What PC should I buy, need one for all the family and with plenty memory and fast?

Question

Hi there
Our normal PC guy is no longer supply computers and I dont know where to start! We use the computer daily for internet, msn and gaming, we also put pics on there too and small business use (wordprocessing and spreadhseets). I am totally confused with Dual core, SATA, GB's MB's etc etc. Can anybody give me some good advice. We already have a printer and want to keep the old computer too, but want a flat screen, better speakers etc. Please be kind and give advice in English and not computer Jargon. Thanking you in advance.
Joanne

Answer 1

hi joanne
theres never been a better time to buy a p.c with like you say all the new processors and graphic cards,the world is your oyster
however from experience i have found the best p.c,s are manufactured by a company called "mesh computers">http://www.meshcomputers.com/
for example the mesh Xtreme GTA Quad Pro (http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.aspx?PAGE=PRODUCTVIEWPAGE&USG=PRODUCT&ENT=PRODUCT&KEY=232139)is a excellent p.c from mesh with the following specs...............
Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor(2.4GHz,8MB Cache,1066MHz)
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium Edition
Digital / Analogue TV Tuner PCI Card
Aluminium ATX Midi Tower + 550W PSU
PCI-Express Mainboard - SLI nForce 650i SLI(C55) - Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad-Core - ATX
4GB DDR2 667MHz Memory ( 4 x 1GB SS)
500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive with 16MB Buffer
LightScribe Super Format 18x Dual Layer DVD Writer +R/-R/RW/RAM
2x 256MB nVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT - SLI Configuration
22" Widescreen LCD TFT Digital Display with internal speakers (DVI, 5ms)
Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Sound Card (oem)
Logitech S500 - 5.1 Speakers with Subwoofer
Logitech Cordless Keyboard & Cordless Optical Mouse
Free Microsoft® Works® 8.5 + 60 Days Microsoft Office Trial
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
2x IEEE1394 Firewire (onboard)
Multi-format Memory Card Reader
Free Upgrade to 1 Year On Site* - UK Mainland Only (Repairline ltd Warranty)
you cant grumble at these specs including the
Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor(2.4GHz,8MB Cache,1066MHz) ,this is a very fast processor and combining with 4GB DDR2 667MHz Memory ( 4 x 1GB SS) this equates to a extremely fast computer
and with a 500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive with 16MB Buffer this gives you plenty of storage space and for gaming the 2x 256MB nVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT - SLI Configuration is more than enough to play any of the latest games at fast frame rates,also videos and photos will be much clearer
and all this will look great on the 22" Widescreen LCD TFT Digital Display with internal speakers (DVI, 5ms) ,a top class monitor
the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Sound Card supplies the audio on this p.c and all of this is protected by a 1 Year On Site* - UK Mainland Only (Repairline ltd Warranty)
if money is no object then the Elite Ultima Quad (http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.aspx?PAGE=PRODUCTVIEWPAGE&USG=PRODUCT&ENT=PRODUCT&KEY=217322)is the best p.c you can buy,check out its specs....................
Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q6700 Quad Core Processor(2.66GHz,8MB Cache,1066MHz)
Genuine Windows Vista™ Ultimate Edition
Aluminium ATX Midi Tower + 550W PSU
PCI-Express Mainboard - SLI nForce 680i SLI(C55XE) - Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad-Core - ATX
4GB DDR2 667MHz Memory -( 4x 1GB )
1TB (2x 500GB) Serial ATA Hard Drive with 16MB Buffer
LightScribe Super Format 18x Dual Layer DVD Writer +R/-R/RW/RAM
768MB nVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra
24" LCD Widescreen TFT Monitor + built in speakers Iiyama B2403WS
Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Sound Card (oem)
Logitech S500 - 5.1 Speakers with Subwoofer
Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard + MX Revolution Cordless Rechargeable Laser Mouse
Free Microsoft® Works® 8.5 + 60 Days Microsoft Office Trial
Free Cyberlink Video Editing Suite - 7 titles (oem)
2x IEEE1394 Firewire (onboard)
2x Gigabit LAN (onboard)
Multi-format Memory Card Reader
both these are top spec p.c,s and highly recommended,especially the Elite Ultima Quad
i hope this helps
good luck joanne !

Answer 2

Since you use it for pics, get one with a media reader card--you just plug in your memory card from your camera, very handy. Also get at least 80 GB hard drive. 1 or 2 GB system ram(1024 to 2048) Dual core is nice--I have it, and its not too expensive. Almost all pc's have either Intel processors or AMD--they both work great! I usually shop by price, not name brand, as out of 6 pcs I have owned, they all worked just fine. Checkout---CyberPower,inc-----and TigerDirect----to get an idea of prices.

Answer 3

Hi, I cant really tell you what to get but from my past experience, avoid any 'Fujitsu Siemens' computers, in the two years I've had mine, it's had to be reset about 5 times, the graphics card has had to be replaced, the memory has had to be replaced, and the motherboard has had to be replaced, so basically all the important parts have been replaced... not cheap.
Hope this helped.
Good luck finding a new computer.

Answer 4

Provided you don't want the latest games just buy a cheap base unit from Dell. £150-200ish should be enough for what you want.
You can buy the monitor seperately to get a better price.

Answer 5

It really depends on the amount of money you are willing to spend. I'm sure if you ask staff at PC world they would help.