Pc specs question

[quotethepigeon]

So I'm after getting a new home computer and due to space restrictions I've decided on just getting a tower and hooking it up to my tv.
I am however a bit of a dunce when it comes to spec heavy descriptions of pc's!

Is this a capable computer for everyday use ?

Windows 7 Dell Dual Core 4GB 1000GB DVD Desktop PC Computer Tower | eBay

Thanks in advance!

 

[Usman Mubashir]

too old I think, but if you're buying this one due to small budget then I suggest you opt for a 240GB SSD instead of 1TB HDD. I know SSDs are expensive, but they are so fast you might be able to play latest games on it if you like that sort of thing. Anyway, C2D is a nice processor, just make sure the hard disk is new, if it is old it will perform very poorly.

 

[quotethepigeon]

Thank you for your suggestion, I'll look around and see what I can find in an ssd

 

[palandri]

You want to find a PC with a minimum of an I3 CPU, preferably an I5 CPU

 

[Bram Vanroy]

too old I think, but if you're buying this one due to small budget then I suggest you opt for a 240GB SSD instead of 1TB HDD. I know SSDs are expensive, but they are so fast you might be able to play latest games on it if you like that sort of thing. Anyway, C2D is a nice processor, just make sure the hard disk is new, if it is old it will perform very poorly.

I'm sorry, but that is completely not true. Having an SSD (Solid state disk, basically flash memory) will make a PC feel faster indeed, but only the loading times will be better. I.e. programmes and games (and the OS itself) will launch faster, but that's it. You will not get faster rendering in Photoshop, or drastically more frame rates in games!

It is a very, very cheap computer so I guess you can't go wrong for that price. It all depends, though, on what you want to do with it. Games are a no go on this PC. Everyday tasks such as Office, Internet and listening to music will work fine but any heavier tasks will have difficulties to run or will not run at all.

 

[Nataku4ca]

i think the most important question to ask is, what is your budget?

 

[QwarkDreams]

too old I think, but if you're buying this one due to small budget then I suggest you opt for a 240GB SSD instead of 1TB HDD. I know SSDs are expensive, but they are so fast you might be able to play latest games on it if you like that sort of thing. Anyway, C2D is a nice processor, just make sure the hard disk is new, if it is old it will perform very poorly.

Nope, it's a Pentium D. In the specs it says Pentium D but a little bit down on the page it says Core 2 Duo OR Pentium D and since the Pentium Ds were indroduced in '05/'06 it's pretty old.

Plus, it's refurbished. 8-9 years old hardware + refurbished, even 150 Pound are too much for it.

Also, there isn't much info on the manufacturers of the parts (HDD, RAM,...) or what model they are (like the CPU, okay, Pentium D with 2,80GHz but which one?). There's too little information to decide if it is worth the money. How many USB-ports does it have? What monitor-cable can you use? (VGA, DVI, HDMI....last one is very unlikely).

Conclusion: too little information, too old.

A little bit more info on what you consider 'everyday use' and what your budget is would be nice too ;-)

You should get something with specs like these but be prepared to pay about double of what this crappy, old PC would cost you.
Intel Core i3-4130, Corsair 200R - System Build - PCPartPicker United Kingdom

 

[quotethepigeon]

Hmmmmm thanks guys, especially Qwarkdreams .
I'd have blindly bought without points like that being raised lol.
I don't really have a budget as such I'd just like as much as I can get for as little as possible really. (wouldn't we all lol)
My everyday use would just consist of music storage and streaming Netflix etc , gaming is an afterthought but wouldn't want it to be crippled should I decide to play on it though.

 

[QwarkDreams]

Hmmmmm thanks guys, especially Qwarkdreams .
I'd have blindly bought without points like that being raised lol.
I don't really have a budget as such I'd just like as much as I can get for as little as possible really. (wouldn't we all lol)
My everyday use would just consist of music storage and streaming Netflix etc , gaming is an afterthought but wouldn't want it to be crippled should I decide to play on it though.

Well, what are you willing to spend on a desktop PC? It will be difficult to find something for under 300P that will work fluidly for more than 2 years, at least new ones (not a fan of refurbished electronics, so I won't recommend them).

With APUs (CPUs with integrated GPU) you don't need a dedicated GPU (which will save you about 100€; sorry, don't know the prices in UK) and it will be enough for watching videos on a TV.
A Pentium G would be fine too, but even with one of them inside the PC you'll be facing prices of 300P (+/-20).

Be careful with new PCs that are suspiciously cheap, many of them come without OS or even optical drives (so no Windows on it, which will cost you about 70P and about 15-20P for an optical drive).

Even a Laptop with similar specs will set you back ~300P.

Edit:

I realize that assembling your own PC is not for everyone (be it the lack of know-how (not an offence!), a small budget or simply the unwillingness to do it). I can only repeat myself: getting a desktop PC for so "little" money (it's still a lot) is nearly impossible if you want to use it for years without having to upgrade at least some parts. And if you don't want to tinker around with the innards of your PC you need to get a completely new one.

If you should change your mind there are lots of guides (and they are nothing more, just guides) in article and video form all over the internet to get the work done. They explain step by step what you'll need and how to put the parts together. A little reading is necessary so you don't end up buying the wrong parts (like a CPU that won't fit onto your motherboard or DDR2 RAM that won't fit in any of the current motherboards) or having to buy more than you expected to (like cable splitters because the power supply unit or motherboard don't have enough connectors for addictional case fans). But overall it is really as simple as putting a set of Lego together (you can't connect a cable with a part that doesn't fit because, well, it just won't fit, even with force). And it's also kinda fun :-D
I started a thread about desktop PC assembling myself here in this forum but it's not finished yet but the point is: the thread I'm talking about started out as a help thread where I seeked help myself (old PC of 6 years was about to die and I had to get a new one and decided to assemble it myself with nearly no knowledge about the subject matter). Looking back I can say it wasn't easy getting to know the difference between all the parts and how they work together best but it was definitively worth it. And best of all: it works ;-)