Any PC specialist's????

[Rob_Willow]

Evening all. OK i've had my PC since 1999, and it needs replacing. I've bought a TFT screen and printer etc last year, so all i need is a new base unit.
I know very little regarding what spec to buy, but i dont want to spend more than 300 notes.
Could someone please direct me to a decent deal that includes windows XP, and possibly a pentium processor between 2.5 / 3.5 GHZ? is this possible taking into account my budget?

Any help appreciated

Rob

 

[Griff]

Re: Any PC wizards????

What do you want it for?

Home Office? Gaming? Video editing?

£300 will not go very far at all. Might let you view websites and play pong but that's about it.

 

[aaronc]

Re: Any PC wizards????

We have some Dell 5150 Base units brand new with one year warranty for £299+VAT with Free next day Delivery to cliosport members.

Spec is :
Intel® Pentium® D Processor 820 with DualCore Technology
80GB SATA Hard Drive
1024MB DDR400 RAM (1GB RAM)
16x DVD+/-RW Combo
Intel Extreme 950 3D Graphics
SPECIAL OFFER - FREE UPGRADE TO DVDRW
SPECIAL OFFER - FREE Upgrade to Windows XP Media Centre
SPECIAL OFFER - FREE Dell Mouse & Keyboard
Microsoft Works 7.0 + More
Genuine Windows® XP Media Edition, SP2 + More
1 Year Dell Collect & Return Warranty (Fully Transferable to new owner)

If your interested, let me know.

aaron@solaristech.co.uk

 

[Rob_Willow]

Nothing special to be honest. Using internet mainly and steaming videos, possibly office applications for coursework. I want it to handle MP3 files and sync with my sony w800 mobile. I wouldn't use it for games, but i'd imagine a standard graphics card would be included? Must have CD writer, 3.5 floppy drive and ethernet ready.

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/dt_essentials?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

Gives an idea of what i had in mind. Obviously i just want the base unit.

"Quote aaron" (Intel® Pentium® D Processor 820 with DualCore Technology) How does that compare to a pentium 4 processor circa 2.5 ghz?

 

[Griff]

If you can stretch to £350 then Aaron's deal isn't bad at all.

It's not really as simple as comparing it to a P4 "circa 2.5ghz" as there were all sorts of P4's but suffice to say whether you're thinking of a P4 (400,533,800) this will superceed it.

 

[aaronc]

As Griff says its difficult but as its dual core you can do increased multitasking and more.

Heres a bit copied and pasted below:

A dual core processor is a CPU with two separate cores on the same die, each with its own cache. It's the equivalent of getting two microprocessors in one.

In a single-core or traditional processor the CPU is fed strings of instructions it must order, execute, then selectively store in its cache for quick retrieval. When data outside the cache is required, it is retrieved through the system bus from random access memory (RAM) or from storage devices. Accessing these slows down performance to the maximum speed the bus, RAM or storage device will allow, which is far slower than the speed of the CPU. The situation is compounded when multi-tasking. In this case the processor must switch back and forth between two or more sets of data streams and programs. CPU resources are depleted and performance suffers.

In a dual core processor each core handles incoming data strings simultaneously to improve efficiency. Just as two heads are better than one, so are two hands. Now when one is executing the other can be accessing the system bus or executing its own code. Adding to this favorable scenario, both AMD and Intel's dual-core flagships are 64-bit.

 

[aaronc]

Click here to see the differences.

 

[Rob_Willow]

Right cheers guys. I really don't know much about computer technology these days, so your saying that the pentium D processor is more recent than what i quoted? I could probably stretch to that if your saying it's worth it. I just don't want to go to PC World and be fobbed off with some crap for a similar price....

 

[TheCake]

Rob, put it this way. My laptop was sent to Aaron last week... I trust him. He knows what he's talking about

 

[aaronc]

Si, i forgot to tell you I sold your laptop as i needed a flight to Barbados....










only kidding your laptop is in good hands!

 

[TheCake]

LOL damn you

 

[Rob_Willow]

is this your ebay shop aaron?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Dell-Dimensio...Z8799257463QQcategoryZ179QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It mentions free upgrade to DVDRW.. is this worth doing? Could you do this cheaper minus the keyboard and mouse as it's a cliosport club member ofcourse

 

[Rob_Willow]

Just noticed the one through your ebay site has 512MB DDR400 RAM (1GB RAM) However the one mentioned above has double this @ 1024MB, which one would i be getting?

 

[Griff]

1024mb is 1gb of ram.

 

[Rob_Willow]

1024mb is 1gb of ram.

ebay: 512MB DDR400 RAM (1GB RAM) (= 1/2 GB)
Previous post: 1024MB DDR400 RAM (1GB RAM) (= 1.024 GB)

Just confused me thats all. lol

 

[aaronc]

No its 1GB ram for sure.

Its a mistake on the listing.....you just cant get the staff these days lol

Ill get it changed tomorrow.

But if you want it, then best to call 01903 820331 and ask for me (Aaron) and ill be able to process your order and get it dispatched the very same day.

 

[aaronc]

Rob, if you still after one, as its the last one of that batch I can discount it to £320 all in delivered next day, but be quick as it wont last long at that price, cheers.

 

[Rob_Willow]

Cheers Aaron

 

[FiDoDiDo]

You can't get any better for that I would think.