The best price is in a PC world shop. Right?

jenniewb

I'm just about to get a new PC, the PC is a gift and I'm set the task of choosing something because I will be the primary user.

I have a rough idea of what I want but essentially I need it bigger better and faster then my current Dell Dimension C521 with 32bit-Vista. (RAM 1GB/AMD 3400 + 1.5GHz processor), it constantly freezes- it's always frozen but the frequency of that is rising, apparently not unheard of with Dell... I have not had or heard good things with Dell so am staying clear of the brand and looking elsewhere, I have been given a rough budget pf £500-£600.

I have seen a few PCs at PC world, one for example (without screen) is £589 and offers 8GB memory, 2TB hard drive and an AMD A105700 quad processor but comes without a screen (I'd like a screen if possible as my current screen is breaking down) I have looked at a few websites but can't seem to better this price. This can't be right- there must be a better price out there!

seh567

as its an HP machine look on the UK HP Store website as they have a 10% off discount at the moment and free next day delivery. It is often cheaper to buy direct from manufacutrer

jenniewb

Thanks, but the closest I could come to model wise was around £800 and only if I am willing to forefit a larger hard drive or slower processor, its really hard to compare because this model is not listed on their website, models are either partially better or much worse and the prices do seem quite a bit more then 10% higher. I have looked at a few websites (John Lewis, Currys/PC World, Amazon, HP..etc) but really don't have a clue where to look aside from high street shops and their online versions.

Thanks for the advice though.

Johnmcl7

Don't be fooled by the AMD processor in the machine you've mentioned in your post, it may sound impressive but it's a budget processor and its performance isn't particularly high. What is confusing is that AMD changed the way that cores are defined so instead of having separate, individual cores as you normally do the AMD processor cores share parts with each other. This means it's not really a quad core processor, it has four 'units' but those are not the same as a core on another processor and the AMD design only works well when it can spread the load across its various units which doesn't tend to be the case as software isn't well optimised.

I assume you're comparing it to machines with i5 or i7 quad core processors when you're saying you can't get anywhere near the price but those processors are not equivalent, I've had a very quick look just at the Dell site and they have a faster quad core i5 machine with 8GB ram and 2TB hard drive for £580 but I suspect there are much better prices elsewhere - I usually buy PC's from the Dell Outlet as they're essentially brand new machines and with a bit of patience, they're substantially cheaper.

I wouldn't worry about getting a screen with the PC as you're better shopping around and choosing a screen you want rather than being stuck with one that may not be ideal.

John

jenniewb

Thanks John- that's really helpful. I had been a bit confused by the AMD/i5 comparisons but had been won over by PC World stating in their stores that it was (Quote) 'The Most Powerful Processor" and had assumed its better. I guess I'd be better off looking for i5 (assuming i7 is above my budget).

I'm not too fond of Dell and the version you've mentioned is around the same price, I'm wondering if anyone has any other suggestions besides Dell for an i5 (or i7!) 2TB/8GB RAM model? I can't seem to find one.

bod1467

Why not look at some computer specialists, like Cyberpower Systems, Chilliblast, PC Specialist etc.? Or even places like Scan, Overclockers, etc.? You'll likely get much better value for money than from PC World.

(My laptop is from Cyberpower. I have no experience with the other companies).

Johnmcl7

I've had a lot of Dell machines over the years and supported a few thousand of them largely without issue, the problem you describe is unlikely to have anything to do with the machine being a Dell but most likely because it's a Vista machine with 1GB ram which I've always found to be a problematic combination. Most of the parts inside the machines (particularly with desktops) is the same as others, prices are generally pretty good and the machines tend to be easy enough to repair as Dell supply the service manuals for free for all their machines and they don't use many custom parts as they used to do years ago. The Dell I mentioned is a substantially faster machine compared to the HP.

With regards to the processor I wouldn't get too hung up on a quad core i5 or i7 unless you're going to be doing anything that needs a lot of processor grunt, the dual core i3's may not sound that impressive but they still have plenty of performance general use. I also think 8GB ram and a 2TB hard drive is quite a bit particularly as these are both parts that can be replaced or upgraded further down the line although fair enough if you want it all right now and prefer to keep the machine as is. An SSD can offer a more responsive system in use although not many companies offer them for reasonable prices unfortunately. Have you anything in particular you want the machine for?

In terms of where to buy a machine, I don't have many recommendations to be honest as most of the competition is in the laptop market these days so desktops aren't as prominent.

John

jenniewb

Thanks John. It's not just the machines from Dell I have hang ups about, it's also the service, in mine and others experience they do seem pretty pushy when it comes to failures. I was having so many issues when I first got my machine, yet they'd just offer to solve it by paying this or that to cover the cost of new parts for the machine yet I had just a few months prior, called them up to ask them to out together a machine that worked for the internet, watching the iplayer and running itunes and other MP3 players- they sold me a product not fit for purpose and then when I'd asked for help, their only solutions were to pay more for more gear. I took them up on this once, not really understanding what I was paying for (hardware insurance) it turned out to be pointless in helping my problems and in fact only insured the screen, keyboard and mouse- I had an issue with freezing not how fast the mouse works!

I suppose the issue is that if anything goes wrong, I want a service that will help me rather then pushing me to buy more parts which don't have anything to do with my problem.

jenniewb

bod1467 wrote: »

Why not look at some computer specialists, like Cyberpower Systems, Chilliblast, PC Specialist etc.? Or even places like Scan, Overclockers, etc.? You'll likely get much better value for money than from PC World.

(My laptop is from Cyberpower. I have no experience with the other companies).

Thanks,

they seem to be great computer building sites- I think there probably would be a massive saving, but there seems to be so much else I don't know about computers to go ahead and build my own computer. I can work out the hard drive for example and the RAM, but what type/brand and things like the motherboard...are just above my head. I wish I were able to understand the jargon a bit more and have a clearer understanding of what was what and which combinations would work and which could be a disaster waiting to happen! Thanks though- just a little to advanced for my small head!

gonzo127

http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/configurePrd.asp?idproduct=1571 something like this is faster than the one you linked

update to the asus M-LX motherboard - you get a SATA 3 port plus pci-e 3 and usb 3 ports so if you do wish to upgrade in future you wont be limited too much by the connections
upgrade to the 8gb corsair 1600mhz ram
upgrade to 2tb hard drive

with the £25 delivery cost factored in the whole package (including a 22inch screen and keyboard mouse and speakers) comes to just under £600

bod1467

Have you used DinoPC? Do you have experience with them? (Suggesting random online companies is only relevant if you can backup their service, or state that you have none).

In my case I made this clear in my post ... and for the record, Cyberpower Systems were very good throughout the whole process.

@jennie - what are you planning to actually DO with the new PC? (The planned usage will determine what you NEED).