PC Spec

[derekpara]

Ive got around �350 to replace my desktop PC. I don't need a VDU, printer, keyboard, scanner etc etc. It will be for home use, listening to and downloading music (legally, of course !) to CD. I don't play games.

What spec should I go for ? Which processor should I aim for ? What size of memory etc ?

Finally, where should I go to buy it ?

[ACtheTROLL]

you have around 350
for 350 you'll get �350s worth of kit

the market is so competetive you'll find very little difference in what hardware.
there will however be a bias for games or video etc
many sites let you chose
read a couple of mags - mainstream desktop kit is slightly different to laptops

[barry1010]

Any of these three:
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_pag e.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0335353592.1243883187@@ @@&BV_EngineID=ccdfadehghlgddjcflgceggdhhmdgmk .0&page=ProductList&category_oid=-35614&show_a ll=true#(any):(any):3072:(any):(any):(any):(an y):100:400:PageNo_0:SortOrder_DOWN

Or this one:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/161991

You should aim for 3gb RAM so that Vista works well. You don't need a high performance pc so any of those will do the job.

[baitress]

try novatech.com.
they sell barebones PCs quite cheaply.
They will also build one to your specifications if you want.

[ACtheTROLL]

wohooo
two of the best makes on the market!!!!
.... sorry - worst

if there are two brands to stay away from ....
we bought 30 novatechs for a project ... 8 arrived not working
4 monitors burst into flames - every machine needed a new hard disc - 5 needed new PSUs

and packard bell - they rebadge generic kit

read a few reviews -

[ChuckFickens]

have you considered a laptop?

For what it sounds like you want a �350ish laptop will do everything you need, this was posted by somebody else earlier and looks like a good deal.

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-3481.aspx

in my opinion most people don't need the few benefits a desktop gives these days and with laptops so cheap now....

[derekpara]

Thanks to you all. I'm off to think about it.

D

[DanAB]

if possible, stay away from PCWorld, they sell cheap rubbish at premium prices. you can get much better from online stores who actually sell computers and know what they are talking about. Ebuyer.com, Scan.co.uk, overclockers.co.uk are good starting points.

[derekpara]

Thanks, Dan, I'll check them out.
Only worry is that if anything goes wrong PC World is just down the road !

D