Question:
My old windows 95 (Mesh 8 yrs old) is making a lot of noise and on it's last legs I fear.
I'm not techie minded just do emails/letterwriting simple things on pc.
I do store a lot of pictures on pc that people send me.
I want broadband and be able to connect a digital camera. Which I can't do now. Have a Epson C60 printer which is ok but uses a lot of ink so would like something more economical.
I'm with NTL paying full whack but with advice from MSE will change this. haven't 'made that call to NTL' yet. Have 2 phone lines so hope to cut costs with broadband. One line is for calls other for computer.
need your good advice on what to buy. I can spend up to about £400
Thanks for any help. Maisie
Answers:
Hi Maisie,
I have a super PC less than a year old but I hardly ever use it since I got a laptop. I have broadband on it, I use my digi camera, in fact anything that I did with my PC.
The laptop is a Fujitsu Siemens Amilo and I got it from Comet for about £350.
Margaret
Answers:
Thanks Margaret. I hadn't thought about a laptop . It would certainly help with space in our little house.
Is your smiley wearing sunglasses cos it's sunny up in Scotland? ha ha . It's raining down here in Herts.
Answers:
Have you had a look at Dell?
Answers:
Idid look at Dell but all the technical jargon doesn't mean a thing to me. ie memory gbz etc etc.
I need someone to tell me what to look for. I'm hopeless at this techie stuff.
Answers:
Maisie.
What's that thing in the sky? It's red and hot? Is that the sun they talk about saff of Watford?
I would steer clear of Dell. Their after-sales is terrible. If anything goes wrong during the guarantee period, they expect the customer to explore all options before eventually they send someone out.
You would LOVE a laptop. Trust me, I'm a doctor.
Answers:
If looking for a desktop PC i would suggest it has the following......
3.0 Pentium 4 processor
120 gig Hard-drive
512mb RAM
A DVD re-writer ( to put any photo's on disc )
128 Graphics card
At least built in sound
All PC's should come with keyboard mouse and speakers
All this should be a minimum.
To save money you could always carry on using your existing monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers.
I bought my current PC from Dell and haven't had a problem in 6 months.
Bought from ...
As you can see its the Dell outlet store. If you are prepared to search and wait, a good deal will turn up.
Some system are the same but priced differently.
Answers:
For example....
System Price £441.26
Dimension 5000 Pentium 4 530 3.00GHZ
English - Win XP SP2 Pro (Backup Media)
Operating System: English - Win XP SP2 Pro (Backup Media)
Memory: 1G Memory, 2 X 512mb (400, 512)
Hard Disk Drive: 160GB (7200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive
Video: 128MB PCI Express ATI RadeonTM X300 SE
Modem: V.92 Data Fax Modem UK
CD Read-Write Drive: 16 X DVD +/- RW
If you are lucky this price could come down to about £350
Answers:
Don't ignore the little local computer shops. Sometimes they have very good deals, and if things go wrong, they are nearby. Also, they are usually happy to talk to you about your needs and requirements, and should be able to recommend something to suit you in your price range.
I have bought my last three pc's off the internet, after shopping around. But am now having one built to my specification by my local computer shop. Previously I always avoided them, assuming they would be more expensive, but actually, this time, that isn't the case.
My local shop had an offer on a laptop a few weeks ago for £350. Having said that, you get a lot more spec for your money with a desk-top.
At the very least, you should come away with a list of minimum specs and prices, so you have something to compare when you shop around.
Answers:
I trust you Margaret if you're a doctor!!
Someone else told me Dell were not reliable etc etc. I need someone to hold my hand and guide me through all this techie stuff to get the best buy for me.
We had a good spell of fine weather down in these parts but it's been raining on and off since Saturday. the garden's looking good for all the rain though. The sunflower has shot up. I thought they liked the sun too!
Answers:
thanks Viz for all those details. I think I might now have an idea of what to look for with your help.
Maisie
Answers:
That sort of spec would give you quite a nice all round capability. The Hard-drives and Ram are similar on all makes of PC. The only difference would be if you chose an AMD system, which means you would have a different processor.
You could also go for an Apple Mac. But i think you'll find they are a lot more expensive ( but in most peoples opinion look prettier ! ).
If you wanted just a really basic Pentium 4 PC, you should look for something like this on the Dell Outlet site......
Dimension 3000, MT, Pentium 4 2.80GHz, 533fsb
English - Win XP SP2 Home (Backup Media)
Memory: 256MB (1x256) Single Channel DDR333
Floppy Drive: No Floppy Drive
Hard Disk Drive: 80GB IDE Hard Drive (7200rpm)
Modem: V.92 Data Fax Modem UK
CD ROM Drive: 48X IDE CD-ROM Drive
MISC: Dell Standard PS2 Keyboard
DMX Dell Media Experience 2.
Dell 2 Button PS/2 Scroll Mouse
System Price £231.05
I'm just an intrested consumer, i'm sure there are more / better experts than me out there
Answers:
Another vote for the local independant supplier here!
I have used the same guy, thanks Mike, for years and he knows exactly what I need and has been able to upgrade my system as the years and wants have changed.
I also know several people who have used Dell for years with no problems but to "build" your spec, you do need to know what you want/need.
ps get that call made to NTL
Answers:
Woolies are flogging a medion laptop for £399 - not amazingly fast processor, but does have a 15" screen and 40Gb disk. Have a look at Comet as Margaret suggested and Currys/Dixons - PCs have wide variations in screen and keyboard quality. Have a play before you pay....
Answers:
... buy your PC- Laptop in your local - Woolworth 399 POUND ... for the MEDION incl 40 GiG HD .. DVD Burner .. and 'up to date ' specs ... incl MODEM; NETWORK , USB ports ..
OR an HP-laptop £409.95 inc VAT
Thin and light notebook with all day? battery life 4,5 h # Large 15" display, the latest Intel® Celeron® M or Intel® Pentium® M processor with Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology for wireless connectivity and improved battery performance.
# Easy to carry and use - weighing only 2.7 kg and just 30.3 mm thin.
# Combination of reinforced composite material with in-mould laminate creates a scratch and dent resistant notebook.
# Primary battery life of up to 4.5 hours can be doubled with optional travel battery for all day mobile power.
# Preinstalled with Norton AntiVirus for out-of-the-box protection.
# Reliability with HP Mobile Data Protection System protects the hard drive from shock and vibration, reducing the risk of data corruption, and HP Local Recovery Solution by Altiris for quick recovery of data.
# CD-ROM and DVD - DVD/CD-RW Fixed
# Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g (for DSL ...and wider future Wireless LAN ...extended capabilities ....)