Author Topic: New Win10 desktop recommendations and advice please  (Read 1422 times)

Offline familydar

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New Win10 desktop recommendations and advice please
« on: Friday 19 January 18 14:17 GMT (UK) »
I should have known that my success with increasing the RAM on my old workhorse was too good to last (see earlier post just before Xmas).

I think the HDD has now failed (oh the irony - I considered replacing it with an SSD when I did the RAM  and decided I couldn't justify the cost).  Thankfully if I can't recover the data I'll only have lost about 3 weeks of updates as I did a full backup to external HDD on 1st Jan and when it started acting a bit strangely yesterday I copied the year's downloads to date to a USB stick.

Currently going through a system restore from DVD which I imagine might take most of the day but I think I'll have to take the plunge and enter the strange world of Windows 10 and a new computer.

I want a desktop and space isn't an issue.  I prefer a slimline tower unit but having seen how inaccessible all the internal components are I wonder whether I ought to go back to a full size one.  I don't need wifi but it seems this is quite commonplace so may end up with it regardless.

Existing computer is an Acer and it's been reliable over the 7 or so years I've owned it.  It has USB ports to spare and four of them readily accessible on the front.  I suspect I might struggle to match this.

HP seem to be popular but my past experience of the brand hasn't been good - not my own computer but my father had two in succession because it was a brand he'd heard of and they sold them in his favourite never knowingly undersold department store.  The first one failed apparently without warning when it wasn't all that old, the second one struggles on but seems desperately underpowered (I suppose it could be because it IS underpowered, and it's older than mine so perhaps they're not so bad after all).

Before the Acer I had a Dell and replaced it after about 5 years I think when it got a bit cranky.  It still fires up OK but doesn't go online because it's XP and probably quite vulnerable.  It's useful when I need to use ancient software that won't run on a 64 bit machine.

Anyway, given that I do a LOT of multitasking (see the pre-Xmas post for the sort of things I expect it to do) and I don't have the courage to go for a Mac because that would involve finding too much replacement software, if I'm looking for a Win10 machine is it just a case of going for the highest spec at a price I feel is reasonable, or are there brands I should avoid at all costs?  And does anyone have any objective info on processors - my gut says stay with intel because the various alternatives used to run hot and fail, but is this still the case?

This post typed on a desperately underpowered netbook running Linux because it ground to a halt with Win7.

Jane :-)
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Offline Gadget

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Offline Lostris

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Re: New Win10 desktop recommendations and advice please
« Reply #2 on: Friday 19 January 18 17:16 GMT (UK) »
These people will build you a 'barebones' AMD or Intel   ... choice of Cases, PSU etc, includes RAM, but not a CD/DVD player - which you will probably need to install Win10 

I've had 3 PCs from them since 2005 - only one actually broke   ... overall very pleased with the Box & their Support & Service ...

http://www.novatech.co.uk/barebonebundles/




Offline familydar

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Re: New Win10 desktop recommendations and advice please
« Reply #3 on: Friday 19 January 18 17:26 GMT (UK) »
Update - the restore failed.  So definitely looking for a new machine.

I checked out Gadget's desktop link but didn't find it a tremendous lot of help.  I'd like to future-proof for as long as poss so min i5, perhaps even i7, and at least 8gig ram with expansion possibilities.  Going for an ssd as well as hdd would be a nice to have from a performance perspective but I think a bit too expensive once I start throwing all my other requirements into the mix.   I wouldn't consider refurbished.

At the moment I'm seriously considering lenovo 510s in one or other of its guises because of the number of USBs it has and it doesn't look like something that's escaped from a sci fi movie.  Anyone bought one recently?

Have just seen Lostris's post, will check that out now.

Jane:-)
ALLEN
BARR, BARRATT, BERRY, BRADLEY,BRAMLEY,BRISTOW,BROWN,BUGBIRD,BUTLER
CAIN,CARR,CHAPMAN,CHARLES,CH*LTON,CHESTER,COCKETT
COLLASON,COLLYER,CORKERY
DARLING, DENYER,DICKERSON,DOLLING,DURBAN
FARMER,FURNELL
GIBSON,GILES,GROOMBRIDGE
HALL,HAMBIDGE,HARMES,HART,HICKS,HILL,HOLLOWAY
JACKSON
K*AT*S
LANCASTER,LINTON
MCDONALD,MCFADEN,MEARS,MILLARD
NICOLAS,NOAK,NORTH
PARFIT,PORTER
RIPPINGALE,ROBINS
SEARLE,SPENCER,STEDHAM
TYLER,TILLY,TUCKWELL
WADE,WAGER,WALKER,WATSON,WEBB,WITHRINGTON,WOOD


Offline Gadget

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Re: New Win10 desktop recommendations and advice please
« Reply #4 on: Friday 19 January 18 17:30 GMT (UK) »
Sorry - meant to say that you could click on a sub-category according to your particular needs - e.g.

