To buy or not to buy- Dell optiplex sx280

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hathj29

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Hello there,
I am new to the forums and would like your advise about two computers I have just found on Ebay. I would like to shut down my old emac, as it is getting rather slow now and unfortunately during this economic period, I am unable to afford a brand new mac or like wise a PC, So off I went to ebay.

I need a good all-round PC (Word processing, Photoshop (limited usage) and general web browsing/ DVD watching), and would like a PC at around £150 or less. So far I have found two options, both being around 3-5 years old and both with similar specs on ebay.

The first is a Dell Optiplex SX280 with 1GB RAM, a 3.2ghz P4 Processor, a 80gb HDD and a DVD Drive. At £155 it is relatively expensive, however do you think, for this price, it is worth the money, considering it is quite old?? How reliable is this PC? What is your experience of this p.c.?

The second is a Dell optiplex GX260 with 512MB RAM, a 2.6ghz P4 processor, a 40gb HDD and a CD Drive. At £90, this is relatively cheap, however once I have the PC, do you think it will be dramatically slower than the PC above. How reliable is this PC and what is your experience of this PC?

What do you think would be the best PC for me and could you possibly tell me other places to find PC's this cheap? I may wish to upgrade to Windows 7 in the future from XP, so would the SX 280 be the better buy?

Thank you,
hathj29
 
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Welcome to the forum....
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I second Tripex on not buying second hand computers off of e-bay.
Why not give your Mac a good service..? Getrid of the crap that you don't need etc..What spec is it by the way..?
And if you're just after a cheap computer to see you over till you can afford a new one, have a look at Millteccomputers. They do Ex-Lease computers for really low prices. I have bought a few from them in the past. They are all overhauled and tested and come with a warrenty. And some pretty good spec machines to. OK not so much upto gaming standards or multi core processors, but will be more than adiquit for what you want.
 
Thanks, triplex and Mad X. Unfortunately the upgrade options for the emac outweighs the money I would spend on a used PC. The emac is 700mhz and is okay for simple tasks, however I am finding that the fan seems to be too loud particularly in my small room, making it hard to concentrate when working. Likewise I find that a smaller PC with a small towers and a wall mountable screen would be the best option for me. As for E-bay, I have had good PC's from them, including a number of Macs which I have been happy with, and I usually found that there is good customer service, particulary with people with 100% feedback. How about this PC?? What are your views?- http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123#ht_1694wt_1176

Thanks for the introduction to the forums,
hathj29
 
Thanks for the replies and the links abarbarian. The problem is with the aria PC is that it is a bit bulky for my living space at the moment and the sx280 would suit my room size and the space designated for the PC. Does anyone know the MAX RAM for the Dell sx280? As for the pc prior to the link before, I agree, I will not purchase a PC without the nesscesary discs so have found one which has the disc and recently been refurbished and has new RAM, new HDD a used monitor however most of the components are new! What do you think? Would it be worth upgrading to Windows 7 when it is released if this computer was brought?

Thanks, :-)
 
hathj29 said:
...So far I have found two options, both being around 3-5 years old and both with similar specs on ebay.
The first is a Dell Optiplex SX280 with 1GB RAM, a 3.2ghz P4 Processor, a 80gb HDD and a DVD Drive. At £155 it is relatively expensive, however do you think, for this price, it is worth the money, considering it is quite old?? How reliable is this PC? What is your experience of this p.c.?
Click to expand...
Using a maximum of 2GB of DDR2-400 memory and an Intel 915G chipset, This machine will likely do what you need using Windows XP just fine. This Dell box will likely be as reliable as any for it's age. I bet it will need a thorough cleaning inside when you get it.

hathj29 said:
The second is a Dell optiplex GX260 with 512MB RAM, a 2.6ghz P4 processor, a 40gb HDD and a CD Drive. At £90, this is relatively cheap, however once I have the PC, do you think it will be dramatically slower than the PC above. How reliable is this PC and what is your experience of this PC?
Click to expand...
This is a 1GB max DDR-333 machine with an Intel 845G (socket 478) chipset. I guess you plan on buying a DVD drive for it? I'd pass on this one.

hathj29 said:
I may wish to upgrade to Windows 7 in the future from XP, so would the SX 280 be the better buy?
Click to expand...
Finding Windows 7 chipset drivers for either of these boxes may be problematic. Vista does not support the 845G, so I'm sure Win 7 won't either. Besides, with the money you'd give to Microsoft you might as well just get a better box in the first place.
 
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