Computer Supermarket- Reliable?

[Robbieboy]

www.computersupermarket.com / is this site reliable and safe to purchase a computer from...? There are some really good PC's on that site that are cheap.

 

[tacosareveryyum]

Meh... the pricing looks about average. You could easily build your own system that would be cheaper and a lot more powerful.
Which computers were you looking at?

 

[Robbieboy]

Specification

• AMD Sempron 3400+ Processor
• 1GB DDR2 Ultrafast Kingston RAM
• 80GB SATA II Hitachi Desk Star Hard Drive 16MB Cache
• LG Dual 18x DVD/RW DL RAM Dual Layer ReWriter
• 350W ATX Switching Power Supply
• 6 USB2 ports (2 front, 4 back)
• 17 inch LCD Multimedia Monitor
• Black PS2 Keyboard and Mouse
• Multimedia 2.0 Channel Speaker Set
• Genuine Windows® Vista Basic
• 1 year return to base warranty

Software Bundle

• Microsoft Office 2007 Professional (fully functional 60 day trial)
• Windows® Vista Recovery Disk

It's 279.00 quid

This one.. Is it any good? I have a laptop but it's a heap of ****e now (Toshiba A60-302) and i want a desktop, just for surfing the net, college work, downloading movies and music and ****. Think that will doo...?

 

[Luke*]

Hmm, the only bit that your getting for cheap really is the software bundle, that computer wouldn't handle vista so don't get it. If its for like you said, then the best would be a xp version with high ram and a good cpu. Which would cost around the same. Building it yourself is the best option as previously stated. If you wish I could have a look around for you to see if I can find you a good option on a British site?

Luke.

 

[tacosareveryyum]

How much are you looking to spend?
Things that you should be looking for in a decent desktop computer are:
multicore cpu
1-2 gigs of ram
dedicated graphics card
at least an 80 gig, 7200 rpm hard drive
some sort of speakers
17-19 inch lcd
dvd rom and rewrite
keyboard and mouse
either windows vista or linux equivalent
I would also recommend purchasing a computer with a decent (brand name) power supply unit. Alot of companies provide psus that are not sufficient for their systems. A one or two year warranty is also good.

 

[Luke*]

For what he has specified he does not really need a good graphics card. Onboard are fine for what he wants to do. Speakers arnt needed as he may choose to use headphones. Psu's are fine that come with a pre built system as they have a normal warranty. He is not gaming. Your making it look as if he wants to game :S Vista is not really the best option as atm most of its drivers are well... crap. Meh. Sorry if I seem snappy. :/

 

[tacosareveryyum]

I agree that vista is a bit immature still but it would pointless to purchase a brand new system and use windows xp. At the moment vista is a resource hog and benefits from dual cores, 2 gigs or ram, ect. If the op wanted to shop around he could find something with what I listed for a decent price. Also, if you want any longevity to the system, then it is better to get the dedicated graphics, ect. However if all the op is doing is surfing the net and wor processing, then integrated should be sufficient.

 

[Robbieboy]

I'm looking to spend aroun 500, and just want a good fast computer for everyday stuff. I noticed Dell website has cheap prices.

 

[Luke*]

Right, gimme 10 mins and I will have a look for you

Luke.

 

[tacosareveryyum]

Found anything?

 

[Luke*]

Well, its hard really, since I am not building his system then I would have to go with a prebuilt system, and from the site I use ( which is good as in british wise ) then this is the only thing I can find. If I were building it for him then It would of been easier.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-036-OK&groupid=43&catid=781&subcat=

 

[Robbieboy]

That one looks really good and just what I'm looking for, but i would have to buy a new screen for it...*-) Awell suppose they arnt really expensive anyway...

Is this one any good?
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/desktops_better?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

InspironTM 531

Processor
AMD® Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4400+ Processor
Intel® Viiv™ technology - Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6550 processor (2.33GHz) Processor
Intel® Viiv™ technology - Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6750 processor (2.66GHz)
Operating System
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English Operating System
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English Operating System
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
Monitors/DisplaysDell™ 19" Silver Wide Flat Panel (SE198WFP) - UK/Irish Monitors/DisplaysDell™ 19" Silver Wide Flat Panel (SE198WFP) - UK/Irish Monitors/DisplaysDell™ 22" Black Wide Flat Panel (E228WFP) - UK/Irish
Video Cards
256 MB ATI® Radeon® X1300 PCI Express graphics card Video Cards
256 MB ATI® Radeon® X1300 PCI Express graphics card Video Cards
Integrated Intel® Graphic Media Accelerator 3100
Memory
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024] Memory
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024] Memory
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]
Hard Drives
250GB (7200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive with 8MB DataBurst™ cache Hard Drives
250GB (7200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive with 8MB DataBurst™ cache Hard Drives
500GB Dual Hard Drive Non RAID (2x250GB - 7200rpm)
Optical
16x DVD +/- RW Drive Optical
16x DVD +/- RW Drive Optical
16x DVD +/- RW Drive
Services
1 Year Base Warranty - Collect & Return Services
1 Year Base Warranty - Collect & Return Services
1 Year Base Warranty - Collect & Return
Sound Cards
Integrated 7.1 Channel High Definition A

 

[tacosareveryyum]

Dell's are usually quality systems. You will get your money's worth. If you look hard enough you may find some coupons/discounts on the web.

 

[mgb_phys]

Didn't realize you were in the UK.
Cheapest for components are almost always www.ebuyer.com, overclockers is a close second.
Scan www.scan.co.uk are better customer service but slightly high postage, check their todayonly page.

Dell (especially the outlet site for notebooks) is basically unbeatable if you want a standard or lower end machine rather a souped up gamer.