New Computer

Technology and Gaming Help and Support
#1

My dad is looking to buy a new office computer with a budget of 500. Does anyone have any brand suggestions or particular computers? He’ll be looking for a fast computer that will last him a long time. He is getting rid of his old computer after about 10 years and will probably want this new computer to last 10 years. He already has a monitor kb and m.

Also, I was wondering if it’d be more cost effective to go with a 700 dollar budget. Since he is expecting to use this computer for a long time I think it would last as long as he wanted and in the long run save him money if he went with a 700 dollar computer.

Finally, how would I go about transferring all of his files on his old computer to his new computer?

Edit: Just glancing around newegg I found this computer: Computer

#2

hahahha no (don’t buy a pre-built rig)

buying pre-puilt PC’s is worse than building a PC out of the cheapest parts available

geforce 6150
I lol’d!

#3

Well, he won’t be doing anything that requires a video card so what one he gets really doesn’t matter. As for custom built, I don’t know a hell of a lot about it so I figured we’d be less likely to have defective parts compatibility issues etc. if we just went with a prebuilt. He’s willing to spend more to be more sure that everything will work right. Other than the vid card, which isn’t very important, is there anything wrong with that computer?

#4

That card will lag in youtube and microsoft office products.

Apart from that, pre-built computers often have weak power supplies that choke on graphics cards.

#5

Do you know of any good pre-builts then?

#6

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883147590

#7

build it yourself

EDIT: :ninja:

#8

It would be much more economical to build yourself. For $700 you could build an intel Sandybridge machine (using H67 chipset for onboard graphics) and have a much faster machine that will last longer.

Have you built before Garthbartin?

#9

I had a bunch of help building my own computer from a friend. But I’m not sure if I can get a hold of that friend to help me out this time. However I have had quite a bit of experience fiddling with the insides of my own machine.

@Sersoft according to the feedback you’ve got pretty bad odds of getting a working computer on your first or even second try so I dont’ think I want to trisk it on that one.

#10

I got a working gaming computer even having no choice in parts (got old parts from 4 different computers) and the only problem I ran into was incompatible ram, and that was DDR2, there are much less issues with DDR3.

#11

So should I buy a barebones and then fill in the accessories?

#12

yeah but the barebone kits on newegg all seem to have super-ugly cases, either find a barebone kit on sale on tigerdirect or build it from scratch on newegg

#13

that’s a pretty shitty computer for a bot.

#14

I’m gonna go at odds with everyone in this thread and say I don’t see the point in building a computer for office work. Main thing you want in a work machine is rock-solid stability. It doesn’t need to handle much

Picked up my mate’s old Dell for my dad, was a dual core with 2.5GB ram. Not the most powerful machine, but more than enough for what it’s used for. Only £50 as well

I use an Acer laptop for my work. Again, just a dual core with 2GB ram and an integrated graphics card. Runs Autocad Architecture, Oasys GSA etc. (and, er, a lot of minecraft :stuck_out_tongue: ) with no problems whatsoever. Not every computer has to be a monster custom built gaming rig, especially if you can do without the hassle

#15

Even so, I would still recommend building one yourself. Start with a mobo, either a p55 or h67 ( if you’d like to go inboard graphics) and then just pick a CPU that is the same socket as the mobo ( probably a core i3 or i5, based on how much power you are willing to pay for). The trickiest part is figuring out what RAM is compatible. This can be done by looking at the compatibility charts for your particular mobo AND CPU, it’s not hard if you know what to look for. From there pick a case and a pci-e graphics card if you need one, and a good brand name PSU, likely around 500 watts, and a SATA he’d. There are tons of tutorials on how to assemble the parts on google, just start with the mobo and CPU. The CPU heatsink is really easy to put on if you do go with an Intel Core i3 or i5. Put in your RAM, and then put the mobo in the case, ensuring that you have the right standoff posts in the right place, or you’ll short your mobo on the tray. Throw in the hdd and gpu and hook up the psu and you’re good to go.

I’ve built 3 computers from scratch, and they have all worked flawlessly. You can’t screw up if you’re careful and can follow instructions. In terms of value, going with custom build means you can get more powerful parts for your 500 bones, or you can choose what you want to sacrifice and save more money.

#16

Well, my dad is insisting on a prebuilt.

I’ve got a Dell I’m looking at and frankly I just want to get this over with. If nobody sees any glaring problems with this computer I think I’m going to go for it.
Dell desktop I’ll probably add an extra 2 gigs of RAM for 55 dollars. Maybe that part I’ll do my self if buying the RAM and installing it separately will save much money. Anybody have any recommendations on that?

#17

If you want durable, I’d go with Asus. I got an Asus laptop a few years back, it ran Windows Vista 64 bit, which normally has a ton of glitches and errors, but I never had a single hardware problem or software problem. They’re a tiny bit overpriced, (Not like Alienware or anything) but in my opinion it will be worth it if your getting a prebuilt.

#18

Don’t get this!. HP’s are crap. They break after 1½ year. And that’s only if you are lucky.

#19

The Dell computer you chose is already very outdated and very overpriced, but if that doesn’t bother u then go for it. Since you’re so set on pre-built, I’d recommend checking out craigslist for some cheap rigs, or maybe a local store like best buy where they occasionally have some cheap computers on clearance (rarely). I very much recommend building it yourself for many reasons, but if you really can’t be assed, then those are your best options.

Just make sure that your keyboard and mouse are USB, because if they’re also 10 years old then theres a good chance that they use the old PS/2 format (purple and green connectors) and almost all modern machines, especially dells, don’t retain compatibility for such old input devices, unfortunately. But if they’re not USB you can try your luck with a ps/2 to USB converter from eBay, but I’ve never tried those so ymmv.

#20

Build this one
It’s like 10 times better than the one you want

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