.
MK INDY's Don't Self Centre Regardless of MK Setting !
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phelpsa
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 05:04 PM |
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I've got Dell XPS desktop and laptop ('ultrabook' and they've both been excellent.
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clanger
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| posted on 2/4/13 at 08:01 PM |
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thanks for the input all, not really wanting to build my own, not that it would be a problem. have updgraded bits and bobs on this one since i had
it
just the thought of endless hours researching whats best/not compatible would drive me nuts...........................takes my 2 hours googling to
decide what clip to use on a fuel pipe that nobody will see these days
time i research stuff i know very little about the stuff i get will be way out of date..............and my car will still be in bits
probably stick with dell, as i've had good service in the past...........(jinxed that now LOL)
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Opirun
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| posted on 3/4/13 at 01:27 PM |
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quote:
just the thought of endless hours researching whats best/not compatible would drive me nuts...........................takes my 2 hours googling to
decide what clip to use on a fuel pipe that nobody will see these days
haha, I know the feeling.
For what I have read from your requirements and approach, I do think you are making the right choice (for you), in buying a prebuilt. But building
your own is something you might want to consider in the future.
In terms of Dell vs others, I don't think you can go too far wrong with Dell, just make sure when you buy the machine that you do what ever you
can to get a clean CD/DVD of Windows, and not rely on the annoying restore software. Sometimes they don't supply this as standard with machines.
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fesycresy
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| posted on 3/4/13 at 01:43 PM |
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Don't think I'd buy another pc, laptops all the way these days for me.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up.
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dhutch
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| posted on 3/4/13 at 02:44 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Barkalarr
Buy one of these : http://www.ebuyer.com/443470-zoostorm-desktop-pc-7873-1081 - £199
Get a Logitech C270 webcam : http://www.ebuyer.com/230435-logitech-c270-hd-webcam-720p-hd-video-usb-960-000582 - £22
Samsung LED Monitor : http://www.ebuyer.com/368395-samsung-s22b300b-21-5-led-lcd-dvi-monitor-ls22b300bs-en - £136
Ive got that webcam!
My dad bought himself a Shuttle XS35GSV2 about a year ago, its barebones and he has some issues getting his solidstate disk of choice to work well,
but its a very nice looking peice of kit and being fanless is totally silent which you really get used to and im considering getting one the same for
myself.
Nice LCD/LED moniter, or in may case, a pair of.
Daniel
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