help with new budget desktop please

polly

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I am trying to get a new desktop to replace my old laptop. I have read so much about different processors etc.. I am getting myself in a tizzy ! Basically we have great fast broadband and a chugging old laptop so can't get the best from it. The laptop wont multi task very well either. It is a Samsung R519. I wonder if anyone can help by pointing me in the right direction for a new (or refurbished) desktop where my main requirement is speed of response. I have seen intel i3/i5/i7 and types of celeron & pentium, then lots of different AMD processors with most opinions saying avoid AMD and go for intel.
I am on a strict budget but don't want to waste my money if I have to get one that is so cheap it is no better than what I already have.

thanks for any help you can give
 
This is an impossible question to answer without knowing your uses. Any of the current processors is more than capable of maximising your internet connection, but I would stick with i3 or i5. However, do you really need a desktop? Laptops with ie processors are very good value.
 
I just thought a desktop would give me more power for my money - but I may be totally wrong with that ! I do a lot of internet searches, tending to have quite a few internet pages on the go at once, plus general email and document writing, occasional video streaming. My current laptop strugles once there is more than a couple of internet things on the go. So that is where I need a big improvement - internet usage and many things on the go at once.
What should I look for with an 'ie' processor ? is that still intel ? (excuse my lack of knowledge on this !).
thanks
 
The uses you're talking about are generally limited by other things. On laptops it's generally a slow hard drive and, sometimes, lack of memory that cause those sorts of problems.

If you open up task manager in the background while you're doing this then you should be able to see if your problem if lack of processing power - the CPU meter will be at 100% when you're waiting around for stuff to load. If the CPU isn't at 100% but is instead bouncing about then it's likely waiting on something else.

AMD are well worth looking at for a budget setup. It's true that they can't compete with Intel on performance - they have nothing worth speaking of past £120 - but they're doing some interesting low end options these days.
 
thanks for the replies.
I did up the memory a few months ago so no more room to manouvre there.
I am starting to look at laptops again now ! There are so many different processors I just feel like I am going round in circles. Because I am on a budget I am dreading going for one and then it is no faster than the one I have.
 
Asda seems a strange place ... but they have a Medion Akoya e2052 e core i3 4130 3.4ghz 4gb ram 1tb hdd. Does anyone have any views on Medion as a make please ?
thanks
 
Linky.

That's not particularly what I would have called a budget option, the i3-4130 is a £90 processor, although admittedly the other components are somewhat stripped down. For £350 I'd be inclined to drop the processor down and go for a more rounded system, especally as you don't appear to have any need for the processing power and quicksync tech (fast video conversion) of the i3. Personally I'd want two digital video outputs (ideally one DisplayPort), an SSD, front and rear USB 3 ports and more than the single SATA connector the Medion appears to have.

What do you want in the way of screen/speaker/etc. connections to work with your existing peripherals?

On a desktop brand is less critical because there are few build quality worries compared to a laptop. For after sales support Medion never used to be great in the Aldi days, although I believe Lenovo now has the controlling share.
 
to be honest I am glad to hear that I can get something to do the job cheaper ! I am assuming the processor is the key to getting a faster running system. I have a monitor/keyboard/mouse I can use if I get a desktop so can concentrate on just getting the pc itself - or laptop. I don't have anything fancy to connect just need usb's for time to time connection.
I have been looking at some refurbished pc's on ebay.
My laptop has ground to a standstill today becuase I had several windows open and needed to keep jumping backwards & forwards. Yet again I needed to reboot before it would wake up.
I need something that is fast at multi-tasking.

thanks
 
the processor in mine is celeron dual core 1.9ghz, 4gb ram 200gb hdd.
I am just going to have another dig for some info on AMD processors. It looks as though they can be a bit cheaper and as good for my needs.

thanks again for my replies
 
I have been looking at some refurbished pc's on ebay.

