Help in purchasing new computer

[Ray Scully]

Not financial, just advice. My old Dell has finally given up on me.

I want a reliable quick desktop, for email, surfing the net, correspondence, and some smallish spread sheets. I have not got a clue as to what spec I will require. Money is not a real issue but I don't wish to be purchasing capabilities that I will never use.

TIA

Ray

[Kendhni]

Ray, any particular reason as to why you want a desktop as opposed to a laptop or possibly a tablet?
When you say smallish spreadsheets what size are you talking about (rows x cols)?
Do you require much storage space for photos, videos etc.?
Do you have a screen or wil you be needing that as well?

Given your spec I would suggest pretty much anything that is on offer. Avoid the Celeron processor and you should be able to pick up something for under £400 ... I see Currys has a Lenovo H520 for £330 or for a bit more I see an HP Pavilion 500-120ea for £450. Currys are rarely the cheapest but they are convenient and the brands they sell are mostly good equipment. If I were shopping I would be looking out for
- 4Gb or more of memory
- Windows 7 or 8 (whichever you prefer)
- min 500GB of hard disk (but if you need the storage go for 1Tb)
- basic graphics should be fine (you do not seem interested in games etc.) - but I would make sure it supports HD (you never know)
- Intel core i3 or i5 processor
- if you use external storage then consider USB 3 (if not USB 2 is fine) - but I would advise that you consider cloud storage these days

You may find a laptop or tablet just as convenient (tablets are not brilliant with spreadsheets or word processing .. although small ones should be fine or for a few quid (< £20) you can buy an external keyboard that makes typing easier).

[Boris+]

If you go into a big shed (eg P C World) don't concentrate too much on the 'sales patter' - we looked at a new laptop recently, and it was push, push, push from the sales guy! He wanted us to have a machine which we didn't want but he had obviously been told to flog this particular brand and it had freebies with it - by the shed load!

Good luck.

Em

[cornmillgirl]

I cant advice on a computer Ray but I would agree with Boris+ about PC World.

My husband knows all about computers (we had an IT business previously). A older friend (79)of ours a year or two ago wanted a laptop and
printer. My husband had spec'd it out and we went to PC World with him (as well as other places) we left him to have a look around ourselves.

A sales person latched on to him and was giving him a load of spiel, my husband and I wandered back across and the sales guy was trying to up sell
him on a computer he clearly did not need. My husband jumped in and our friend ended up buying the one my husband had recommended. Our
friend was thankful because he felt under severe pressure from the sales guy to buy and said he probably would have done.

Hope all goes well and you get what you want.

[david63]

I cannot say that I have had that type of experience with PC World/Currys (apart from trying to sell me insurance/maintenance) but then again when I go in I know what I am looking for.

The one thing I would say about them is that you can get some good bargains and if there is a "web only" offer available then order it on-line for pay and collect and you will get it at the on-line price.

[Onelife]

Hi Ray,

As far as tablets are concerned l would agree with Ken......they can be a bit of a fiddle especially if you have big fingers. I also find posting messages via the quote button on this furom quite frustrating as the quoted text tends to have a mind of its own when you try and add your reply.....so my advice would be to stick with a decent computer.



Regards

keith

[oldbluefox]

Ray, I bought my latest computer, a desktop, from eBuyer.com. I was recommended to buy a Medion by a computing friend who does my upgrades and sorts out persistent viruses and glitches and after looking at a few Which reports that was the brand to go for. I decided I would increase the specs so as to try and future proof it. The order went through smoothly, the computer arrived a couple of days later and I have been very pleased with it.
It may be worth your time to pop into your local library as last year Which did a comparison on laptops which may be useful to you.

[Frank Manning]

When we used to buy PCs for programming and onward supply for customers' data acquisition projects, we did quite a bit of research, and tested a few brands and models. HP came out best, and after I retired I carried on with them. Desk tops are OK, but Sue's lap top is really more convenient, except battery life seems very short.

