http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: OT - Best source for a cheap desktop pc? en Wed, 13 May 2026 04:24:07 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95318 Sun, 30 Dec 2012 13:54:06 +0000 wee folding bike 95318@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Building your own doesn't save as much cash as it used to but you can tune it for what you want. Number one son for example goes a wee bit mental on the video cards.</p> <p>You can have Linux and Windows on there together. Last time I did it you had to put Windows on first or it would over write the boot sectors and there was a BIOS flaw which meant it had to be in a certain place on the disk but that was 10 years ago. Since then I just use Linux or I use VMWare and virtualise them. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95317 Sun, 30 Dec 2012 13:38:22 +0000 Smudge 95317@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Thanks all, I've discovered that the motherboard will take a faster chip (for less than a tenner on ebay!) So will stick in one of these along with more ram and see how it goes.<br /> If that's not enough then I'll try linuxy things and if that still doesn't do the trick then I'll get something monstrous from one of the chains :-)<br /> CCE, an answer for (almost) anything!</p> <p>(steps cautiously away from sandy bridge homebuild idea...) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95281 Sat, 29 Dec 2012 12:27:57 +0000 Smudge 95281@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Interesting stuff chaps thanks.<br /> I def do not need a laptop though! ;-) it's a second "main" computer to live solely in my toyshop.. erm, "study" and will be hooked up to the radio/s, joystick, speakers, monitor etc etc, trust me, I won't unplug it all when I can pick up one of my other mobile web devices much more easily :-))<br /> Also laptops are much harder to insulate electrically if you find they are putting out a lot of annoying rf (depressingly common despite them not being legally allowed to!) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95278 Sat, 29 Dec 2012 11:46:05 +0000 wee folding bike 95278@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>You could stick Ubuntu on the old one anyway and be impressed at how well it does.</p> <p>I've got a 1999 iBook in the garage which works just fine. Mostly it streams music out there when I'm fettling. It has a wireless card in it.</p> <p>I have a variety of older machines but only the ones with ethernet can connect to the interwebs now and the 1989 SE/30 has a dodgy cap on the analog board so it sometimes needs a wee slap to make it go. Machines with the new 030 chip were supposed to have an X suffix on the name but Apple decided to not do that with the SE hence SE/30. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95277 Sat, 29 Dec 2012 11:38:46 +0000 Uberuce 95277@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I'd get a laptop; I 'needed' a desktop because I'm a gamer and the high-end machines still have use for a great big case with lots of space for fans and multiple graphics cards; also I wanted to jump to Blu-Ray so a large monitor was needed. </p> <p>Buuuuut, when I'm not watching Blu-Rays or gaming I curse the way it has to live in one spot in the flat.</p> <p>That said, as Kappers has pointed out, getting a simple base unit is going to undercut a laptop by a fair margin. </p> <p>Make sure the lead connecting the monitor to the base unit is compatible. They've changed from stumpy pinny kind to slitty dotty kind sometime in the last decade. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95270 Sat, 29 Dec 2012 02:39:05 +0000 Smudge 95270@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Thanks all, I'll have a shufti at the big chains then :-)</p> <p>@baldcyclist, I don't really need a laptop (I have a netbook and swmbo doesn't like soaps!) And I always assumed that the cost of batteries, compactness and designing for low(er) power draw would come off the performance when compared to a similar priced laptop?<br /> The existing dinosaur will do basic word processing, picture storage etc but it's not reaLly up to running a digital transciever and webpages at the same time without getting a bit unstable (yeah I know, like the operator ;-))<br /> The ram would probably help, but long term just looking for something with a bit better spec is probably smarter. Let's face it, higher spec shouldn't be difficult to find! ;-) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95250 Fri, 28 Dec 2012 19:42:57 +0000 Baldcyclist 95250@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>As already suggested PC World / Currys, is probably as good, and as reasonably priced as anywhere. Win 8 stuff on sale there too.</p> <p>I'd suggest a laptop rather than desktop, and connect your current monitor/keyboard/mouse to it. Gives you dual monitor desktop when in your 'man cave', and a laptop for the living room when Mrs Smudge is watching which ever soaps she likes. ;)</p> <p>The Ubuntu/Debian option will give your current machine more longevity and speed it up a bit, but I think you probably need to be more techie than you are to get most from it (said in the nicest possible way ;) ).</p> <p>Another cheaper option, which may give you another year out of your machine is just to buy some RAM for it. Your machine will take up to 1GB, which is still a little on the low side, but will let you do basic tasks like browsing/word processing etc. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95247 Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:55:46 +0000 steveo 95247@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Try dabs.com or scan both will do a complete system for not a lot but pc world won't be significantly dearer. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95241 Fri, 28 Dec 2012 17:41:21 +0000 Smudge 95241@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>ok thanks edd1e, food for thought. Will have a google. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95240 Fri, 28 Dec 2012 17:17:10 +0000 neddie 95240@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@Smudge. Generally, Ubuntu won't run Windows programs directly. But most open-source software (e.g. freeware) will have a Ubuntu/linux build for it. Ubuntu has its own software repository where you can easily install stuff like that.</p> <p>Libre/Open Office will also open Word docs, MS Excel spreadsheets and power points and save in that format too if you wish. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95238 Fri, 28 Dec 2012 17:01:41 +0000 kaputnik 95238@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Believe it or not, I'll say PC World. </p> <p>Last time my PC failed I was still a skint masters student and managed to get a ridiculously cheap Packard Bell base unit without keyboard, monitor, peripehrals etc. and no bundled software - which was exactly what I needed as I already had those.</p> <p>Once I had removed all the bloatware from it, it worked just fine, and was basic enough to have room for memory / video card / hard disk expansion later on.</p> <p>It's still going fine nearly 7 years later. In fact, I'm using it right now. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95236 Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:58:32 +0000 Smudge 95236@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@edd1e_h thanks, will have a look, I assume it's ok with programmes designed for windows operating systems? (I use things some ham freeware designed for windows, and have been known to play the odd basic flight sim (not that I have time anymore!))</p> <p>@Chdot Not so far, I suspect most people on here are too tidy to keep their obsolete machines (bikes excepted naturally), but you never know! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95226 Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:55:59 +0000 chdot 95226@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I expect you'll be inundated with offers by PM. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95225 Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:52:13 +0000 neddie 95225@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Don't know about the hardware, but would recommend <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.ubuntu.com</a> for a free operating system with loads of cool stuff built in (like Libre/Open office) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9172#post-95224 Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:07:47 +0000 Smudge 95224@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Very OT, but knowing that there are some computer whizzes on here(!)</p> <p>Our spare room is my radio shack/junk room/sanctuary and currently has an *old* Dell GX240 PC, (Not that I pretend to know what it means but apparently it's "Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4CPU 1.50GHz 1.50Ghz, 256Mb RAM) to be fair it's getting a bit hangy, prone to crashing and struggles with some programmes.<br /> So with a budget of as little as possible, where's the best place to look for a cheap replacement?</p> <p>Thanks(!)<br /> Smudge :-) </p>