PC on its last legs

[hudsonmat]

My PC is getting extremely old and very sloooow so am trying to convince my good lady wife that we need a new one.

As I have mentioned on here before my knowledge is extremely limited so thought I would ask for a little guidance on here first so I am not completely ignorant when being persuaded to buy one by the shop assistant.

My current machine is old and I mean old. 700 Mhz processor and only 64MB RAM, 20 GB Hard Disk, no Graphics Card. (Please stop laughing)

I mainly use it for surfing the net and emails but do have a few spreadsheets that I like to play about with.

WOuld also like to store photos and also put them onto CD.

My kids are also getting a little bit older (eldest coming up to 5) and becoming more interested in the PC so would also like to be able to play games on it as well.

Also was thinking of maybe getting a laptop to save a bit of space as currently my PC is in our Living Room all the time, are these much more expensive than a comparable desktop

What I would really like to know is what is the minimum I should be buying (i.e. min processor speed, RAM etc.) and also can anyone recommend where I should be going (PC World, Time, Comet, Currys, Dell)????

thanks

matt

[mathare]

What's the minimum you want to spend Matt?

I'd go to somewhere like Ebuyer rather than PC World etc.

A basic machine will fly compared to what you have now and will handle photos, CD writing and games suitable for a 5yo.

Have a look at this desktop PC (http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/102520/rb/20500909597) for starters

Not the world's best ever machine but decent at £240. You'd need a screen for it and I am assuming you haven't got a TFT judging by the size concerns. So add in a 17" TFT (http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/97709) and for under £400 you have a decent bit of kit.

In terms of laptops, this Dell (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=20500962164&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=110298) is just under £400 and would suit your needs I reckon.

Of course, that's just pretty basic specs but they would really zip along compared to your current PC.

I'd ignore the shops and the hard sell though. You can have the stuff I linked to above in a couple of days if you order online.

[mathare]

In generic terms though I wouldn't worry too much about processor speed if you plan to just use it for surfing the web, e-mail, a bit of spreadsheetery, digital photos and games for the nipper. Any modern PC will do all of that easily enough.

You need at least 512MB of RAM though. 80GB hard drive for a desktop is standard these days and there'll be no need for a fancy graphics card or anything.

I really think anything you buy now will do everything you want and more and when compared to your old machine you wouldn't notice the difference between a 2.5GHz processor and a 3.0GHz processor. They'd both just be FAST! If you're used to pootling round town in a Mini that struggles to do more than 40 mph then it doesn't matter whether you get a Ferrari that can do 180mph or a Porsche that does 190mph - you'll just notice that they are both much quicker than your Mini.

HTH.

[wb]

Just have to agree with mat about the RAM. I bought my PC around 18 months ago, and it has 256mb ram. I thought that would suffice, as I only wanted to surf the net, but after a while I got more interested in the PC (especailly when I got broadband) and I realised it is not enough, and I should have got 512.

[presto]

there looks a very decent dell one being advertised on the TV:
19" flatscreen :yikes: for only £349 i think.

i am a big fan of dell's, they are good machines, and are delivered within about 3/4 days.

[John]

Yeah, Mat's spot on with everything there. Especially regards the processor speed. 2.5GHz and 3.0GHz won't make any difference. It's just FAST whatever! Processor speed does come into play though if you don't have enough RAM. Make sure you get 512mb minimum, preferably 1Gb+, as games require memory to run fast. You might not need 1Gb now, but in 2 year's time you might.

[John]

Check out SavaStore (http://www.savastore.com) too, great site for Desktops and notebooks alike. They're keen on Acer and Aries PC's it seems, which apparently are very reliable and good value for money.

[GlosRFC]

Okay...if I may pitch in, there are a few extra's you'll need with the base unit that Matt suggests. First off, you'll need to add a modem and a copy of Windows. That will set you back an extra £115 before you've started so your base unit is now closer to £370 with vat - and you've still to consider a monitor as well as a graphics card if you do want to play games. And will you want to watch DVD's on it as well? If so, you'll need to consider speakers to take advantage of that 5.1 surround card that's built into the motherboard. You'll need a minimum 512Mb of memory but I'd always recommend more and it will be cheaper to buy it as part of the spec than installing it afterwards.

So already this spec is beginning to sound like a better deal http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/95745/rb/20502029747
An extra 256Mb of memory, DVD writer, two speakers, plus Windows and additional software for....£365 inc vat.

