Ladchaps, I request your aid.
My Old WinXP Machine finally died a death, and the Missus has allocated me £200 to get a new one. Now I'm explicitly aware I wont be getting a full on turbo max settings on Crysis jobby, but what's the best sort of affair I can get for that price range? Really I'd use it for everyday posting on here, listening to music and storing the usuals. Already have the requisite keyboard & monitor etc.
>>24061 Go to them ethnic internet cafes, or those computer repair shops, and tell them to make you a refurbished set-up, with any parts salvageable from your dead computer, and whatever else you might want. It shouldn't cost more than £150.
Even if he can fix it he shouldn't still be using XP though, so he'll have to spring for a newer version of Windows which is around £80 for 7 or 8 last I checked, or possibly give Mint a try given what he wants to use the computer for.
If you're not intending to play modern 3D games, then I'd suggest an ex-corporate machine off eBay. They're usually in good nick, and the refurbishers do a fresh install of Windows 7. I would suggest spending about £150, to leave room in the budget for an SSD - this upgrade makes more practical difference to the performance of your machine than anything else.
It's also worth considering a laptop - the performance won't be quite as good as a desktop of the same price and you lose a bit of upgradability, but it will be more than quick enough for everyday computing and you gain a lot of flexibility. A laptop will quite happily work with your existing keyboard, monitor and mouse, but you'll also have the option of using it on the couch or taking it with you on holiday or what have you. A refurbished Lenovo X201 or T410 should be well within your budget.
>>24069 With laptops, be careful as many of the cheaper models have Celeron processors which are simply not up to running Windows 7 or 8 at speed. If OP already has keyboard, mouse and monitor then he'll get a lot more bang per unit buck by getting a new desktop tower.
The second-hand market is flooded with well-specced Thinkpads, because they're popular with corporate users who buy thousands at a time and chuck them out after three years. You can buy an X201 with an i5 processor for less than £140, with performance comparable to a brand new laptop costing £300-£400. They're not exactly pretty, but they're tough as nails and very easy to repair. All the major refurbishers offer a warranty of at least 90 days, and some offer a full year. The only significant risk is getting a worn out battery that won't hold much charge, but you can buy decent third-party replacements for about twenty quid.
A laptop is a compromise, but it's a surprisingly modest one. The refurbished desktops I linked to have CPUs that are only about 20% faster than a refurbished Thinkpad of a similar price. Obviously gamers will want a desktop with a proper GPU, but for most uses a laptop is absolutely fine.
