All-in-one desktop?

zarf2007

AliceBanned wrote: »

I have a low credit rating at the moment. I probably would give in and buy one on finance otherwise. Just very hard struggling with old laptop etc. I doubt very much I would be eligible for finance. I may be wrong but I don't want to try at the moment as I've been refused recently.

There's always 0% finance at the bank of mum & dad!

Sorry, I shouldn't encourage that!

NiftyDigits

AliceBanned wrote: »

Thanks, worth knowing. I do like the look and feel of Macs.

But I see that my thread has become a Windows v Mac war.

The issue isn't whether or not that you buy a Mac. But the dopiness of the suggestion that you spend £679 to £850 on a stopgap.

It would made a little bit of sense if they suggested that you buy a suitable Mac on finance in the first place.
Not a stopgap refurb that you can neither afford nor get via a financing option.

Are you really going to do all of your work on a 13.3" screen? Of course not. It's nonsense. For 'media/publishing' you are going to want space on your screen. 24" to 27" is sensible and within financial reach within your two to three month target.

A new 27-inch iMac would set you back £1449. Nothing wrong with that if you can afford it and that is what you want. But the suggestion of spending £680 or more on a small laptop to 'tide you over' is just bizarre.

1uk3y

I wouldn't say a mac could be a stopgap unless you only ever worked on macs or had lots of cash! In which case, if all you ever used was macs then a 11" MBA refurb would be a 'stopgap'!!
I do however feel that buying a Mac is an investment in my personal opinion! They hold their value exceptionally well and last an awful lot longer than your average PC.

I have owned/built/repaired/worked on Macs since 1998 when I had my very first iMac (the original bondi blue all-in-one which I still have in my display cabinet in my classroom that still works perfectly i might add!). I recently sold my 2011 iMac for £700 - purchased for £1000 - thats a 4 year old computer that still works just as it did the day I lovingly unpackaged it! I sold it to fund a MacBook Air (as I needed something ultra-portable) which Is blisteringly fast, exceptionally well built, thin and light and I love it!

If you are worried about not having access to Windows then you can always get yourself a copy of windows 8 (£60ish) and install it onto your Mac as a 'Bootcamp Partition' which will enable you to run both OS X and Windows 8.

One quick note on Apple refurbs - I have had refurb Apple iPhones, iPads and a Macbook in the past and they are excellent - I would recommend these to anyone. They come with a 1 year warranty, boxed, re-cased, new keyboards/trackpads, fully tested (often twice).

In terms about the actual purchase then Its a personal preference based on what it is you intend to do on a daily basis. Macs are designed for creativity and this is why they are used in the Design/Creative/Media industries in 99% of cases. I have always used them for Photoshop, 3D design, Graphic Design so they suit me. For people who simply do some office work, lots of web browsing, simple image editing and storage then I can't see why you would need to spend the money as a £400 Sony or Dell or HP laptop can do all of this for less!

AliceBanned

I still haven't decided what I want. However last night my laptop gave up the ghost. It switched itself off and won't switch back on. I think I will have to buy a laptop on Friday as I am working from home one day next week.

I am thinking of going to Currys and seeing whether I can get credit for a Macbook. I see that they have come down in price. I can get 6% discount through work for Apple products. Feel a bit nervous about it all though as I am trying to repay my debts..I am need something to get me by urgently but now the laptop has gone it might be worth me investing in something for the longer term.

Also saw that Argos has a sale though and I could get a tablet and wireless keyboard. I don't have the space set up for a desktop at the moment and that isn't essential. just need something to get by or a small laptop to work from home in the meantime. Any ideas? I have £200 at the moment so if I need to spend more it will be by applying for credit through a store, but I amy not be successful.

NiftyDigits

AliceBanned wrote: »

I still haven't decided what I want. However last night my laptop gave up the ghost. It switched itself off and won't switch back on. I think I will have to buy a laptop on Friday as I am working from home one day next week.

I am thinking of going to Currys and seeing whether I can get credit for a Macbook. I see that they have come down in price. I can get 6% discount through work for Apple products. Feel a bit nervous about it all though as I am trying to repay my debts..I am need something to get me by urgently but now the laptop has gone it might be worth me investing in something for the longer term.

Also saw that Argos has a sale though and I could get a tablet and wireless keyboard. I don't have the space set up for a desktop at the moment and that isn't essential. just need something to get by or a small laptop to work from home in the meantime. Any ideas? I have £200 at the moment so if I need to spend more it will be by applying for credit through a store, but I amy not be successful.

Buy what you can afford.

Medion Akoya E6234

Medion Akoya E6227

A lot more available under £300....

AliceBanned

Thanks Nifty Digits. Think around the £180 mark preferable..will have a look.

My previous one was refurbished and I think cost £200 or a bit more. Suppose for now I can manage with the same instead of going for something flashy when the timing is so terrible.

NiftyDigits

AliceBanned wrote: »

Thanks Nifty Digits. Think around the £180 mark preferable..will have a look.

My previous one was refurbished and I think cost £200 or a bit more. Suppose for now I can manage with the same instead of going for something flashy when the timing is so terrible.

You can find other machines at around that price, but often the performance may be poor. Too much bloatware installed in conjunction with a relatively poor processor.

Here is a new option for under £200. Relatively poor processor, but new if you prefer it.

AliceBanned

Thanks. Ideally I would prefer around 11" rather than 15". They are just so bulky.

What about the chromebooks?

almillar

I understand you like the look of Chromebooks because you're working to a budget, but I don't think they're good as a standalone device. No Skype, No Flash for starters, and very little local storage. Stick with a Windows laptop as above. Don't get finance through Currys or Argos, you'll pay higher than credit card rates. Good news if you want a small laptop is that they're cheaper!

NiftyDigits

Acer Aspire V5-122P £199.99