New desk top?

Baldytyke88 · 5 September at 1:55PM

My PC has a sound issue and its not viable for windows 11; so I am thinking about a new PC or second hand. Pull the round sound plug out and it sometimes fixes the issue.

The refurbed ones on ebay seem to be around £300 depending or the specifications.

But what specifications do I need?

I do emails etc and a lot of time online. Do I need 64 or 32mb, a HDD 500 or 1 terabyte, i7 8th Gen? etc

New from Argos seem to be £400+

Mark_d · 5 September at 2:01PM

The sound issue is likely a dodgy socket. Anyone reasonable with electronics should be able to fix the issue at low cost.

What interests you about Windows 11? Web browsing/email doesn't not require complex software or a powerful computer.

I would suggest a Chrome Book. These are simpler to keep secure than Windows PCs ,and much better value for money:
https://www.johnlewis.com/lenovo-ideapad-duet-3-chromebook-laptop-mediatek-processor-8gb-ram-128gb-emmc-11-2k-luna-grey/p112678680

Vitor · 5 September at 2:12PM

- the round sound plug out -

Assume you mean the 3.5mm socket? If that's in the case, it's a simple thing to replace plus wiring that plugs onto motherboard, a local PC repair shop could do this.

- and its not viable for windows 11 -

Simple to get free support for Windows 10 until Oct 2026, check other posts on the forum

Newcad · 5 September at 3:54PM

The refurbed ones on ebay seem to be around £300 depending or the specifications.

Beware of refurbished Windows 11 computers on eBay and the like at the moment, particularly laptops.

They may well be older 'non-compatibe hardware' machines that have used 'hacks/tweaks' to get Windows 11 installed on them anyway.
Machines like that will usually run slower than a fully compatible Win 11 machine, and you will have problems with them in future.
eg. If you get one now that has a 'tweaked' install of Win 11 24H2 it won't update to 25H2 (out soon).
The only possible way to do that on such a machine would be a complete reinstall (with more, different, tweaks) of Win 11 25H2 - and doing that will lose everything you have already put on it.

If you currently want a refurbished Win 11 machine then get one from a reputable dealer, where you can take/send it back if necessary, don't risk some unknown seller on ebay or the like.

Baldytyke88 · 5 September at 8:26PM

Vitor said:

- the round sound plug out -

Assume you mean the 3.5mm socket? If that's in the case, it's a simple thing to replace plus wiring that plugs onto motherboard, a local PC repair shop could do this.

I was thinking about taking it to the local computer stall. I unplugged the speaker and the metal plug looks bent. Plugged it back in and it's working again.

So it's working at the moment, but letting the computer store upgrade it looks like an option for the future.

Thanks all