Advice On Buying A New Computer Please

ivecotrucker

Guest
My computer knowledge is somewhat less than zero (the ON/OFF button is my limit) & there is obviously something going increasingly wrong with my current thing- a big box that sits on the floor with labels saying:
" Compaq Presario, Intel Pentium 4 Processor 505, 255Mb DDR, 60 GB Hard Drive @7,200 rpm. "
On another label it says:
" Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900; Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition; IEEE 1394 Firewire Interface; High Speed 56K Modem; Up to 128Mb shared video memory. "

I haven't the foggiest idea, nor interest, in what any of that means so please don't blind me with any computrickology techno-babble. It is about 10 years old from what I remember, give or take a bit. It hates this website in particular, especially since Admin changed server; succeeding thread pages take for ever to load, it hates going backwards/forwards on the arrow buttons - nothing happens for ages then it will suddenly revert to the Google search page or even a different website altogether. I'm always getting pop-up screen ads "your computer is slow/your computer is knackered etc". A local con-man 'computer-expert' rebuilt it at some cost, since when it's been even worse.

However, I've got a really good mansized proper 'qwerty' keyboard that I can really thump plus a really good TV screen ( I think you call them 'monitors' but to me that was who dished out the school milk - remember those days ? ). So all I really want is a separate new box thing that's got the actual techtrickery inside it; I don't want some all singing all dancing 'fit in your handbag' (I haven't got one) thing that needs a cocktail stick to work the keyboard.

Is this any good ?:
" HP Pro, 3515, 4GB RAM, 500 GB HDD, 3.4 GHz, A Series Processor " -doesn't say what rpm, about £260 -£320 on t'internet

Or this ?:
" Windows 7, IBM ThinkCEntre M51, 8104, 3.2 GHz, Ultra Small Desktop PC " - about £85 refurbed

Or this ?:
" Windows 7, Dell Optiplex, GX280, Desktop PC, P4, 3.4 GHz, 1 GB Ram " - about £110 refurbed

Is it worth buying refurbed or better to splash out on new ?.

Thanks
 
Minefield, depends what you want to do with it. Will a refurbed one come with a guarantee?

One definite piece of advice, don't get one with the XP operating system. Microsoft will no longer be supporting it next year, it will be vulnerable to attack. Personally I'd also avoid Vista, purely 'cos I don't like it.

I don't currently use Windows 7 or 8 but I'm sure lots on here do.

Have fun.
 
ivecotrucker said:
My computer knowledge is somewhat less than zero (the ON/OFF button is my limit) & there is obviously something going increasingly wrong with my current thing- a big box that sits on the floor with labels saying:
" Compaq Presario, Intel Pentium 4 Processor 505, 255Mb DDR, 60 GB Hard Drive @7,200 rpm. "
On another label it says:
" Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900; Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition; IEEE 1394 Firewire Interface; High Speed 56K Modem; Up to 128Mb shared video memory. "

I haven't the foggiest idea, nor interest, in what any of that means so please don't blind me with any computrickology techno-babble. It is about 10 years old from what I remember, give or take a bit. It hates this website in particular, especially since Admin changed server; succeeding thread pages take for ever to load, it hates going backwards/forwards on the arrow buttons - nothing happens for ages then it will suddenly revert to the Google search page or even a different website altogether. I'm always getting pop-up screen ads "your computer is slow/your computer is knackered etc". A local con-man 'computer-expert' rebuilt it at some cost, since when it's been even worse.

However, I've got a really good mansized proper 'qwerty' keyboard that I can really thump plus a really good TV screen ( I think you call them 'monitors' but to me that was who dished out the school milk - remember those days ? ). So all I really want is a separate new box thing that's got the actual techtrickery inside it; I don't want some all singing all dancing 'fit in your handbag' (I haven't got one) thing that needs a cocktail stick to work the keyboard.

Is this any good ?:
" HP Pro, 3515, 4GB RAM, 500 GB HDD, 3.4 GHz, A Series Processor " -doesn't say what rpm, about £260 -£320 on t'internet

Or this ?:
" Windows 7, IBM ThinkCEntre M51, 8104, 3.2 GHz, Ultra Small Desktop PC " - about £85 refurbed

Or this ?:
" Windows 7, Dell Optiplex, GX280, Desktop PC, P4, 3.4 GHz, 1 GB Ram " - about £110 refurbed

Is it worth buying refurbed or better to splash out on new ?.

