Cheap but not cheerful

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AndrewE

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Hi all,

I'm new here. Please be gentle!

I'm in the market for a PC after living off a 14" Asus laptop for the past 3 years.

I'll be using it for Internet surfing, word processing, photograph and video/audio editing and a bit of web design in my spare time.

So I'm looking for a new monitor too, preferably with enough real estate to get two browsers going side by side.

Problem is, I have a pitiful budget of £350, simply because I'm not rich, I live in London and every godforsaken penny goes towards rent...so it goes.

So I'm wondering whether anyone has any suggestions at this price, I'm open to anything really.

Thanks alot,

Andrew
 
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Welcome to PCReview. :wave:


While it is not impossible to build a PC on your budget, it is gonna be a wee bit tight to go for the 'latest' kit.

We do have a couple of Londoners who are not adverse in offering some assistance on self build, if you wish to go that route.

Your 'needs' are not that taxing if you bare in mind you may not be able to play the latest games.

It will also be interesting to see if our other knowledgeable members can keep within budget. :D


:user:
 
Muckshifter, thanks for the quick reply.

Clearly on a £350 budget I'm not going to be getting a state-of-the-art system. I'm not bothered about gaming. My main concern is for the PC to handle software like Adobe Photoshop, Premiere and Audition without too many blue screens of death and to have a half decent monitor with some space to play around with.

I'm not against building it myself, though for the sake of time, ease, and a semi-respectable warranty, perhaps a company like Dell would fit the bill?

So please keep any suggestions you might have coming. Really appreciate it.
 
Thanks for setting us this task Mucks:D

My first thoughts are that you are unlikely to find a half decent new system, including monitor and warranty at this price level., even from Dell.

I could build a good PC with a monitor using second hand parts for that amount, but it obviously wouldn't come with a warranty.

I am off to work, but I will do some research when I get back this evening :thumb:
 
I saw this PC listed a couple of weeks ago when someone else asked a similar question - it comes to £329 and looks good value for money. It won't be any good at running recent games, but will be good for office/graphics stuff like you suggest (perhaps spend £20 on sticking another GB of ram in there though from Crucial.com).

Link to PC (reduce warranty to 1 year to get £329)

Dimension E520 (D06E02A)



Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Processor (1.80GHz,800MHz,2MB cache)

Genuine Windows Vista Business - English

Dell 19" Value Flat Panel (SE197FP) - UK/Irish

1024MB 533MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x512]

250GB (7200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive with 8MB DataBurst cache

Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3000

16X DVD+/-RW Drive

Dell Entry Quietkey USB Keyboard - UK/Irish (QWERTY)

Dell 2 Button USB Scroll Optical Mouse - Black

Integrated Audio with Dolby Digital 7.1 capability Microsoft Works 8.0 - English
Click to expand...
 
@Adywebb - thanks and look forward to seeing what you come up with.

@ Ian Cunningham, this looks good, but unfortunately the link is not working for me. But I had a look at the Dell UK site and tried configuring a similar machine, closest I get is £380.
 
These components cost £347.49 inc VAT & delivery so we're within budget. They're from E-Buyer and if you use Google checkout you'll get a tenner off.

All the components are quality parts.

The motherboard has onboard graphics but will be fine for your requirements. It will not run most latest high res games, but will be happy with some older games.

There is no floppy drive and no Operating system. You will have to use the stock heatsink and fan, which should be fine (if you do order this, don't forget to order a small tube of CPU thermal compound with your order, I just remembered that).

However, you have a dual core 2Ghz machine, a gig of RAM, a 250Gb hard drive and a DVDRW. 380W PSU and a 17" TFT Samsung Monitor.

The case is a matter of personal taste of course, but I chose the one here as I liked the look of it and it was a fair price.

You may wish at a later date to add better graphics - that's ok, it has a pci-e slot.

Adding a floppy drive will add about £7.00 to the price.

Adding a DVD-ROM drive (to copy from, but it's not needed) will add about another £14.00.

Here we go, hope this picture is readable:

ebuyer04.jpg
 
AndrewE said:
@ Ian Cunningham, this looks good, but unfortunately the link is not working for me. But I had a look at the Dell UK site and tried configuring a similar machine, closest I get is £380.
Click to expand...

I've updated the link to the site I found it from:

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deal/32776/dell-dimension-e520-desktop-system-

If that doesn't work for you, try entering the e-code "305-D06E02A" on the dell site and then reduce the warranty to 1 year.
 
I say Folks ... stay away from Vista Business, it ain't needed and will make life a little harder when trying to use any multimedia software ... go with Vista Home Premium.


I hope they supply a "real" DVD too ... ;)
 
Hmm, I wuz about to comment when CL deleted his post.... :lol:

Oh well :rolleyes:

I was about to say it's a big advantage having an operating system within the price as a basic decent version of Vista is currently about £130.00 I believe. It's probably possible to pick up a home edition of XP for about £65.00 though, but I don't know, I haven't looked.

However, as Mucks pointed out, Windows Business lacks too many of the things you'd use with a home system.

I always assume when anybody asks to spec a system that they have an operating system.

Or they could use a Linux Distro, Gimp, etc. ;)

Another advantage with that Dell system was the 19" monitor, other than that, slight disadvantages, like Dell's non-upgradeability, and their rather crappy mouse, keyboard and speakers. Plus we don't know what make of components they've used.

As I mentioned above, I've specced quality parts and I wouldn't be ashamed to own any of the components and peripherals I've listed.

But you pays yer money you makes yer choice :D
 
@floppybootstomp: Awesome! Thanks so much for this spec.

