Upgrade or buy new pc?

NiftyDigits

Merv987 wrote: »

Thanks, that's given me a great head start as to what to look for. Which would be better to aim for, windows 7, 8 or 10?

Windows 7. But don't worry about that now. Find the machine and we'll sort the OS afterwards. If it comes with Windows 7 at no extra cost, fine.
Post whatever you find and we'll state yeah or nay.

Merv987

What would I do for one like the one you suggested that has no operating system?

NiftyDigits

Merv987 wrote: »

What would I do for one like the one you suggested that has no operating system?

Make sure that it has the latest BIOS installed.....

Other than that, you might want to bring it up to spec with more RAM and a graphics card.

Example: 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 PC2-6400U Non-ECC Memory £5.98

Crucial RAM a little more at £8.98

SSD drive from £30

Graphics card perhaps £25

boliston

PC tech moves so fast that replacement usually makes more sense than upgrading. 3 to 5 year seems a good replacement cycle for desktops

Merv987

Nifty digits, those 2 you linked to both look like the best prices.

NiftyDigits

Merv987 wrote: »

Nifty digits, those 2 you linked to both look like the best prices.

The £30 one seems ok. But I'm reluctant to recommend anything without a warranty. So do a bit of research of the reliability of the machine before committing.

You can still keep the old machine and upgrade that for the £7 aforementioned, to use as a spare machine.

I'll have a quick look to see if there is anything better a bit later.

GunJack

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HP-COMPAQ-DC5800-SFF-PC-CORE-2-DUO-2-6GHz-4GB-RAM-250GB-HDD-13-/281828020838?hash=item419e425266:g:PlIAAOSw5ZBWHnM6

slightly better for your £30, contact them to ask about warranty, and possibly add a gfx card for another £25

NiftyDigits

GunJack wrote: »

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HP-COMPAQ-DC5800-SFF-PC-CORE-2-DUO-2-6GHz-4GB-RAM-250GB-HDD-13-/281828020838?hash=item419e425266:g:PlIAAOSw5ZBWHnM6

slightly better for your £30, contact them to ask about warranty, and possibly add a gfx card for another £25

My only issue there is that they don't state which processor is installed. There isn't a 2.6 GHz Core2Duo for this machine.

These are the possibilities:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Processor (2.66-GHz, 4 MB L2 cache, 1333-MHz FSB)
Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Processor (2.53-GHz, 3 MB L2 cache, 1066-MHz FSB)
Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 Processor (2.66-GHz, 3 MB L2 cache, 1066-MHz FSB)

There is a Pentium that fits the description:

Intel Pentium dual-core E5300 Processor (2.6-GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 800-MHz FSB)

But they state Core2Duo. So best to confirm before purchase.

GunJack

http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/getpdf.aspx/c04287286.pdf?ver=27

lots of cpu options in that machine, page 8 on the above link, E5300 would be favourite if it's 2.6GHz, could be an E7300 @ 2.66GHz, not huge performance difference between the two, and both good enough for Minecraft

Merv987

I think I'll have a go at upgrading, i've done it in the past with memory but how do I find a compatable graphics card? Then I might get a nice shiny new one in a couple of years.