is this good buy ? pc tower

black_paw

my old one has died nearly and have seen this one ...im installing own xp.....so bacic...tower..am2 dual core 5200 ,2gb ddr, 500gb hdd, 20 x dual layer dvdrw, geforce 7025 graphics, 3d sound £220 inc vat

i use basic stuff on internet and play the face book games . just wonder what you think or if i should be looking else where ? thanks

turbobob

Sounds like a pretty standard cheap PC build really. Whats wrong with your current one and what is the spec of it?

black_paw

make..advent 3119..1gb memory, 80gb hdd..about 6 years old....just lately it been saying low memory , and it would fixit...what happens is after on net about 10 mins you click on book marks and it drops down with faint line and no words, trying this its one two words behind...i had virus clan up and ad block removed and fire fox personers removed ..and things not used taken off , but still slow ish some times if wobble mouse it catches up with self...weird ..so was thinking might need new one ?????

deflag say 67 % empty space

turbobob

OK, well those sound like software issues that could be solved (possibly with a clean install) and maybe a memory upgrade. Also worth checking that fans, heat sinks and airways aren't clogged with dust as this can cause slowdowns if the CPU has to throttle due to excessive heat. But it is quite a dated PC now so can't really argue with upgrading.

As for the new one like I said it sounds like about what you'd expect for the price. I guess it comes with a warranty? The processor on it is a lot faster than the current PC, it has twice the memory and a lot more disc space. For cheap PC's my preference would probably be for Intel's Celeron E3200/E3300 processors at the moment, as they give a bit more bang for the buck, but wouldn't worry about it too much.

black_paw

yes going to a install /restore in a few days time . to see if it goes better..i want one up to the £400 mark i have allowed...but rather get from shop in case its poorly...have looked a bit but not that much out there and some say just basic graphics card not for games ! mmmm i play basic games you find on face book...so not sure what to look at now..

Freebyman

Thought I would add my opinion and say that sounds about right for a cheap pc, if you say you only play facebook games and surf the internet then I wouldnt bother about graphics cards.

However the cheaper option would be as turbobob says, upgrade the memory to 2gb, reinstall windows and give the case a good clean out. I would also be tempted to add a larger hard drive but the reinstall and memory will really help.

I found that after 6 months or so my pc slowed down considerably, so after 6 years without a clean install it would be sluggish to say the least.

Bloofire

My 2 cents:

You current computer is pretty old, BUT if you are just surfing the web and doing a bit of Word processing, a P4 3.06GHz is quite sufficient.

I would also NOT recommend upgrading the memory to 2GB. 1GB is more that enough to run XP, if you like lots of tabs open on Internet Explorer (and this uses too much memory), just install Google Chrome instead - it's a nice light weight browser.

If you fancy a new PC then you can't go wrong with Dell. Inspiron 560 or similar. You get an on site warranty and their service is imho very good. Just don't add all the extras that they try to wind into you through the buying process.

Alternatively you could also get a cheap laptop for similar money and therefore save power and do your bit for the environment ;-)

black_paw

seen campaq cq 5308 at staples ram 3 hard d 320...navia geforce 6150 with 1407 gb.../base unit..online sold out £254 but have in store at £ 289 i think around that price with seems good ??? i hope

Vuze

Have you considered these PC packages?

http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/category/2027/Computer-Packages

If I was in your shoes and had a £400 budget I would pick either one of the first two packages in that list:

Like for example, this one:

http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/product/627135/ACER-X3812-E5400/tab/specification

has an Intel Dual Core (2.7Ghz) processor, 3GB RAM and 500GB hard drive and comes with a nice 22" display and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system - XP is like 10 years old now and the usability and user experience is much better now in Windows 7, it is really worth upgrading and will work out better value for money in the long run.

black_paw

yes have seen them only off bit is the graphics cards saying not for editing videos ect....want to play face book games ect ...will go to store to try out ..thanks