I'm getting a new PC & don't know where to start!

[turtle trader]

I'm feeling a bit lost down here in Techies Corner - i'm so untechnical that the plug for my speakers is currently sitting on top of the box 'thingy' cos I can't face all those wires round the back!

Anyway, as you might have picked up from the title, it's time to face my fears & get myself a new computer. I'm exagerating my technical inadaquacies(?) a bit, but not by much, and am hoping for a few pointers before I take up the offer on a 'nearly new' ZX Spectrum that I saw in the local paper (just kidding).

I'm talking basics here, like what sort of spec & software should I be asking for? Should I get security (firewall/anti virus) fitted by the supplier?Is it best to go to someone like Dell, or find a local dealer who may be able to help me out when I get stuck? - there's one v. close who seems quite good (nice looking shopfront anyway). Am I asking the wrong questions entirely?

I remember seeing an article on the internet about precisely this subject and was convinced i'd saved it somewhere, but now the time has come I can't find it, so if anyone can help i'd be grateful

thanks in advance

Turtle

 

[wheezergeezer]

think about what do you want from your pc, will it be primarly used for trading,ie. business use or games? if you have a half desent pc store close/local shop by do they provide good support and back up, unlike some big name companys who will give you a few minutes and then charge you £1 per minute or cut you off mid stream, or you could be talking to someone in India ?you do not need top of the range spec. unless its a server running a company, ie. top of the range,merc/bmw or equally good new skoda,not as good a ride, but very reliable, you pays your money you takes your choice! with windows xp you will get a firewall free included in the o/s software, you can download free antivirus, I strongly recommend you have a virus guard, plus broadband as minimum,(asdl), 60GB hard disk drive, think what do you want the pc to do, before you buy, I hope this has been of some help

 

[wheezergeezer]

think about what do you want from your pc, will it be primarly used for trading,ie. business use or games? if you have a half desent pc store close/local shop by do they provide good support and back up, unlike some big name companys who will give you a few minutes and then charge you £1 per minute or cut you off mid stream, or you could be talking to someone in India ?you do not need top of the range spec. unless its a server running a company, ie. top of the range,merc/bmw or equally good new skoda,not as good a ride, but very reliable, you pays your money you takes your choice! with windows xp you will get a firewall free included in the o/s software, you can download free antivirus, I strongly recommend you have a virus guard, plus broadband as minimum,(asdl), 60GB hard disk drive, think what do you want the pc to do, before you buy, I hope this has been of some help

 

[Newtron Bomb]

Have a look in the papers to see what the latest deals and specifications are on offer and see if someone like dell can match whats on offer.

If you go for one out of the papers or a shop make sure yours will be built to order as off the shelf could be 6 month old.

Chartman very kindly gave me some help and advice for a duel monitor set up (thanks again )

Regards
NB

 

[bonsai]

dont do it turtle , its addictive.

when you have one, you want another and another.

make sure you have enough electrical sockets.

lol

 

[turtle trader]

Thanks Chyna & NB - it will be used primarily for trading & will have dual monitors, so if you have that advice to hand it might well help. I do have broadband, but my current PC is getting so slow it's wasted.

I've just been & given the local shop a copy of Trader mag with an article on the subject by Alpesh Patel - they're going to put a spec together, so I guess once i've got that I can speak to Dell & compare.

Bonsai, I don't think i'll want any more PCs but am already starting to think of all the gadgets I can add on - expect further threads about which trading software I should get, what's the best digital camera, which webcam I should get etc. Oh & there's a picture of an 8 monitor setup in the picture gallery which looks pretty cool!

Turtle

 

[oatman]

Believe me, don't let an "expert" or friend build you one. I've just got mine running straight after 18months of problems. A bad RAM stick from day one. You can't get support if the nice man doesn't want to leave his shop or goes on 6weeks holiday to Oz. I know more about the tech side now but I'll leave that to the experts here. But what I would say is have a look at Dell online you can configure your own system. PLUS you can get 3years on site next business day warranty.
The last thing you want is some clown telling you to put it all back in the box and bring it back!
Happy hunting.
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx?c=uk&id=dimen&l=en&s=dhs

 

[Bigbusiness]

I built one once and that was fun. Not as hard as it seems. I couldn't put a tape player in my car but manged to build a PC with no problems. Try and find other people who have used the local shop. Some are good but I had a very bad experience with mine.

My latest PC came from here http://www.evesham.com/ . Might be worth comparing them with Dell. The Dell price looks good until you add on all the extras.

 

[wysinawyg]

Post the spec up on here before you do anything to make sure you're not getting gouged!

Important things I would want for a primarily dual monitor trading system:

P4
512MB Ram (preferably 1024MB if opening lots of windows)
10/100 network capability (preferably on motherboard) for the broadband connection to go in (see below)

Graphics, I'd be tempted to go with a relatively cheap dual head Radeon or GeForce card, although I haven't seen the quality from doing that (as I don't yet have the second screen) so couldn't say if moving to a Matrox or similar would be worthwhile.

