Need help spending money....!!!

Slimbert

Slimbert

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Damien
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My desktop has finally spat it's dummy out and so I need to find a new one asap.....trouble is, I know b****r all about what I'm looking for and since I've always had decent advice you lovely folks in the past I thought I'd see if you can help me find something worth having!! :help:

Price wise, I'm at the lower end of the market, so I understand I won't be buying the latest and greatest but I know I'll be able to get something half decent under (or up to) £400 all in....that's for a tower only but must include Windows 7, VAT and delivery....not asking for much am I??! :D

If it helps any, I've got 2x2GB Geil DDR2 Ram and a ton of Sata drives so could go for a part built system.....sadly, the only ones I've seen are DDR3 which kind of make's the idea pointless!!

Any advice at all and/or links will be genuinely appreciated!! :thumbs:
 
What do you use your system for exactly?

I'd be tempted to either build or buy a completely new system and sell the DDR2 RAM. You could always use your existing hard drives as external backups if required.
 
Bacon said:
What do you use your system for exactly?

I'd be tempted to either build or buy a completely new system and sell the DDR2 RAM. You could always use your existing hard drives as external backups if required.
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No gaming, just photo editing and watching the odd movie through my TV (I have a GeForce 9600 GT graphics card) and playing music etc....the spec of my current PC is fine (AMD X2, 4GB RAM) for what I do, but I've tried everything I can think of to sort it and I'd rather just start again with a totally fresh system!!

I've been thinking of building my own), but it's all completely new to me and if I'm honest, it scares me a little bit.....I don't have a successful history with fiddling with computers!! I'm definitely looking for a complete, fully built system....:thumbs:
 
Bro, I could build one for you if you like. No problemo.
 
Oh, you have a GPU. Sorted. I'd buy two lots of the RAM (I use it and it's great) for 8 gigs and an SSD for sure then. That CPU is a BARGAIN!
 
Cheers for all those links Dean!! :thumbs:

I'll definitely need Windows 7.....think I saw it for £66 for either the 32bit or 64bit versions!! ;)

The trouble with using any parts off my current knackered PC, is that I'm not sure which parts are knackered....only thing I've been able to check is the DVD drive and also the HDD's because I've put them all in a caddy and they all work fine. The graphics card, processor, motherboard, power supply etc could potentially be shafted....!!

Also, I need something quickly....I've got work to do and it's piling up!!! :'(
 
I can't really find anything better for the money with regards to buying a complete system.
Installing windows yourself will be a doddle so no need to worry about that.
 
Bacon said:
I can't really find anything better for the money with regards to buying a complete system.
Installing windows yourself will be a doddle so no need to worry about that.
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Also, I like that they'll deliver on Monday.....unless I (or anyone else!) find something better by tomorrow afternoon....I reckon I'll have one!! :thumbs:
 
Just dont forget to order Windows 7 64bit with it!

Do I win a prize? :p
 
Yep as per the link above. Theres no real need to buy 32bit anymore and only 64bit will make use of all that RAM. Windows 32bit will use around 3.5Gb and the remainder will go wasted.
 
One has SP1 (Service Pack 1) included on the disc and the other one does not (you'd therefore have to download it as an update).

Go for the SP1 version as it'll save a bit of time and it's £13 cheaper!
 
The first link is more than likely the price of older stock as the second link is Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 already included.
This will also mean less updates for you to install once you're up and running :)
 
Strangely the cheaper one is more up to date. It wouldn't make a difference anyway, as soon as you install automatic update will make them identical, except one is cheaper.

Only difference there is one is cheaper and requires a few less updates after you install it.
 
Guys, the one problem with buying a ready made pc is the psu will be a piece of .... and that's one component you should never cut corners on. Damo, if you buy that system replace the power supply with the one i linked to asap and it'll be better for it. All system psu are invariably junk.
 
The23rdman said:
Guys, the one problem with buying a ready made pc is the psu will be a piece of .... and that's one component you should never cut corners on. Damo, if you buy that system replace the power supply with the one i linked to asap and it'll be better for it. All system psu are invariably junk.
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I have heard this time and again on here.

I have built a lorra lorra computers over the years and only one PSU has ever went down the swannee.

For your PSU, I could have a bottle of rum along with my usual case and PSU!
 
