computers

[kolinkins]

i know this is not cm related, but my pc has broken down (i am using 1 at uni at the mo) and i need to buy a replacement. i want 2 spend £800 or less. what should i expect as i know nuthing about pc's. are mesh any good? :rolleyes:

[Another Oxted Eagle]

I have been looking into upgrading to a sub 1000 pounds desktop pc, and from looking at reviews in magazines and asking about I kept seeing that Mesh , Evesham and Fujitsu come out very well, with Mesh being probably the cheapest option in relation to spec.

[Steve in Phoenix]

Do NOT buy Time or Tiny. Dont even consider it. Heard nothing but good things about Evesham. I suggest you do a search for "buying computer" in the Search field here. . scroll to the top of the page. . right hand side under the 7 little buttons. . it has come up a few times in the past.

[Stonewall_Jackson]

Keep your exsisting monitor,keyboard,printer e.t.c.and get the computer "box" from a specialist,spending your £800 on top notch gear then upgrade the other bits when cash allows!!!!

[Si121]

From the Fujitsu website:

Euroline 1800 SDRAM CDRW

Intel Pentium 4 1.80 GHz Processor
60GB hard disk
256MB SDRAM
Midi tower style, ATX case
16x DVD-ROM
12x8x32 cd re-writer
3D Graphics (64 MB)
On-board sound
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (pre-installed) operating system
17" SVGA monitor

£999.99 inc VAT. (Delivery, £29.99 inc VAT)

If you can afford £200 more that's the one to get.

If not...

Euroline 1400 SDRAM CDRW

Intel Pentium 4 1.40 GHz Processor
40GB hard disk
256MB SDRAM
Midi tower style, ATX case
16x DVD-ROM
12x8x32 cd re-writer
3D Graphics (64 MB)
On-board sound
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (pre-installed) operating system
17" SVGA monitor

£799.99 inc VAT. (Delivery, £29.99 inc VAT)

[Palace]

I got an Evesham earlier this year, on the advice of other BBSers. Its been good, had a few small glitches, but that showed there good customer care as it was sorted out easily over the phone. I also got a 3 year on site warranty, which i believe comes with lots of their pc's. Obviously it depends on what you are going to use it for, but i found this

Axis 900

Price: £699.00 ex VAT (£821.33 inc VAT)


AMD Athlon 900GHz processor
256MB SDRAM (PC133)
30GB UDMA100 IDE hard disk
17" (16" vis) LG Flatron 775FT monitor
32MB nVIDIA GeForce2 MX with TV out

and

Evolution 1500EL

Price: £699.00 ex VAT (£821.33 inc VAT)


Intel Pentium 4 1.5GHz processor
256MB SDRAM (PC133)
30GB UDMA100 hard disk drive
17" (16" vis) evesham monitor
32MB nVIDIA GeForce2 MX with TV out

or

Quest A1400

Price: £552.34 ex VAT (£649.00 inc VAT)


AMD Athlon 1.4GHz 266Mhz DDR processor
256MB SDRAM (PC133)
40GB UDMA100 hard disk drive
32MB nVIDIA GeForce2 MX-200 with TV-out
56k v90 modem

But check out their website, there is a huge range.

[2can]

3D Graphics (64 MB)


AVOID computers that simply list their 3d cards as "3D Graphics" - they will probably flog you something rubbish. Always aim for a big name such as a GeForce, Voodoo or ATI Radeon.

If you have reasonably good computer knowledge, consider building your own - it's easier than you think, and will save you around a 1/3 of the price. What's more you can save a few pounds by keeping your old case/monitor/cdrom/floppy.

[Random*]

Fujitsu use decent quality components - I used to work in an internet cafe, where the computers were on 20-24hrs a day, with very heavy usage - out of the 30 pcs there was only one hardware failure in the 6 months I was there.

Last time I looked at their specs, they were using ATi Graphics cards, but that was about 9 months ago, they may well have moved onto the GeForces by now - I certainly don't think they'll be using a cheap graphics card.

And stay away from Time and Tiny...

[Coulsdon Eagle]

Originally posted by Random*

And stay away from Time and Tiny...

I've got a Tiny, (yes, snigger snigger), must admit i haven't had any problems with it, it came with all the whistles and bells, ie DVD, CD-R, intel 4, 1.3 hard drive, maybe they have had bad history, or i've been the exception.

[trotter1973]

instead of building your own (which is easy but needs a little nerve
for the first timer) is to get your pc at this place:

http://www.cclcomputers.co.uk

they are very cheap for components and will build your pc to the spec
you want for only £30!!
they use good quality parts and their customer service is good too.
delivery costs around £25
i have been using them for years and they have never mucked me about.

