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Thread ID: 134721	2013-08-02 02:49:00	Recommend me a PC	forrest44 (754)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1350433	2013-08-02 02:49:00	Looking for a new PC for my dad Mainly used for home business type stuff (email and so forth) Currently still using a 3GHz P4 w/ 1gb RAM and Windows XP So as you can tell performance is not a huge issue for us, just looking to upgrade for stability as current system is getting a bit unstable prefer something with Win7 Should I look on Playtech, PBtech, etc for a pre assembled system? Or just go into Noel Leeming / DSE and buy a new one? Don't need monitor with it Don't want to spend too much if possible Any ideas?	forrest44 (754)
1350434	2013-08-02 02:50:00	What budget do you have, and where are you located?	wratterus (105)
1350435	2013-08-02 03:08:00	[QUOTE=forrest44;1173013 performance is not a huge issue for us, just looking to upgrade for stability as current system is getting a bit unstable prefer something with Win7 Don't want to spend too much if possible [/QUOTE] So...why not do what I did with my fathers then? Windows (whatever version) does get unstable after a while. I replaced his HDD, installed Win7, reinstalled his software and replaced his data. Voila. Perfect. Budget - minimal. The HDD cause it was ancient and dodgy....not that he really needed a bigger one....	pctek (84)
1350436	2013-08-02 04:00:00	So...why not do what I did with my fathers then? Windows (whatever version) does get unstable after a while. I replaced his HDD, installed Win7, reinstalled his software and replaced his data. Voila. Perfect. Budget - minimal. The HDD cause it was ancient and dodgy....not that he really needed a bigger one.... You'd want to rule out things like PSU, motherboard capacitor issues etc as being the cause of the instability though, which may or may not be on the cards for the OP. It may be simpler in this case to spend $600 - $700 on a new PC.	inphinity (7274)
1350437	2013-08-02 04:05:00	I have been in both Dick Smith an Harvey Norman stores in the past few days and it was quite clear that the tradicional Desk Top PC is not on sale any longer with the exception of a couple of HP end of line specials. On display were Tablets, Laptops or more rarely large screen all in one units.	CliveM (6007)
1350438	2013-08-02 04:12:00	A pentium 4 is ancient, even on a fresh clean install they feel sluggish by todays standards. I know, I've played with a few lately. The dual core versions are passable but not great. I'd suggest a dual core pentium or i3 or an AMD equivalent (haven't built an AMD for a while so not sure what models that is) with 4Gb of RAM and using integrated graphics. Should be cheap enough. You could have one built or buy a premade. In this case an off the shelf name brand might actually be a good option - I hardly ever suggest those but there are some good deals around with reasonable warranties. Another option is a cheap laptop - starting around $500-$600 they start to get quite good for everyday computing, still lets you connect up your screen and keyboard and use as a desktop and let's you keep the old machine working as well. The main downside is lack of upgrade options and replacement parts but given the age of the current machine I'm guessing that's not much of an issue	dugimodo (138)
1350439	2013-08-02 04:16:00	I have been in both Dick Smith an Harvey Norman stores in the past few days and it was quite clear that the tradicional Desk Top PC is not on sale any longer with the exception of a couple of HP end of line specials. On display were Tablets, Laptops or more rarely large screen all in one units. REAL computer shops will still build them. The retail toaster shops mentioned are just puppets that sell what ever the big name manufactures pump out. AND yes DS are classed in the same rubbish these days, gone is the days they used to actually have reasonable stuff. Last time I went into DS, I was after a certain CMOS battery, not the standard ones -- I may as well have been speaking to the floor, I would have gotten more of a responce - the guys ( took 3 of them) to figure out what it was ( friggin idiots) :groan:	wainuitech (129)
1350440	2013-08-02 05:00:00	I have been in both Dick Smith an Harvey Norman stores in the past few days and it was quite clear that the tradicional Desk Top PC is not on sale any longer with the exception of a couple of HP end of line specials. On display were Tablets, Laptops or more rarely large screen all in one units. Neither of these are PC stores, though. They're appliance shops. It's still very possibly to buy a desktop PC from a PC store. The Warehouse not selling 5 seater couches does not mean 5 seater couches are no longer sold ;)	inphinity (7274)
1350441	2013-08-02 05:02:00	something like www.pbtech.co.nz or www.pbtech.co.nz Add about $150 for a copy of windows. Shop around, use these as a reference and see what you can find.	dugimodo (138)
1350442	2013-08-02 19:55:00	You'd want to rule out things like PSU, motherboard capacitor issues etc as being the cause of the instability though,. Yes, hardware may be an issue but generally failing hw doesn't cause instability, it causes screamingly obvious faults or death of the PC. PSU is easy enough to swap out, hardly a reason to get an entire new PC. Motherboard, well, you can get a kit, MB, CPU and RAM.	pctek (84)
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