Helping O.A.P out

O.A.P

My dad needs a new computer. He does not have much knowledge on the subject of computers.He is upgrading from the ancient Dell dimension 3100. Here is the details of a computer he would prefer : It would be used for gaming/3D modelling and internet.It would be prefered to include windows 7.He has a sound card and a 2nd DVD drive he would like to install on this new computer. No monitor would be needed or any other peripherals. It would be nice if one can be recieved before christmas and he has a budget of 550 euros (ireland).Any help would be much appreciated .
Thanks OAP junior

massy086

O.A.P wrote: »

My dad needs a new computer. He does not have much knowledge on the subject of computers.He is upgrading from the ancient Dell dimension 3100. Here is the details of a computer he would prefer : It would be used for gaming/3D modelling and internet.It would be prefered to include windows 7.He has a sound card and a 2nd DVD drive he would like to install on this new computer. No monitor would be needed or any other peripherals. It would be nice if one can be recieved before christmas and he has a budget of 550 euros (ireland).Any help would be much appreciated .
Thanks OAP junior

could you build your own if so it would be your best bet to get the best bang for your buck

O.A.P

massy086 wrote: »

could you build your own if so it would be your best bet to get the best bang for your buck

He could I think but he is to tight to risk the money if or when it goes wrong
So whats the best desk top today for that money?

Freddy Smelly

the soundcard he has would be pointless as most motherboards come with decent built in soundchips and less pci slots which could be better used with other good stuff.

O.A.P

Freddy Smelly wrote: »

the soundcard he has would be pointless as most motherboards come with decent built in soundchips and less pci slots which could be better used with other good stuff.

He has a surround sound speaker system currently pluged into his current computer.It is a creative sound blaster audigy 5.1. I am wondering if it would be able to plug into a new computer without the soundcard he has currently installed?

Captain Commie

If he is wanting to install his own devices but is too tight to risk a problem with self build, he will be invalidating his warranty (with most manufacturers/suppliers) if we were to install the parts himself onto a store bought machine

O.A.P

Captain Commie wrote: »

If he is wanting to install his own devices but is too tight to risk a problem with self build, he will be invalidating his warranty (with most manufacturers/suppliers) if we were to install the parts himself onto a store bought machine

Yes but would he need to install the sound card into a new computer for the sound system to work maybe there is a desktop out there that he can plug the sound system directly into?
If not whats the best desktop with everything i asked for in the first post?

demanufactured

Most motherboards these days have at least a 5.1 soundcard built in.

O.A.P

Here is a desktop i have found which i beleive may be suitable for his needs: http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=d0066s04&model_id=inspiron-660s&c=ie&l=en&s=dhs&cs=iedhs1 Would anyone recommend this desktop or advice against this desktop?
Thanks for reading

Captain Commie

O.A.P wrote: »

Here is a desktop i have found which i beleive may be suitable for his needs: http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=d0066s04&model_id=inspiron-660s&c=ie&l=en&s=dhs&cs=iedhs1 Would anyone recommend this desktop or advice against this desktop?
Thanks for reading

I would avoid dell consumer line machines at all cost, in my sizeable experience, they are timebombs just waiting to go off.

If using the existing soundcard really is a must, self build is the way to go, and can be done for much cheaper than building a brand name.

demanufactured

O.A.P wrote: »

Here is a desktop i have found which i beleive may be suitable for his needs: http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=d0066s04&model_id=inspiron-660s&c=ie&l=en&s=dhs&cs=iedhs1 Would anyone recommend this desktop or advice against this desktop?
Thanks for reading

I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot clown pole.

Skerries

you're going to find it hard for us to recommend a store bought machine on here as we all know the quality and value that can be got for self builds as opposed to Dell/PC World
We would recommend somewhere like http://www1.hardwareversand.de/pcconfwelcome.jsp?pcConfigurator.gpOnly=0 or www.scan.co.uk to build you a system to your specs and have it delivered

O.A.P

Thanks for all the replies.
Now we are totaly confused . We have just tried to build our own desktop on that German site ye linked to and using the same spec as the Dell one it came to 645 excluding shipping.
I understand that ye all know whats what with computers so can one of you explain to me what is wrong with Dell ? Will it most likely break down or that they are to expensive for the components they use.

U_Fig

O.A.P wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.
Now we are totaly confused . We have just tried to build our own desktop on that German site ye linked to and using the same spec as the Dell one it came to 645 excluding shipping.
I understand that ye all know whats what with computers so can one of you explain to me what is wrong with Dell ? Will it most likely break down or that they are to expensive for the components they use.

