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Mine is on the way out (Think it is nearly 10 years old). It's 50gb of memory is pretty much full and I think XP is now unsupported. It struggles with all but the most basic of tasks since everything is designed to be run on more powerful systems.
I was contemplating buying a new one. About £750 to spend.
I know very little about computers these days. In the past I've gone with Novatech and Dell. Is there anything better out there these days?
Basic home computing - streaming videos, basic office, lots of music, videos and photos but more storing and viewing rather than editing.
Connectivity would be good so that cameras, phones, tablets, printers, tv, radios etc. can all talk to each other. Lots of things seem to be able to but my current PC still struggles.
Was looking at the all in ones as they look nice. In the past I've replaced hard drives, fans, cooling etc. Which I imagine would be much harder with these. This has always put me off laptops (that and my ability to spill coffee on my keyboard).
Thoughts, recommendations, bargains?
My default is to see what the Dell outlet store has.
You're right about your assumption with all in ones, they look nice but can be problematic to replace parts later on in life. Very similar to some small PCs.
There are plenty of places on line that offer much better internals at a much lower price than Dell or the other big manufacturers but it's if it's backed up by their customer services and warranty if it breaks.
Ideally you need to come up with a spec and then shop around for that spec to see how it goes, don't rule out popping to PC World and seeing what deals they have on because some of the last generation of processors may be just what you need. £750 should get you a good computer.
For a desktop PC £750 is way too much, really. You could probably halve that and get a decent machine for what you want.
I would go to Scan, Aria or similar and see what their basic recommendation is. You can talk to them and they'll spec you something.
go to a small local comp shop and just ask them to build you a spec, then when it goes wrong you don't have to post it anywhere.
£750 will build you a incredibly high spec gaming power house capable of running a small nation.
£300 is more what you're looking to spend.
+1 for going to a small local shop. Try and get a recommendation from someone in your companies IT department, if you have an IT department.
For online try Scan or eBuyer, both do full builds and you should be able to get something very good for about £750.
Here is a decent machine, but you will need to add a monitor to the order, a decent 19" or 24" LCD monitor will do you fine.
http://www.ebuyer.com/429616-lenovo-thinkcentre-edge-72-twr-desktop-rccdduk
You can spend anything from £250 up to as much as you want but if you want a machine that will last another 5-10 years then £500 to £600 is a reasonable price. Try and get an Intel i5, or an i7, processor, 4-8 GB of RAM, at least a 500GB hard Drive but a 1TB drive if you can afford it. Plus Windows 7 64-Bit, Home Ultimate, Pro or Ultimate. Try and avoid Windows 8.
For reference Lenovo are a decent Chinese brand, but eBuyer sell Dell's and HP's too if you want something more recognizable. Of course if you want a Dell, and they are good, buy straight from Dell.
A good local shop should be able to more or less match the spec and price.
What jekkyl said and I would go for the latest Intel i5 chip which will do everything you asked and it's not really expensive.
As an alternative, how about trying one of the "lighter" versions of Linux e.g. Lubuntu or Puppy Linux. You don't have to be a computer whizz - I managed it!
I'm running Lubuntu (on an 8 year old PC that was XP), all I needed was to download VLC for video and Shotwell for photos.
£50 for an external hard drive for storage and you've saved yourself £700. Give it a try (it's free), if you don't like it you can always buy a new PC.
I'd go for 16GB of RAM, I've never had too much RAM, and it's pretty cheap now. I'd also buy an external hard drive. The most common problem with computers is hard drive failure, and it's also the worst if you don't have a backup.
Oh, and if you get one built, get a case with dust filters you can clean easily.
LOL @ Linux suggestion.
LOL @ Linux suggestion.
Why? It would run everything the OP wants.
He can install Linux on a new machine, too 🙂
LOL @ Linux suggestion
What's wrong with that? I've got Mint Linux running on a 9yr old PC that I use for office work and the like and it just works.
Anyway, Assuming you have a keyboard/mouse/monitor etc. and your old PC is a standard case, £350 for new bits would buy something pretty good. My gaming PC only cost me £400 to build as I re-used the case etc.
That said you still might get better value buying a full build. After all you are going to have to buy a copy of windows (assuming that's what you want) which is around £100-£120 straight off.
£99 gets you one of these:
Very happy with it. Spend another hundred quid and add an SSD and a low profile Radeon 5450, and it flies.
Laptop, sir?
I'd also buy an external hard drive. The most common problem with computers is hard drive failure, and it's also the worst if you don't have a backup.
Also, this.
I am also getting a cheap pc as back up ... my super pooter is really poooo ... bloody hell ... could have spent the same money for a mini mac. Aarrgghh ...
Last night BSOD was PFN_LIST_CORRUPT ... arrghh apparently this means it will cause many other problems as well. Damn! My first build and non-stop problem.
🙁
Sorry - I forget, chewkw. Did you run SMART tests, run disk surface verify and reinstall the OS?
I'm a gamer when not on the trails, and recently bought the Predator from Aria, maxes out Skyrim high def texture mod no probs, and great price with windows, only downside it takes a week to build...
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/pc-mac-desktops/aria-gladiator-fx-predator-1155360/review
gofasterstripes - MemberSorry - I forget, chewkw. Did you run SMART tests, run disk surface verify and reinstall the OS?
All done except memory test ...
What SMART test?
I'll go back to your thread on that >>>>