web special offer. any good?

[semo]

first of all a friend is looking for a pc for around £800, widescreen monitor 20-22" and he wants to get the pc from a store (pcworld or something).

the offer: go to pcworld.co.uk. the code is 825057
link: pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1469175275.1168900377@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccckaddjllgdddjcflgceggdhhmdfjg. 0&pageFrom=SimpleSearchProducts&page=Product&sku=825057

my first question is if there is an alternative to a dixons group store (i would personally build a pc from parts but it's not for me).
now about the offer and how to find the specs of this system. screen res, ram freq and whether it's a kit...

finally, which brand of pre-builts are the most flexible. i know dells used proprietary crap in the past (present too?). i'm going to be maintaining this system so this is important mostly for me.

[Steve B]

thats actually not that bad a deal!

[semo]

yeah i know it looks good on the surface but what if the memory is single channel (unlikely) or the monitor is 1280x800.
i'm always skeptical towards the likes of pcworld when it comes to attractive offers.

[Agent]

Originally Posted by semo

yeah i know it looks good on the surface but what if the memory is single channel (unlikely)

So what if it is?
The difference is so tiny, its just not worth the premium.

[semo]

just phoned pcworld and found out that the screen res is 1440x900 which has put me off. the memory is dual channel pc2-4200 but i have no idea what that x1600se video card is like.

maybe this will still be a good offer if you sell the screen and buy a better one but i'm probably not going to do that.

anyway, can anyone recommend a good place to buy a turnkey pc?

[topgun23]

mesh pc

[lanceuppercut]

Originally Posted by semo

just phoned pcworld and found out that the screen res is 1440x900 which has put me off.

isnt that res what most 20in WS monitors are? i think as a guide its something like 1680x1050 being the norm for 22" WS's and 1920x1200 for 24s..

WS monitors arent all that great as you lose a lot of height/res, i needed to go from a dell 2001FP to a 2407WFP to keep the res acceptable (1200 height) to make use of any extra wideyness i'd get.

going from a 20" 4:3 to a 20" WS unimaginable for me

[staffsMike]

Question.. If you have been given or apointed yourself the task of maintaining the pc..

why not do as you would do and build it yourself

and as topgun says..mesh are very reasonable and use consumer parts.

[magicmoomin]

If you go with MESH PC you might as well build it yourself because the after sale is diabolical. If it breaks you will be without a computer for months and it will probably take ages to arrive in the first place. I have one and would never buy one again the components are not always what they advertise. You'd be better of building it yourself.

[markyp23]

Originally Posted by semo

first of all a friend is looking for a pc for around £800, widescreen monitor 20-22" and he wants to get the pc from a store (pcworld or something).

the offer: go to pcworld.co.uk. the code is 825057
link: pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1469175275.1168900377@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccckaddjllgdddjcflgceggdhhmdfjg. 0&pageFrom=SimpleSearchProducts&page=Product&sku=825057

my first question is if there is an alternative to a dixons group store (i would personally build a pc from parts but it's not for me).
now about the offer and how to find the specs of this system. screen res, ram freq and whether it's a kit...

finally, which brand of pre-builts are the most flexible. i know dells used proprietary crap in the past (present too?). i'm going to be maintaining this system so this is important mostly for me.

Oi. Building a PC from parts is not nearly as hard as you may think. It really is a case of: if you can build lego and wire a plug you are more than capable of building a PC.