Hello CTH. I am looking to purchase a new desktop but am pretty much clueless about computers. Would really appreciate any suggestions/help.

I need a machine that will run smoothly with HEM, multiple poker clients and a browser. I would also want a monitor/resolution such that I could tile 8-12 tables. I am from the uk and my budget is <£800.

Thanks in advance.

If you want something in the "excellent" category all-around, that you'll love for years, the basic specs you'd want are:

• CPU: i5-2400 (or higher number; 2011 generation), or i5-3xxx (new gen, very slightly better than the last)
• RAM: 8GB DDR3. 1600 speed is ideal, but 1333 is just fine too. With a good enough deal you could buy system with 4GB, and buy an 8GB set for £35 or so and swap them out yourself.
• Windows 7 64-bit should be part of the deal, preferably comes with disc.
• A solid state drive: Samsung 830, Sandisk Elite, Crucial M4 and loads of others. You buy this and drop it in yourself. Use stock drive as a secondary.

That's a good ways more than you need but should be comfortably within your budget, and those specs are common in store bought. There are several options to scale back if you'd like, while still having very good performance for poker and basic uses, but I probably wouldn't for the small amount you'd save.

As far as the display, it depends on how small you can shrink those tables and find them legible. If I recall, stock table size is 800 x 600. You can take the resolution of a monitor and do the easy math to see how many fit. A 1600 x 1200 (rare anymore) will tile 4 perfectly without resizing. You'll need to know what the pixel dimensions of the resized tables are to go beyond that.

Thanks very much Gonso, I shall have a look around. Any particular brand you would recommend or look to avoid?

For displays you read reviews on NewEgg.com. As far as store-bought desktop towers I haven't bought one in years. If you feel like investing 2 hours of your time you could just buy the 7-8 parts and hook them up yourself, just need a screwdriver. A number of people here could give you a shopping list, though people in the UK would be more help as far as where to shop.

Otherwise Dell, HP, and the rest of them aren't really that different as far as mid-range desktops go, quality-wise.

Hey Gonso, same situation here.


How long can I expect a tower PC to last with heavy usage (lots of internet surfing, poker, etc.), and proper security (anti-virus, looking after not loading useless software, etc) ?

Would you recommend a warranty/service contract, or is it not worth the cost given all factors (worth it to make the current one last longer, or better to save money for eventually getting a new pc sooner that will be better) ?




Just stopped at Best Buy, and the guy said most PCs go for 2 years nowadays, but that didnt sound right. (my last PC just hit 2 years and crashed though, but I thought that was a very short period of time to last)

How does this one look:

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-8300/pd



Slightly below all the standards you mentioned above, but one I have used at a friend's and has been super duper fast for common uses.

There's no real answer for that. Some PCs go 10 years or more with no physical issues, others have something malfunction in the first year. If you're willing to replace or upgrade parts over time yourself, they can last indefinitely.

Viruses and malware aren't a physical problem that affect hardware. [Well, technically they can and have, but generally speaking, if you replace or reload the hard drives those problems are gone.] In other words, reloading Windows fresh on a 5-year-old system with no physical damage should make it work about like new. If you want to preserve the life of your components, best advice is to keep them cool and dust-free. You do this by using a good case with good airflow, maybe dust filters.

Generally, no, I don't recommend them. But there are cases where there are expensive products that are difficult or impossible for the user to service or replace components in (the new MacBook Pro, for example). In a typical desktop, if a hard drive fails, you just go get another hard drive. If you know even a little bit, you can replace any part in a desktop yourself... it may not be worth it if the computer is old, but it can be done.

Typical mass market computer manufacturers use the same processors as everyone else, but otherwise they go with the cheapest parts they can get away with. Remember, your average person doesn't ask who made the power supply or RAM. 1-year warranties are pretty standard for midrange and low-end PCs. I'd think a reasonable expectation should be longer than two years though.

When you say "crashed" - did something actually break? Crashing just means that the operating system stopped working, which could mean anything from a catastrophic hardware failure to some minor freak thing that vanishes when you boot back up.

I'll read up more here in the forums about what I should do for a new pc and replacement parts.

Thanks!

1920x1200 monitor will tile 9 comfortably and 12 with slight overlap. I recommend at least 27inch if you are going to be multitabling.

Listen to Gonso - you should be able to find an i5/8gb/SSD system pretty easily for around $500-$600. Desktop costs only really start getting expensive when you add top of the line video cards. The SSD can jack up the price though, depending on how big of one you need.

I see no reason a modern desktop couldn't last 5 years for basic purposes.

The one area where you do have to decide if you want to splurge is the display.

23-24" eIPS displays can be had for around $250-$300 on sale
H-IPS (better) are more like $400-$600 in that size.

If you want to go 27-30", it gets a lot more expensive.

I'd personally probably go with 2 x 24" eIPS displays myself, but I haven't shopped around monitors in a while.

Not that you really need an IPS display for general use or poker. I prefer them because I do some work with Photoshop and Illustrator where color depth and accuracy are important, but it's not a must-have if you just want a working display and are looking to keep costs low. They do look better though.

A lot of the expensive large displays have IPS panels anyway. When you get down to the 24" sizes you have to look for them.

Thanks for all the replies.

Very interested in going this route although its quite intimidating. Dont suppose anyone feels like making me a shopping list based on Gonso's recommendations?

I would also like to run dual monitors if possible within my budget.

How does this look?



1)Do I need additional video card? I wont be doing any gaming but will be watching videos and movies.

2)Was planning on getting an external HD for storing my media so that I can take it with me when travelling? Any recommendations?

3)Do I need anything else for setting up a dual display?

That board will work, but it's a little odd in that there is only one SATA 6gb/s port. That's ok if you're sure you're only ever going to use one solid state drive. If you're unsure you could go with an H77 or Z77 that figures to have more.

You don't need a video card if you're not gaming and running one or two displays. Movies will look fine. If you change your mind later you could add one. For dual displays you want to make sure the motherboard has the connections you need, preferably without having to use VGA. If one is unusually large or you expect to have one like that, make sure the board has DisplayPort (your backup plan is a modest/cheap video card so you're covered).

I would suggest going with a better received budget case & buying your own qulaity power supply. The Antec 300, Coolermaster Centurion 5, HAF 912, and Rosewill Challenger are all popular and inexpensive models. They're nothing fancy, but they're solid.

As far as power supplies, the Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D is always cheap and I've used it in computers for family and friends. It's more than enough to comfortably power that system, as well as a (modest) video card should you choose to add one later. It can accommodate 100-240 input voltage and work just as well there as in the US.

That would be a lot of computer for your need but the price shouldn't be unreasonable, and provided nothing breaks it will be a sick poker PC for years. A few more tweaks and you could quiet it down a bit with an aftermarket fan, and then if you did that you could add a little more for a 3750k chip and Z77 board and overclock... but all those are extras and not necessary. The stock fan will work.

Thanks again Gonso, how does this look?

Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H Socket 1155 VGA DVI HDMI 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard
Intel Core i5 3450 3.1GHz Socket 1155 6MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor
G.Skill 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz RipjawsX Memory
SanDisk 120GB Extreme SSD
Samsung SH-222BB SATA DVD Write Optical Drive | OEM
Antec 300 Three Hundred Two Case - with USB3.0
Antec 380W EarthWatts Green PSU

A couple of other Q's:

1. Do all the parts come with cables or do i need to buy these separately?
2. Do I need any other software apart from Windows?