Buying A New Pc

[PennyB]

I'm well overdue a new PC (present one is a Dell running windows ME).

Have been looking at a couple but don't know which is best one with Intel or AMD athlon

[Sharon]

My last PC had AMD athlon and I had nothing but trouble with it...........even sent the machine back for a replacement and that was the same.  Got a Sony Vaio now with P4 and it's great, no problems what so ever!  So in future I'll stick to the P4 processor.

I know how difficult it is choosing a PC there are just so many deals at the moment, just try not to go for one with 'free' printer/scanner/camera.......you usually get a not so good computer with those, because you're actually paying for the freebies!

Good luck

[Curtisio]

I know how difficult it is choosing a PC there are just so many deals at the moment, just try not to go for one with 'free' printer/scanner/camera.......you usually get a not so good computer with those, because you're actually paying for the freebies!

Couldn't agree more

I always advise friends and family to set themselves a definate budget, and just buy the best you can for the money.

I would usually go onto a recognised web site rather than shops. In shops you can't customise your new PC. So you tend to get a good Processor, HDD but a poor graphics card.

On the DELL website you can pick and choose your components and it gives you a running total so you know where you are.

I'm not saying DELL are or are not the best, its just a good way of giving you a starting point.

As for processors, they are all so fast now for home PC's that they are much of a muchness.

As for the Operating System, go for an i.e. Windows XP Proffessional rather than XP Home. And give M.E. as wide a birth as you possibly can.

[PennyB]

ME came with my present PC as thats what was only available at the time so will be going for XP anyway.

Have now also heard good things about the AMD, I think with all things it depends on the PC. I moved to P4 as soon as it came out and wasn't impressed and yet it was meant to be quite whizzy.

I've never gone for 'extra' free stuff anyway as I go for whats fast and basic and good customer service.

Dell just don't seem to have good reviews anymore and I've been with them now for the past 10 years and have seen how its not as good as it used to be (especially their tech help). Most now will let you customise thankfully but its what looks the best deal. However saying all that I'm torn between the devil I know (Dell) and Carrera.

I love my laptop though (which is an ancient 2nd hand IBM 600 thinkpad and very basic) but its not practical for the work I do all the time.

[ReadingSteve]

In my view most of the recent advances in processor speed are "nice to have" but not essential unless you're doing a lot of really high speed work like video editing or lots of high-graphic computer gaming.  In most cases if you have a PC that works, it would be worthwhile spending money on increasing the memory to 256MB, 512MB or even 1GB, rather than throwing the box away and starting from scratch.  I've also resisted the temptation to upgrade my Windows until recently.  Not many months ago, I was still on Windows 98, but I have upgraded to XP now and I find it really stable and excellent.  I especially like the way I can install new software without having to re-boot, and the System Restore can be very useful if things go wrong.

Having said all that, have you seen the TV ads for Dell Dimension at £349? It comes with a 15" LCD screen! Seems incredible value to me!  There is something nice about getting a new PC with all the Operating system newly configured and everything set up ready to use!

[PennyB]

In my view most of the recent advances in processor speed are "nice to have" but not essential unless you're doing a lot of really high speed work like video editing or lots of high-graphic computer gaming.  In most cases if you have a PC that works, it would be worthwhile spending money on increasing the memory to 256MB, 512MB or even 1GB, rather than throwing the box away and starting from scratch.  I've also resisted the temptation to upgrade my Windows until recently.  Not many months ago, I was still on Windows 98, but I have upgraded to XP now and I find it really stable and excellent.  I especially like the way I can install new software without having to re-boot, and the System Restore can be very useful if things go wrong.

Having said all that, have you seen the TV ads for Dell Dimension at £349? It comes with a 15" LCD screen! Seems incredible value to me!  There is something nice about getting a new PC with all the Operating system newly configured and everything set up ready to use!

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Am quite tempted to stick with the devil I know apart from the fact their support and customer services has got worse over the years but they have some tempting offers.

I work on my PC all day editing manuscripts/desktop publishing and need something like a 19" monitor and to be able to handle keeping open a few word processing windows at once. Word can be quite memory hungry at times as well (especially running numerous macros). My computer is quite 'sick' at the moment and the monitor is going so a new one is definitely on the cards. Have never really liked my present PC either.

My laptop runs on windows 95 and its great but I just use it for basic editing work and not the more complex stuff.

[cbabe]

Intel - definatly. Athlons tend to over heat in our experiance (Emkay Computer Services)

In the Intel Range the two main contenders are Pentium or Celeron. From what we can make out Celerons are pentiums which have failed their speed tests!

We would not suggest running complex programes (ie accountancy / graphics packages ) on a Celeron - they tend to fall about laughing!

Dell are getting away with the cheap prices by buying components with limited warrantee. We have a 2  year RTB warrantee on ours. Also keep an eye out for the Celerons, they look good for a home user but are not advisable for a work PC.

[ReadingSteve]

Dell are getting away with the cheap prices by buying components with limited warrantee. We have a 2 year RTB warrantee on ours. Also keep an eye out for the Celerons, they look good for a home user but are not advisable for a work PC.

Totally agree about the Celeron comments. With a PC it's really horses for courses and if you need to do lots of processor-intensive work (like video editing or high graphics gaming) then you need as much power as you can get hold of.  On the other hand, if you only need a PC for email, wordprocessing and light duties like that, then there's no point spending more money on a faster system.

I have to comment on your views of Dell's pricing though!  Don't want to get into an argument with you, but people should know that the main reason why Dell is cheaper is that they are the World's number one PC supplier, which means that they have incredible buying power when it comes to obtaining components. Also, as you know, Dell only supplies direct, so they don't have to build in a margin for any dealers.  

Finally, it would be fair to mention that Dell does offer a wide variety of service types and durations on their PC range.  At present, the minimum warranty is 1 year Collect and Return, but they offer different types of service up to 5 years Same Business Day on site warranty.  Again this is a matter of horses for courses, and it makes sense for each customer to decide what type of warranty they need.  The needs of a home user are quite different from those of a large business customer.

Time to confess that I do actually work for Dell.  It's a great company and they make great PCs. I'm not just saying that because I'm slightly biassed. I have worked in the IT industry for a great number of years and have dealt with many different manufacturers.  The main thing that has impressed me most about Dell is the sheer quality of components that they build into their PCs.    

[Pammy]

It's also worth mentioning that there's nothing wrong with Athlons either. Like all processors they need to have the right fan/cooling system with them to perform reliably.

I have an Athlon Palomino and it's been great.

I know ppl who have recently benefitted from a very decent offer on Dell's and they are very very happy.

If you're likely to need help and support then try and find a local person who can build and supply and support. There's nothing more powerful as a consumer than being able to walk in with the offending object and say "Fix it!" Doesn;t have the same power over the phone.