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Need to buy a new desktop for the wife for work to replace a Pentium 4 we have, which has done a great job over the last seven years.

The only problem is not sure what to go for and need advice.

Only looking for the tower as we have a newish monitor. Just unsure of what processor to go for mainly any suggestions?

She generally has four programs running at the same time word, outlook, chrome and Trados (Translation program seems quite processor heavy)

Also where to get it from? Looking around four hundred pound mark.

Thanks
Al :good:

Check out the PC world refurbs, anything i3/i5 (preferably a 2xxx model code as these are the newer sandy bridge cores) would be more than enough from the sounds of things.

Don't bother with anything AMD nowadays, even their top end CPU's are slow in relation to Intel.

i3 refurb - http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/acer-m1939-refurbished-desktop-pc-11290991-pdt.html

i5 refurb - http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/acer-m3920-desktop-pc-11102617-pdt.html

Brand new i3: http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/hp-pavilion-p6-2022uk-desktop-pc-11264383-pdt.html not bad.

All are Sandy Bridge. Very powerful CPU's.

I wouldn't go near pc world/currys, I have had nothing but problems with them since I bought my laptop in May. Their Knowhow people know nothing. Don't waste your money.

Cheers Matt funnily enough was looking at that new i3 one that could be the one.
What's sandy bridge? Seems awful stupid to put sand in a pc !

Or try Amazon - free delivery

http://www.amazon.co.uk/p6-2020uk-D...mp;ie=UTF8&qid=1329148489&sr=1-2

Just don't go for any kind of Dell or HP and you'll be fine.

The ones Matt linked are perfect for what you're after and there's dozens of stores around the Wirral that can fix them if you have any problems.

PCWorld has had some nice pc's at not bad prices, but don't go near the one in Chester, Iv'e walked out twice as they try to get you to buy the crap software and won't give up,even after telling them numerous times, the Birkenhead one is good but lacks lots of different pc's that Chester has, have a look in Chester but order from Birkenhead, as far as problems go with PC's from them, I haven't had any.

Why would you go to the store in the first place? Don't think I've been to a computer store to buy something for like a dozen years ..

PC world offer free delivery and I'm fairly sure they always have done.

The replies to these questions always make me laugh,
dont buy from pc world, dont buy from dell etc.
where is he going to buy one from then? mars ?

Someone said dont go near dell. I've had 3 towers and more laptops from them and they are fine.
what happend, did you buy a dell and it wasnt perfect so you now class the whole company as rubbish?

Just go to dell: http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-620/fs

the tower for £399 in the listing there is perfect for your wife.

If your looking to buy from the PC World or Currys websites, check out the Dixons [same company] website as more often than not they have the same product cheaper.

>I< said don't go near Dell. That's what the quote button is for.

It doesn't really require elaborating. It's kind of like the reason people say 'avoid AVG and Norton like the plague' when talking about antiviruses. If you know about computers, the statement doesn't need explanation because the overwhelming majority of users generally agree that those AV brands suck.

The same applies here.

Just to say, never had a problem with any PC I've bought, or people I know have bought, from PC World. My last two laptops were from there, both exactly what I wanted and at unbeatable prices - bought a new one only a few weeks ago, and everyone seems to be literally gob-smacked at the bargain I managed to get out of them lol - add to which, I received excellent service from them, for the limited service I required lol. Just a case of know your rights if the product develops a fault. Most computers don't though!

Just avoid PC World's coverplans/extended warranties, like everyone else, they work out a rip-off unless you're a really clumsy person and likely to break it in the first year, accidentally. I have insurance with my bank account, covers 2 years loss, theft, accidental damage, breakdown etc... always worth checking if your bank account offers this or your house insurance covers it (or may do as an add-on for a cheap price).

The value of a PC is severely diminished after 2 years anyway.

I know where the quote button is thanks.
Nothing wrong with Dell.
buy something that wasnt "perfect" once did you? boo hooo

Sorry, didn't notice this, Sandy Bridge is the newest CPU core. To put it in simple terms, it's about 15 - 20% more powerful than the previous Nehalem core. It also has a host of other improvements, with integrated graphics that actually surpass the performance of low-end dedicated graphics, and they run much cooler, have improved hyperthreading, and have improved energy usage (use less electric).

A regular i3 on the Sandy Bridge core, at stock, tends to be able to keep up with a regular i5 on the Nehalem core (of course there's a lot more variables to consider, such as clock speed, number of cores, chipset etc... but just a general idea), or at worst, give them a good run for their money.

Ivy Bridge is out in April, which will replace it, and looks like another huge improvement, but if you wait for that, prices will be higher and it's just a never ending story. Prices of Sandy Bridge CPU's have been bottoming out recently, due to the upcoming replacement, so now is good time to grab a bargain (plus being so close after Xmas).

From what you're intending to use it for, a lowish Core2Duo would probably suffice, so an i3 Sandy Bridge would be plentiful. The i3 may be seen as the lower spec, but it's actually considered mid-high end in the grand scheme of things (Core is Intels flagship brand), behind the i5 and i7, but with the Atom/ULV's, Celeron and Pentium all being below it in the pecking order. Tis every bit as powerful as a comparable i5 in most situations, aside from a couple of features missing (turbo mode etc), that the average user probably won't have a clue about or notice. It also get a little more complicated, in that Core CPU's with 2xxx are based on the newer Sandy Bridge core, and offer, as above, a significant improvement over the original Core i3/i5/i7 CPU's.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i3-2120+%40+3.30GHz

This is a "very" crude way of benchmarking, but it gives you an idea at least, of the performance. Compare it to what you have now for a loose idea of the performance gain.