Buying A New Computer

[DaveP]

Hi
I'm thinking about getting a new computer and have around £550 - £800 to spend.
I use my computer for heavy internet use and sending, receiving and storing lots of emails,nothing much else really.I'm abit of a novice when it comes to what to look for when buying a computer.What sort of specifications would people recommend for the computer and type of monitor and would there be somewhere on the internet where you would recommend me buying it from?

I'm told the best thing to do is probably get a computer built and have seen afew websites where you can give specifications and they will build it for you,is it possible for someone to give me some specifications that will suit my needs.

 

[muckshifter]

A bog standard "entry level" AMD 939 system will do you fine ... actually, so will a 1990 486 PC, no, really for what you discribe any old thing will do ... it's not the computer but your ISP that governs what "speed" you access the Internet.



OK ok, but try to stick to £500 budget and then spend a little more on good monitor. While you wait for the rest of the "gang" to respond here, do a search on the forum for "new computer", we have quite a few threads that will interest you.





oh, and welcome to PCReview.

 

[Ian]

Welcome Dave

As Mucks says, if all you do it surf the internet and send e-mails then a low level PC will do. Do you need lots of storage for photos, do you play games or need any other specific requirements (DVD writer etc...)?

If not, £500 will easily be enough to get a decent PC and flatscreen monitor - it wouldn't be any good for gaming though.

 

[DaveP]

Thanks for the welcome Muckshifter and Ian.
I use my computer for work on the internet and have websites up probably 9 or 10 hours a day.I don't use it for games.

 

[chelseafc2005]

hi and welcome to the site. Well here is a few parts that i would reccomend i have not included prices or links.

amd skt 939 3200+ (v.good processor)
asus skt 939 mb (not sure which one is the best for your needs)
400+w psu (not a generic one though)
1gb atleast 512mb ddr pc 3200 ram
40gb hd
lg dvd+rw drive



that would probably come in at around £450-500 if you look around for prices

i know i left out the graphics card not sure on gaphics crd i have never known much bout em

 

[ChristopherP]

I think this would probably be a shop bought one?

 

[DaveP]

I'm told it's much better to get one built rather than buy one from a shop,so i could do with as much detail in the specs. as possible.
I also need it to have a modem for dial up and also use broadband.
Would http://www.vantagecomputers.co.uk be a good place to buy or build one?

 

[itsme]

I'm told it's much better to get one built rather than buy one from a shop,so i could do with as much detail in the specs. as possible.
I also need it to have a modem for dial up and also use broadband.
Would http://www.vantagecomputers.co.uk be a good place to buy or build one?

Hello Dave
First off It is possible someone on this forum that build PCs may live near you that way your problem would be solved so if you were to give an indication as to where you reside we could go from there

 

[muckshifter]

I'm told it's much better to get one built rather than buy one from a shop, so i could do with as much detail in the specs. as possible.
I also need it to have a modem for dial up and also use broadband.
Would http://www.vantagecomputers.co.uk be a good place to buy or build one?

Nope!

Despite what I said, you need to ensure you get the basics right ... they seem a tad expensive for my taste.

You NEED to make sure your 'package' consists of ...
AMD 939 CPU ... not Sempron
Asus or equivalent MB with a nVidia 4 chipset
1Gb 400 memory
PCi Express Grapics card, in your case a 6600 something or other will do, can easily be upgraded.
120 + GB Hard Drive ... most are fitting 160 or 200, again not too important for your needs, but handy anyway.
As you wan't "dial-up" ensure a PCI "hardware" modem is fitted, some builders are not fitting these as Broadband is all to common and cheap.
... these are the basics you should look at, and you really can get that for £500 ... I would look for a monitor on top of that lot.

