Title: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Minkyboy on 22 June, 2009, 03:42:09 PM
Post by: Minkyboy on 22 June, 2009, 03:42:09 PM
Ahoy there Sailors!
My PC is dying.
With 3 kids under 2 years old I don't have any budget to play with, around £550 I reckon is the max I could spring for.
I wondered if any of you had advice/recommendations on a replacement machine/supplier or current issues I should be aware of?
Here are two I am looking at to give you an idea:
Novatech clearance section
Isys EX nVidia Pro - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 4GB DDR 800Mhz 500gb HDD nVidia 9600GT 512Mb DVDRW
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spec ... ml?PC-1238 (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?PC-1238)
New from MESH
XGS Special Edition (with Graphics upgrade to 1GB ATi HD4850)
http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.as ... KEY=551426 (http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.aspx?PAGE=PRODUCTVIEWPAGE&USG=PRODUCT&ENT=PRODUCT&KEY=551426)
I don't need a new monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers or printer.
If push came to shove I could keep XP-Home from old machine as my OS for a while.
My purchasing priorities:
1.Quality components and reliable retailer
2.Graphics card
3.Processor
Any advice?
Minky
My PC is dying.
With 3 kids under 2 years old I don't have any budget to play with, around £550 I reckon is the max I could spring for.
I wondered if any of you had advice/recommendations on a replacement machine/supplier or current issues I should be aware of?
Here are two I am looking at to give you an idea:
Novatech clearance section
Isys EX nVidia Pro - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 4GB DDR 800Mhz 500gb HDD nVidia 9600GT 512Mb DVDRW
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spec ... ml?PC-1238 (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?PC-1238)
New from MESH
XGS Special Edition (with Graphics upgrade to 1GB ATi HD4850)
http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.as ... KEY=551426 (http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.aspx?PAGE=PRODUCTVIEWPAGE&USG=PRODUCT&ENT=PRODUCT&KEY=551426)
I don't need a new monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers or printer.
If push came to shove I could keep XP-Home from old machine as my OS for a while.
My purchasing priorities:
1.Quality components and reliable retailer
2.Graphics card
3.Processor
Any advice?
Minky
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: TordelBack on 22 June, 2009, 04:29:55 PM
Post by: TordelBack on 22 June, 2009, 04:29:55 PM
QuoteWith 3 kids under 2 years old I don't have any budget to play with
You randy bugger, you! I can't seem to produce more than one every three years or so.
I know, I'm no help. But I'm in a similar market myself, so I'd be interested to hear the buzz of consensus on this one.
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Minkyboy on 22 June, 2009, 04:44:28 PM
Post by: Minkyboy on 22 June, 2009, 04:44:28 PM
Ha!
I cheated. Had twins first (22 mths) and now newbie (6 weeks).
I cheated. Had twins first (22 mths) and now newbie (6 weeks).
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Martin Jameson on 22 June, 2009, 05:02:25 PM
Post by: Martin Jameson on 22 June, 2009, 05:02:25 PM
I would go for the Novatech one and put your own copy of XP on it until you can upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out. Avoid Vista if poss.
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: TordelBack on 22 June, 2009, 05:12:22 PM
Post by: TordelBack on 22 June, 2009, 05:12:22 PM
QuoteAvoid Vista if poss.
This is a key question for me. I live in MacLand, where I've been happily insulated from such matters since, oh, Windows 2000. The better half now needs a new PC (both Windows machines in our house are now a decade old), but I have been advised time and again to skip Vista, and yet everything seems to come with at least cut-down version of the thing installed. Will I be up to my oxters in the registry (ah, memories) if we take the quick and easy path and go for Vista, or will I cause her great woe in interacting with the Wider World if I keep her in XP purdah?
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: klute on 22 June, 2009, 05:19:57 PM
Post by: klute on 22 June, 2009, 05:19:57 PM
QuoteNovatech clearance section
Isys EX nVidia Pro - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 4GB DDR 800Mhz 500gb HDD nVidia 9600GT 512Mb DVDRW
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spec (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/spec) ... ml?PC-1238
As above poster also suggested
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: klute on 22 June, 2009, 05:26:50 PM
Post by: klute on 22 June, 2009, 05:26:50 PM
You can put a partition on your harddrive so you could run both vista and xp
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Minkyboy on 22 June, 2009, 06:06:45 PM
Post by: Minkyboy on 22 June, 2009, 06:06:45 PM
Hmmm I emailed a few friends with the same question.
