PC needed for Personal use - which suppliers?

[Hoggy]

I need to replace my ageing Evesham PC (6/7 yrs old!) and wondered if anyone to could recommend a specific PC or company. I've a max budget of £1000 and will use the PC for web browsing & downloads, gaming, storing Photos/videos etc. Also will need to use it for work occaisonally so need Micrsoft office (which version should I go for?)

 

I was tempted to buy from Evesham again but I understand they are about to be bought out. Heard Mesh PC's are good but the support is rubbish. Starting to favour Chillblast but don't know much about the company.

 

Any help would be appreciated. :?

[Dos_Box]

For that money I would build my own and have a very large grin. Tech support of course would be provided by yourself.

[steveg]

I'd also go for the built it yourself approach - a quick machine slung together from ebuyer (bored during my lunch break), comes in at £747 - with the following spec:

 

Intel quad core 2.13ghz

2.0gb ram

basic asus mobo

2 x 500gb sata disks

geforce 8800gts 320mb graphics card

Antec case

650w power supply

 

This was really quickly put together, but gives you a rough idea of the price of doing it yourself, obviously just add a monitor, and pull optical drives out of your exisiting machine.

 

Other place I would have a look at would be the Dell outlet store, there are sometimes some pretty good deals on there.

 

Steve

[mrforgetful]

Need a case with that, and a better quieter fan than stock, plus if you're using Windows and had OEM on the old machine need to pay for that (or Vista) aswell.

 

These days I find it is almost as cheap to buy from a shop as DIY and it comes all made and ready with no hardware conflict troubles.

[FN-GM]

doubt he would have XP on his old machine its 7 year old (Unless you upgraded)

[mrforgetful]

never mentioned XP

[FN-GM]

so you didn’t, I do apologise. Out of curiosity what do you run hoggy

[Joedetic]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk

 

Great online store for purchasing stuff to build your own. Popular with prettymuch everyone that was living in halls during my first year of uni. I bought my parts for my intel dual core (6600) with 2gig ram and 300 gig HDD, 400Wmodular PSU and a rather fancy ASUS Delux P5W (i think that's the model anyway) and also an NVIDIA 7600 GS card and a few other bits and bobs for about £747 or something like that.

 

Very fast delivery for me when i was in stafford as they're based over in stoke

[Adam]

Just to go against the grain -

 

I just bought a fantastic hp DC5750 PC for my home use... it's not for gaming or anything, but i'd deffo have a look at insight.com/uk and misco.co.uk and check out thier deals on HP kit.... I really can't be doing with building my own pc any more - but then I do farm when i'm not at work, so i dont have as much free time as most IT techs.

[FN-GM]

i think HP PCs are the best you can get. But at home any new computer i get i am getting an intel apple and using bootcamp

[mrforgetful]

Apple? I've got some old FischerPrice stuff going spare too if you like?

 

note: this was a somewhat lacking attempt at humour please do not be offended

[Adam]

i think HP PCs are the best you can get. But at home any new computer i get i am getting an intel apple and using bootcamp

 

I'm sorry, you lost me at apple...

[ChrisP]

just built myself a Quad core QX6800 and a EVGA8800gts based system for JUST under a grand.

 

four cores clocked to 3.5ghz each and 13,500 on 3dmark06 = VERY BIG SMILE

[FN-GM]

i think HP PCs are the best you can get. But at home any new computer i get i am getting an intel apple and using bootcamp

 

I'm sorry, you lost me at apple...

 

Bootcamp is so you can run Apple Mac & Windows on a Apple Mac computer

[mrforgetful]

I just can't be bothered with it all anymore, I used to spend a fortune having a top gaming rig, but now I hate to think I'll spend a grand for it to be old by christmas.

[Joedetic]

Well, I dont play games but I did have to do CAD. Hence my mid-range GFX card.

[Hoggy]

I just can't be bothered with it all anymore, I used to spend a fortune having a top gaming rig, but now I hate to think I'll spend a grand for it to be old by christmas.

 

Thanks for all the replies, I'm beginning to agree with 'mrforgetful' about the cost and being out of date. Probably too old to be playing games now anyway!

