Best place to buy a desktop

[Newapprentice]

I need to buy a new desktop; It's for personal use only.

Where is a good place to look at the minute please? Which sites, possibly even a shop?

Many thanks.

 

[madder]

I honestly don't think it matters where you buy it as such. What is your budget and what are you hoping to do with it. You need to make sure you buy something that has the specifications that you are going to need. That is the most important thing really.

I would recommend a refurbished desktop as a cheaper option, if you are looking to save a few bob. Don't get caught out by people offering a period of time with Norton Security or McAfee etc. AVAST Antivirus and AVG are free to home users and better software. If you will be gaming or using 3D software for design or anything like that, make sure you get the Processor, RAM and Graphics card to handle it. If you need any suggestions, ask away on here.

Best of luck with it.

 

[Newapprentice]

Thank you Madder.

I use a PC probably 15 hours per week. Mostly Word and Excel and net of course. No games or 3D or photos or anything.

Can anyone advise what sort of processor, RAM I will need?

Many thanks.

 

[dhutch]

I'm a bit out of the loop, have in the past mainly build my own desktops, or bought second hand. But I can certainly vouch for second hand PCs being a very cheap option even if you then put your own HDD (many are sold without) and install a fresh operating system and software.

Another option maybe the local computer shop, somewhere thats being around a while and appears frendly when you go in.

Otherwise I would go back online and order something from there. Dell have been around a long time, Lenovo seem to have picked up from where IBM left off well, hp? Scan computers was always popular when I was messing about a few years ago.


Daniel

 

[Newapprentice]

I'd like to buy a new PC and want to get a PC and screen for £500.

 

[mattylad]

For 500 you will get a lot more than you need.

Any entry level PC will do what you want.

 

[madder]

Agreed. For 500 quid, you have way more than you need? For just word, excel and internet, as even a Pentium 4 processor and 1 GB or RAM would handle that easily enough.
But for a fair bit cheaper than you are spending you should still be able to get a Dual Core processor and at least 2GB of RAM. Dedicated graphics card will not be needed so you can go for the integrated intel graphics that will come with most of these Dual Core PCs.

Check the usual places, like PC WORLD, Harvey Norman, even Argos if you want brand new. You should find a Dual Core, 2GB RAM and Monitor Desktop for under 500.

 

[jenniemiller1977]

I've always gone to Dabs for my laptops/desktops. Do some good deals.

 

[AronSearle]

Thank you Madder.

I use a PC probably 15 hours per week. Mostly Word and Excel and net of course. No games or 3D or photos or anything.

Can anyone advise what sort of processor, RAM I will need?

Many thanks.{snip} £500

Honestly, walk into PC world or such and buy whatever you want up to that budget, anything you buy for such use will be more than adequate.

 

[TheVictorian]

I'd also like to chip in and suggest a Dell, solidly made, fair support and good value.

Stay away from smaller manufacturers as they simply dont have the budget to invest in R&D to avoid potential conflicts between the many components.

 

[taavisepp]

Sticking to "white PC makers" like Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc. and avoiding local PC shop will pretty much grant you silent machine that has been designed with cooling in mind. Also, when buying from the likes of John Lewis you can get 2 years warranty by default. Many things go wrong as new or after 18 months (15 years in industry and nothing much has changed :-\ ).

Dell & HP machines (as I found when looking for one for a friend) require no tools to open the case for cleaning, that I consider a bonus. Think of an average British home carpeted floor that PC will rest for the next four years.

 

[Monkeh]

Sticking to "white PC makers" like Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc. and avoiding local PC shop will pretty much grant you silent machine that has been designed with cooling in mind.

I.. have no words.

 

[taavisepp]

@Monkeh, that's OK all of us have different preferences and not all of us want or are fit to build their own computers. The question was for a basic PC. I prefer quiet machine. If you happen to run a local PC shop, please don't take this as an insult, many of them however do offer overpriced and under-performing boxes.

As you may know, the first aim for the people in IT industry is to generate constant income stream. That's what all the major manufacturers and local PC shops do. I've spent long enough in the industry to be able to make choices for those who know very little about computers and that don't hurt the wallet in the long run.

My 2c.

 

[Monkeh]

@Monkeh, that's OK all of us have different preferences and not all of us want or are fit to build their own computers.

No, that's fine, I understand that. Most people shouldn't try.

I've recently recommended Dell myself, because compared to the likes of Acer, MSI, Packard Be- no, I can't even finish that name, and the various supermarket and online store own brands, they're wonders of engineering and manufacturing (and they really, really aren't, but in comparison..).

The question was for a basic PC. I prefer quiet machine.

And if you think the likes of Dell make quiet, cooling oriented machines, your hearing is average at best and you've never seen a properly designed silent machine. Please don't take any of that as an insult, I really don't intend it to be.

If you happen to run a local PC shop, please don't take this as an insult, many of them however do offer overpriced and under-performing boxes.

Oh, they do, I know. You'd be hard pressed to describe the box I built for a local charity as either, though, and most of it comes with a three year warranty as standard.

 

[taavisepp]

Off-topic, but hearing is 18/20 and 20/20. In case of Dell/HP I usually suggest higher end business/corporate grade machines that have no fancy looks, but do perform well. And are quiet enough for the open office environment.

To answer the initial question, I'd look at deals/offers on quidco and similar sites and make a judgement call, leaving Packard-Hell out of equation...