Hey
My parents are looking for a new desktop computer to upgrade from the junk they've had for the last few years.
They almost got talked into paying $1600 for one of the HP touchscreen models at Harvey Norman but I told them i'd look into it for them.
They are will to spend up to $1700 but they really only need a basic computer as they only use it for email/word processing which I think the maximum should be $1000.
Any suggestions anyone?
^ +1 to this
any of these will do
and depending on how old their previous computer is
you can recycle/reuse many of the parts such as the HD, cables, DVD Drive, Monitor, (possible even the case)
I don't think I would know how haha
It's incredibly easy to bu8ild a computer.. most of the cables are a unique shape, so you just have to match the plug to the socket, the rest are clearly labelled.
also if not, you can get a PC store to build it for you, of course there is a fee
Definitely build one and pick the parts yourself.
Dell Outlet has desktops from $350 and decent ones from around $500.
http://www1.ap.dell.com/au/en/dfo/df.aspx?refid=df&s=dfo
Desktops are supplied without monitors but happily they sell those cheaply too. Items marked NEW are change-of-mind returns, in my experience opened and untouched. Items marked REFURBISHED have been fixed up and are even cheaper, usually more than 50% off.
They provide a normal 1 year warranty on everything. Items arrive in about a week.
You just have to be patient and wait for the spec you want. Check daily (or hourly during business hours if you are keen). Midweek seems to be the best days for the warehouse people to update their inventory.
I have bought at least 8 items from the Dell Outlet and always very happy with the value.
+1 to this.
The other option is to go to your local PC shop, they'll be able to kit you out with a box for less than $500.
You'll get a VERY nice gaming machine for $1000.
I can recommend a friend who builds to your spec for a good price.. I had a gaming/media pc built for me and it is AWESOME…
You certainly don't ned to spend even $1000 on a standard "desktop" computer.
I use an old Pentium 4 2.6GHz and that is fine for everything that we do. I'm typing this right now on an old gamer machine, which is now my 7 year old's box. It's a Pentium 4 2.8GHz with a 6800GT video and 4GB of RAM.
The thing is, what will parents use the machine for? I can assure you that even a Pentium 4 running Windowes XP can write words onto the screen significantly faster than anybody can type.
So, what I'm saying is that pretty much anything that can run Windows 7 64-bit will be good eough for email, etc.
Well you can build one it much cheaper and better bang for the buck not too hard to learn.