Which pc?

getmore4less

I am not sure why there is the fear of a refurb,

Yours mine and plenty of others the core components are doing10y+ these days.

I threw a SSD in mine to give it more life but one of my hard drives was dying

A lot of the refurb machines for 1/2 your money are still fairly new and better specs.
You could then upgrade to a good monitor.
No reason they won't last as long as the current one.

It is time to upgrade apart from support being finished for vista some Web based stuff will start to suffer.

The reality is messing with the boxes is relatively simple and that is one of the reasons there are plenty of cheap refurb around.
Like a lot of things there is a early learning curve which has low value unless you become a fiddler doing stuff fairly regularly

If you can't be bothered messing, treating a PC as a consumer product like millions of others is not a crime.

As for sources for something new if the refurb suggestion are not going to happen.

I used to use dell outlet(nearly new returns or cancelled orders) as my goto but the last few times I looked not seen anything cheap enough.

The business section has them with SSD cheaper than home side which seems to be mainly dual storage.

Unless doing computationaly intensive stuff just about anything on the cpu side will be fine.

I manage fine on a phone for most things till I need screen space(dual) to make things easier.

What do you need the pc sized screen for?

donnajunkie

EveryWhere wrote: »

Not true. You have proved that you are paranoid anyway. So you interpret whatever is written in the worst possible way.
Very early on I told you that the HP would be better than to what you were used and that you should just go for whatever you wanted, as I knew the path this thread would take.

You stated that you wanted the device to last twelve years, like your current device. But your current device has been totally inadequate for the past twelve years, because of your unsubstantiated fear of the simplest of maintenance.

The HP Tower will be a huge improvement in comparison to what you are used. But what will you do if the HDD fails in a year or two? You will be totally ill equipped to do anything but to take it to a shop to be fixed.
Your projections are based on everything going right for the next twelve years.

It pays to have at least a little experience, so that you can add or remove RAM, fit an SSD or in the case of the new HP, attach the very much faster NVMe SSD in order to get the best out of the device.

My point is that you are doing your self down because of your exaggerated fears. You really didn't get to enjoy your old HP. Instead it was just likely laborious in use...for twelve years.

Now, you are having to compromise on your system; smaller screen than ideal and making do with an old style mechanical HDD because you are just too afraid.

So we show you both sides of the coin. The problem is not with the equipment. The problem is with you.

So if you buy the new HP, you can use it as it is.
But then perhaps keep the old system as a back up and do some practice on it, with our help, over time.
RAM perhaps £5 or less. Next step perhaps a cheap SSD. Maybe new graphics card for £10 or less if you are feeling adventurous down the line. The point being, to build your confidence. Knowing that you aren't afraid to make a mistake as you aren't dependent on the old device any more.
Then maybe you'll get to the point where you are not afraid to tackle popping in the much quicker storage drive into the new HP.
The new HP is actually a bit more fiddly than your old HP.
Your old HP has a single screw to remove, unlike the new HP.
Click here to see; https://support.hp.com/in-en/document/c01292109

Next;
To connect the new SSD, you unplug the connectors from here;


and plug them into the back of the new SSD. That's it. No need to unscrew nor to screw anything in. Just leave it unfixed inside the PC.

That is really it.

You are never to old to learn.
It's really not healthy to feel so afraid. You'll likely never find better support than you have here....unless someone actually does the physical work for you.

My current system worked fine for most of the time i have had it. my 20inch widescreen monitor is not too small for me. I am quite happy with its size and if i got a new monitor i wouldnt want one to be much bigger.

EveryWhere

donnajunkie wrote: »

My current system worked fine for most of the time i have had it. my 20inch widescreen monitor is not too small for me. I am quite happy with its size and if i got a new monitor i wouldnt want one to be much bigger.

Vista on 1 GB of RAM and a slow HDD worked fine? I'm sure we all believe you.

As I stated at the beginning. Just get whatever you like...

All you can do is seek out reviews from others who have purchased the device.

getmore4less

donnajunkie wrote: »

My current system worked fine for most of the time i have had it. my 20inch widescreen monitor is not too small for me. I am quite happy with its size and if i got a new monitor i wouldnt want one to be much bigger.

I got a 24" and have the old 19" attached as well I find the extra space on the 24 really useful for some things

going back to your dell I use

https://www.wizmarkcomputers.co.uk/dell-store-desktop-deals.htm

To check the various value codes.

you asked about cd347010 with the monitor at £400(with code save14)
https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/desktops-and-all-in-ones/inspiron-small-desktop/spd/inspiron-3470-desktop/cd347010

The same base unit is available without the monitor for £300
https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/desktops-and-all-in-ones/inspiron-small-desktop/spd/inspiron-3470-desktop/cd347009

which gives you the option to find a good deal on monitors that may be better than a bundled one.

£73 will get you this delivered.
https://www.ebuyer.com/743176-acer-v226hqlbid-21-5-full-hd-led-monitor-um-wv6ee-015

also don't forget there are often topcashback/Quidco to get a bit back with some retailers

spadoosh

You still 'helping' Everywhere?

getmore4less

Another strategy if you really don't want to think about upgrades is to get a laptop and just attach the monitor KB and mouse to that.

£240 will get you Inspiron 14 3000 with 4gb+128 SSD.

There are better ones from around £400 on the Dell outlet

psychic_teabag

EveryWhere wrote: »

Vista on 1 GB of RAM and a slow HDD worked fine? I'm sure we all believe you.

FWIW, I have a friend for whom Vista on 1Gb RAM and HDD had been working fine until recently. But then it had started to get stuck (swapping endlessly) when opening some web pages. Just adding a couple of Gb of RAM from CEX has got him happy again.

donnajunkie

EveryWhere wrote: »

Vista on 1 GB of RAM and a slow HDD worked fine? I'm sure we all believe you.

As I stated at the beginning. Just get whatever you like...

All you can do is seek out reviews from others who have purchased the device.

Why would i lie about that? it doesnt make sense. Was it the fastest ever, of course not. Did i have any problems of real concern, no. Well certainly not often thats for sure.

donnajunkie

getmore4less wrote: »

Another strategy if you really don't want to think about upgrades is to get a laptop and just attach the monitor KB and mouse to that.

£240 will get you Inspiron 14 3000 with 4gb+128 SSD.

There are better ones from around £400 on the Dell outlet

When i got my current one i considered a laptop but was told desktops are better, laptops are more of a pain to get repaired, laptops can suffer overheating and what if the screen goes you are stuck with a laptop that has a broken screen.

caveman38

donnajunkie wrote: »

When i got my current one i considered a laptop but was told desktops are better, laptops are more of a pain to get repaired, laptops can suffer overheating and what if the screen goes you are stuck with a laptop that has a broken screen.

I think the issue is relative. You say it works fine. We're sure it does - in your eyes. It is a tortoise and hare comparison.
I can remember my first PC from 30 years ago. From memory (remember I'm 67) it was a Intel 386 CPU, 500MB RAM, 126 MG HDD running Windows 3.1 and a dial up Modem delivering 256 MB internet speed.
Well , it worked, and if I had it today perhaps it still would.
But would I be happy with it after experiencing modern CPU's and 200MB BB - No!
Perhaps you just don't know what you're missing.