I need a low end custom built desktop

ChrisLevo on 11/11/2015 - 10:50

Howdy.

I need a desktop for MS Office stuff, email and browsing, (so nothing too flash) to replace one that is getting a bit flaky.
I'm in Adelaide.

I would have bought from MSY (which is how I bought the current one), but don't need a monitor, as I have two 24" screens on this one.
They won't do a deal and remove the monitor.
I also have a nice wireless keyboard/mouse combo.

I would also like to use the Evo 850 SSD that I bought via the OzB deal as my boot device, and I have a 2TB HDD already.

So, where to get someone to make an i5 tower for me, using my SSD?
I could then drop in my HDD, and use my monitors and keyboard/mouse.
Windows 10 Home is probably good enough, and 8GB of RAM will do.

And, does anyone in Adelaide still do makeovers on older systems and get them back to performing well?

Chris

Computing

Comments

  • ESEMCE on 11/11/2015 - 11:16
    +1

    Why don't you do it yourself?
    It's actually incredibly easy.
    Will only take 60 minutes even being slow and careful.

    If you want some tips while you do the build, go into Hackerspace at Majoran (Fridays) or Tonsley (Tuesdays).

    • ESEMCE on 11/11/2015 - 12:18
      +1

      You'll need to reinstall everything..
      Your current Windows Install is unlikely to work well if you just directly transplant it from old machine to new.

  • voiletmay on 11/11/2015 - 11:48

    Maybe airtasker… but try and learn what they do.

    I kinda take this for granted as I have a husband who rebuilds computer all the time and fixes all our computer issues.

  • Jemz on 11/11/2015 - 12:26

    I live in Adelaide and would be able to help with any queries you have. I agree with what @scubacoles is saying, it's very easy to do it yourself using the manuals which come with the parts.

    What area of Adelaide are you in?, feel free to PM me if you want.

  • gottacatchemall on 11/11/2015 - 14:19

    Like others are suggesting it is much easier to build than you would imagine. Resources are available everywhere if you need assistance. It's not too much more difficult than logo once you know get all the parts you need.

  • Charity on 11/11/2015 - 16:46
    +2

    No need to pay for an entire system if it is "flaky" and only using it for Word.

    A 15 year old computer will run Word just fine, with zero lag, believe it or not.

    Have u installed the SSD yet?

    Would suggest you do an entire Windows re-install. That will get rid of "flakiness"

    BTW, a bad virus checker can often be the cause of flakiness.

    • ESEMCE on 12/11/2015 - 07:30

      Flakiness more likely points to dodgy PSU or popped capacitors on the motherboard to me.

  • ChrisLevo on 12/11/2015 - 07:51

    Thanks, folks - all food for thought.

    The PC was slowing, but the update from Win 7 to Win 10 sped it up.

    It then started slowing again, so I tried the SSD.
    No matter what, it would always forget that it had the SSD when I re-booted it, and I had to change the BIOS settings at each startup.

    Then it hung completely, and I could only get it going by physically removing the SSD.

    It takes a few minutes to boot, and now has a habit of liking some USB/Bluetooth devices, but not others.
    The devices work fine on my laptop.
    And I have turned off as many programs as possible at startup.

    My concerns about reinstalling the OS are:
    It came from MSY with Win 7.
    The Win 10 was the usual upgrade, so I guess that I will have to reinstall Win 7, and don't know whether I can get upgraded to Win 10.

    I bought the MS Office 2010 licence through an OzB deal, paying around $150 to a mob in the States.
    They were legit, but now broke.
    All I have is the activation key, so that's a worry.

    Oh, the virus checker is a paid for copy of Bit Defender 2016.

    I use the PC for work (work from home guy), so have lots of stuff installed, and dread the downtime of reinstalling them all!

    • ESEMCE on 12/11/2015 - 08:25
      +1

      You'll need to reinstall everything anyway, so you need to just get over that lost productivity issue.
      More RAM or better CPU would be the 2 potential upgrades you could make quickly and easily to improve performance of your current machine.

      In your BIOS, make sure that you have
      SATA configuration = AHCI for your SSD to function properly.
      It's a worry that the SSD needs to be physically out of the machine to function correctly (possibly dead?)

      Any computer shop will build a PC for you

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join