![]() ![]() The Pentium-powered Dell Dimension 8400 I bought in April 2005 is still going strong running Windows XP (with a RAM upgrade and a new graphics card), and I added a Dell Vostro 460MT running Windows 7 on a Core i5-2500 in September 2011.ĭell's Vostro range is aimed at boring business buyers rather than consumers, so they tend to be well made and they don't include a lot of bundled crapware to mess things up. Our last three desktops have all been from Dell, and none of them has given any problems. Picking a DellĪs you're already a Dell user, you may as well stick with the brand. Otherwise, the Great Leap Forward can come as a bit of a shock. It's a bit of a geeky approach but it does enable people to move at their own pace from XP to Windows 7 to Windows 8. The nice thing about the 7 Pro version is that it has an XP Mode that lets you run a copy of XP under Windows 7. Basically, you're buying Windows 8 but with downgrade rights that allow you to run Windows 7. Ideally, desktop users who are upgrading from Windows XP and not sure what to do should go for 64-bit Windows 7 Pro with a Windows 8 disk. Play with it in a shop and see how you like it. I like Windows 8 a lot on touch-screen tablets and laptops, but I don't use it on my desktops. Whether to go for Windows 7 or Windows 8 is a matter of some debate. You can use the old screen alongside the new one, even if they're different sizes. If you plan to run Windows 8, you should also consider buying a touch-sensitive monitor.īear in mind that all versions of Windows support two screens without any problems. If your current screen is less than 20in, it's worth considering a 22in or larger screen, now they are relatively cheap. You will also have to decide whether you want to buy a new screen and/or speakers, or whether you can re-use the ones you already have. ![]() Desktop PCs with 6GB and 8GB of memory are common. More memory is always better, so don't turn away the chance to have more, if the cost is nominal. Most desktop PCs come with 4GB or memory as standard, and unless you go in for heavyweight tasks such as editing movies, this is enough for Microsoft Windows 7 and 8. You can always install a cheap graphics card later, if you find you need one. ![]() Intel Core chips now have built-in graphics, which means you don't need to buy a desktop PC with a dedicated graphics card. If you're buying for the long term, it's probably not worth dropping down to a Pentium-branded chip. For your purposes, any Core i5-3xxx or Core i3-3xxx processor would be fine. The processor and memory are among the most expensive parts of a desktop PC, and they are where you can save some money, if you need to.Ĭurrently, I recommend the Intel Core i5-3570K as the best-value Ivy Bridge chip for someone who might want to overclock it, and the Core i5-3550 for people who don't know what overclocking means. You can always install a second hard drive later, or get a friend to install one for you.įor external connections, it's best to have some USB 3.0 ports, though most desktop PCs also have USB 2.0 ports as well, both front and rear. You won't need that much unless you want to store lots of movies - probably more than 100, depending on length and resolution. Currently, 1TB (terabyte) drives are cheap and 2TB drives are affordable. Make sure the PC you buy has at least twice as much storage space, preferably five times as much. Check the size of the one in your current PC by opening Windows Explorer, selecting My Computer, and seeing what it says for Local Disk (C:). These are the modern equivalent of floppy disks, if anyone remembers those.įor internal storage, you will also need a hard drive. It's also handy to have a built-in multi-card reader that will read SD memory cards from cameras, voice recorders and other devices. ![]() If you want to play Blu-ray movies as well, then you will need to specify a Blu-ray drive. Most desktop PCs come with a built-in DVD optical drive that will also read and write CDs. If you're never going to open it up and add to it, a mini-tower (MT) or small form factor (SFF) case will be fine. If you want to add expansion cards and extra hard drives, then it helps to have a large case. Most desktop PCs come in tower cases of various sizes. ![]()
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