http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/pc/best-all-in-one-pc-the-top-one-box-windows-8-pcs-compared-1174017

Add - I prefer Apple desktops and there's one there for £735.  Laptops, I've always gone for Dell/HP or Apple
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Online ShaunJ

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Re: New Win10 desktop recommendations and advice please
« Reply #5 on: Friday 19 January 18 17:52 GMT (UK) »
I've been really pleased with our 2 desktop PC's from QuietPC.com. Fast and silent. 
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Offline mike175

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Re: New Win10 desktop recommendations and advice please
« Reply #6 on: Friday 19 January 18 17:59 GMT (UK) »
Hi Jane,

I hardly dare put in an appearance after helping persuade you to upgrade your old PC  :-[
Really sorry it didn't work out   :'(

I just wanted to say I have had a PC and Laptop from PCSpecialist and my son has a PC from them too. I bought my PC with XP installed so it's fairly old, but have since upgraded to Win7 and then Win10 with no problems and also added more RAM.

They allow you to choose the bits you want, but you may have to wait a week or two as they build to order, install the software and then test them for 24 hours. You obviously have a fair idea of what you want and the web site is quite informative about the options:

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/

Mike.
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Offline familydar

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Re: New Win10 desktop recommendations and advice please
« Reply #7 on: Friday 19 January 18 18:15 GMT (UK) »
Don't worry about it Mike it's not your fault.  The comp was obviously trying to tell me something before xmas and I didn't heed the signs.

I'll check out your link.

Best wishes
Jane:-)
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BARR, BARRATT, BERRY, BRADLEY,BRAMLEY,BRISTOW,BROWN,BUGBIRD,BUTLER
CAIN,CARR,CHAPMAN,CHARLES,CH*LTON,CHESTER,COCKETT
COLLASON,COLLYER,CORKERY
DARLING, DENYER,DICKERSON,DOLLING,DURBAN
FARMER,FURNELL
GIBSON,GILES,GROOMBRIDGE
HALL,HAMBIDGE,HARMES,HART,HICKS,HILL,HOLLOWAY
JACKSON
K*AT*S
LANCASTER,LINTON
MCDONALD,MCFADEN,MEARS,MILLARD
NICOLAS,NOAK,NORTH
PARFIT,PORTER
RIPPINGALE,ROBINS
SEARLE,SPENCER,STEDHAM
TYLER,TILLY,TUCKWELL
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Offline familydar

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Re: New Win10 desktop recommendations and advice please
« Reply #8 on: Saturday 20 January 18 12:36 GMT (UK) »
This is very weird.  This morning I thought have one final go at powering it up as it's had all night to cool down and it would be nice to copy things I've updated since the beginning of the year (family tree for instance!) over to a USB stick.  I wasn't expecting it to respond in any sort of useful manner, fully expecting BSOD.  I switched it on at the wall and made a cup of tea, intending to switch on the computer itself once I'd consumed said tea.  Drank tea, had breakfast, emptied tumble drier, put a few pieces in the jigsaw puzzle I have on the go and finally felt brave enough to face the computer.

It was on.  It was still going through its boot process but the windows desktop was starting to appear.  And I'd not touched its power button.

When it started to act strangely on Thursday the first thing I did was ran two different anti-virus scans plus anti malware and anti spyware - all clean.  I also wondered if it needed any windows updates - it wasn't downloading any, that always affects performance, but I wondered if there were any updates it had downloaded which needed installing.  There weren't and the history had gone from 7 years worth of updates to completely empty.

I've copied over the files I wanted, desperately trying to think of anything else that might be on there which could prove useful because I don't expect it to "play ball" again.  I certainly won't trust it - I've asked the two custom pc builders suggested earlier in this thread to quote me for a replacement - but it seems that for today at least I'm not having to stuggle with the netbook or tablet to speak to you lovely people.

BTW Windows Update history now has three successful updates with installation dates of 18th, 19th & 20th (today).

Jane :-)
ALLEN
BARR, BARRATT, BERRY, BRADLEY,BRAMLEY,BRISTOW,BROWN,BUGBIRD,BUTLER
CAIN,CARR,CHAPMAN,CHARLES,CH*LTON,CHESTER,COCKETT
COLLASON,COLLYER,CORKERY
DARLING, DENYER,DICKERSON,DOLLING,DURBAN
FARMER,FURNELL
GIBSON,GILES,GROOMBRIDGE
HALL,HAMBIDGE,HARMES,HART,HICKS,HILL,HOLLOWAY
JACKSON
K*AT*S
LANCASTER,LINTON
MCDONALD,MCFADEN,MEARS,MILLARD
NICOLAS,NOAK,NORTH
PARFIT,PORTER
RIPPINGALE,ROBINS
SEARLE,SPENCER,STEDHAM
TYLER,TILLY,TUCKWELL
WADE,WAGER,WALKER,WATSON,WEBB,WITHRINGTON,WOOD