;)


one place to avoid is scan computers.
you are kept on the phone for ages and take ages to replace faulty
parts and are arsey about refunds.

:grrr: :grrr: :grrr: :grrr:

[Blarm]

Try
www.europc.co.uk
they will have Dell pc's similar to that quoted above for about £500

They are all factory replacement Dell pc's. The original purchaser has returned the PC to Dell because of a problem. Dell replace with another new one and then fix the original which it sells as factory refurbished. I bought 3 of them a month or so ago and have had no problems. You can buy these direct from Dell but the europc prices are cheaper because they buy in bulk. The build quality of Dell is exremely good. I have in the past built many of my own PC's but I can't even buy the parts for the same price.

[Stavros 69]

Mate whatever u do dont buy a TINY (death trap) or a Time (bomb). They are **** and you get ripped off. I had a Tiny a while back. I lost all my A level course work and in the end i had 32,000 virus' on it. I KID U NOT. I lost everything. Whatever pc u get just make sure u have a virus checker.

Don't buy a pentium either if u get an AMD Athlon u get twice as much for u money.

Try www.totalcomputing.co.uk
you can get an online quote because they build them.

I have one and it has been the best investment for ages.

Good Luck :afro:

[henryhallandhisbasque]

Evesham Micros generally get good reviews. Personally, I've found their technical support to be dreadful and very hard to get through to. Doris Stokes would do better! It closes for lunch and weekends and also after 5 p.m at night. When you do get through, you generally get some oik at the end of the phone, who has two cue-card-answers. The first is "it's a software issue," the second is "reformat your hard-drive."

I recently had to threaten them with engaging a solictior to get them to replace a defective laptop. I got nothing but rudeness, non-returned calls, letters not answered - even by their managing director. Once they knew I'd sue them, I was offered a new desktop PC and a free printer. Foolishly, I accepted, now, the new PC is going wrong! They never ever addressed the 'customer service' issues I raised either, just sending the new PC by courier. Mine might be a one-off case, but in my experience Evesham are very good until something goes wrong!

I'd go for Dan or Dell, if you are buying direct from the manufacturer. These are two companies with competent technical support, well-made products and generally attentive after-sales service. John Lewis aren't bad if you want to buy from a shop. I would strongly advise against going to buy your PC from the bigger superstores like Tiny, Time, PC World, and Comet. These places tend to be full of spotty sales consultants in nylon shirts and can make the likes of Evesham look professional! They can also palm off old and faulty stock, and tend to have very little interest in anything other than the initial sale, generally speaking that is!

[Men At Work]

Originally posted by Stavros 69
I lost all my A level course work and in the end i had 32,000 virus' on it. I KID U NOT. I lost everything.

Two things. The viruses are the fault of Windoze not having any idea or interest in security so *any* brand would have been infected. Secondly, you lost everything because you didn't make backups. All equipment has the possibility of going wrong, especially hard disks. A drive can be replaced for under £100 but your data can't. It amazes me that people still don't bother paying a few quid for a decent backup programme and disks they can store off-site.

[Stavros 69]

Thank you Mr Smart arse. If u had told me that a couple of years ago then i wouldnt have done so badly. All i was trying to do was help the man not make the same mistakes i did. But as u have to come in and act a di*k i wont help anyone else tonight.



BANG ONE LESS WANK*R in the world

[Andover Eagle]

goto this web site http://www.computer-fairs.co.uk/ you can get a good PC for £500 to £800 new or make one :p

[Men At Work]

Originally posted by Stavros 69
Thank you Mr Smart arse. If u had told me that a couple of years ago then i wouldnt have done so badly. All i was trying to do was help the man not make the same mistakes i did. But as u have to come in and act a di*k i wont help anyone else tonight

It was standard advice ten years ago, Stav, but hopefully it's a case of once bitten twice shy for you. Also, mine was a bit of advice and not a personal attack although, sadly, you seem to have interpreted it as that for some reason. Perhaps using Windows is upping your stress levels :)

[Stavros 69]

If i rememeber 10 years ago there was hardly any internet and i certainly didnt have a computor. I was bitten but i bit back and now i back up everything the point i was making was i lost everything and i wouldnt want anyone else to do the same. SO THANK U FOR UR ADVISE AND HAVE A GOOD NIGHT :rolleyes:

PS. How to i use windows all i get is people having a go at me, next time i'll just make a phone call.

[kolinkins]

thanks 4 the adivice. i finally ordered a pc yesturday. its a mesh, 1.5 athlon, 256mb ram, 40gb hd, dvd, 64mb graphics card etc etc for £752. good deal?

[Si121]

Sounds alright...what make is it?