www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

The other half wants a new pc.

If you wanted to get a new pc (not a lap top) where would you get one from?

Spec is not impotent since it will be for "things that women do"

But where would you go?

I know of pc world / currys, even Tesco (oh and argos)

I even found This place

But as I asked, if YOU wanted a new pc where would YOU go? (and why)

I would highly recommend putting it together yourself. Not an overly complex job and you'll save big time.

someone-else wrote:it will be for "things that women do"

what things? just email, shopping and Facebook? keen on photography and developing RAW files? playing the latest PC games? writing a book? editing home movies?

someone-else wrote:Spec is not impotent

misspell made me smile don't dismiss spec out of hand as it might be important dependent on answers to above. You'll want to get good value anyway, whether you're spending £100-£200 or £8000-£10000. You might also be able to consider and prioritise low noise, compact size and looks if you're not planning to trawl the bargain bins.

someone-else wrote:where would you get one from?

I wouldn't touch a pre built PC with an extra long barge pole. Build your own unless you're a drooling simpleton, or really can't be arsed.

Icm76 wrote:what things? just email, shopping and Facebook?.

You missed playing Bingo.....

I got mine from Aria.

wine~o wrote:You missed playing Bingo.....

if we're going to be properly sexist, I also missed downloading soaps, recipes, sewing patterns and pictures of cats

I used to build my own 20 years ago but they are so cheap now i just buy new from pc world

Icm76 wrote:I wouldn't touch a pre built PC with an extra long barge pole. Build your own unless you're a drooling simpleton, or really can't be arsed.

Building your own PC doesn't always save you money, but it does give you control over the components that goes inside and the build itself.

Not everyone has the time to research what makes up a great PC, which the OEM's have teams/people to do. They work with the ODM (the guys who build the components) to ensure that things will work as intended. They work with Microsoft to ensure the PC is WHQL certified (that all the components work together and are of a high standard of operation).

I also find that when people say 'build your own, it's cheaper', that they rarely include the OS - which if Windows, is significantly more if buying legitimately than compared to price that an OEM will buy. It always amazes me when people want an amazing stable machine, then download the OS off a torrent or share

Don't forget, they buy in bulk which can have an effect on price.

I've used pre-built on and off for years - I can honestly say that it's much easier to plug it in and work, than the hassle of building my own and yes, I'm capable.

BG


edit: I'd buy from Aria too. Scruff got his monster from there - wonder how he's got on with it?

BillyGoat wrote:

Icm76 wrote:I wouldn't touch a pre built PC with an extra long barge pole. Build your own unless you're a drooling simpleton, or really can't be arsed.

Building your own PC doesn't always save you money, but it does give you control over the components that goes inside and the build itself.

Not everyone has the time to research what makes up a great PC, which the OEM's have teams/people to do. They work with the ODM (the guys who build the components) to ensure that things will work as intended. They work with Microsoft to ensure the PC is WHQL certified (that all the components work together and are of a high standard of operation).

I also find that when people say 'build your own, it's cheaper', that they rarely include the OS - which if Windows, is significantly more if buying legitimately than compared to price that an OEM will buy. It always amazes me when people want an amazing stable machine, then download the OS off a torrent or share

Don't forget, they buy in bulk which can have an effect on price.

I've used pre-built on and off for years - I can honestly say that it's much easier to plug it in and work, than the hassle of building my own and yes, I'm capable.

BG


edit: I'd buy from Aria too. Scruff got his monster from there - wonder how he's got on with it?

Torrenting an OS doesn't mean it works in a weird way, if you know a little bit about it you can get a fully functioning OS for free.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 using Tapatalk

I didn't mention saving money, that isn't my primary motivation for self build - choosing ones own priorities for component choice and having full control of the software are the most important thing. Of course money saving is possible if the budget is tight (and I would choose Linux every single time over malware laden pirateware if the price is an issue)

It's difficult to recommend anything specific until someone-else adds more detail and requirements. I get the impression that a good tablet might be enough, but laptops have been ruled out. A full size ATX seems unnecessary, so dependent on priorities and budget I'd be looking at NUC, mini-ITX and µATX.

If we are talking a linux derivative that is designed to be shared that way and has a valid checksum - sure, why not.

If you mean a Microsoft OS and a keygen (or what other method you use) - best of luck to you.

7 in 10 downloaded versions from sharing/torrents/FTP/etc sites are infected or have injected code in some form ranging from key loggers, trojans, etc.

I'm more than aware of BIOS mods, SLP protection, enterprise versions, KMS hacks and all sorts of other methods - wouldn't do it to myself or my family.

BG

"7 in 10 downloaded versions from sharing/torrents/FTP/etc sites are infected or have injected code in some form ranging from key loggers, trojans, etc."
well said BG i found that out the hard way

Here is something from April, a slightly smaller study (those were IDC numbers, previously):

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/govtech/archive ... tware.aspx



I'll bet that most people who were using the Office discs didn't even know about http://www.office.com and the free features available. Word, Excel, Powerpoint, One Note, etc.

Hell, even Open Office, Libre Office, etc is better than a pirated version. I've seen some funny things in the last few weeks - it's definitely not for me!

BG


Another edit: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/dow ... 031814.pdf

That's the IDC whitepaper - while it's heavy going, it's some scary information both about distribution and user issues. Bet that cheap eBay purchase doesn't sound so appealing now...

At the cheap end it's not worth building your own. As BG says the OS costs more than the components.

If you want one like mine the cost of the OS will be much less significant

Razor wrote:At the cheap end it's not worth building your own. As BG says the OS costs more than the components.

If you want one like mine the cost of the OS will be much less significant

P4 920, isn't it?

Proper beast....