I am in need of a new PC and need some advice

Should I go for a core 2 duo 2.8Ghz or a core 2 quad 2.5Ghz processor

Everything else appears to be the same (1Tb HDD, 1Gb video memory, Vista Home Premium)

Except the cost - the dual core is £479 - the quad core £529

In the real world - will I notice the difference ?

Hi Twee,

It depends what you use your PC for really but for £50 extra I would personally go for the Core 2 Quad processor.

The specs you have listed seem very good but the bargains are appearing now with the poor sales figures for PC's lately. The Core 2 Quad will probably outlive the dual core as well but the main benefit is being able to run more programmes at the same time like downloading many music files or a video file and having a few explorer/firefox windows open at the same time.

I bought one about 11 months ago and am pleased with the extra performance and it has never crashed yet.

These are Aldi - "MEDION" brand - they are very well received in the computer press

Have you considered getting the same PC made from scratch. This can sometimes be cheaper, easiest way is to note down all the specifications and then go to a firm like mesh who can build them from scratch and send it direct to you. I used mesh but they are not the only ones though, shop around but do not get carried away with it all. Stick to the specs you can afford and you could get it for cheaper than retail with one of those guys because the middle man is cut out. Search "build pc" or something like that in google.

Dell - every time. Forget PC self-builds, they are a support nightmare.

Basic rules:

1. Work out your budget and stick to it.
2. Write down what you want it to do NOW and then what you might want to do in a few months.
3. Look at the High Street names and see what they are offering.
4. If you are NOT technical, think about who will be looking after this later on (the classic failings of a self-build).
5. Remember that the cost of the hardware is nothing to the cost of the software. (eg: PC = £350 MS Office = £350)
6. Memory is more important than disc space. Get as much as you can afford.
7. Vista is about to be replaced with Windows 7 (why I use a Mac!)
8. The moment you buy your whizzy new machine, it is obsolete.
9. If you have kids and they need to use it, buy CyberPatrol before you connect to the Internet.
10. Just because it LOOKS good does not mean that it is good. The minimum warranty should be 12 months - preferably two years.

Finally, when you get connected to the World Wide Wait, make sure you have constant and updated protection. McAfee is better than most, Symantec can be slung in a bin as quickly as possible. Home power supplies are notoriously poor - invest in a surge protector or better still a UPS - they cost little and save a fortune.

SHARK!

---

For every positive action, there's an equal and opposite government plan.

I agree with some points above. For a start, Dell are very good machines.

1. Yep

2. Yep

3. But don't buy straight away......... just do homework. Nearly all high street PCs can be purchased cheaper elsewhere.

4. I'm not technical, I've had no problems.

5. Very true!

6. Again very true

7. Yes it is, Macs are also absolutely brilliant machines!

8. Only relevent if you are a proffesional in I.T.

9. Yes and teach them about downloading and add-ons otherwise your machine will get cluttered

10. Very very true.

Definately agree with surge protectors and remaining safe and secure online. McAfee is good but there are others. Yes, leave Symantec behind. Thanks Landshark

Hi Landshark,

Good tips about selecting the right machine for the job and ordering enough memory. I got 4 Gig on my present PC and also on my Macbook and it really helps when running many applications, also helps with my day trading too.

I would have slung my Windows PC out too and gone for a Mac Desktop but cannot run MT4 Metatrader on it unless a Windows operating system is loaded too, at least that is what I was told. If I did load the Windows system too (XP Pro) on my Macbook Pro (Intel D/C) or a future Mac Desktop, would this leave it open to all the Windows problems like viruses, keyloggers etc?

Lastly regarding the Symantec products, I was happy enough with Norton 360 v2 and now v3 but had to get a friend to tighten up the security a little by setting the firewall rules. I have never had problems with using credit cards or online banking with this product, were you referring to the more basic products in the Symantec range? - just curious. Also have you heard of Netshield (from Anonymizer) at $100 a year and do you think it gives any extra protection from hackers etc.

Thankjs

ATM

Personally I do not think there is much need to pay for a service. There are just as many free services you can get, you just have to have different packages for different problems. Virus protection, spyware protection etc etc. There are LOADS out there but it is finding the best ones. I have not paid for any of my security software and to date have had 0 problems in the 10 or so years I have been online! Anyone else agree??

Mandy,

Thanks for your reply and I have seen products like AVG, Adware etc out there, and I would be the first to admit that even buying an anti-virus programme won't keep everything out on a Windows machine. The Macbook however seems absolutely brilliant when it comes to safety, when I bought it at the Apple Store on my travels last time I picked up a copy of Norton for Mac and the sales guy told me I wouldn't need it. It has proved true since last November, a couple of times the progress bar stalls when opening an email but I guess that means that the email contained a Virus.

On my Windows desktop though, this is mainly used for financial day trading and I need the best protection against any hackers or key loggers and cost is not so important. I don't want to lose what is in my accounts and have just been relying on Norton 360 v3. It seems to do the job okay after the firewall rules being fine tuned, I have also seen a programme called Total Net Shield but that is $100 a year so same price as Norton 360 but used together it should do the job. I will check out some reviews before I buy that package though.

I eventually decided on a Quad Core PC from Median - which is pretty rapid at everything that I have thrown at it so far - just the problem with "recovering" my mail to sort out http://www.moneysupermarket.com/community/forums/p/36128/importing-mail-into-thunderbird-154384.aspx