https://www.gumtree.com/p/desktop-workstation-pcs/as-new-boxed-complete-pc-system/1184992921

looks a bit too cheap,your thoughts please as i know didly about computers

Looks legit. Not much detail on spec there though. I'd want to know what processor it is, size of the hard drives, version of Windows it's running. It could easily be 10 years old but just never used.

Probably ok for using the internet though if you're on a tight budget.

steve, I could do with your help in getting a new tower system !!
my current one is pants

steve

Pentium 4 3ghz was old when I bought my current PC and I've had mine for about 9 years. I reckon 12-13 years old maybe.

Yeh, if its an i3 - then its not bad value.

But a P4 3ghz is getting on a bit.

Have a look at ebuyer -they are really cheap new these days.

could be a current model Pentium 3GHz though - the G4500T
http://ark.intel.com/products/90725

think of them as i3'a that failed QA and got downgraded, but not so bad as the ones with Celeron stickers on them....


even if it is a brand new system, with everything up to date I'd still avoid it - even if its fast enough now it more than likely won't cut it next year...
I'd rather keep my mid spec 7 year old machine instead (i5 750 = LGA1156 quad core)

getting a mid spec i5 machine that's a couple of years old would still be better than that



[Edited on 30/8/2016 by mcerd1]

Thanks peeps,i will avoid it.
ps re Ebuyer,they got some bad press re returns,i got my current compo (zoostorm) from them around 8 years ago and it has never missed a beat ,i notice zoostorm have their own outlet on the bay of fleas so ill prob get my new one from there.

I'd expect something that will last you a good few years to cost in the region of £300+ (better i3's or cheaper i5's maybe)


my in-laws just got a brand new cheap laptop out the supermarket - even fresh out the box its so slow that it takes a full minute or more to open a web browser - its just painful


since this is locostbuilders, did you ever fancy building one yourself ?
they really aren't that difficult and if you've got some old bits that are still usable (case, DVD and maybe power supply & OS) then it can be cheap too
if you were just a little bit closer I'd offer you a hand....



I had a quick look up of what my old machine's parts are selling for second hand - one of the motherboards alone is still going for ~£130 - 160 second hand (was £220 in 2008) and the other is going for ~£60 (and it was only £40 in 2009 ) - so I must have picked some good ones if folk will still pay that

[Edited on 31/8/2016 by mcerd1]

I can build a car as i know how the bits work,if i tried a compo all i would end up with would be magic smoke.
sorry,the insides of the case will like the insides of a womans brain remain a total mystery.

I promise its not that hard - I could teach you the basics in a couple of hours and building PC's doesn't take much longer

I have taken old scrap ones apart and yes they are pretty simple in a modular sort of way but when it comes to getting all the parts that will work together.......,i am busy making gates,walking my dog and dossing on the beach at the moment

quote:

---

Originally posted by theconrodkid
but when it comes to getting all the parts that will work together......

---

My zoostorm has an Asus p5g41t-m lx2 series board .
it will just be used for surfing,listening to music,storing photo,s,some short story writing and you tube films really.
my current one is running XP and i thought as it was aproaching old age,better get a new one before he dies .
3.2 ghz processor and 3.46 gig of ram if that means anything .

got to love the ASUS boards - even the cheap ones are built to last

I've guess the CPU is a Pentium dual core (aka: E5800) or maybe a core2 duo / quad, but I doubt it

btw your old one could have 4GB of RAM or more, but 32bit windows can't use more than the 3.4GB yours shows....
(you'd need to see what the screen says when you first turn it on)

so even the current entry model i3 (6100) which a lot of cheaper (but not too cheap) machines are using should be noticeable faster.
These i3's are about double the price for the CPU compared to the new Pentium ones for the CPU on its own (£100 rather than £50 retail)
but I'd say its worth it for the extra (maybe even the i5 if the budget will stretch)



so say £50 for a MB, £100 for the CPU, £40-50 for ~8GB RAM, £30 for a PSU, £35 for 1TB hard drive and £80-110 for a legit copy of windows (steal the case and DVD drive and screen etc from an old machine)
that should last a good few years, and you could maybe get away with a bit less RAM and hard drive, but it would only knock a few £ off the price


so about £350 all in - Dell do effectively the same spec for £380
http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-3650-desktop/pd?ref=130_customise&oc=cd65014&model_id=inspiron-3650-desktop
(I'm sure you'll find similar from other brands too) any of these could be made with cheaper parts than my prices above, but they do give a warranty at least....
but your also paying for rubbish anti-virus software, "bloat ware" and other things that I'd ditch at the first opportunity....

[Edited on 31/8/2016 by mcerd1]

[Edited on 31/8/2016 by mcerd1]

Thanks again for the advice mcerd 1 but as Clint once said "a mans go to know his limitations",i will take the specs and hunt down a ready made jobbie just to be on the safe side,you know what magic smoke does to the ozone layer .

you can go cheaper than that spec, but the performance drop will start to be quite noticeable IMHO



of course you could just throw a newer OS on your old machine with a new hard drive - windows 7 would probably do the trick for a few years for all the use your giving it

I did this to refresh my current 8 year old beast, but I splashed out on a 480GB solid state drive (about £160) - the SSD make loading programs supper quick and the machine will start from power off in about 40 seconds - and that's actually using it in that time rather than just loading windows and then still waiting for the programs to load....