An I.T. professional recommended OverclockersUK as using top quality components.
He also said to avoid Vista completely! (How can a company as big and powerful as Microsoft produce a next generation operating system that is panned and avoided by professionals?!)
Looking at their site I found this little fella:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... -OK&tool=5 (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-180-OK&tool=5)
The Graphics card is significantly better than the Novatech one but the processor is slightly weaker.
Opinions?
Minky
An I.T. professional recommended OverclockersUK as using top quality components.
He also said to avoid Vista completely! (How can a company as big and powerful as Microsoft produce a next generation operating system that is panned and avoided by professionals?!)
Looking at their site I found this little fella:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... -OK&tool=5 (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-180-OK&tool=5)
The Graphics card is significantly better than the Novatech one but the processor is slightly weaker.
Opinions?
Minky
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Martin Jameson on 22 June, 2009, 09:13:44 PM
Post by: Martin Jameson on 22 June, 2009, 09:13:44 PM
Quote from: "klute77"You can put a partition on your harddrive so you could run both vista and xp
I partitioned mine, dual booting with Vista, which was preinstalled, and Ubuntu (Linux) which to be honest I used most of the time - and only used Vista when I really had to.
I have since took a chance and replaced Vista with the RC of Windows 7 and my laptop runs so much smoother and so far a joy to use.
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Banners on 22 June, 2009, 09:41:09 PM
Post by: Banners on 22 June, 2009, 09:41:09 PM
Four suggestions...
1. Buy a copy of PC Pro. Alternatively, look at their website (//http://www.pcpro.co.uk/).
2. Avoid Mesh. There are too many horror stories to make them viable.
3. Try PC Specialist (//http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/). They make quality machines which you can configure away to your heart's and budget's content.
4. Wait a few months until Windows 7 comes out - or at least until new PCs come with a free upgrade voucher.
M@
1. Buy a copy of PC Pro. Alternatively, look at their website (//http://www.pcpro.co.uk/).
2. Avoid Mesh. There are too many horror stories to make them viable.
3. Try PC Specialist (//http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/). They make quality machines which you can configure away to your heart's and budget's content.
4. Wait a few months until Windows 7 comes out - or at least until new PCs come with a free upgrade voucher.
M@
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Devons Daddy on 23 June, 2009, 03:41:29 AM
Post by: Devons Daddy on 23 June, 2009, 03:41:29 AM
AVIOD VISTA
get an older versoin of XP with the word,excel and other bits and bobs you need, with vista you have to pay extra for them.
for PCs, i am not in the west so cant really offer much in the way of pricing. i bought last week a new compaq presario.0 (atom processor)CPU only, used my old monitor and key board, why waste the money on new ones?
its tiny and litterally sits on the book shelf. its the smalled the then the XBOX 360 in dimensions. quiet and smooth.lots of USB ports.
out here it was 459 singapore which is about 200 sterling, fully loaded. plus a years free anti virus software. XP loaded.
runs SPORE with ease, Sid meyers Pirates also no problems gaming wise.
skype,messenger and Itunes all smooth as silk.
get an older versoin of XP with the word,excel and other bits and bobs you need, with vista you have to pay extra for them.
for PCs, i am not in the west so cant really offer much in the way of pricing. i bought last week a new compaq presario.0 (atom processor)CPU only, used my old monitor and key board, why waste the money on new ones?
its tiny and litterally sits on the book shelf. its the smalled the then the XBOX 360 in dimensions. quiet and smooth.lots of USB ports.
out here it was 459 singapore which is about 200 sterling, fully loaded. plus a years free anti virus software. XP loaded.
runs SPORE with ease, Sid meyers Pirates also no problems gaming wise.
skype,messenger and Itunes all smooth as silk.
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Pete Wells on 23 June, 2009, 07:35:22 AM
Post by: Pete Wells on 23 June, 2009, 07:35:22 AM
Hey Minky, congrats on the bairns and woohoo for a new PC!
