refurb PC?

callmedivacallmediva Posts: 1,862
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My old PC died a while ago and I just can't get the hang of using a laptop, stupid, I know, but I can't.

Anyway, I'm having to save a significant sum of money for something I can't talk about at the moment, so funds are limited, which is why I was thinking of a refurb.

I've got about £200 to spend, I work a lot with music, so I could do with something that is well capable of running Sonar and other bits and pieces of audio software. A decent graphics card would be good to so that I can use photoshop easily.

Can anyone recommend anything and a reputable place to get one from.

I know it's a lot that I'm asking for for under £200 but that's the way it is i'm afraid. I'd love to be able to go to my local PC shop, he's alove;y guy in there, but i couldn't get the spec I need for the price from him.

HDD size doesn't really matter cos I use external drives and the drives from my old PC will be used too, I'm thinking maybe quad core and 8 gig of ram?

Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 799
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    have a look on ebay. theres loads of shops on ebay that sell pc .

    you can get a decent pc for £150
  • mred2000mred2000 Posts: 10,050
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    Check out http://www.scctrade.co.uk and http://www.tier1online.com

    Also, tiny point, but RAM, CPU and hard drive space are far more important to Photoshop than a whizzbang video card, especially when you're on a tight budget.
  • xp95xp95 Posts: 2,439
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    I was going to recommend Sterling XS, but they appear to have gone bust. :(
  • bspacebspace Posts: 14,303
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    what is it about a laptop you can't get the hang of?

    attach a keyboard, mouse and monitor to it, how would that be different to a PC?
  • Andrew_BallardAndrew_Ballard Posts: 1,054
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    you'll be able to easily get a q6600/Q8xxx, p45, 8GB core2quad system for that and OC it a bit (or a lot, but old PSUs tend to not like overclocks). Old, but still quite capable.

    Forget getting a good graphics card as well though, perhaps an old quadro?

    eBay for the parts, or perhaps a complete system.
  • callmedivacallmediva Posts: 1,862
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    bspace wrote: »
    what is it about a laptop you can't get the hang of?

    attach a keyboard, mouse and monitor to it, how would that be different to a PC?

    I like the fact that I can easily get into a pc and add a card or something
  • callmedivacallmediva Posts: 1,862
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    mred2000 wrote: »
    Check out http://www.scctrade.co.uk and http://www.tier1online.com

    Also, tiny point, but RAM, CPU and hard drive space are far more important to Photoshop than a whizzbang video card, especially when you're on a tight budget.

    cheers for the info...........

    would this be any good?
  • StigStig Posts: 12,446
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    Dell Outlet is good, especially if you want a PC with no monitor.
  • mred2000mred2000 Posts: 10,050
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    callmediva wrote: »
    cheers for the info...........

    would this be any good?

    Personally I wouldn't touch a Pentium D processor. You can get better for that price.

    If you're going to use Bargain Hardware then it might be worth checking out their website as opposed to eBay:
    http://www.bargainhardware.co.uk/
    I didn't mention them the other day coz one of their sales guys was a wee bit cheeky and tried a casual spam on here not so long since... (came on asking for refurb PC advice before advertising his own site, basically...)
    Stig wrote: »
    Dell Outlet is good, especially if you want a PC with no monitor.

    True, I forgot they still had the Outlet.

    Which reminds me of http://www.europc.co.uk/ - I used them loads in the past and they were very good but I've not used them for a few years.
  • TeeGeeTeeGee Posts: 5,772
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    Stig wrote: »
    Dell Outlet is good, especially if you want a PC with no monitor.

    Stocks are limited as far as desktops are concerned. There was just one last night and it was sold in minutes. They may also be "cheap" but that depends on the starting price and there is nothing anywhere near £200.

    A "barebones" from Novatech might be worth considering or even an assembled board, processor and RAM.

    P S I can't stand laptops either - they are for wimps!! ;)
  • xp95xp95 Posts: 2,439
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    TeeGee wrote: »
    Stocks are limited as far as desktops are concerned. There was just one last night and it was sold in minutes. They may also be "cheap" but that depends on the starting price and there is nothing anywhere near £200.

    A "barebones" from Novatech might be worth considering or even an assembled board, processor and RAM.

    P S I can't stand laptops either - they are for wimps!! ;)
    I think Dell used to do "barebones" build-it-yourself kits at some point.
  • mred2000mred2000 Posts: 10,050
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    xp95 wrote: »
    I think Dell used to do "barebones" build-it-yourself kits at some point.

    Blimey, when was that? I've used them since '97 and can't remember them doing a barebones kit... They certainly used to be much more customisable, though...
  • StompaStompa Posts: 656
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    TeeGee wrote: »
    Stocks are limited as far as desktops are concerned. There was just one last night and it was sold in minutes. They may also be "cheap" but that depends on the starting price and there is nothing anywhere near £200.
    There is if you don't mind 'Scratch and Dent':

    http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/buy_refurbished?c=uk&l=en&s=dfo
  • xp95xp95 Posts: 2,439
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    mred2000 wrote: »
    Blimey, when was that? I've used them since '97 and can't remember them doing a barebones kit... They certainly used to be much more customisable, though...
    I think it was during the early to mid-2000s.
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