[towny44]

Ray, As others have said why not a Laptop, you can still use it plugged in to a power socket just like a desk top, but it does have the flexibility to be used anywhere in the house, or beyond if need be.

[Manoverboard]

A laptop is of no use to me but could potentially be useful as a second machine.

I presently use a desktop with a 22 inch screen, absolute minimum, for ease of reading plus photo editing and watching TV ( Live Footy ) via the ' SKY to GO ' package.

The problem as I see it relates to one's installed Software and the files that were presumably created using XP but which would / could be incompatible with Windows 7 or 8. Choice is therefore to buy a cheapo Dell ( see Sams on Amazon ) with XP Home on it else re-purchase your Software for the later machine at great expense and then re-key in all the data.

Decisions, decisions ... and one that many of us will need to make soon enough.

[david63]

I am not sure that the software issue is that great - unless you have something "specialist".

Virtually all XP software will either run on Win7/8 (can you still buy Win 7 machines?) albeit in some cases an emulated mode or there will be an equivalent program that you can download for free which will be compatible with the data files that you have.

[Ray Scully]

Many thanks for all your advice. I ran some tests this morning and it appears that the hard drive is b**gerd (technical term)
So I will be going with David's spec, locking at Dell Lenova or Novatech. Thankfully I have my iPad, but
Unfortunately not a wireless printer

Regards

Ray

[Quizzical Bob]

I am not sure that the software issue is that great - unless you have something "specialist".

Virtually all XP software will either run on Win7/8 (can you still buy Win 7 machines?) albeit in some cases an emulated mode or there will be an equivalent program that you can download for free which will be compatible with the data files that you have.

The XP files will all be ok. You can still buy Win7 and nobody in their right minds would get WIn8. A lot of large organisations are still using XP and there is going to be a big upheaval when Microsoft stop supporting it on 8th April this year. My guess is that a lot of them will go away from desktops and Microsoft altogether. I'm still using XP at home but my office desktop is Win7 and it's a complete PITA. At least it'll be the end of those damned interminable updates.

[Silver_Shiney]

I "upgraded" from XP to Win 7 Home because I'd heard that XP would not be able to handle the imminent IP6 method of handling internet addresses. It has good points and bad points.

The big (in my view, anyway) thing to note when buying a new PC is that you will not get installation disks with it, so if you need to restore/reinstall everything, you're done for. I've bought three machines from Dixons/PC World and each time was prompted to immediately insert a USB stick or blank DVD in order to create a restore disk. First machine, we didn't have anything to insert so missed that opportunity. With the other two machines, the backups just did not work. I had an argument with the sales manager in PC World over this and I pointed out that such disks should be provided with the machine - his tech guy on the other side of the counter agreed with me. We still had to buy them, though.

My preference would be to buy a computer empty of all software and buy in what you need - an OEM version of Win 7 can be found on Amazon, you just get the disk and licence number, no manuals (which, judging by the manuals provided with earlier versions were of little use anyway).

As you know it's a HDD issue, if the rest of the machine has a decent spec, why not just replace the drive?

[david63]

... nobody in their right minds would get WIn8.

There is nothing wrong with Win 8/8.1 when used on the type of machine for which it was designed - namely a "touch screen". Even without a touch screen if you get one of the utilities (some are free and some are a nominal price) that restores the Win 7 start menu then as a user interface you will not notice any difference and performance wise it is much better.

So I will be going with David's spec, loocking at Dell Lenova or Novatech. Thankfully I have my iPad, but unfortunately not a wireless printer

Thanks for the accreditation but it was Ken's spec not mine.

Also an ipad will not work with a lot of wireless printers - it needs an "AirPrint" compatible one.

[Quizzical Bob]

One more thing... all hard drives end in failure. I strongly recommend that you get a 1Tb USB drive which can be found for under £50 and back up all your important files and downloads. Better still, get two and sleep more soundly.

[Silver_Shiney]

One more thing... all hard drives end in failure. I strongly recommend that you get a 1Tb USB drive which can be found for under £50 and back up all your important files and downloads. Better still, get two and sleep more soundly.

