Help choosing a new computer?

[Rosaboobie]

My main laptop is coming up to just 3 years old and as I have been having difficulties of late with my internet connection, I think the time has come to purchase a new computer.

I would like to buy a custom built one from PC Specialist, as this is where the last one came from, and I was very very pleased with it.

So, folks, I need some help with this please. Drac chose the last laptop for me, and I am more than happy for her to do the same for me again, IF she has the time that is.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

[draclvr]

Budget, please! And I'm assuming laptop again? Or now that you settled, are you going for a desktop? With a desktop, you can get much better components for less.

[Rosaboobie]

Although I find laptops take up far less room, I think that now I am well and truly settled here, I should revert back to a desk top? - I am sure you will agree with me. Windows 8 (I will have to get to grips with it at some point eh?) and no budget, because computing is my hobby and the only thing I really spend my money on (apart from home improvements) is computing LOL so I reckon I am allowed a splurge just this once!

[draclvr]

Well, a desktop or laptop is certainly up to you, but a desktop is definitely easier to upgrade and work with.

Here is what I would start with for £1163 including VAT and delivery to the UK mainland. There are things you can go up or down on. I started with the Vortex 750.

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 200R COMPACT GAMING CASE
But... you should look through all the case options and select one you really like with blue or red or green lights if that's your preference!

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4670 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache
This is the top of the Core i5 series without going up to the K series which is for overclocking the processor. Since all you do is adventure and casual gaming this is more than you need. I do heavy duty RPG and FPS gaming and this processor handles it all.

Motherboard
ASUS® Z87-A: ATX, USB3.0, SATA6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE

Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)

Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 770 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Really good video card - the same one Winfrey got.

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
I upgraded the hard drive to the WD Caviar Black... the are higher performance and still come with a 5 year warranty. If you don't think 1 TB will be enough, there is a 2 TB one too.

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
If you want Blu-Ray for watching Blu-Ray movies, you can upgrade to that.

Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£69)

Processor Cooling
INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER

Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
I notice you can get good Logitech speakers if you need new speakers. Get the Logitech Z523 2.1 speakers if you need some. That's the thing I hate about laptops - crappy speakers.

Wireless/Wired Networking
DUAL-BAND WIRELESS 802.11N 450Mbps PCI-E CARD (£35)
I selected a very good wireless adapter so you can still be wireless.

Operating System
Genuine Windows 8.1 Professional 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£109)

Monitor
ASUS VN247H 23" ULTRA FAST FULL HD LED DISPLAY (£179)
I grabbed a really nice 23" Asus monitor - didn't know if you needed one, but this is a really nice one.

Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Hmmmm..... so your laptop IS still under their standard warranty?

Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days

[Rosaboobie]

Yes for sure I need a monitor - Never found the one I packed into the container when I left Kenya, but a big modern one would be nicer anyway.

Re gaming case, to me blue lights are cool!

Aha - 3 year warranty? So that is why they have been so nice to me over the laptop issue.

[draclvr]

Yes, love my Antec 900 case with the blue lights!

Maybe you can push them a bit further in getting your laptop to run. It's not much use without the wireless. Of course, they will tell you to reinstall the OS and maybe that is what you would have to to... I don't know. But if you did that and it STILL wouldn't work, then I wonder what they would do...

[Rosaboobie]

Well, even though the laptop would have no internet connection, I could use it just for gaming in the bedroom when I have my long sleepless nights eh?

But would you give reinstalling the OS a go first?

[draclvr]

I would see what PC Specialists has to say and let them help you with it... especially since it does seem it's still under some kind of warranty. I'm puzzled that the little USB adapter wouldn't work... it should have found your network and connected right away after entering your security info.

[Rosaboobie]

And if I did go for a laptop again, what would you recommend?

