My father has just asked me what sort of specification he needs for a new desktop PC. He is going to get one built. My problem is that I'm not exactly current in desktops for home use. I told him to get the most memory he could afford in terms of ram, then the biggest hard drive, then the fastest cd/dvd burner thingy, the biggest monitor. However this is not enough. He wants me to specify which processor eg PIII - 1Ghz. Is there any safe spec that I can give him that wont leave him with egg on his face in a year or two (probably) that'll cost about 2 grand ish? He uses his PC for e-mail, digital photography and DTP type stuff. (I nearly told him to get one of the new macs!;) )

Can the experts in Pprune land help me?

Regrettably, virtually any desktop PC purchased now will be severely out-dated in a year or two.
You say "2 grand ish?" US Dollars, Euros, Sterling, Green Shield Stamps? I'm sure you'll appreciate that unless you specify a currency the question is almost impossible to answer. Sorry.

2 grand should get you an absolute cracker. Your looking at something like this, at least 80Gig, 2.2 processor, dvd re-writer, good graphics card.......have a look at the ads in one of the pc magazines on sale. I certainly wish i had 2 grand to spend right now on a pc......... :)

Mister Slot,
Since Mishandled is from "Zurich, Switzerland" he is obviously talking Swiss Francs....
2000CHF = USD1250 or GBP858 or PLZ5124
:cool:

I agree - get a Mac! Seriously.

If he decides that he needs a PC, then - unless you are playing games - almost everything you can buy today is overkill for a 'typical' home user. Just specify a basic machine with half a gig of ram and save him some money.

Anything you buy will be out of date in six months. That's just the way it is. IMHO, the most important thing to make sure it's still useful in two or three years is really after-sales support (this is especially true for the non-techie), but I'll save that soapbox rant for another day... :)

Whoops! I forgot to say GBP. and me working internationally as well! Thanks for the help. Maybe the mac isnt such a bad idea. They do look very good indeed.

How about an OK machine for £175?

http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk

Yes, it's not a cracksing spec and no monitor included but wow what a price!

One thing I have noticed about Mac users is that if they're not into state of the art gaming or digital graphics/video they simply don't feel the need to constantly upgrade.

Plenty of Ram and a decent sized hard disc and they happily potter along for years without any of the twitching associated with PC ownership.

I was reading the other day an article where a magazine columnist had a heart attack in New York. He discovered he was attached to complex monitoring system run by a ten year old Mac - safety critical? - yes. Would the staff dream of changing the box? - never!

Here at the Towers we're indebted to all those who provide expert knowledge and opinion on this forum but there is always an alternative view. Macs seem perfect for people who want a computer but aren't interested in them in their own right. Going on the daily postbag we're submerged under here at the Towers it feels like a big majority of people who've ended up with PC's are actually in that group.

Rob

well spoken...and exactly the same words are valid for Linux. Fast, reliable and not forcing to follow each and every upgrade announcement.

It is hard to understand, at least for the ones here who use computers since years, that exactly the same work done 15 years ago needs today a racing machine with truck load of mostly unnecessary programs, slowing down the whole unit to snail pace again.

Most important when deciding for an upgrade or for the first PC, make a list of what you essentially need, than the less important stuff. Do not put the least important on a priority list the dealer likes to persuade you to see.....