Absolutely. It's not a question of "if" the drive fails, it's "when".

[Manoverboard]

I am not sure that the software issue is that great - unless you have something "specialist".

Virtually all XP software will either run on Win7/8 (can you still buy Win 7 machines?) albeit in some cases an emulated mode or there will be an equivalent program that you can download for free which will be compatible with the data files that you have.

My appreciation is that the 32 bit stuff as created on XP will not convert over to Window 7's 64 bit and yes I do have some ' Specialist ' Software inc Alpha 5 ( Database with in built Visual Basic look alike ) and it does not convert ... or so I have been advised.

[kaymar]

For what it's worth, Ray, we bought a new P.C. three months ago when our ten-year-old Dell finally became unbearably slow

After some research, we opted for an AcerHP all-in-one, the S3230 with 8GB memory and 2TB hard drive. It was running Windows 8 but we got an immediate, free update to 8.1. With a wireless keyboard and mouse it was less than £400 from our local, independent retailer.

So far, so good - very quick and reasonably easy to use and we are very happy with it. We managed to transfer pictures, documents and archived e-mails without too much trouble (isn't google wonderful?)

[Quizzical Bob]

I am not sure that the software issue is that great - unless you have something "specialist".

Virtually all XP software will either run on Win7/8 (can you still buy Win 7 machines?) albeit in some cases an emulated mode or there will be an equivalent program that you can download for free which will be compatible with the data files that you have.

My appreciation is that the 32 bit stuff as created on XP will not convert over to Window 7's 64 bit and yes I do have some ' Specialist ' Software inc Alpha 5 ( Database with in built Visual Basic look alike ) and it does not convert ... or so I have been advised.

True, a lot of the device drivers for 32-bit systems are not available for 64-bit, to which the answer is, don't buy the 64-bit system unless you need it unless you're happy to replace a lot of your peripherals.

[Stephen]

Many thanks for all your advice. I ran some tests this morning and it appears that the hard drive is b**gerd (technical term)
So I will be going with David's spec, locking at Dell Lenova or Novatech. Thankfully I have my iPad, but
Unfortunately not a wireless printer

Regards

Ray

Dell!....good luck with that.

If your thinking of going down the laptop road I would be inclined to go for either an Asus or a Samsung brand.

[Ray Scully]

Bit the bullet


1 x Novatech Pro NSI14 - Intel Core i3 4130 Processor - 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz Memory - Intel H81M Chipset Motherboard - 500GB SATA Hard Drive - 22x DVD Writer - Win 8.1 with M.S. Office
[ PC-1800CS ] - In stock
On offer at less than £415

Thanks again guys.

Ray

[Ray Scully]

UPDATE

Ordered Wednesday pm delivered Friday morning.
Easy set up. When I changed provider to BT I took advantage of the cloud storage. It has proved invaluable in moving stuff to the new 'puter.
Windows 8.1 takes a bit of getting used to, but by applying the old adage "when everything else fails read the instructions" I have coped quite well
So all you XP people unnecessarily worrying about having to change you operating system in April, don't. If I can do it, anyone can

Ray

[Keechy]

The PC I am using was bought from Argos in June 2013. It's a Zoostorm with Win7 Home premium 64bit, 8GB Ram, 500GB hard drive and a 2.6 GB processor. It cost a mere £260.

Minor niggles: When it arrived it wouldn't fire up at all. Engineer fitted a new power supply and all is well. The latest annoyance is what appears to be a Win7 bug where the Windows Explorer fails to respond and has to be restarted. It's not a huge deal but it seems the fix is to go right back to reinstalling the operating system.

Apart from that, no problems. The built-in system backup is useful but it would be better if it could do incremental backups.

Instead of installing Microsoft Office, I loaded Apache Open Office which is a free suite of applications almost identical in use to Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc. Files can be save in .doc, .xls, .ppt format.

[david63]

The only downside to Open Office is that it does not have a mail client.