Desktop for teenager

GAILEY

Hi,

I am thinking of getting a new desktop - for my little cherub who is soon to be a teenager. She has had a desktop before (which has gone kerput) - so I still have a spare CTX monitor and the keyboard/mouse which worked under XP.
She will be constantly on line (checking the price of shoes, what her mates are up to etc etc) and she will be playing some online games - but not the ones that need to be saved on the computer. I would like her to be able to use all of those lovely educational discs I bought ...learn french etc etc and to install my office 2003 etc. She has a photo printer also and I'd like her to be able to use things like that.

Can anyone recommend anything suitable to look for? Am I better going for a deal on a package or trying to get something to work with the monitor etc I already have? I have been on the Dell site and seen their range - are they a good option?

( I want a desktop rather than a laptop so it won't get lost or stood on/dropped and I think laptop touchpads are a bit awkward...or maybe I'm just old??)

Any suggestions gratefully received!

macman

Budget? £350 should be enough for this. One of the Dell Inspirons 545's (or 545S if you want the slimline model) will do the job-they even come in pink these days, if you must. For your requirements any entry level PC will suffice, but make sure you get as a minimum: Vista Home Premium (not Basic), 2GB RAM (preferably 3GB), HD min 320GB, Core Duo Processor not Celeron). That spec will make it a bit more future proof. You can buy these as a base unit only and use your own monitor. Then you can always upgrade the monitor later if you want to. On the Dell site you can upgrade any components to get the spec you like.
I think you're abolsutely right to go for a desktop PC for a child, then they can't drop it (well not easily), and if they pour fizzy pop into the worst that can happen is you need a new keyboard.

DCFC79

GAILEY

do you want xp or vista, you mention about your daughter wanting to use a learn french cd but is that compatible with vista as its pointless in buying a desktop with vista when the frecn cd wouldnt work,

gaming_guy

DCFC79 wrote: »

GAILEY

do you want xp or vista, you mention about your daughter wanting to use a learn french cd but is that compatible with vista as its pointless in buying a desktop with vista when the frecn cd wouldnt work,

you could always try compatibility mode

Rich44_2

Personally I wouldnt go down the Dell route, not because of poor service etc but because they make their own non-standard parts so if your PSU blows you have to go back to them and if it's outside warranty they can cost a lot.

I'd ask around and find a local company that builds to order you'll probably get a good deal that way.

Or see if you have a friend that can help you build it yourself, I will be running sessions soon teaching people how to build their own from start to finish 1 to 1 in their own homes with their own parts for a small fee of course

-TangleFoot-

How 'bout the Acer Aspire Revo with an external DVD±RW drive?

macman

Rich44 wrote: »

Personally I wouldnt go down the Dell route, not because of poor service etc but because they make their own non-standard parts so if your PSU blows you have to go back to them and if it's outside warranty they can cost a lot.

I'd ask around and find a local company that builds to order you'll probably get a good deal that way.

Or see if you have a friend that can help you build it yourself, I will be running sessions soon teaching people how to build their own from start to finish 1 to 1 in their own homes with their own parts for a small fee of course

This applied to some desktop Dells a few years back, but now I believe that their PSU's are generic.

GAILEY

Thanks for the input....I've been looking at the dell site, and also the HP pavilion...my own desktop is a mesh and I had a whole load of hassle with it to begin with - with it going back and forwards to be examined...and I really don't want an experience like that again, but I know nothing is certain is it - the comments about the processor etc are really useful, as all these spec's are a bit lost on me...armed with your advice back to the sites I'll go.....

......and pink hmm....

macman

For your purposes, there are really only 4 important specs to consider: processor, hard disk size, RAM (memory), and operating system. Get these right and all the other components will not be an issue, they're pretty much standard for what you want your PC to do.

jaydeeuk1

I wouldn't rule out a laptop completely, £350 will get you a really nice one, like one below.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158888

My wife drove over a model similar to this in her car (don't ask) and not a scratch, so not as fragile as you might imagine.

Touch pad issue can be got round using a usb mouse. Plus gives her the option of using it in bed or on the sofa etc....

macman

The reason so many laptops have a short life is because people do use them in bed and on the sofa. They then overheat (duvet blocks the vents etc) and components fail before they should. Laptops are great if you need the portability or are incredibly pushed for space. In every other respect, desktops are better.