Need new computer! ASAP this week

[Ian C]

You must go to funny pc world then?

 

I have a business account with them and have had no problems with pc's.

 

Other shops are no different. ....they sell computer's .

[RobRainford]

You must go to funny pc world then?

 

I have a business account with them and have had no problems with pc's.

 

Other shops are no different. ....they sell computer's .

 

ive never had a good experience from all the bloatware that comes with them. the worst being the antivirus mcafee and norton.

 

I can normally get along with it but there is so much unnecessary software that 90% of people probably wouldnt ever use, i never did on the computers ive had. My built by a specialist in a shop PC has never given me an issue. the clean installs of windows OS compared to the supposedly clean from PC world is a massive difference in speed and useability.

 

 

one site i would use is Computer Hardware - Scan.co.uk their systems are very good, never had a full system but have bought numerous things off them in the past. they have a system for every budget and requirement. if you have a keyboard mouse and screen you wont go far wrong IMO!

[Chippy]

Have a look at cclonline.com

They build their own machines and are reasonably priced, got mine from them 5 years ago not had a problem yet.

They are based in Bradford so not far away from you, you can also buy online.

[eddiegts]

I have a Mac mini great computer I've had it two years without a problem. I've had it boot camped so I can run windows on it mainly for quick books (accounts) I also have a MacBook Pro and I've never had a problem in the last year ( never crashes .

 

But if you have never used one it will take a while to get used to it.

 

 

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[Goaty]

I got a macbook in 2005. Have upgraded its hard drive and memory and replaced the screen backlight cable(DIY) but still going strong. We use it daily probably for an average of 2 hours. I changed because of all the window errors etc. But a friend in the I.T game says windows is much improved now.

 

For what little you expect of yours is it not repairable? I too fancied the mac mini for multimedia but it does have limitations due to size and you can end up with a mess of plug in peripherials.

[doobin]

You can't go wrong with a mac. Buy second hand. I'm typing this on a 2003 PowerBook G4- it's ten years old, runs perfectly, looks the part and is still worth £120.

 

For what you're doing you don't need the latest system. If you're happy with a non Intel machine, you could get a G4 tower for £40, or stretch to a quad core G5 for £200. Plenty of software available for the older Macs, often free. Office 2008 etc.

 

A Mac is a Stihl or Husky. Anything else from the likes of PC world on special is a throw away chinky saw.

[alex_m]

Ebuyer.com is probably the best site to buy from. Fast postage , great after sales support and Cheaper than pc world and other high street shops.

[codlasher]

We've had apple since the original SE in the late 80's then the first iMac then mac mini's right up to last years model. Can't fault them.

Don't get suckered in buying Microsoft's office programme costing £££'s, look for Oracles 'open office.org 3' for mac's and as it is an Oracle product is free. I'm running one here on this 2012 mac.

The children are using the older minis (the ones in the slightly smaller box than the new items) without problems and turn in homework that is interconnected with the school network. We will upgrade again in about 2016.

You will need a newer type screen as the older ones are not up to the speed of the new computer. Samsung SyncMaster S22B350 is a good match. Available from PC world.

We're lucky in having an apple store in Naaarwich but the one in Regents Street is not too hard to get to either by train & tube and I think there is an apple store in Oxford too. Park and ride is entertaining! Hope this helps.

 

I must apologise Swinny, I've just seen that you're in Yorkshire so London, Oxford & Naarwich are OUT!!! Sorry.

codlasher

Edited August 26, 2013 by codlasher

[NFG]

Hi,

 

Firstly, you wont get a decent reliable laptop for £400 I mean something you can hammer & last more than 2 years, they dont exist it may have the right spec but the quality & durability may be questionable.

 

The other issue is its going to come with Windows 8.0 (to be 8.1 in October) This OS is problematic / challenging to say the least & may not run your existing financial software package.

 

Personally, I would buy a Mac of some sort without a thought. Although if you have an accounting package then it may not run on a Mac. However if you do invoicing in Word & Excel, then Pages & Numbers will replace those at a fraction of the cost. You can migrate your existing installation of Windows & run it under VMWare fusion - I do this for the few times I run Windows, its very easy to recover if it breaks as well.

 

There are a number of websites such as Switching To Mac - Once you go Mac, you never go back that will help your decision

 

Our family owns collectively:

 

1 * MacPro - mine & nearly 6 years old runs like a dream

3 * MacBook Pros

3 * MacBooks

1 * Mac mini

numerous iPads

 

None of which require the constant maintenance that PCs do, incidentally I worked in IT for around 30 years, changed to Mac about 6 years ago, no regrets, Macs are delightfully easy to use.

 

Good luck with your search

 

N

Edited August 26, 2013 by NFG

[NFG]

ive never had a good experience from all the bloatware that comes with them. The worst being the antivirus McAfee and Norton...

 

 

Agreed, I habitually trash then re-install ground up, but with media less installations you need a bare install disc/image. I think a recent Lenovo had about 20 bloat programs on it, none of which were any use.

 

Incidentally Eset is quite a good AV / Security suite, stuff like Norton seems to have a big impact on performance as well as average detection rates. I wish I had a quid for every time I heard, "I cant have a problem because Ive got Norton Antivirus". Ha ha.

 

N