I've used dell before for desktops and had no issues it's still working 6 years later fine.. Some other people get a dell and get nothing but trouble.. The main problem with prebuilt machines is, a lot of companies build machines to attract custom and therefore are very unbalanced for example putting an i7 on to attract custom and then to keep costs down pairing it with a **** gpu and crappy power supply.. that will most likely break after 6 months..also there is in most cases a premium of like 100-200 for prebuilt

druidhill

I've always found Dells to be rock solid and well-built. If there are problems, it is usually a hard drive failure (this happens) or software problem. A lot of PC self-build people do not include the cost of the OS, and definitely not their time. The profit on the likes of PC World selling a pre-built PC is peanuts, they try and claw something back with the sale of peripherals and extended warranties.

The one thing I will say about Dell in the last few years is that there are far less configuration options available than in the past.

When you are not a tech person, go with the pre-built (maybe add some extra RAM), but do your research. Clearly defining what you want to use your computer for helps a lot.

riclad

I,ve found dell to be reliable ,and well built,
You,d need to check, is there an empty 3.5 inch drive bay, to install dvd drive.
i think you,ll need to ring sales at dell ,to get windows 7,on that model.
pcs all have audio out,line out, just plug the speakers into that,green socket.3.5mm .
I Don,t think windows 8 is suitable for an oap, win7 much easier to use
for most people.
NO harm to have a look in pcworld, i find hp, pcs,to be very reliable
i presume they still sell pcs with windows 7 OS.
i got a hp pc ,2gig ram, dvd,500gig hd, in 2011, pc world 350 euro,win 7,
its a mini pc,completely silent.just pc unit,no monitor,
i just plugged it in to my 17inch lcd monitor, and speakers.

JUST AVOID win8 at all costs, its a disaster.
if you buy a dell ,they send you a tracking id no,by email,
so you can check where it is, when its likely to arrive.
I know people who are using dell pcs, 7 years old pentium 4 models,
still working ok.

Every pc now has a dvdrw drive, i dont see much point i installing ,2dvd drives,

unless its,a dvd 4 - 6x speed .ie old dvdrom drives tend to be quieter than new drives.
OR maybe you want to use it as a backup drive.

the_syco

O.A.P wrote: »

It would be used for gaming/3D modelling

<snip>

he has a budget of 550 euros

He hasn't a hope in hell of getting a machine to be used for any decent 3D modelling for €550 off the shelf of a shop.

Best bet would be to get hardwareversand.de to build it for him.

Freddy Smelly

O.A.P wrote: »

He has a surround sound speaker system currently pluged into his current computer.It is a creative sound blaster audigy 5.1. I am wondering if it would be able to plug into a new computer without the soundcard he has currently installed?

most new motherboards support 7.1 surround sound. they have 6x 3.5mm ports

1x mic
1x line in
1x sub woofer
1x front speakers
1x mid speakers
1x rear speakers

riclad

FOR 95 per cent of people , the onboard sound cards
in new pcs are fine ,for 5.1,
or 7.1 surround sound ,
musicians ,or designers may buy special cards for

recording etc
just leave card in the machine, if u have space hold
ON to machine as a backup.
OR sell it,or give to charity ,make sure and wipe the drive , if doing that,
just formatting or deleting folders is not enough.
The pc i got has an intel cpu, 3.0ghz,
i got a mini pc,cos its completely silent ,fan,psu
is silent .apart from noise from dvdrom
when playing a cd.its about half the size of a dell desktop pc unit.
just get the best fast cpu, you can buy on your budget ,you can always get a faster graphics card,more ram ,in shop, or on adverts ie.
Make sure pc has windows 7 ,preferably pro version.
i play games on xbox,360 so i don,t need a super fast pc.

the_syco

riclad wrote: »

make sure and wipe the drive , if doing that,
just formatting or deleting folders is not enough.

Personally, I'd drill holes through the hard drive and then throw it into the bin, but that's just me, and a few people that I know who work in IT.

=-=

OP; what software will he be using? "Gaming/3D modelling and internet" means jack ****, as he could be using some old software that would run on a very basic system, or 3D Max that would require a hefty machine.

Also, some old software may only work on an old version of Windows, so what software your father will be using can be very important.

U_Fig

the_syco wrote: »

Personally, I'd drill holes through the hard drive and then throw it into the bin, but that's just me, and a few people that I know who work in IT.

a plasma cutter is much more fun