The PSU will be fine for the spec of the PC but should you want to add or upgrade in any way then yes, change it.
 
Bacon said:
The PSU will be fine for the spec of the PC but should you want to add or upgrade in any way then yes, change it.
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That's a bold statement when it doesn't state what psu it uses. I'd replace it straight away. It's not a sexy component, but it's damn important. Good spec otherwise. :)
 
Its more of a bold statement saying that the PSU won't be sufficient from the word go and should be replaced immediately.
I expect that whilst it will be a cheap PSU fitted, it will be just enough for the overall spec of the machine.

Should our friend purchase said PC and he returns next week to say it went bang and he's lost his eyebrows then I shall take it back.
 
Why risk it though to save a few quid?
 
I've had 3 power supplies die on me. First was a cheapo that died on switchon, the other two were probably running closer to their stated maximum than was safe for them (300-400W PSUs). I now always spend decent money on a 600+W PSU as I don't want to lose anything because the PSU has spiked a disk or the main board.

The other thing to consider is noise. Cheaper PSUs tend to have cheaper fans which means more noise. I have 4 PCs in a 10x10 room - the nosiest of which is the laptop....
 
Another vote for a decent brand psu here. However id look at online psu calculators to find the required wattage for your spec, drives me up the wall people recommending 1000w supplies on boxes that only need 600w etc
 
600w should be ample for that though, surely?
 
neil_g said:
Yup, maybe even a 500 depending on the gpu requirement and number of hd

Was just a general rant about massive over spec of the psu :)
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I have crossfire setup with 4HDD's, dvd ant other bits running via 575W PSU :)
people tend to get PSU's that are overkill for their systems
 
The23rdman said:
Why risk it though to save a few quid?
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Risk what? We all know it's going to be a cheap PSU contained within a cheap case, thats what you get when you buy a pre built PC but as Damien has already stated he wants a pre built system as he does not feel comfortable building one himself. He also has a budget to stick to.
Given this, why on earth would he want to buy a pre built PC to then open it up, whip the PSU out and put a replacement in. What may be easy for you or I isn't necessarily easy for everyone else.

At the end of the day, if the system he buys goes pop, it has a 1 year warranty. I have had an Enermax and Antec PSU go bang on me so it can happen to any brand.
Remember, when on a budget you can't always have the crème de la crème as it were.
 
Bacon said:
Risk what? We all know it's going to be a cheap PSU contained within a cheap case, thats what you get when you buy a pre built PC but as Damien has already stated he wants a pre built system as he does not feel comfortable building one himself. He also has a budget to stick to.
Given this, why on earth would he want to buy a pre built PC to then open it up, whip the PSU out and put a replacement in. What may be easy for you or I isn't necessarily easy for everyone else.

At the end of the day, if the system he buys goes pop, it has a 1 year warranty. I have had an Enermax and Antec PSU go bang on me so it can happen to any brand.
Remember, when on a budget you can't always have the crème de la crème as it were.
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Already said I'd build it for him. I wouldn't call 50 or 60 quid the crème de la crème, but I'm not going to continue arguing with you. ;)
 
In that case you can send me the £50. Fifty quid is fifty quid to me and I didn't say I was arguing?

Anyway, I'm off to the other halfs for a Sunday roast. I'll check her PSU whilst I'm there in case it's due to explode anytime soon ;)
 
Blimey, it's lively in here isn''t it??!! :lol:

Anyway, I ordered the system Bacon linked to from ebuyer and it arrives tomorrow :D....I'm waiting to see exactly what's inside before I start ordering upgrades....no point buying something if I don't need it or by somé miracle it's already in there!!

Just a quick question....will changing parts void the 1yr warranty?! :thinking:
 
More than likely replacing parts will void the warranty, unless you can cover the change should something go wrong. ;)

Adding stuff like extra hard drives should be fine though.
 
Slimbert said:
Blimey, it's lively in here isn''t it??!! :lol:

Anyway, I ordered the system Bacon linked to from ebuyer and it arrives tomorrow :D....I'm waiting to see exactly what's inside before I start ordering upgrades....no point buying something if I don't need it or by somé miracle it's already in there!!

Just a quick question....will changing parts void the 1yr warranty?! :thinking:
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Changing probably yes, adding probably not.
 
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