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Best computer buy help...please ! (1 Viewer)

Metermaid

Metermaid

Well-known member
Daughter at uni needs new computer - we bought a cheap reconditioned laptop for a couple of hundred which has been ok but is now becoming unreliable. So...want something for around £400 if possible which will do Word processing and she can use from Broadband internet (mainly for work but the odd games Popcap etc nothing huge) - We've looked at the Dell desktops (as very happy with our WiFi laptop from them) - they have last couple of days of free printer offer on at the moment which would be nice - Dimension 2400 but it's a Celeron not Pentium 4 processor - would this be an issue? - would think need at least 512 memory - is that right?

Any advice would be really appreciated

Thanks :)
 
Hi Metermaid

On a recommendation from my IT specialists at work I bought my last one from Mesh Computers.

I had never heard of them before but was very pleased with what I got and the service was excellent. I particularly liked the ability to customise any of their standard packages with a bit more or less of capabilities you really want.
 
In my experience Dell are pretty good - you can customise their systems so you only get exactly the features you want.

They also operate an outlet store to sell mail-order returns and refurbished machines - see <this link>. If you know roughly what you're looking for, then there are often bargains to be had. Beware that desktops are usually supplied without a monitor.

Celeron processors are perfectly respectable - they're Intel's budget offering. I would have thought that for typical uni work (assuming your daughter's not going to need any heavy duty graphics or video processing etc), it would be fine.
 
Thanks for the replies - Nigel, looking at the Mesh site - where does Athlon processor rank with respect to Celeron, Pentium 4 etc? (sorry, not very computer literate !)
 
Athlon - basically same performance (a little less but not that much) as Pentium IV and for a lot less money. Better than Celeron I would say. Also supposedly more stable than the Pentium chips.
 
I use a Dell at home, and at work we have about 2000+ Dells! Pretty reliable, and they often have some pretty cheap spec ones on their website. Worth a look.

Celeron, although not great for "big" gaming, is probably OK for Word processing. Internet access will run on ANYTHING - processing power not an issue with internet really.

Probably right about 512 of memory, but i got 256 and it was OK - easy to add more later - but DON'T buy this from Dell afterwards - shop around for cheap memory if you want to add more later (think it cost me about £20 for extra 256).

Other nice thing about Dell PCs is the colour - dark grey is better than off-white!

Dell aftersales can be a bit of a problem. They sent me the wrong mouse (paid £5 more for "wheel mouse" and they sent a plain one). Gave up complaining after 6 months and "borrowed" one from work instead! Mind you, as the PCs are reliable, you probably wouldn't need to contact them. And don't think you'd get a better service buying from a shop - not always the case. A friend of mine got his PC from PC World. When it stopped working, they charged him £165 to remove a virus!!!
 
cheap memory from www.shop4memory.co.uk

Secondhand computers from http://www.discount-computers-ni.co.uk/home.php

Discount computers are a bit slow to deliver but are fairly reliable.
To buy new I would buy a Dell because buying from smaller manufacturers they tend to put components into their machines without testing them to see if they work well together where as Dell or Compaq etc have years of expiereance and failure analysis to guide them.

Secondhand laptops are a bad buyas the battery life is usually very degraded and are usually overpriced.
 
I'd second the advice for a Dell, particularly from Dell Outlet. They've got some very good offers on machines. As far as processors go the spec does get very confusing e.g. a Celeron M in a laptop will outperform a higher gigahertz rated Mobile Pentium 4, whilst a Pentium M rated the same as the Celeron M will be barely (if any faster) at handling most applications but will run for longer on batteries. If you're looking at basic office applications and internet use any processor from the past couple of years will be more than capable. If you're after running 3D games or video editing then you need to be choosy. From my experience most of the sales people in the high street/retail park shops know next to nothing about processors...

If you go for a Dell Outlet machine regularly check the Dell outlet bit of their website for the current offers - the offers on the outlet site are often different to that on the main site. The outlet offers are particularly good on laptops and higher end desktops.

For desktops I'd only bother with a 1yr warranty as most parts are relatively easy to fix/replace but with a laptop I'd advise 3yrs.

As to broadband if your daughter is in halls she may be able to connect to the university network free of charge either by wireless or an ethernet card (worth checking).

The Dimension 2400 is fine as a basic machine for basic use and 256 ram should be okay for basic office applications.

Hope this is of some help.

Richard
 
Give me an Athlon 64 anyday!

Dell might snap to attention where big supply contracts are concerned, but many of the computer forums and magazines I use/read report Dell as a poor performer on after sales service to domestic users.

Me? Well if I didn’t build my own computers I would go for a Mesh or similar as the ‘bits in the box’ are mostly the very same bits you get down at your local PC-world et al. Makes updating your computer innards so much easier.
Dells’ are full of Dell specified OEM parts. (So I understand, I ain’t looked, but I’ll live with it!!).
Dell also comes only in one flavour right now, and that’s Intel.









