I need to buy a cheap but decent brand PC

K_Man_4

Please help me

Without wanting to start the whole PC vs Mac thang off nor do I wish to be treated like a leper by my Mac community but I need to buy a very good PC as cheap as possible.
 
Now as a Mac man I am used to Plug and Play and I do not want to build my own for £ 7.35p or somebody to do it for me for the same price plus a score (£20) for their trouble then be left with a box that needs constant driver updates with lots of components that don't talk to each other.  
 
I'd also like to add that since I have been using computers (1980) I have mainly been using Apples in my adult life from the Mac ll onwards and have NEVER had any viruses which I put solely down to the quality of both components and OS.
 
With that said, I now need to buy a well known brand where all the bits will communicate with each other and I don't have to become a PC engineer just to use the thing. I have been spoilt using Macs but only have a budget of £300 (£350 at a push) so if anybody can point me in the direction of a decent machine I'd appreciate it.
 
I was thinking of upgrading to Mac to OSX and buying VirtaulPC as well as uping my RAM but all this will equate to about the same amount of money but only with about 60% of the performance of a stand alone PC machine - so you see where I'm coming from here, I hope !!!???!!!

MarkyMarkD

Dell are constantly having different promotional offers on their website.

They are very good value, very well put together, and should meet most people's needs.

Don't buy a Dimension 2400 if you want to add a flashy video card though - it won't take one. The cheaper Dell models have no AGP video card slot which is somewhat restrictive.

That said, I have a 2400 and I'm very pleased with it, for what I use it for.

There are even cheaper than normal deals if you look at Dell Outlet - if you don't need a monitor.

Russ66

You may be better off posting on the "I Wanna" board.

PC World have a few cheap ones. http://forum.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Urgents;action=display;num=1105743318

Reed_Richards

A PC is little more than the sum of its parts and the parts, motherboard, graphics card, audio card, memory, hard drive, disc drives will all be sourced from different specialist manufacturers. So a "decent brand" is one that enforces quality control on the parts it receives, checks the machines thoroughly before shipping and offers good after-sales service.

It is worth finding out the cost of technical support if you need it. And try phoning the helpline to see how long you are kept on hold before speaking to a real person.

dave96

Due to the fact that you want a fully functioning machine, you will need windows to be installed before you buy. The problem of components not 'talking to each other' is usually driver related or down to conflicts. This occurs either when the OS is first installed, or when the user updates a driver. Having a shop build machine will ensure that the machine functions correctly.
Virus's have no relation to components used in the machine. Its more down to what OS you use, what attachments you click, web-sites you visit, software you install etc. More virus's are written for windows running IE because this is the most common set-up.
The financial difference between building, and pre-built, is so low its now, in my opinion, not worth doing for a standard machine. Where you need specific compononents then its worth going down this road.

elaine373

Tesco were selling a complete package(printer too) for £398. i know naff all about computers but my son said it was a very good price.

gavinp

EBuyer are doing an Acer system (everything apart from the monitor) for £250 inc VAT:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=80436

They also sell a matching Acer monitor for an extra £60 if required (or you can order a different model to suit):

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=55684

Thanks

Gavin

lellie

you can avoid virusses with whatever computer you own.. personally I've never got one.. but my sister's computer is riddled with the things.. the way you handle viruses is entirely up to you.. keep avast or avg (both free) virus software up to date and regulary scan.. avoid dodgy sites like !!!!!!/warez/crackz etc and be careful with attachments and you'll be fine..

as for finding a computer.. don't go for a "branded" package as such.. they're just as likely to have driver issues as one made up from many brands by an independant dealer.. more likely in many cases as they just find the cheapest parts and stick em together without much thought to the set up..

This is why I still believe in building your own.. money wise you don't save that much but you do end up getting a computer you know will work with a higher spec than you'd pay for a package..

As for PARTS you should look out for..

asus, abit and msi (nvidia chipset ones!!) motherboards..

If you go for AMD processor - get an nvidia based board..

Processor is up to you.. intel P4 is faster but overpriced.. Celerons are ok value.. AMD XPs (BARTONS) used to be the best but they've replaced it with the opteron which isn't as good (less cache and the like) avoid semprons - they're just rebadged durons..

RAM = ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS (I can't stress this enough) ensure you have branded ram.. corsair, kingston, crucial.. It may be twice the price but it's worth it!!!! This is one problem with packages - they virtually always skimp on RAM and that means unstability and incompatibility!

Graphics Cards - Avoid SE models.. they're just slow cheap versions.. they're usually no better than onboard graphics.. - although if not using for games this isn't crucial.. go for XTs or Pros versions..

Hard Drive - Stick to Maxtor or Seagate - Try and get ones with higher cache (8mb) if possible.. Never had any problems with maxtor diamondmax 9.. AVOID IBM DARKSTARS - they've become known as the DEATHSTAR for a reason!!!

erm what else is important?? optical drives are much of a muchness - I tend to go for Lite On - well trusted and reliable..

That should help for now..

koru

I'm not sure from the original question if you are switching from mac altogether, or just need a PC for a specific use, but will continue to use mac mainly. If the latter, then why not just pick up a cheap second hand PC on e-Bay?

Unlike macs, PCs tend to depreciate in value significantly. Unless you need the latest spec (eg, video editing or the latest video games), a 2 or 3 year old PC should be perfectly fine for most uses.

This would probably be cheaper than Virtual PC (PC emulation software for mac), and would work better.