 

[Rush]

originally posted by chelseafc2005

hi and welcome to the site. Well here is a few parts that i would reccomend i have not included prices or links.

amd skt 939 3200+ (v.good processor)
asus skt 939 mb (not sure which one is the best for your needs)
400+w psu (not a generic one though)
1gb atleast 512mb ddr pc 3200 ram
40gb hd
lg dvd+rw drive

hhhhhmmmmmmmm those specs look rather familiar

oh and dont forget to check out Crunchers corner ...teehee

 

[DaveP]

I live in Derby,but don't particularly want to buy from a local shop.

Which decent websites would people recommend i check where i can do the specifications and then they build it and send it me?

 

[Rush]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/

They are in Fenton , Stoke ...not far from you and even closer to me

1st ...settle on your specs then check out their prices

 

[DaveP]

Is this the type of thing i should be looking for :
Both prices without vat i think.



AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3200BPBOX) (CP-118-AM) [size=-1]
AMD's Athlon 64 is the latest evolution in the desktop computer industry. With its revolutionary 64bit architecture this CPU is fully compatible with future 64 bit operating systems and offers blistering performance in current 32 bit applications. With AMD's new HyperTransport technology and a massive 512KB L2 cache. Venice core incorporates SSE3 technology into the Athlon 64 platform which increases performance levels.

This retail boxed product is supplied with an AMD heatsink and fan and has a 3 year warranty £95.95[/size]


[size=-1]Asus A8N-SLi Premium nForce4 SLi (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-111-AS) [size=-1]
A8N-SLI Premium supports AMD 939-pin Athlon 64 FX/ Athlon 64 processors with 1MB/512KB L2 cache which is based on 64-bit architecture. It features 2000/1600 MT/s HyperTransport Bus and dual-channel un-buffered DDR400 memory support. Currently, it also supports AMD Athlon 64 X2 CPU. It's no longer either quiet operation or low system temperature. The A8N-SLI Premium, with AI Cool Pipe, lets you have the best of both worlds. This unique heat pipe design provides heat dissipation performance comparable to that of cooling fans without the annoying rotation noise.

- Supports AMD Socket 939 Athlon 64FX/Athlon 64
- AI Cool-Pipe
- AI Selector
- AMD Cool 'n' Quiet! Technology
- nVIDIA NFORCE4 SLI MCP
- PCI Express Architecture
- SATA 3Gb/s
£104.95[/size][/size]

[size=-1]To be honest i'm pretty much out of my depth as i'm mainly going on how much something costs to show how good it is i.e. more expensive part = better.[/size]
[size=-1]I could also do with a very quiet computer as the last 2 i've had have eventualy started making noises which is probably the fan.


[/size]

 

[bodhi]

A few people have already mentioned monitors mate, but thought i would take the time to say, for your needs, make sure you find and buy a really good monitor. At the end of the day this is the thing you will spend 10 hours a day looking at!! And money saved on less power (only using for emails etc) can be put toward the monitor. I would go for a 19" flat screen from a reputable brand.

 

[DaveP]

Thanks for your message about the monitor,my old monitor went dead after 8 months and the one i have now you sometimes have to tap it on the side to get it going when you switch it on.

 

[ChristopherP]

You want a TFT monitor, not a CRT

OCUK are awesome.

 

[bodhi]

Yup, agree with the postman, OCUK are very good, bought lots from them. Have a look at this link and see what you think of the monitors. If i were you i would be getting a really good monitor for this system!!

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/lcd19.html

 

[DaveP]

I've looked at that link,which make of monitor would be best to go for if i have my computer switched on for upto 10 hours a day.

Samsung
Hyundai
Acer
Viewsonic

Also are those couple of specs. in my 10.18pm post yesterday the type of thing i should be looking at getting.

 

[V_R]

I've looked at that link,which make of monitor would be best to go for if i have my computer switched on for upto 10 hours a day.

Samsung
Hyundai
Acer
Viewsonic

Also are those couple of specs. in my 10.18pm post yesterday the type of thing i should be looking at getting.

Viewsonic
Samsung
LG

In my opinion, in that order.

 

[ChristopherP]

Acer are OK