New PC Advice for a NEWB

jwelambert

Hello all, im looking to buy a decent PC that will keep me going for a few years, I use it for some advanced office stuff, i.e. databases and presentations.

I also burn cd's etc. It is also used for some database intensive games like Football Manager and will be used to stream direct to an LCD tv.

So can anyone please advise me on whether this is a good deal or not, and no before people slate me im not the seller looking for some cheap publicitiy.

Thanks

James

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220188683474&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching

letsbehonest

Go to one of the company's who supply a stock base unit were you can pay a bit extra and up the spec, Aries are one and if your anywhere near the Medway towns give MCC a ring or check out their site as they supply such and are a very friendly small company..http://www.medwaycomputercomponents.co.uk/. And no I don't work for them I have just used them over the years and found them honest

wabbit02

stream or display to lcd display?

beach86

its ok but im always really fussy about buying off ebay...I have just purchased a new desktop in the past 45mins from Dell. Have a look at this:

Go to the site and seach - D015013

Intel Core Duo 2 Quad Q6600
2Gb RAM
128Mb ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro (not fantasic but should be fine - if not buy one for £50)
500Gb Hard drive
20" Dell TFT (currently costing £190)

I just payed £548 for mine which was with a few extras...cheap because:

There is currently a 10% discount voucher available - Q3TCG81H5P8?BM --> HURRY OFFER ENDS MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!
Plus they are offering free shipment (normally £61) --> ENDS MIDNIGHT TONIGHT

Plus 5% cashback from Quidco

In total I saved £150 on my dell i just brought which without all these additional offers was already one of the most competitive prices around!!!

wabbit02

both dell and budget sellers scrimp on parts wherever they can. This generaly means that they use the lowest end components possable, which means an upgrade usualy means replacement. 4GB of slow DDR2 for example is less use to you then 2GB of fast DDR2.

That Said, the dell looks by far the better option - for start your getting a larger monitor , better GFX and an operating system (unless I missed it they arnt including it on the eBay add).

jwelambert

Thanks, the operating system is not too much of a problem as this can be purcahsed through a company I work for on a corporate license. I understand the issues with the Ram, what is the speed of fast ddr2 ram? and what should I look out for to tell the difference?

Sorry I meant I nead a dual VGA output so I can have a dual display setup.

Would the dell setup handle this?

Thanks again.
James

wabbit02

2 ways - they will either specify the frequancy in MHz e.g. 667MHz or the Standard it complies to e.g. PC5300

DDR2 comes with several standards, (all lowest prices for 2x 512mb corsair from https://www.scan.co.uk)

PC4200 (533Mhz) £15.97 per GB
PC5300(667Mhz) £15.73 per GB
PC6400 (800Mhz) £36.00 per GB
PC8500+ (1066Mhz) £42.00 per GB (only sold as 2x1GB)

I'm surprised that Dell are now selling with 667 - as they used to only sell them with 533. in reality PC8500 is only meant for people who intend to over clock and neither PC will allow you to do that as again they wont have "enthusiast" grade motherboards.

I made the point as people tend to assume bigger = better and in this case of 4GB over 2GB it probably isn't.


Looking at the DELL website it doesn't specify - but all the commercial 2400 have a 15pin D-SUB and DVI-D connector - so I would assume the dell would. You may need an adapter depending on your second LCD.

neither the 2400 or the 2600 are any good for 3D games - but would be fine for dual monitor 2D work and both are better than the X1250 on eBay - I believe they also both have ATI's HD accelerator which means you shouldn't have a problem using it for High def content. If your worried I would go for the lower of the cards use it for a year then upgrade it

beach86

did you get the dell in the end?

jwelambert

Unfortunatly no I missed it,

I went through the process and entered all details but I then recieved a call from my bank saying your buying patterns on your card are similar to those of an ID fraudster and as such we are stopping your card and current transactions, so no buying anything until a new card arrives.

It does seem though that in my budget Dell is perhaps the way to go, I would also assume that a ram upgrade on the dell in a years time wouldnt be too much of a hassle?

Thanks again for everyones help and advice.

jwelambert

anymore help still greatly recieved as just waiting for deals to pass through hotdeals or the moneysavingexpert grab a bargain forums,

sorry for thsi shameless bump