. :t:
 
I too am not sold on the possibility of Dell to afford any type of support post-sale. I have heard only dreadful things about delays if a problem does arise. I'm pretty much in line with Javva. Maybe one way to go would be to find a good techie (there are lots of bad ones so watch out) and have him build the Tower for you. The most important thing is to research thoroughly the compatibility issues of whichever CPU is being considered and the Motherboard (mind you the Motherboard itself usually has recommended RAM). The advantages of having a technician build the Tower is that they normally guarantee their work for a certain period and also can order the components for you at lower cost.
 
Which? Magazine

Hi, have you checked in Which? magazine for their latest report on computer reliability? When I was looking a few years back Dell came out top. However some people did have problems when returning units. The local library should have copies and mine will also search the Which site online for me.

I bought an independant as back then they were poorly specced compared to similar priced models but this is no longer the case.

I bought extra cover of 4 years return to base, free labour pay for parts, but have never used it as it's much quicker to find someone local.

As I have now found someone I trust and I would use him to advise/quote me on a new computer as local help/advice is better than a faceless salesperson (if going the mailorder route). Also better for upgrades/repairs.

Thinking about Broadband there is now a company called UK online offering 512Kb at £9.99 if you're in the right area. Beats my Tesco broadband who were the cheapest (unlimited downloads).
 
cuckooroller said:
I too am not sold on the possibility of Dell to afford any type of support post-sale. I have heard only dreadful things about delays if a problem does arise. I'm pretty much in line with Javva. Maybe one way to go would be to find a good techie (there are lots of bad ones so watch out) and have him build the Tower for you. The most important thing is to research thoroughly the compatibility issues of whichever CPU is being considered and the Motherboard (mind you the Motherboard itself usually has recommended RAM). The advantages of having a technician build the Tower is that they normally guarantee their work for a certain period and also can order the components for you at lower cost.
Click to expand...

My experience with Dell service differs. My laptop keyboard died in the last month of the three year warranty. I called Dell, and they gave me an authorization to have it couriered to Toronto (from the West Coast) to be repaired. I took it to the courier's office on Monday afternoon, and it came back with a new keyboard on Thursday morning. Barely enough time for the round trip!

Alan
 
Any criticism levelled at Dell’s service record (by me anyway) is purely from a UK perspective.

IMHO, taking a look through a few UK computer mags is to be recommended – assuming you know what you’re looking for, I suppose. There you will find reviews and advise.

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/index.cfm?go=hardware.top&cat=3





As pointed out in an earlier posting by ‘dipped’, which magazine may help the less knowledgeable computer user with their selection.





. :t:
 
Alan,
I am sure that Dell's post-sale support in N America is much better. It is not that great here in Europe in at least some cases that I know about. It may be a question of shipping distances.
 
I have had my last two computers built by the local shop. If any problems much easier to pop along and have it fixed usually on the spot and there is no hanging onto an expensive help line call. Their local shop prices are reasonable too when compared to what's available from national suppliers
 
Geoff Brown said:
I have had my last two computers built by the local shop. If any problems much easier to pop along and have it fixed usually on the spot and there is no hanging onto an expensive help line call. Their local shop prices are reasonable too when compared to what's available from national suppliers
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more, use your local computer shop. I had my current PC built to my own 'specs' for less than half the cost of similar 'spec's' computers by Dell and other manufacturers. It came with a 2 year warranty on all parts as well.

Within a couple of days there was a failure of the hard drive. I took it back and the drive was replaced, checked, and delivered back to me at home in under 3 hours. You can't argue about the service there. Since then I have had no problems at all. (fingers crossed). I feel that I may need an upgrade soon, to a faster processor, and I know who will be doing it. Yup, my local computer shop.

Harry
 
harry eales said:
I couldn't agree more, use your local computer shop. I had my current PC built to my own 'specs' for less than half the cost of similar 'spec's' computers by Dell and other manufacturers. It came with a 2 year warranty on all parts as well.

Within a couple of days there was a failure of the hard drive. I took it back and the drive was replaced, checked, and delivered back to me at home in under 3 hours. You can't argue about the service there. Since then I have had no problems at all. (fingers crossed). I feel that I may need an upgrade soon, to a faster processor, and I know who will be doing it. Yup, my local computer shop.

Harry
Click to expand...





Herein rest my case!










:t:
 
Sorry Harry, you’ve lost me.

No, I don’t use a laptop computer. I still prefer my Athlon driven tower unit.

As I mentioned in my post way back about # 9, I constructed and upgrade as necessary my own computer.

When a rebuild is in order, I’ll knock out a new one!

In quoting you, I was agreeing with you and Geoff Brown that if you can find a good local supplier to build you a unit to order, then that’s probably the best way to go.











. :t:
 
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