The only refurbished PCs worth looking at are almost new (and still current) ones that were fixed after an initial problem. Anything other is likely poor value for money or it's refurbishment is minimal compared to any other second hand machine.

the processor in mine is celeron dual core 1.9ghz

Which one though? Intel have produced Celeron branded processors running at 1.9Ghz since 2002 and as you can imagine they've gotten an awful lot faster over that time.

The reviews for your laptop appear to be for late 2009 so I'm guessing the most likely candidate is the Core 2 based Celeron T3100. I seem to remember they were pretty good processors at the time.

200gb hdd.

4200rpm, 5400rpm or 7200rpm?

My laptop has ground to a standstill today becuase I had several windows open and needed to keep jumping backwards & forwards. Yet again I needed to reboot before it would wake up.
I need something that is fast at multi-tasking.

I haven't used a low end chip of that era but I'm not convinced it is your problem. I'm writing this on a computer using the same chip design, actually an older revision of it released in 2006, and while it is a higher end chip running at 2.4Ghz with 4MB of cache I've currently got eleven tabs in my web browser and three other windows open without a problem.

Generally if you're grinding completely to a halt that indicates a problem, especially if your cursor is freezing up too, rather than a lack of power. I've just had to wipe someone's computer from 2002 and while that was ludicrously slow with the software that had been put on it recently, it nevertheless always got there eventually. It could be a software problem or it could be hardware failure.

Assuming you've got your stuff backed up you could try a factory reset/windows reinstall and see if that improves the situation any. As that will wipe everything that should solve any software problems.
 
Thanks again for the help, I didn’t realise how much I don’t know !!
I will avoid the refurbished then I think.
Yes it is the T3100 and we have had it for 4 years.
It is windows 7 professional service pack 1, 32-bit.
It shows 3.3 Windows experience index.
It says Mobile intel(r) 4 series chipset processor to DRAM controller – 2A40, if that gives any useful info.
It looks like it 5400rpm.
Definitely grinding to a halt and cursor just locks. It either takes ages and eventually comes back or locks for good and have to reboot.
I will try to back up and reset.
Apologies if I am getting of track for this thread now.
 
It shows 3.3 Windows experience index.

What are the individual scores? The overall is simply the lowest score - in this case probably the graphics which isn't relevant here. They're very simplistic measurements and have various hidden score limits but may give some idea if there's a particularly weak hard drive or slow memory.

It says Mobile intel(r) 4 series chipset processor to DRAM controller – 2A40, if that gives any useful info.

I'm not sure where that's from. That's the memory controller built into the motherboard chipset. All it really tells us is that you've got one of the later Socket 775 chipsets (the 4-series as opposed to the earlier 960/965). The '2A40' may tell us the specific chipset as the memory support did differ slightly but I don't know how to interpret it and the performance differences are minimal.
 
individual scores are -

Component
Details Subscore Base score
Processor Celeron(R) Dual-Core CPU T3100 @ 1.90GHz 4.9
3.3
Determined by lowest subscore
Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB 4.9
Graphics Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family 3.6
Gaming graphics 1310 MB Total available graphics memory 3.3
Primary hard disk 79GB Free (130GB Total) 5.4
Windows 7 Professional

I just put that chipset info in as I spotted it and thought it might be useful !

Also it is only 130gb hdd - I thought it was 200gb.
 
Those figures look fine to me, I don't think the problem is there.
 
thanks.
I haven't got a restore disc and although apparently most samsung's come with recovery on the pc mine hasn't ! So I am a bit snookered for restoring to factory settings I think. Is there any other way to do it ?
thanks
 
Often it can be triggered with a button press, usually one of the F keys. Did you get a manual with it that might mention it?
 
I read up on that and my laptop model is supposed to be f4, but it doesn't work I'm afraid. It does bring up a different boot screen but doesn't go into any revoery process and just loads up the laptop as normal.
I am looking at some recovery discs for sale.
thanks
 
read somewhere else that it is f8 ! so have managed to do it. All back as it was 4 years ago so let's see how it performs now.
I will let you know.
 
driving me mad now ! constantly dropping out of the internet. Not the actual wirelss connection, that stays connected but each internet page that is open is constantly disconnecting.
Not good so far !
 

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