 

I think I'll lower my budget, I'll still have to buy one though cause I don't trust myself to build one without blowing my house up!!

 

Cheers

[FN-GM]

if you dont trust your self to build one here are some dells, they seem ok machines but support isnt so good.

 

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/desktops_best?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

 

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/desktops_better?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

 

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/desktops_good?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

 

Here are some HP's

 

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF02a/35123-35527-39847.html

 

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF25a/35123-35527-187917-187917-187917-80230940.html

 

Acer

 

http://www.shopacer.co.uk/mcp/Acer_Home_Desktops.html

 

http://www.shopacer.co.uk/mcp/Acer_Commercial_Desktops.html

 

Shops

 

http://www.dabs.com/productlist.aspx?&NavigationKey=11101&CategorySelectedId=11101&PageMode=2

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/store/5/cat/Business-PCs

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/store/5/cat/Home-PCs

 

eBay have loads to look at

http://computers.listings.ebay.co.uk/Desktop-PCs_W0QQfromZR4QQsacatZ179QQsocmdZListingItemList

[john]

I recomend CCL Computers up in Bradford. They built systems to your spec, have there own recomended ones for those that cannot be bothered chosing the bits as well as HPs, Acers and all the bits to build your own. Very good firm and excellent support, all from Bradford not India. The CCL Forum is also a very good place to go and chat about new PC ideas etc, you can pass them between other members and you can enjoy discussing ideas and see what people have had problems with etc.

 

www.cclonline.com is the address you need.

[Adam]

if you dont trust your self to build one here are some dells, they seem ok machines but support isnt so good.

 

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/desktops_best?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

 

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/desktops_better?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

 

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/desktops_good?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

 

Here are some HP's

 

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF02a/35123-35527-39847.html

 

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF25a/35123-35527-187917-187917-187917-80230940.html

 

Acer

 

http://www.shopacer.co.uk/mcp/Acer_Home_Desktops.html

 

http://www.shopacer.co.uk/mcp/Acer_Commercial_Desktops.html

 

Shops

 

http://www.dabs.com/productlist.aspx?&NavigationKey=11101&CategorySelectedId=11101&PageMode=2

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/store/5/cat/Business-PCs

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/store/5/cat/Home-PCs

 

eBay have loads to look at

http://computers.listings.ebay.co.uk/Desktop-PCs_W0QQfromZR4QQsacatZ179QQsocmdZListingItemList

 

 

I really would advise against Dells and Acer, we've had enough problems with both makes at our site to warrant not buying any more....

 

Hp's are the way forward. IMHO

[mrforgetful]

I recomend CCL Computers up in Bradford. They built systems to your spec, have there own recomended ones for those that cannot be bothered chosing the bits as well as HPs, Acers and all the bits to build your own. Very good firm and excellent support, all from Bradford not India.

 

I've used them for over 10 years, never had any trouble and always the cheapest around.

 

And that last sentance? I've lived in Bradford 25 years and I've yet to see evidence it's not like India

 

When it comes to cost, it used to be that the difference between budget, midrange and top-end was dramatic, but it's not much anymore, there's always a choice that's half the price and only slightly slower, that's the one to go for.

[contink]

I really would advise against Dells and Acer, we've had enough problems with both makes at our site to warrant not buying any more....

I'd have to say I'd agree on the Dell front (no experience of Acer/HP to comment). Dells now tend to have proprietary motherboard and powersupplies which make it much more difficult to fix or upgrade than any evil genius could dream up.

 

ie: Dell PSU's have a standard ATX connector that is NOT wired up that way so you can't replace it without getting a Dell replacement.

[Adam]

ie: Dell PSU's have a standard ATX connector that is NOT wired up that way so you can't replace it without getting a Dell replacement.

 

As we found out when some little scrote flicked the 230/110v switch on 6 dells when they were turned....

 

I recommend everyone superglues these switches in the 230v position before your little darlings figure it out...

 

[FN-GM]

The Tesco at burry have some good deals, maybe there are some at your local one

[mrforgetful]

I'm just waiting for the day Tesco start selling cars, motorbikes and caravans. It can't be long now.