Need a new PC, but from whom?

[scook94]

Thought I'd post this on here as you guys seem to know what you're talking about! 

My aged PIII is long overdue for retirement (it still runs fine under Linux, but under Windows it's pretty unusable), so the time has come for me to think about a replacement.

The problem is I'm totally baffled with who to but from. I had thought about Dell for a long while, as I'd feel safer with their on-site warranty, but I know I can get much more bang for my buck elsewhere.

I'd looked at Overclockers, but comments on here have put me off. There's a (relatively) local supplier who I've also considered but as I've never really heard of them I'm slightly wary. ( http://www.dunedin-computers.com)

I have a decent enough budget (£2000) and am considering something like a QX6850 based machine with 4Gb RAM, 1Tb storage and possibly Vista 64. I'd also like to get Office 2007 and a 22" screen in that budget.

I'm not a gamer, but figure that as I have the money to spend, it'd be best in the long run to get the highest spec I can. Apart from the usual, it'll be used mainly for digital photo processing.

So, can you guys please help me spend some money?

TIA

Steven.

[john]

Hi Steven.

If you're looking to spend up to £2000 on a PC (I presume you're looking for a desktop) then this probably isn't what you're looking for but with a casual glance when I was in the store it looked quite a good spec for the money. Not being in the market myself I don't know how it compares to other deals elsewhere but I'm sure others here will be happy to comment.

Medion PC at Tesco

[Ann]

I think your local supplier is a good place to go.  If something goes wrong and you don't know how to fix it yourself, they are there to help.  Better than being at the other end of the country.  A small company is also good as they tend to know what they're talking about and are computer geeks which is what you want.  Their systems are also based on decent motherboards which is a good start and is often where the bigger stores skimp. 

[Simon]

With that sort of budget, I would also agree with going to a small local retailer, who would build you something to your own specifications, i.e. with strength in the parts you need it.

As far as buying online, I have only ever bought one desktop online, and that was for someone else, but it was from Dell, and they haven't had any trouble with it.

Another good company worth looking at, is Novatech. 

[ducky22]

To be honest, overclockers are a good company in my experience. Sometimes pricer for some components, other times cheaper than everywhere else. I recently bought some RAM, thought it was faulty and called to organise a replacement. It was done very quickly. Then I realised the RAM was fine and it was my own fault.

Since you have a good budget, I'd recommend Dell.

Whatever you do, don't go over the top on the processor unless you intend to buy good hard drive(s). There is no point as the first bottlekneck you always meet is disc I/O and not CPU. Go for 15,000rpm SAS drives. Not SATA(1.5 or 3bit) and not SCSI. In a heavy duty enviroment we've found 15,000rmp seagate SAS drives to be worth every penny. They far out perform SATA and SCSI.

[Inactive]

A belated welcome Steven, have a welcome Karma.

[Rik]

Welcome, Steven. I'd suggest taking a look at Scan. They will build what you want, not restricting you to a stock model and their backup is excellent.

[scook94]

Thanks, for the input. I guess I should talk to Dunedin before I discount them. I'll take a look at Scan too.

Also, I haven't discounted building my own. That might be the way to go too, especially if I want SAS Drives...

[Glenn]

Sign up to AV Forums and you can get free delivery from Scan too http://www.avforums.com/forums/scan_offer.php

[Ann]

If building your own is an option, I'd definitely do that.  Will never buy a whole computer again.  It's not cheaper though!

[scook94]

Ann, yeah that's what puts me off building my own. Technically it's not a problem, but knowing that someone else can/will do it cheaper puts me right off!!!

[jockwav]

I have been looking at this site myself.

http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/index.php?page=pcsystembuilder&gclid=CIrJ6YeZ35ACFQ9tMAodVAjDOg

[scook94]

Small update, for anyone who's interested. I popped into the local PC shop here in Stirling and got the helpful chap to give me quote for the kind of spec I was looking for. Unfortunately they were about £500 over my "budget" and about the same over for similar spec'ed PCs that I'd seen online.

However, I'd emailed an ex-colleague who I knew kept his ear to the ground regarding PC technology and "local" suppliers.
He pointed me in the direction of various websites, but one in particular seemed to stand out from the rest, hopefully I'll get to visit them sometime next week, and if all goes well I'll be placing an order with them. Anyway, this is them http://www.laptopsandpcs.co.uk/

[Arthix]

£2k budget for a non-gaming pc? Are you mad!

I'm having a hard time imagining where the money is going as the pricey parts of a high performance pc are the 2 x Graphics cards (Which you wouldn't need I guess...).

QX6850 - Isn't that only slightly better than a Q6600 with a few hundred quid added to the price tag?

I'v always used overclockers and built my own, never had a problem with them. I spent about £1k upgrading my pc last month, That was a full spec (Inlcuding a £200 graphics card and a £350 24" widescreen monitor) except for a copy of Windows XP and a case. I don't see any need to spend more than that as you would be throwing money away for a tiny performance gain.