Just want to add to Banner's advice about avoiding Mesh. I ordered my PC from there and heard all the horror stories after I'd placed the order - natch. When it turned up it wouldn't boot up, asking for some password that I wasn't given (making me wonder if it hadn't been used before?) and tech support was strangely unavailable. Luckily my technician from work was at my house but he spent hours getting the twat to boot up. I've had no bother since but the shakey start didn't impress me.
Just want to add to Banner's advice about avoiding Mesh. I ordered my PC from there and heard all the horror stories after I'd placed the order - natch. When it turned up it wouldn't boot up, asking for some password that I wasn't given (making me wonder if it hadn't been used before?) and tech support was strangely unavailable. Luckily my technician from work was at my house but he spent hours getting the twat to boot up. I've had no bother since but the shakey start didn't impress me.
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: TheEdge on 23 June, 2009, 01:36:07 PM
Post by: TheEdge on 23 June, 2009, 01:36:07 PM
Make sure to stay away from 32bit,SCSI, IDE and PCI stuff.
make sure at least its DDR2/SATA and PCI express
Vista or XP will also affect your hardware to some extent
( just in case you ever want to upgrade)
make sure at least its DDR2/SATA and PCI express
Vista or XP will also affect your hardware to some extent
( just in case you ever want to upgrade)
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Dark Jimbo on 23 June, 2009, 01:43:56 PM
Post by: Dark Jimbo on 23 June, 2009, 01:43:56 PM
I dread the day I have to get a new PC. This thread might as well be written in a foreign language.
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Marbles on 24 June, 2009, 08:52:57 AM
Post by: Marbles on 24 June, 2009, 08:52:57 AM
I'm hanging on until October 22nd when Windows 7 is out, despite having a computer that is now more than 6 years old and incredibly slow and painful to use. Just a few more months!
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Satanist on 24 June, 2009, 02:14:22 PM
Post by: Satanist on 24 June, 2009, 02:14:22 PM
Bought parts from overclockersuk a few months back and my mate built it for me. No idea whats in it but so far its played everything I chuck at it. Came in at £520 without monitor as Ive got it hooked up to me telly.
I know thats not very helpful but for £550 you should get a good machine and my mate swears by overclockers and he is also in IT.
I know thats not very helpful but for £550 you should get a good machine and my mate swears by overclockers and he is also in IT.
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Dandontdare on 25 June, 2009, 12:22:14 AM
Post by: Dandontdare on 25 June, 2009, 12:22:14 AM
I got a Dell PC with XP installed a few years back and have been thinking of oomphing up the graphics and speed- if I bought a 'tailor made' PC rather than a retail model, can I transfer XP over as I don't have it on disk? Or am I better waiting till Windows 7 comes out and buying a new PC with everything included? I'm a tech-ignoramus, so the first option scares me somewhat!
I'm glad my personal dislike of Vista seems to have been borne out by the consensus - now if only they could prove that i-phones make your knob smaller...
I'm glad my personal dislike of Vista seems to have been borne out by the consensus - now if only they could prove that i-phones make your knob smaller...
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Banners on 25 June, 2009, 07:53:38 AM
Post by: Banners on 25 June, 2009, 07:53:38 AM
If you got XP pre-installed on your existing machine it's likely to have been an OEM version of Windows, which means you won't be able to transfer it, quite apart from not having the disc.
It's a general rule of buying a new PC to wait as long as you dare - as by definition, things are always getting better and cheaper. You can also guarantee that the 'next big thing' will be announced the day after your shiny new machine arrives(!)
Windows XP will be supported for many years to come, but Windows 7 seems highly regarded (it's basically Vista done right) so it would just seem sensible to wait a few months to get in pre-installed, rather than have to go through the cost and hassle of an OS upgrade further down the road. For me, it's all about the apps (Adobe, specifically) and games. If they continue to work on XP then I see no reason to upgrade. Hell, I even run in 'Classic' mode so my desktop still looks like Windows 98(!)
If you're just looking to upgrade, RAM is cheap enough these days and can make a huge difference, and a decent graphics card such as the Nvidia 9600GT or the ATI Radeon 4850 needn't cost much. Also, returning everything to the factory default (assuming you have a restore partition) and starting over from scratch can can breathe new life into an old Windows machine, though in my case this takes several hours and requires lots of backing-up beforehand(!)