Thanks
Click to expand...

If you're still running Windows XP you should know that Microsoft are going to stop supporting it early next year, which means no patches, updates etc., and gradually it falling further and further behind in terms of performance.

You don't say what operating system the HP Pro has installed but at least it has a decent amount of RAM.

Similarly, you don't say how much RAM the IBM has but from recollection, which may be incorrect, 1GB will not get the best out of Windows 7, and I would go for an absolute minimum of 2GB but much better with 4GB.

HTH.
 
Hi, used to run QWERTY in Tavistock, get yourself a new laptop running Win 7, go to a big store feel the laptop, look at screen, keyboard, etc, it will eat anything you have been doing and a great deal more, the minimum a new laptop in power will be at least 10times what you’ve been used to.
Don’t buy Norton or any of the other rubbish they try and sell you,(that’s where there profits are.) Use free AVG, open office etc, and most of all reframe from loading crap programs, best of luck.
 
before you do anything make a list of what u want it to do ie photo editing runn office or what ever you need to do and internet which is standard these days well as for the 2.8 cpu mine fly along it runns no probelm on this site think your problem is xp home try a different web browser try chrome as that zips along quiet nicely on mine and treat yourself to a flatscreen monitor of decent size as for key board it might not plug in if it running the round pin need a converter



ignor below this if for the techies
why i run a old machine because i run ide raid on here with a lot of hdd and two psu as idont have enough welly to run two raid setups onboard and seperate pcie card
 
Last edited:
invalid said:
Hi, used to run QWERTY in Tavistock, get yourself a new laptop running Win 7, go to a big store feel the laptop, look at screen, keyboard, etc, it will eat anything you have been doing and a great deal more, the minimum a new laptop in power will be at least 10times what you’ve been used to.
Don’t buy Norton or any of the other rubbish they try and sell you,(that’s where there profits are.) Use free AVG, open office etc, and most of all reframe from loading crap programs, best of luck.
Click to expand...

Some good advice there, but why a laptop? They have their limitations and shortfalls v desktops.
 
If you are as bad as you say you are you need to find the nearest computer shop pop in and explain your predicament and trust them to set you up with a decent package as foolproof as they can.
Then any problems you get you will have a local friendly face and store to solve you problems

Alf



ivecotrucker said:
My computer knowledge is somewhat less than zero (the ON/OFF button is my limit) & there is obviously something going increasingly wrong with my current thing- a big box that sits on the floor with labels saying:
" Compaq Presario, Intel Pentium 4 Processor 505, 255Mb DDR, 60 GB Hard Drive @7,200 rpm. "
On another label it says:
" Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900; Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition; IEEE 1394 Firewire Interface; High Speed 56K Modem; Up to 128Mb shared video memory. "

I haven't the foggiest idea, nor interest, in what any of that means so please don't blind me with any computrickology techno-babble. It is about 10 years old from what I remember, give or take a bit. It hates this website in particular, especially since Admin changed server; succeeding thread pages take for ever to load, it hates going backwards/forwards on the arrow buttons - nothing happens for ages then it will suddenly revert to the Google search page or even a different website altogether. I'm always getting pop-up screen ads "your computer is slow/your computer is knackered etc". A local con-man 'computer-expert' rebuilt it at some cost, since when it's been even worse.

However, I've got a really good mansized proper 'qwerty' keyboard that I can really thump plus a really good TV screen ( I think you call them 'monitors' but to me that was who dished out the school milk - remember those days ? ). So all I really want is a separate new box thing that's got the actual techtrickery inside it; I don't want some all singing all dancing 'fit in your handbag' (I haven't got one) thing that needs a cocktail stick to work the keyboard.