Especially if you've got broadband I'd handle the firewall aspects with a proper stand alone router/firewall rather than using a USB modem and software firewall. It will be faster and more secure.

wysi

 

[turtle trader]

Thanks wysi - i'm hoping to get the spec tomoro - will post it then.

(I've only just noticed what wysinawyg stands for - all I could come up with before was 'what you see is not a misspelt hair piece')

 

[oatman]

My first machine was P3 450 from Evesham. Never had a problem.

 

[Rognvald]

I have had both Pentium and AMD machines from Evesham. The AMD machine threw a wobbler almost immediately and Evesham replaced motherboard with no quibbles wihin 24 hrs. Both are still running - one with an upgraded processor (my work) and the other with a new motherboard and processor - memory on both upgraded also.
Evesham are not the cheapest but they use quality components and you know exactly what is inside the machine you have paid for. I wouldn't go past them. They have just been voted supplier of the year by readers of PC World magazine (not the shop!).
Matrox produce excellent 2 monitor cards - I use G400 & G550 -not expensive for what they do.
Its worth spending money on the monitors and if you are prepared to use CRT there are some excellent bargains to be had just now as they are going out of fashion - Mitsubishi are vg and will last for years

 

[Mayfly]

Whatever you do, don't buy a DELL - the thing you'll mainly be paying for is a contribution to their Sales & Marketing Budget.

Take Rognvald's advice and go for an Evesham or a Mesh or if you want something really special, I'd go here: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Full_Systems_43.html

HTH

Cheers

Mayfly

 

[reddragon]

Hi all,
Somebody recommended this W/site a few months ago

www.thepcshopuk.com

they seem to build using quality components and when i get
the money to replace my present antique (5yr old) P2 system
they'll be top of my list with MESH 2nd choice.
Reddragon.

 

[bonsai]

oatman
my first machine was a ZX80 with CP/M

you guys are just spoiled, you know that ?

good way to learn machine code though.

still like a bit of peek and poke every now and then.
(or Push and Pop)

lol

 

[wheezergeezer]

Turtle, you seem to be swamped with advice, some good too,
I would stress before you part company with your dosh, get the best deal you can on back up and warranties, 2-3year would be ideal, after that your (pc) greyhound has become a snail , time to replace, I know I maybe going over the top but a friend of mine used to work for a well know pc manufacturer, he told me some real horror stories of people who called the support line for help
I think they were allocated 3 minutes and then they were cut off and had to redial and were charged £1 a minute to start all over again, I kid you not ! can you imagine being talked through some technical issue by someone who has a poor grasp of the english language, you get to the final task and the geezer cuts you off!
sorry your allocated time is up ,Next .............ask all the awkward and embarrassing questions before parting with you cash, I can guarentee it will save you a lot of pain, Finally (at last he says), remember these guys are on commission ,so its in there interest that you buy , good luck............

 

[oatman]

Bonsai, you're the lucky one mate. My knowledge consisted of setting up my stepson's computer for school about 20 years ago,
until I let some "expert" build me a machine. Then I really had to learn! I'd been fighting it for 18months until about 6 weeks ago I removed a cr*p RAM stick. Been there since day one.
That's why I advise: Don't buy cheap and get 2/3 years on site warranty.
Good luck everyone

 

[madasafish]

Well I bought mine from Evesham: and can highly recommend their support and service.

I then rebuilt it from scratch using a mixture of new/secondnad components.. learning as you go.

Only problem I has was an intermittent fault : a mismatch in that 1 RAM stick in one holder screwed the system but other holders did not.. took months..

If you know nothing..
1. write down spec.
2. ONLY buy from a reputable manufacturer with good support.

 

[oatman]

I never realised how important memory is.
Always check memory first.
Never buy "cheap" memory.

 

[ChartMan]

Best advice? Go to a small independant retailer. Tell him EXACTLY what you hope to achieve with your PC and ask for further advice and suggestions. You are NOT going to need a rocket computer.
2 Gig CPU ( intel or AMD) 512 M memory , 40/60 gig hard drive, simple video card,"on board " is ok, or a "dual head" if you want 2 monitors. LCD monitor for luxury. Don't bother with 2/3 yrs extra warranty. Just not worth it. After 2 years the PC will be out of date and worthless! Oh, dont forget 10/100 LAN for broadband. IF you go ADSL, get an ADSL router with LAN interface NOT USB. software, use WIN XP Pro.+ Anti Virus software.
The advantage with a local guy, is that you can either take it back to him and jump up and down in his shop, or he'll come round to fix any problems. Buying mail order from Dell etc means that they ( or you) will have to send the machine away to be fixed IF there is a problem. - The net result is usually that they will wipe ANY info you have on the PC.....