Does this look a good buy?

melbury

SteveJH200 wrote: »

To be honest, if you're intent on getting another PC then buy locally as the carriage will have to be paid for after 30 days if warranty work is needed - and these desktops are heavy! This PC is no better and no worse than a machine built from parts by a competent computer builder.

Thanks for the advice.

So if I bought one from Dixons or PC World locally and it went wrong, presumably that is where I would return it and not have to post it off somewhere - is that right?

Hadn't really considered the cost of having to return a computer before, but I suppose it is quite a consideration.

stilltheone

melbury wrote: »

Thanks for the advice.

So if I bought one from Dixons or PC World locally and it went wrong, presumably that is where I would return it and not have to post it off somewhere - is that right?

Hadn't really considered the cost of having to return a computer before, but I suppose it is quite a consideration.

Not quite the full story. Some warranties will involve the seller picking up the machine.
Perhaps the likes of PC World would expect you to lug it in.

SteveJH200

If the sellers warranty terms include carriage then that would be okay. Only thing is that you would need to retain the packaging for as long as the warranty is in force. It may be worth looking at the warranty terms and conditions of PC World (if they are local to you) but also do an online check of their reviews as I've read a few horror stories about their standard of workmanship.

To be honest, if you buy a machine with good quality components then it's likely that you won't need to use the warranty. Most warranty claims are down to the user messing up the software and no seller will guarantee against that. It's the hardware that can go wrong but these days it's so reliable.

I bought my first computer from Dell in 2005 and it's still going strong - a friend now has it. Never needed to use the warranty either. Only issue with Dell is that some of their machines use non standard components so not easy to get parts. I bought a barebones Dell XPS430 recently as they were being sold cheaply by Aria - once I had added the necessary components it works beautifully - so good that I got a second one. The rest of my machines are home built from components sourced as far away as China, Lithuania and the USA.

Why not have a go at building one yourself?

boogiemaster

We have four Acer computers in our home at the moment and they are decent little computers. We've had about eight so far and everyone has run with no problems whatsoever.

The system your looking at is ok for surfing the net and playing low level games but upgrading the graphics card you don't have much choice as its a low profile slot and the power supply is only 230 watts I think.

SteveJH200

There you go. A good basic Acer from Misco via eBay - 3 years warranty and for an extra £30 you get on-site service. Item number 180694994043

Worth considering for an easy life!