Staples are also currently shifting 19" Gateway flat screens for £150 from their stores or this Acer 19" (http://www.staples.co.uk/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=1363%2C1919,1386&webid=4m429&affixedcode=WWhttp://www.staples.co.uk/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=1363%2C1919,1386&webid=4m429&affixedcode=WWhttp://www.staples.co.uk/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=1363%2C1919,1386&webid=4m429&affixedcode=WWhttp://www.staples.co.uk/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=1363%2C1919,1386&webid=4m429&affixedcode=WW) at £179.

If you can speak to ebuyers before you purchase, see if they can do an upgrade on your speakers and you've got a good surround sound system! Also check if they include some of the more obvious things in the base price...mouse and keyboard for example.But you'll still be looking at £515 even if those items are included.

If you'd rather not mess about ordering extra peripherals then fitting them yourself and just want a complete system, then take a look at this example with 17" monitor (http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/686385) (£480) or this TV version with 19" monitor (http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/085393) (£700) or even this standard with a 19" monitor (http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1376591774.1153267038@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccfcaddigfhkiifcflgceggdhhmdgmk.0&page=Product&fm=0&sm=0&tm=undefined&sku=492870&category_oid=-27735) (£570). I'd suggest calling them the minimum spec, entertainment spec, and performance spec with the last one being the one you really want to aim for to meet current and future needs. I've used the PCWorld site for convenience but if you shop around you can probably beat those prices quite comfortably. Just scribble down the specs for each machine (click on the Features & Specifications tab when you open the window) and use these as a comparison.

Don't consider a laptop unless you really intend to use it on the move. The screens tend to be worse to view than a proper monitor, corners are cut as they try to squeeze all the components inside, and the keyboards are also more fiddly. Don't worry about space - if you go for a flat panel monitor you can hide the box out of sight so the only thing on view will be (ideally a wireless) keyboard and mouse plus the monitor. The whole lot will take up less room than your existing CRT monitor.

[hudsonmat]

Thanks guys, plenty to think about when I get in from work tonight.

matt

[Win2Win]

Dell advertise the BASIC machine....in that state it does NOT work.....as Glos points out, by the time you've added all the relevant parts to get a decent working machine, the basic price with them can double.

I'd stick to Dabs, Savastore, or Ebuyer (customer service is crap though). These companies also offer finance. DO NOT buy one on the High Street unless you like paying 50% over the odds, for an out-of-date computer :)

[mathare]

Okay...if I may pitch in, there are a few extra's you'll need with the base unit that Matt suggests. First off, you'll need to add a modem and a copy of Windows. That will set you back an extra £115 before you've started so your base unit is now closer to £370 with vat - and you've still to consider a monitor as well as a graphics card if you do want to play games. And will you want to watch DVD's on it as well? If so, you'll need to consider speakers to take advantage of that 5.1 surround card that's built into the motherboard. You'll need a minimum 512Mb of memory but I'd always recommend more and it will be cheaper to buy it as part of the spec than installing it afterwards.The desktop I linked to includes XP Home though Glos. And it has USB and a network card so what's the modem for? Who uses dial-up these days?

I was disregarding the need for a graphics card because the sort of games a 5yo wants to play isn't going to need anything fancy and the MoBo should handle it all OK. It's not going to be the latest Quake/Doom type game is it?

[sparkyminer]

The desktop I linked to includes XP Home though Glos. And it has USB and a network card so what's the modem for? Who uses dial-up these days?

I was disregarding the need for a graphics card because the sort of games a 5yo wants to play isn't going to need anything fancy and the MoBo should handle it all OK. It's not going to be the latest Quake/Doom type game is it?
You need a broadband modem, and I use a dial up modem as standby in case my broadband goes down.:)
In fact I've lost hundreds of pounds being able to get my bets on the dial up when my broadband wasn't available.:laugh

[mathare]

You need a broadband modem, and I use a dial up modem as standby in case my broadband goes down.:)
In fact I've lost hundreds of pounds being able to get my bets on the dial up when my broadband wasn't available.:laughBut my points is that surely Matt has something to connect his current PC to the web and that's probably broadband. He's only swapping his PC so why does he need a new modem?

[sparkyminer]

That's a very good point Mr Hare.:)