M@
It's a general rule of buying a new PC to wait as long as you dare - as by definition, things are always getting better and cheaper. You can also guarantee that the 'next big thing' will be announced the day after your shiny new machine arrives(!)
Windows XP will be supported for many years to come, but Windows 7 seems highly regarded (it's basically Vista done right) so it would just seem sensible to wait a few months to get in pre-installed, rather than have to go through the cost and hassle of an OS upgrade further down the road. For me, it's all about the apps (Adobe, specifically) and games. If they continue to work on XP then I see no reason to upgrade. Hell, I even run in 'Classic' mode so my desktop still looks like Windows 98(!)
If you're just looking to upgrade, RAM is cheap enough these days and can make a huge difference, and a decent graphics card such as the Nvidia 9600GT or the ATI Radeon 4850 needn't cost much. Also, returning everything to the factory default (assuming you have a restore partition) and starting over from scratch can can breathe new life into an old Windows machine, though in my case this takes several hours and requires lots of backing-up beforehand(!)
M@
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Minkyboy on 29 June, 2009, 01:16:50 PM
Post by: Minkyboy on 29 June, 2009, 01:16:50 PM
Well I went for this machine: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... -OK&tool=5 (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-180-OK&tool=5) from OverclockersUK.
Just the box, no software. £349.99.
Pros
It turned up within 48hrs after I ordered it. Packaging was very careful, very neat.
They included all the empty boxes and literature for the components inside (motherboard, graphics card etc.)
Took the side off (obviously first thing you do!) and was very tidy inside, cable tied down, lots of space.
It is QUIET, very quiet!
Installed XP and stuck my old HD in it to make the transfer of files easier.
It boots up within seconds.
Stalker: Clear Sky and Bioshock look incredible! Just incredible.
I can upgrade to quadcore and Windows 7 in the future.
Cons
It only has onboard sound BUT it supports 7.1 and sounds fine to me.
Can't dual graphics card in the future, BUT wouldn't want to.
Needed adaptor to connect my old 19" CRT monitor to the graphics card BUT they included one in the box.
Didn't come with shiny new mouse, keyboard, speakers, monitor or anything BUT I knew that and is reflected in the price.
For a cheap and cheerful replacement games machine I am very impressed.
One happy Minky here.
I ordered Fallout 3 to celebrate!
Thanks for all your help and advice.
Just come on here Jimbo, tell people in English what you need it to do and a price and let the Hivemind do all the techie bit for and give you "buy this, this or this" options!
Just the box, no software. £349.99.
Pros
It turned up within 48hrs after I ordered it. Packaging was very careful, very neat.
They included all the empty boxes and literature for the components inside (motherboard, graphics card etc.)
Took the side off (obviously first thing you do!) and was very tidy inside, cable tied down, lots of space.
It is QUIET, very quiet!
Installed XP and stuck my old HD in it to make the transfer of files easier.
It boots up within seconds.
Stalker: Clear Sky and Bioshock look incredible! Just incredible.
I can upgrade to quadcore and Windows 7 in the future.
Cons
It only has onboard sound BUT it supports 7.1 and sounds fine to me.
Can't dual graphics card in the future, BUT wouldn't want to.
Needed adaptor to connect my old 19" CRT monitor to the graphics card BUT they included one in the box.
Didn't come with shiny new mouse, keyboard, speakers, monitor or anything BUT I knew that and is reflected in the price.
For a cheap and cheerful replacement games machine I am very impressed.
One happy Minky here.
I ordered Fallout 3 to celebrate!
Thanks for all your help and advice.
Quote from: "Dark Jimbo"I dread the day I have to get a new PC. This thread might as well be written in a foreign language.
Just come on here Jimbo, tell people in English what you need it to do and a price and let the Hivemind do all the techie bit for and give you "buy this, this or this" options!
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Banners on 29 June, 2009, 02:11:43 PM
Post by: Banners on 29 June, 2009, 02:11:43 PM
It's a great feeling having a new PC. Glad it arrived with no problems. Enjoy!
M@
M@
Title: Re: Which new PC should I get Hivemind?
Post by: Minkyboy on 29 June, 2009, 07:42:27 PM
Post by: Minkyboy on 29 June, 2009, 07:42:27 PM
Oh I am! I am!
Its even staying cool in this heat!
Its even staying cool in this heat!