[draclvr]

If you stay with the 15.6" form factor, then this is a good start for £1162 including VAT and delivery. I used the Vortex IV LE

Chassis & Display
Vortex Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Dual Core Mobile Processor i7-4610M (3.0GHz) 4MB

Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (1 x 8GB)

Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 770M - 3.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11

Memory - Hard Disk
750GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD7500BPKX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)

DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)

Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)

Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING

Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack

Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS 802.11N WI-FI CARD (150Mbps)

USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD

Firewire
1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT

Battery
Vortex Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)

Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor

Operating System
Genuine Windows 8.1 Professional 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£109)

Laptop Cooling Stands
CoolerMaster NotePal I300 (£29)

Keyboard Language
INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD

Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE

Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM

Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft

Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days

[Rosaboobie]

Sorry for late reply - was in town shopping all day yesterday, and the previous night I got no sleep at all, so was very very tired when I got home last night, put my shopping away and went straight to bed.

I am really torn between desktop and laptop now - have found out it will cost £70 in total both ways to send laptop back to PC Specialist - will now contact them for their advice and to see how far they are prepared to go to try and help me resolve the internet issue.

[Rosaboobie]

Well, enough faffing around - During the night, I came to a decision. I really don't have the time to spend hours and hours trying to fix the main laptop with no wifi connection, so I have decided to go for a new desktop PC. After all, my present laptop is 3 years old and I do use it alot!

So, Drac, do you have any modifications to make before I order?

[draclvr]

They've already made some changes at the website. I started with the desktop Top Spec 4th Gen Core™ Computers. Pick out the case you like the best - that other one is no offered any more, so I grabbed the Alpha Trion. The power supply was giving me fits. You only need a 550 watt power supply, but it kept telling me to select one with higher wattage. Then it said the better one was not in stock. This one is £1154 with VAT and delivery to the mainland. Ask them if you need a cable for the monitor - it doesn't say if the monitor comes with one or not. You can use an HDMI cable or a DVI cable. Either one is fine - I use DVI. Looks like you get a free game with the video card! This one does not have a card reader, so if you need one you will have to ask them to add one.

You could always add in a discrete sound card for killer sound and music - just be sure you have killer speakers to match!

I mentioned good speakers in the other post - if you don't have any good ones, get the best Logitech ones they have. Same with a video cam if you need one. Get the best Logitech one. After my experience with their customer service, Logitech is all I will ever buy!

If you decide to go with Windows 8.1, I can help you with it. Windows 8 is just getting better all the time with the new updates - especially for us desktop users.

Daylight looks like a good creepy game! Read more about it here... Daylight

CS ALPHA TRION 7622B BLACK CASE

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4670 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache

Motherboard
ASUS® Z87-A: ATX, USB3.0, SATA6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE

Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)

Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 770 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Free Item

Free Item
FREE DAYLIGHT GAME with GTX 660 & 7 Series GPUs!

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£79)

Processor Cooling
INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER

Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Wireless/Wired Networking
DUAL-BAND WIRELESS 802.11N 450Mbps PCI-E CARD (£35)

USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)

Operating System
Genuine Windows 8.1 Professional 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£109)

Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE

Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

Monitor
ASUS VN247H 23" ULTRA FAST FULL HD LED DISPLAY (£179)

Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days

[Rosaboobie]

"You could always add in a discrete sound card for killer sound and music - just be sure you have killer speakers to match!"

I would love killer sound and music, Drac - which sound card do you suggest I go for? And which Logitech speakers? I never buy anything but Logitech speakers ever.

And yes, I will bite the bullet and go for Windows 8, assuming the sort of games I play are compatible with it - I know with time I will get the hang of it - it's just when I try to use my friends Win8 laptop I have problems, although that could be because she never stops muttering in my ear while I am trying to concentrate LOL.

[draclvr]

I looked at all the sound cards - you can check them out by clicking on the question mark to the right of the speakers selection. I was absolutely lusting over the Creative Sound Blaster ZX 5.1 speakers. There is a short video next to it that you can watch which shows all the features. I love the little desk control!

I have the Logitech Z523 speakers and absolutely love them. There is a Z506 5.1 speaker system that would give you great surround sound if you have the space for them and don't mind all the wires. And the Z623 system looks like it would be amazing too.