[Ann]

ROFL.. I kinda read the post and agreed but just sidled off and said nothing.. LOL.  For £2000 I could build a top grade machine but to say that what you wanted would cost another £500 on top is a bit odd.  But who knows.. there you go...

[scook94]

£2k budget for a non-gaming pc? Are you mad!

I'm having a hard time imagining where the money is going as the pricey parts of a high performance pc are the 2 x Graphics cards (Which you wouldn't need I guess...).

QX6850 - Isn't that only slightly better than a Q6600 with a few hundred quid added to the price tag?

I'v always used overclockers and built my own, never had a problem with them. I spent about £1k upgrading my pc last month, That was a full spec (Inlcuding a £200 graphics card and a £350 24" widescreen monitor) except for a copy of Windows XP and a case. I don't see any need to spend more than that as you would be throwing money away for a tiny performance gain.

Arthix, yes I probably am. From the comparisons I've read the QX6850 is about 27% faster than a Q6600 (others may be able to set me right on that figure).

But you were right in your original post (pre-edit  ), I'm one of those who have more money than sense. I've had this PC for about 8 years and if it takes another 8 years for my next upgrade then I don't want to be in the same position I am now, i.e. it isn't capable of running the types of applications I need. (I have to use the laptop my work gave me for the likes of iTunes and digital photo processing because this one can't cope, I hate having so much personal data on a PC I don't own).

But, I'm in the position that I came into a bit of money just before Christmas and the money is there to spend...

[scook94]

ROFL.. I kinda read the post and agreed but just sidled off and said nothing.. LOL.  For £2000 I could build a top grade machine but to say that what you wanted would cost another £500 on top is a bit odd.  But who knows.. there you go...

Ann, care to give me a quote for a new PC? 

[Simon]

But, I'm in the position that I came into a bit of money just before Christmas and the money is there to spend...

You've come to the right place, Steven.  We are experts are spending other people's money! 

[scook94]

Here's the spec I'm looking at, how much do you reckon it would cost to build it myself?

Case \ Chassis   Lexa Blackline original
Power supply   Thermaltake 850W TOUGHPOWER CABLE MANAGEMENT
Processor\CPU   INTEL CORE 2 EXTREME QX6850 1333FSB
Memory\RAM   4GB DDR2 800 CL5.0 GEIL DUAL CHANNEL BLACK DRAGON
Motherboard   ASUS STRIKER EXTREME S/L 1333FSB
Hard Drive   WD HD SERIAL 150GB 10000RPM 16MB RAPTOR X (ULTRA FAST DRIVE)
2nd Hard Drive   500GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7200rpm)
Optical Drive   ASUS DVD±RW/DL S-ATA 18x6x18x8x DRW-1814BLT BLACK LIGHTSCRIBE
Graphics \ Video card    GeForce 768MB 8800GTX ULTRA PCI-E SLI (ASUS)
Operating System   MS WINDOWS VISTA ULTIMATE 64-bit

[Ann]

Take a look over at http://www.buildyourown.org.uk/forums/

They'll help you build what you want.  I'm a bit out of it as I've not built for over a year.

[Arthix]

It would cost you £1,657.81 delivered to build your own with that spec (If I had the right case, Pic here).

I strongly suggest you sign up on the overclockers forums and post a "spec me" thread similar to your first post in this thread in the general hardware forum. Hopefully they will knock some sense into you, your willingness to spend money worries me!
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/

If you do end up getting that spec, i'd be interested to see how my pc (less than half the cost) compares in 3dmark, I bet there is very little differance.

[scook94]

LOL, I'm not scared to admit that I'm aware that I may be overspending for my needs. I'd hoped the guy I spoke to today may have wanted to talk some sense into me, but alas he just wanted to make the sale.

The price you came up with was 200 quid cheaper than what the quote form the retailer is and about 300 less than I'd found sourcing the parts online myself, and that's not including postage costs. I think I'll follow you're advice and post on that forum.

One thing I'd be thinking though, is that buying from a retailer I can trust is also buying piece of mind. I'm not sure how much value you'd put on that though?

[scook94]

BTW what site did you use to get that price? And I think the graphic card is different too..

[Arthix]

One thing I'd be thinking though, is that buying from a retailer I can trust is also buying piece of mind. I'm not sure how much value you'd put on that though?

I trust www.overclockers.co.uk as much as I trust any other company, besides... when building your own pc each part has its own warranty (varying length) so if something breaks you just RMA that particular part. My RAM for instance has a lifetime warranty while my Q6600 has a 3 year warranty. Never had a part break on me mind you...

I'm glad your going to sign up on Overclockers (probly have to wait until later to post as the mods approve every account). Be sure to specify if your willing to overclock or not .

I used overclockers.co.uk to spec that. Thats a customer forum I reccomended you to join, Be aware that linking or mentioning any competitors within that forum is a nono .

[scook94]

Arthix, just waiting for the mods to approve me. I've given you some Karma for the help...