Starting looking for new Desktop / Trade in Offers on Windows XP PC's

OnAndUp

Am I missing something here?!?!

I will be buying a new desktop in the near future and have been having a look around there are a few XP trade in offers, HP and others ie £100 off some models when you trade in your XP Pc. But most of them seem to have the clause it has to be under 5 years old! Baffles me as I thought most XP machines would be older than 5 years anyway is that not "defeating the object!". I have two 2001 & 2005.

I will be looking for a Small Form type preferably as small & lightweight as possible but still with a DVD disk thingy for general internet / social media / music / video / emails and some office tasks no gaming or anything like that. Think I would like Windows 8 as it seem to have grown on people now with 8.1 - is that right? Budget ideally under £300 but could push to £400 small size is the most important thing for me.

Do any brands / models spring to mind?

jaydeeuk1

Intel NUC, under £200 for older spec with mini ssd and ram, and either a usb dvd drive or a network drive. Theyre tiny... like really tiny... hilariously tiny. Got one as my dev machine at work. £400 will get the new i3 canyon version and all the bits. If you do get one you'll enjoy opening the box hehe. If youre willing to go a nit bigger, there are itx nachines or the extremely good value hp microserver which has space for a dvd drive. £100 cashback making it about £100, you just need a dvd drive, probably some more ram, a usb wifi adapter and a low profile ati card like a 5450 6450 etc. £200 all in for that, probably the route id go down.

Gloomendoom

OnAndUp wrote: »

Think I would like Windows 8 as it seem to have grown on people now with 8.1 - is that right?

My wife uses 8.1 on a non touch screen laptop. She has admitted that is slightly less awful than 8.

If she could revert to Windows 7, she would.

OnAndUp

Thanks!

Open to Windows 7 then possibly?

I would much prefer one with all the above inc Software out of the box, rather than having to add DVD or RAM to it really.

KxMx

Gloomendoom wrote: »

My wife uses 8.1 on a non touch screen laptop. She has admitted that is slightly less awful than 8.

If she could revert to Windows 7, she would.

I have Win 8 on a non touch screen laptop, and while I have some annoyances with it, as a day to day OS there is nothing wrong with it.

It's all about navigation, learning where things are, and adapting it in such a way to suit the user as you would with any PC.

For example I have a friend with a stripped down Metro UI as they find it easier, and I myself spent several months noting what I was finding hard to locate before I went onto google, consulted my "For Dummies" book and sorted out some desktop short cuts.

I completely and utterly fail to see where the hate levelled at Win 8 comes from :eek:

I think it might have something to do with the people who spend all of five minutes with it, don't like change, or listen to their mate's mate down the pub.

I even saw a post on here from a purported IT professional who wanted to throw it in the bin after several days.

Absolute nonsense!

:rotfl:

Gloomendoom

KxMx wrote: »

I think it might have something to do with the people who spend all of five minutes with it, don't like change, or listen to their mate's mate down the pub.

Or they could just have minds of their own and genuinely think that Win 8 is just a POS that offers non touch screen users absolutely nothing over Win 7.

KxMx

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Or they could just have minds of their own and genuinely think that Win 8 is just a POS that offers non touch screen users absolutely nothing over Win 7.

Fair point, I went from XP to Win 8 so 7 passed me by totally.

I agree releasing an OS for a touch screen and non touch screen was quite silly.
But as an everyday user on a non touch screen it's quite ok outside of some annoyances as I mentioned before.

There are free programs though that can make Win 8 look like 7 if that's what people are after.

Many options instead of buying into the Win 8 hate bandwagon :cool:

RumRat

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Or they could just have minds of their own and genuinely think that Win 8 is just a POS that offers non touch screen users absolutely nothing over Win 7.

I don't agree with that, I use keyboard and mouse with Win 8.1 and have absolutely no problems. Once you get used to it getting around can be as fast or faster than 7.

Gloomendoom

RumRat wrote: »

I don't agree with that, I use keyboard and mouse with Win 8.1 and have absolutely no problems. Once you get used to it getting around can be as fast or faster than 7.

Wife uses both 7 and 8.1 on a daily basis. She disagrees with you.

I've just ordered a new machine with 8.1 installed so I'll be able to judge for myself.

OnAndUp

Windows version aside does anyone have any other suggestions?

I have been looking at the Acer Revo L80 does a USB Optical drive like this from Amazon do exactly the same as a built in one?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-SE-208DB-TSBS-Portable-External/dp/B008X0TX0W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394801174&sr=8-1&keywords=usb+disc+drive

Is Acer a good brand?

RumRat

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Wife uses both 7 and 8.1 on a daily basis. She disagrees with you.

I've just ordered a new machine with 8.1 installed so I'll be able to judge for myself.

Most wives do in my experience.;)
Perhaps you should have commented after you had your new machine and had formed your own opinion. A lot of opinion on W8 is second hand, as originally stated. Listening to your wife is no different to listening to your mates down the pub.:D
That said, I don't think you'll like it. Hopefully I'll be proven wrong.
Plenty of tutorials on the web.:)