@ Ian Cunningham, I've got it to work now and see the deal you're talking about.

I have some questions arising from the options mentioned so far:

1) What would people go for between Ian's Dell spec and Floppy's Ebuyer custom spec?

2) Between a 17" Samsung TFT and the Dell 19" will I gain much more space with the Dell? To get browsers or apps working side by side do I need a 'widescreen' monitor as opposed to the standard type that are mentioned here?

All this is really helpful I must say and providing a lot of food for thought.
 
Andrew: See my previous post.

The biggest advantage of the Dell system is the 19" monitor, in my opinion.

Dell do actually make good monitors, just as good as Samsung, I'd say.

See if some more folks chime in with an opinion.

Right, I'm off down the car wash now :D
 
Both are good specs..

I posted the same deal as Ian but deleted it as I hadn't taken notice of Ians post...It is a great deal though, and the 19" monitor is good for multiple windows on your desktop...

I would probably go for the Dell system as the spec is fantastic for the price, as long as you do not want to play any games...

If your looking at dibbing your hand into building your own pc then Flopp's system is a viable option..And you'll have the satisfaction of knowing its all your own work..Also there are plenty of us on here to help you if you get stuck or come up against a problem..

I'd wait for Ady to spec up a system aswell which he will do later, as he's pretty good at stuff like that...
 
crazylegs said:
I'd wait for Ady to spec up a system aswell which he will do later, as he's pretty good at stuff like that...
Click to expand...
Hmmmm, this is a bit of a challenge I can tell you
nod.gif


Firstly I like Flops self-build componants alot, they are good quality - the only issue for you is that it will go over budget when you add an operating system, and the monitor although very good is 17" and may restrict your requirement for viewing apps side by side.

If I was to come up with a spec for a self-build it would be much the same, so I'm going to leave that there.

I like the Dell spec too - the 19" monitor is a bonus, but the keyboard/mouse is going to be pretty basic - but it comes in on budget.

So I've come up with a third option for you to consider, its from a company called Cube247 - they were formerly called Computer Electronics when smaller, and have expanded and produce custom built PC's to order using quality parts and come with genuine disks for the installed software unlike most these days who only supply a restore disk, or use partitions.

The PC I am using at the moment to type this is one I bought from them several years ago when they were called Computer Electronics, and has been faultless - they have real people to talk to, and for tech help you speak to the actual builders rather than some customer service rep who knows nothing - I have recommended them to others in the past and they have been equally impressed with therir products and service.

So, what is this system I'm throwing in the ring? well its HERE at £399 - first thing to note is the bad point, it comes with the older Pentium Dual Core 805 (2.66Mhz) CPU rather than the more efficient Core2Duo, also the motherboard is an EQS which isn't to everyones taste I know, but it is a socket 775 and will take a Core2Duo upgrade in the future if needed - it also only comes with their standard 1 year warranty.

The plus points are the 19" widescreen monitor and all the other good quality parts, including the logitech wireless keyboard/mouse/speakers, Windows XP Home and a good software package.

Have a look at the video link to get an idea of what it has, personally I think its a very good deal at that price :thumb:

So there you go - 3 ideas at or around your budget
user.gif
 
floppybootstomp said:
These components cost £347.49 inc VAT & delivery so we're within budget. They're from E-Buyer and if you use Google checkout you'll get a tenner off.

All the components are quality parts.

The motherboard has onboard graphics but will be fine for your requirements. It will not run most latest high res games, but will be happy with some older games.

There is no floppy drive and no Operating system. You will have to use the stock heatsink and fan, which should be fine (if you do order this, don't forget to order a small tube of CPU thermal compound with your order, I just remembered that).

However, you have a dual core 2Ghz machine, a gig of RAM, a 250Gb hard drive and a DVDRW. 380W PSU and a 17" TFT Samsung Monitor.

The case is a matter of personal taste of course, but I chose the one here as I liked the look of it and it was a fair price.

You may wish at a later date to add better graphics - that's ok, it has a pci-e slot.

Adding a floppy drive will add about £7.00 to the price.

Adding a DVD-ROM drive (to copy from, but it's not needed) will add about another £14.00.

Here we go, hope this picture is readable:

ebuyer04.jpg
Click to expand...

E-Buyer give free shipping on orders over £89.99 and they give £10.00 on EVERY ORDER over £30.00 . So split the order up into 3 lots over £89.99 and you'll save the shipping and £30.00 and on the remainder you'll save £10.00 but you'll have to pay shipping but you will still save some money . I rekon youd save nearly £45 doing it that way .

nod.gif
 
@Adywebb: Thanks very much for this 3rd option, it really helps put the other 2 into perspective. Appreciate your time and effort posting this.

@Abarbarian: That's a really good point. Hadn't thought of that. Thanks alot.

On a general note, I'd just like to say what a really great experience its been on my first day on these forums. The level of information people have provided is really second to none. I'm very impressed and really grateful to all those who chipped in with advice.

I've decided to go the self-build route and use Flop's spec and Abarbarian's cost cutting advice. I will do a post on my process of building it as and when parts come through. Wish me luck!

Thanks again,

Andrew
 
Andrew - I think you've made a good choice in going for a self-build, you will get alot of satisfaction out of it and learn alot along the way - just remember we are always here to help you should you need it :thumb:


Good luck!! :)
 
Good on ya lad....You will get so much more self satisfaction from your pc knowing you made it...:nod:
 
Try your local FreeCycle group and you might get a Monitor for nothing . I have had 4 X 17" and 1 X 19" monitors from my local group and one of them was a Dell and came with keyboard and mouse .

http://uk.freecycle.org/

:D
 
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