Is this any good ?:
" HP Pro, 3515, 4GB RAM, 500 GB HDD, 3.4 GHz, A Series Processor " -doesn't say what rpm, about £260 -£320 on t'internet

Or this ?:
" Windows 7, IBM ThinkCEntre M51, 8104, 3.2 GHz, Ultra Small Desktop PC " - about £85 refurbed

Or this ?:
" Windows 7, Dell Optiplex, GX280, Desktop PC, P4, 3.4 GHz, 1 GB Ram " - about £110 refurbed

Is it worth buying refurbed or better to splash out on new ?.

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
computer prob

download advanced system care from download .com its free it will get rid of all the crap that accumulates on your computer and make it run as new use once a week best thing I ever found
 
Alf 1 said:
If you are as bad as you say you are you need to find the nearest computer shop pop in and explain your predicament and trust them to set you up with a decent package as foolproof as they can.
Then any problems you get you will have a local friendly face and store to solve you problems

Alf
Click to expand...

You're not talking about PC World then! Never yet met anyone there who seems to know very much about anything.
 
dont throw it out just yet with what you have you could run linux xubuntu 13-10 on it ,it will be about 4 times faster than what you have .
you can find it at distrowatch .com.
no bugs or slow downs free updates ,but will require hp printers only
 
hi wint things have changed a lot dead easy to load 20 min and will work out of box,mite save him paying ms .
not as geekey as was about 5 years back,have looked at seven,not as easy to use as i thought,it a overlay of vista
but better than win 8,
now ill get of my soap box.
 
If your just wanting the system unit (Boxy bit) and dont want to spend a lot I would look at an Ebay referbished solution perhaps

The minimum spec I would go for is

Windows 7 Pro or Home Premium

4 Gb Ram

at least 100GB HArd drive

Dual Core or above PRocessor

You should find something perhaps even with a guarentee for under £100.


I just took a boot load like yours to the tip (I work in IT)

ITs served you well but its time for an upgrade. Im surprised your IT man didnt suggest that. I normally advise my customers to change / upgrade the whole machine between 3-5 years in business.

For software.

Get rid of whatever anti virus comes bundled with the machine and install Microsoft Security Essentials. AVG and AVast free editions are find but have a habit of tricking those who are less computer savvy into opting for the paid for version and then it all goes wrong.

Download Open Office instead of the paid for version of MS OFfice

Dont forget to backup any photos, files etc before you sling the old one out and if it has anything confidential on it take out the hard drive first.

Good luck
 
frontslide said:
PC world isnt a computer shop its a supermarket for computer sales etc :cool:
Click to expand...

Oh but you haven't visited their 'KnowHow Bar' where specially trained staff can sort out ALL your PC problems, whether it's hardware or software related - well that's what they claim, but it isn't true, unless you count, 'I don't know what's wrong with it but I'll send it off to our specialists to investigate if you want - oh, and costs £55.00 payable now, please'. :lol-053:
 
barryd said:
Dont forget to backup any photos, files etc before you sling the old one out and if it has anything confidential on it take out the hard drive first.

Good luck
Click to expand...

Instead of removing the hard-drive (and then wondering what to do with it), what's wrong with simply completely destroying all the information on it using Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN)?

For anyone interested, DBAN is free and can be downloaded here: Darik's Boot and Nuke | Free System Administration software downloads at SourceForge.net but it can be read about here: Darik's Boot And Nuke | Hard Drive Disk Wipe and Data Clearing
 
Last edited:

Oh, I'm quite familiar with Linux - it's what Mrs IvecoT puts in the washing machine .... isn't it ??.
 
Thank you all for your help so far - I've been off doing other things & just returned to the 'office'.

My screen is flat (Compaq 5315, lovely big pikkies), not an old X ray type machine.
All I really want is:

- space for several 000's photos & increasing - no photoshop or anything, I don't bugger about changing sunsets or people's hair colour etc (I wouldn't know how & life's too short)

- a good word/typing system

- room for several hundreds text/info/report files, each about = 2-3 A4 typed pages

-ability to play/read/write CD's & I suppose DVD's these days; also ability to read/play music CD's that have been recorded in MP3 format (my Balkan ethno stuff - works Ok on my current Compaq)

-good Internet/GoogleEarth search speed.

That's about it I think. Thanks to All so far.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who viewed this discussion (Total:0)

Back
Top