I wanna new computer (tower only)

RandyRos

i've had so my pc trouble lately that hubbys going to treat me to a new computer for xmas just the tower, as the monitor/speakers/printer/scanner have all been replaced this year anyway.

i currently have an AMD athlon XP 2100+ processor, 1.73GHz and 512MB RAM

so i'm looking for something better than that. i have a dvd drive + a dvd burner, so i want them included and 2 hard drives would be good (i think mine are 40gb and 20gb), but i could add one myself, thats no prob.

i dont play games on my computer, so i guess i dont need a seperate graphics card. my main use of the puter is here on the net. though i do take digital photos and print them off on here.

sorry for rambling on, but what i'm asking i guess is can someone suggest a brand or a particular system that would cover my needs at the best price possible.

thanks

afro_2

If you don't play games then I can't see the point in buying a new pc.

Maybe a new HDD and a clean install of windows would help make things run smoother?

If your heart is set on a new pc, the regular Aldi offer is about to start again. And it's a beast! Dual Core P4, dual TV tuners, decent gaming graphics card and lots of RAM and HDD space. All for 749.

RandyRos

its had a clean install. hubbys sick of me moaning about it lol

i've been looking on the dell website about this dual core thingy. whats it mean??

skeggysteve

Not sure about the 'dual core' thingy.

But would suggest you local independant computer shop or Ebuyer.com.

Both will be better quality/price than Dell or PCWorld etc.

Stephen_Webber

My girlfriend got a Compaq SR1619 base unit (no monitor) from PC world at the weekend for £400. It is an Athlon 64 3200 (2GHz) with 512MB of RAM, 160GB hard disk, dual-layer DVD writer, memory card reader, keyboard and mouse. I prefer to build my own PC's and hate PC World with a passion, but I was very impressed with this one.

Although the graphics are on-board, there is a 16x PCI-E slot inside for a new graphics card, 3 PCI slots (2 free) and 2 free SATA ports for new hard drives. If that had been a Dell, they would have removed the graphics card slot and the PCI ports to save a few pence. From an expansion point of view, it is a nice machine and is plenty powerful for surfing the net or office work. Add a good graphics card and it would make a decent gaming machine too. It also has a spare 5.25" drive bay for a second optical drive and room for another hard disk too.

Cheers,
Stephen

RandyRos

thanks Steve and Stephen, great advice there.
the mate who built my present system buggered off to america LOL and tho i have put in new drives etc, i'm not confident enough to build myself a pc. :S
my PC world is about 15 or so miles away, so i think i'll try ebuyer first, but i will try not to rush into anything, like i usually do lol
i heard Athlons are better than Pentiums? is that right?

Stephen_Webber

I would personally not buy from Ebuyer, their after sales support can take a while to resolve problems and they cannot be contacted by phone. Have a read of some of the posts here: http://groups.google.co.uk/groups?q=ebuyer&hl=en
I prefer to buy with the knowledge that a problem can be sorted out quickly. If that ends up costing me a little more, then I prefer to pay that little extra for peace of mind, which is perhaps not the right ethic for this website, but at least I know everything will work.

In terms of which is better, the Pentium would be a better choice if you are planning on doing a lot of video editing. The Athlon 64 would be better for pretty much anything else. Don't compare the clock speeds directly - an Athlon 64 3200 will perform at a similar level to a 3GHz Pentium 4. They are just a lot more efficient.

Cheers,
Stephen

RandyRos

oh thanks for the warning

maybe i can get a deal from PC world over the phone, I do so hate driving in Norwich LOL

pre-reg

it might also be worth waiting for a good deal from dell. their aftersale is very good and if need be you can also sell the monitor etc on Ebay.

I did this a while ago and i saved a bit more then by buying from places linke pc world.

Skint_Catt

I bought a 'reconditioned' Emachines from Currys website for £220 I think (after some voucher codes from here!) and it's excellent - DVD/CD burner, all required software etc XP home, 7-in-1 card reader, several USB ports.

It wasn't even reconditioned when it arrived - still brand new packaging and labels on it!

http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/store/cur_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1634323162.1133431140@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccjaddgghfglgicflgceggdhhmdfhn.0&page=ProductList&category_oid=-26387&fm=2&sm=5&tm=5&show_all=true

Wouldn't buy anything else!

S_C

RandyRos

i'd forgotten about emachines. i was gonna buy one last time.
and i guess if it comes with a monitor it can go on ebay, good point.
and if i buy from currys/dell i get cashbak at free fivers
i shall give it all some good thought, thanks