buying a new comp

Fe1exams

Hi there,
My comp is on the way out - its constantly crashing and not updating after several formats.

It has 2gb ram... im really frustrated with sending error reports to microsoft all the time... i know a comp with 8gb ram is gonna be quick but i know nothing about the processors - can someone adivse me what to do... i dont wanna spend much and justwant a reliable comp.

What about this and using my girlfriends windows 7 os if thats not ilegal
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoostorm-7877-1025-Processor-Graphics-Operating/dp/B009PNCVIW/ref=sr_1_27?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1357674488&sr=1-27

SickBoy

Are you prepared to build it yourself? If yes then see this thread and post your budget and requirements and someone will make some suggestions for you.

If no then think about buying some cheap Dell like this.

Fe1exams

what about something like this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoostorm-7877-0095-Premium-i5-2320-Windows/dp/B006ZINMP6/ref=zg_bs_428651031_1

is 64 bit a problem?
the above link is the best seller on amazon

Processor: Intel Core i5-2320 Processor (3.0Ghz, 6MB Cache)>>>> means absolutely nothing to me

SickBoy

That system is grand and 64 bit is not a problem.
What will the system be used for?

Fe1exams

SickBoy wrote: »

That system is grand and 64 bit is not a problem.
What will the system be used for?

nothing specialised - general web browsing - ms office... i wont it to be quick - not freeze and not crash online - id like something super stable like an imac but cant afford it...so no special purpose just general use.. really i should need something half that price no? im a scint student

Dey were Sooted

first thing to do when you get a new one is switch off the error reporting ...

Fe1exams

yeah but its the crashing online thats annoying - the error reporting is secondary - anyway my comp dates back to 2007 - so its 5yrs old... i guess thats on the edge of dels lifecyle is it

SickBoy

The system on Amazon is a bit overkill if all you'll be doing is browsing the web and some MS Office work.
The Amazon is €478 while the Dell is €369, the Amazon is a faster system no doubt but for the requirements you have you'll be more than satisfied with the Dell.
Save yourself ~€100 and get the Dell.

yoyo

Fe1exams wrote: »

id like something super stable like an imac but cant afford it..

In fairness in the last few years Windows is as "stable" as Linux and Mac. Both Apple and other manufacturers use the same components these days (Intel CPUs for one). Of course the better built computers with better hardware (motherboards, power supplys etc.) will generally be less problematic. Computers are computers though so if you are unlucky you could buy a €3000 machine that is unstable, due to hardware or software issues, on any operating system.
If a computer is crashing, blue screening, kernel panicking this is usually due to hardware or device driver software faults, computers will slow down over age (due to a combination of new technologies and more resource heavy programs) but stability issues are caused by a serious fault with the machine.
Thats not to say there arn't benefits to go with one over the other, Apple machines generally have better displays than ordinary laptops, and have a host of exclusive software that isn't on Windows or Linux (and vice versa). Macs can also run Windows but this would involve purchasing a windows license at extra cost, you cannot (officially and possibly legally) run OSX on non-Apple hardware.
Sorry for rambling on but I think it's important to point out cheaper computers don't neccesarily mean unstable, poorly built machines. If you are comfortable with self building a computer you can build a seriously nice machine for less than the oems will charge generally, and you'll know exactly the hardware that is going into the machine.

Nick

Fe1exams

I dont fancy building a pc. I worked in apple for a few yrs and one of the best techy guys had to send back parts for months cause they didnt work... i dont have the time to do that - perhaps he was buying the most powerful cheapest part... or it could have been servers he was buying -cant quite remember! saying that id love to build my own pc for cheap but ... can u do that in a place like maplins>> the clocks ticking ive exams and need something asap..
u need:
- mother board
- ram
- processor
- hard drive

i know id like about 8gb ram/ 500gb hard drive - mother board hmm?? andf processor??? no fekin idea

Dey were Sooted

i did not mean to sound facetious - it is just that error reporting is one of my pet hates

as for the computer - i've have had a few dells in the last few years - one of them is still running and it is about ten years old - another one was bought in 2006 and with some upgrades it now is used by a guy i sold it to for visual djing which is pretty hefty on a laptop....

if you are looking for a desktop someone else would have better advice.... but if you were to go for a laptop i would recommend something by asus as they have a good rep for good builds - you can get one with a dual core pentium processor for about 380-400 euro at saveonlaptops.co.uk and with a few software tweaks it would be a dream - mind you if you do buy off them pay with CC and then they will contact by email/phone you to confirm address .

ram is not everything - i am running an i5 processor with 8 gb of ram but it is the processor that holds me back - if you are using your computer for browsing/office etc 4gb would be plenty ..

sorry if this has been asked before but what os was your old system? - windows 7 is miles ahead of xp and light years ahead of vista......far less hungry for processing power

that's just my two pence worth - what ever route you take i'm sure you will always find friendly advice here to help you on ur way.....