Need to buy new PC and monitor, Advice very much appeciated

spakkker

Under £150 - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ADVENT-FP9004-Refurbished-dual-core-slimline-PC-/120761368798?

Under £200 with w/less mouse/keyboard - https://www.simplyacer.com/eMachines_ER1401_1098795.html?gclid=CPOSxKyWxKoCFQkf4QodCDNE4g

£300 good spec but need to add monitor - http://www.ebuyer.com/269813-acer-aspire-m3910-desktop-pt-sdxe2-188

gonzo127

well monitor wise i would be tempted by the
LG W2486L
or
Samsung XL2370
both are around £200 (on amazon) and are very good monitors and as i pointed out this in all reality is the bit you will spend most of your time looking at so worth spending a reasonable amount on.

as to virgin, if you still have the install CD there shouldnt be a problem - and even if you dont i wouldnt be shocked if it just installed on its own, if you dont have the install CD it wouldnt hurt to phone Virgin as they might be able to direct you to the place you can down load the software you might/would need

stilltheone

gonzo127 wrote: »

well monitor wise i would be tempted by the
LG W2486L
or
Samsung XL2370
both are around £200 (on amazon) and are very good monitors and as i pointed out this in all reality is the bit you will spend most of your time looking at so worth spending a reasonable amount on.

as to virgin, if you still have the install CD there shouldnt be a problem - and even if you dont i wouldnt be shocked if it just installed on its own, if you dont have the install CD it wouldnt hurt to phone Virgin as they might be able to direct you to the place you can down load the software you might/would need

The first monitor is not Full HD capable. The second 23".

stilltheone

Lady_K wrote: »

I did not now about windows 7 disc imaging back up, one of my daughters has had windows 7 for over a year now and hasnt set that up so I'll pass that on

The monitor is going to be important really on that link you put stilltheone what does the vista premium mean? There are no built in speakers with that one are they as far as I can see.
I do want a 24 inch or above but how can I tell how shiny or reflective a screen will be? as I want to avoid that. I also don't like staring into a screen which is too bright either.
£360 for the other stuff, thing is with me needing windows7 on top that bumps it up so it might end up a bit more

I want to try and make a decision today and order, Will I need to call virgin media when I swap the pc over because of the broadband and will I have to fully re instal my router?

Vista Premium means nothing. The screen is not at all reflective and no it doesn't have built-in speakers. I have some rather powerful external speakers. But you have to calibrate the monitor, as it arrives on too 'contrasty' settings.

Now properly calibrated, I'm very happy with it. Here is a version with a HDMI connection.

Your Broadband is not connected to your computer. No need to call your ISP.

gonzo127

stilltheone wrote: »

The first monitor is not Full HD capable. The second 23".

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-W2486L-24-inch-Monitor-Gloss/dp/B002CJMTHY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312967535&sr=8-1 - states full HD but could be wrong of course

you are right the second one is 23 inch not 24, however the monitor is very good and i think discounting it for 1inch is not totally sensible

stilltheone

gonzo127 wrote: »

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-W2486L-24-inch-Monitor-Gloss/dp/B002CJMTHY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312967535&sr=8-1 - states full HD but could be wrong of course

you are right the second one is 23 inch not 24, however the monitor is very good and i think discounting it for 1inch is not totally sensible

Doesn't state FullHD anywhere I can see. In fact; Maximum resolution: 1680 x 1050

As for the second monitor...I'm discounting it because it's 23" and more expensive with no apparent advantages.

gonzo127

Manufacturer's Description

LG Electronics announces the release of a 24 inch ultra thin display with a contrast ratio of upto 1 million to 1, 16:9 ratio and energy-efficient performance. The thickness of the W2486L - 20 mm - has been made possible by the use of LED technology. LED technology has several advantages. Firstly, the illumination of the matrix becomes the uniform; in contrast to lamps used in conventional displays, LEDs light each pixel, making colour transitions and gradients more definable and significantly improves image quality in general. Secondly, the W2486L consumes 50% less power when compared to displays that use conventional fluorescent lamps. Another advantage of this model is the full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080p and 16:9 aspect ratio, allowing high definition video display with no distortion, stretching or black bars on top and bottom.

but anyway second one has very good write ups

i guess this might be interesting because of the IPS panel http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-U2311-Widescreen-Panel-Monitor/dp/B003R7K332/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1312970648&sr=1-1 - although again its 'only' 23 inch

anyways some of the reviews i skim-read when having a quick look around
http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/samsung-syncmaster-xl2370/4505-3174_7-33683882.html?!!!!!rvwBody#reviewPage1
http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/lg-flatron-w2486l/4505-3174_7-33769680.html#reviewPage1

stilltheone

gonzo127 wrote: »

Manufacturer's Description

LG Electronics announces the release of a 24 inch ultra thin display with a contrast ratio of upto 1 million to 1, 16:9 ratio and energy-efficient performance. The thickness of the W2486L - 20 mm - has been made possible by the use of LED technology. LED technology has several advantages. Firstly, the illumination of the matrix becomes the uniform; in contrast to lamps used in conventional displays, LEDs light each pixel, making colour transitions and gradients more definable and significantly improves image quality in general. Secondly, the W2486L consumes 50% less power when compared to displays that use conventional fluorescent lamps. Another advantage of this model is the full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080p and 16:9 aspect ratio, allowing high definition video display with no distortion, stretching or black bars on top and bottom.

but anyway second one has very good write ups

i guess this might be interesting because of the IPS panel http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-U2311-Widescreen-Panel-Monitor/dp/B003R7K332/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1312970648&sr=1-1 - although again its 'only' 23 inch

Perhaps Amazon's specs are wrong. Either way this review shows the LG in a poor light.

gonzo127

stilltheone wrote: »

Perhaps Amazon's specs are wrong. Either way this review shows the LG in a poor light.

ta matey, as i said just read a few, usually find cnet are pretty accurate hence why i used them to have a quick look but i guess the expertreviews does show the LG one up quite badly

getmore4less

VM

You don't need to do anything if the router is setup properly.

I have added and removed PC from my VM setup without problems

Also best not to put the VM stuff on your PC if you don't like bloat.


Monitor
Plenty of very good monitors out there at the 24" size.
I got a 24" dell s2409w sept 09 £150

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/hot-dell-s2409w-24-full-hd-widescre/458463


my dell came with dual 320gig discs and 3gig memory outlet machine for £200

Inspiron 530 - 2.2Ghz - 640.00Gb HD - 3000.00Mb Mem - CD/RW - Modem
- Inspiron 530 E4500 Core 2 Duo Prsr 2.20GHz - - DVD+/-RW, 16 - - 320GB
7200rpm SATA Hard Drive - - 320GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive - - Dell Quietkey
Black Keyboard - - English - 530 Sys Docs (UK power cord) & English - - Mouse
Dell Wheel USB 2 Button Scroll Black - - Vista OnLine Getting Started Guide (WW
- - Roxio Vista - Creator / MYDVD 9.0 - - Image Restore - Vista - - 3GB MB DDR2
667MHz (2x1GB, 2x512MB) - - No Modem - - English Windows Vista Home

Premium - - English - Vista Home Premium -


have upgraded the graphics with an end of line x1650pro for £10

have you also thought about dual screen for even more screen space.
Could use the new one and have the old one connected for other stuff.

I you want to spend a bit more I would get a really good keyboard and mouse these make the difference day to day.