Suggestions: A new Windows PC for my idiot brother

[Mac the Knife]

My dear brother in the UK is a complete computer idiot and resolutely refuses to learn anything.

His ancient P4/XP is dying and I have at least persuaded him that it is not ungradeable or fixable.

An Apple would suit him fine, but he hasn't the patience or ability to learn a new way of doing things. Linux would confuse him even more.

All he does is WP with Office, emails, holiday snaps and the internet.

He needs a new tower with Win7 32 [Pro at least] (Win8 would be beyond his comprehension), 4GB of RAM and a single decent sized primary HDD.

He is meaner than Scrooge McDuck and would buy any old trash to save 5 quid.

I've always built my own systems and have no idea what the off-the-shelf offerings in the UK are.

Help me out here guys.

Mac

:{

[Ancient Observer]

I looked recently for a "back up" cheapo as my current back up is running that software that MS will not support any more.

I didn't buy anything.

The "deals" from the net seemed to me to vary daily. I could not find a "right" answer. Ferkin dynamic pricing has a lot to answer for.

When I have to I think I'll give it an hour or so of net research and just go for the best deal available that day. I'll get it wrong, and find a better deal to-morrow, but such is life.

PS When looking for a pc for no 2 daughter last year, a "one-off" from PC world was cheaper than the internet cheapos. I guess they have to clear stock every now and then. She says it works fine. It was an Intel i5 whose number began with 3, after they had introduced all numbers beginning with 4. Stock clearances can be handy.....

[cavortingcheetah]

You answered your own question in line 3.
If he buys an Apple with One to One, he'll get unlimited training and workshops in the Apple system. It's an educational back up that works, as you probably know.
The new Apple is easy to transition to from PC and indeed, if you wished to sully the brand, you can run many PC applications on Apple.
The warranty and Genius Bar back up is simply the best in the world and can be used, as can 1/2/1, anywhere. I've used mine over the years from Johannesburg (useless reseller) to San Francisco and other strange places where English is still a lingua franca.
Furthermore, when the time comes to sell your old Apple on, just take it into your stockist and they'll wipe it for you, ready to sell, uncontaminated with verminous files, on e Bay.
If he lives anywhere near an Apple dealer in the UK tell him to get in there. The writing is on the wall. He will be so impressed with how easy it is for him to administer computer pleasure to himself that he will forget the fact that he might be teaching himself and instead consider the exercise as one of self stimulation.

[vulcanised]

He will probably find something to suit him at Morgan Computers.

Their range includes a lot of 'second user' refurbed kit so that would suit his penny pinching inclinations.

[Saab Dastard]

Win7 32

Why 32-bit?

Have a look at ebuyer and lambdatek offerings. I've bought from both and been very satisfied.

Cheap Desktop PCs & Desktop Computer Deals | Ebuyer.com (http://www.ebuyer.com/store/Computer/cat/Desktop-PC)

LambdaTek|Desktops & servers (http://www.lambda-tek.com/componentshop/index.pl?region=GB&level1=CO&level2=DESE)

SD

[seacue]

Among other useless things, I act as a shepherd of a public-use computer room at the retirement village. It is almost entirely based on Windows - XP, 7, and 8.1 "arriving". Also one iMac - hardly ever used.

What to do about XP?

My answer has been to install a Linux Mint 13 machine with "familiar" software:
Firefox browser, gmail/mymail/yahoomail/microsoftmail - all browser based, three flavors of solitaire. LibreOffice - a 100% clone of OpenOffice - which is on ALL the other PCs in that room. Google Earth, etc. Since it's a public use facility, I didn't install Thunderbird - though that's what I use on my own Linux Mint machine.

At least it is something to consider. There are printed versions of "Getting Started With OpenOffice" and "OpenOffice Writer" (text editor.) They are fully applicable to LibreOffice.

I have not received any comments and people have clearly used the system. The room's users are mostly canonical computer-illiterates.

I put icons for all of these applications on the desktop.

[Mac the Knife]

Just to give you an idea - he was still using DisplayWrite until a few years ago...

:bored:

...he thought it was cheaper in cycles...

:p

(this is someone who will put a squeeze of toothpaste in the peas because it is cheaper than buying a sprig of mint)

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CC: "..If he buys an Apple with One to One, he'll get unlimited training and workshops in the Apple system"

Thanks, agree - but he won't fork out for 1to1 and anyway it is impossible to teach him anything. :ugh:

[rgbrock1]

With your brother's meager needs for computing I'd recommend a Chromebook running Google's Chrome OS. The learning curve is not at all difficult, if one is involved at all, the offerings are relatively inexpensive (hardware-wise) and it would do everything he needs it to do. However, Chromebooks are just that: small laptop machines and not PC-like towers as you mentioned.

[henry_crun]

http://mike-wsm.org.uk/office01.jpg


Get him this, sixty quid for the tablet, twenty for the mouse kb and dongle, not much for the stand.

I find it ok for everything, and I'm idle, lazy and all that so just like your bro.

If he doesn't like it give it to the kids, it didn't cost.

[parabellum]

If you dial up www.google.co.uk (http://www.google.co.uk) and then Google 'refurbished computers'
You will bring up pages of ex lease machines, usually W7, may or may not have Office, 4GB RAM etc. I got a brand new 15.6" HP laptop for A$307.00 never been used, still had protective plastic on it, that was a very lucky break, have had several Dells, all work well for anywhere from GBP250.00 up. Some lease machines have worked a normal life, some have sat and gathered dust, you take pot luck but Dell refurbished are in pretty good order. There is a company that sells refurbished in UK that also sells '2nds', never used, slight damage, older model, just can't remember the name of the firm now. BIL got a top end Toshiba for GBP450.00

[Capetonian]

Mac, your boet sounds like my sister, maybe we should introduce them! She asks my advice and then starts arguing with me and telling me I don't know what I'm talking about, does the opposite, and then blames me for giving her bad advice when it all goes tits up.

She made a complete fool of herself last year when I got her a late upgrade on a longhaul flight, but she didn't know. She then tried to check in online the night before and got a message saying that she would have to check in at the airport as her seat had been changed. She called me and asked me why this had happened and then slammed the phone down while I was explaining. So she goes to the airport and ****s all over them, guns blazing, and when she's finished the agent hands her the boarding card : "The reason your seat was changed is because you've been upgraded."

[axefurabz]

(this is someone who will put a squeeze of toothpaste in the peas because it is cheaper than buying a sprig of mint)

Now that's a good tip!!