Best computer for a value of £600 to £650

ignatzatsonic said:

If it is a Christmas present using somebody else's money, then knock yourself out and go crazy with whatever you want.

My comments were on the assumption you wanted to do something sensible with your own money.

Well I would prefer to, but I do not have a rich family :P

What if I were to get this.

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

With the i7 Processor.

Then go to Crucial after I have gathered £70 and buy 16GB worth of RAM?

And then later on save up for a £500 SSD Drive?

If you like PCs and think you might like to upgrade as a hobby type thing, you should have a local shop build one.

Use a standard ATX case.

Use a standard ATX power supply

Get 4 GB of RAM

Use your own Windows 7 Ultimate.

Use a standard Intel, Gigabyte, or Asus ATX motherboard. Mid-priced; doesn't have to be fancy.

Get a mid-level graphics card or maybe just an entry level one to start.

Use either an AMD or Intel CPU.

That way you will have industry standard parts that can be upgraded over time as you acquire more money---a piece at a time.

Dell is probably the best bet if you want to buy and stick with what you have for 2, 3, or 4 years. But it sounds like you don't want to stick with a given set of parts.

At least shop around for a local builder and get a list of parts that they can put together for 650 pounds. Post that list of parts here and we can pick it apart and comment on it.

Faceofjoe421 said:

What if I were to get this.

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

With the i7 Processor.

Then go to Crucial after I have gathered £70 and buy 16GB worth of RAM?

And then later on save up for a £500 SSD Drive?

You can fiddle around with putting together a Dell if you want.

But it's the same story--it isn't cost-efficient if you are going to upgrade the major components within 6 months or a year.

There is very little chance you would benefit from 16 GB of RAM. I have 4 and have little use for even 8.

SSDs are very expensive and are best used as a boot drive only. Something around 60 or 80 GB. Price SSDs in that size. It should not be anywhere near 500 pounds.

You would then also have a regular hard drive to store your data on. The SSD would be for Windows and programs only.

ignatzatsonic said:

Faceofjoe421 said:

What if I were to get this.

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

With the i7 Processor.

Then go to Crucial after I have gathered £70 and buy 16GB worth of RAM?

And then later on save up for a £500 SSD Drive?

You can fiddle around with putting together a Dell if you want.

But it's the same story--it isn't cost-efficient if you are going to upgrade the major components within 6 months or a year.

There is very little chance you would benefit from 16 GB of RAM. I have 4 and have little use for even 8.

SSDs are very expensive and are best used as a boot drive only. Something around 60 or 80 GB. Price SSDs in that size. It should not be anywhere near 500 pounds.

You would then also have a regular hard drive to store your data on. The SSD would be for Windows and programs only.

So do you think there are cheaper SSD's compatible Crucial doesn't own?

If so where shall I look?

Look at UK suppliers.

It doesn't matter what is available in the USA, where I am. You have to deal with your own sources.

If you just want to window shop, here is a list of SSDs that sell for between 100 and 200 US dollars in the US.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...0%20-%20%24200

Intel, OCZ, and Crucial are good brands.

You don't need more than 60 or 80 GB for a Windows drive.

Price those brands and models in the UK to get an idea.

ignatzatsonic said:

Look at UK suppliers.

It doesn't matter what is available in the USA, where I am. You have to deal with your own sources.

If you just want to window shop, here is a list of SSDs that sell for between 100 and 200 US dollars in the US.

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, SSD, Internal SSD, $100 - $200

Intel, OCZ, and Crucial are good brands.

You don't need more than 60 or 80 GB for a Windows drive.

Price those brands and models in the UK to get an idea.

So no matter what SDD it is, it will be compatible?

I found this from the Crucial.com website:
http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartsp...7A16CAA5CA7304

64GB Crucial m4 2.5" SSD with 3.5" Adapter Bracket

But it is not in the UK version of the Crucial site.

Could you look online for another UK Source of this SSD for me please?

Yes, it will be compatible as long as you stick with ordinary SATA 2 or SATA 3 drives. Nearly all of them are one or the other. They connect to your motherboard just like a regular hard drive.

Faceofjoe421 said:

Could you look online for another UK Source of this SSD for me please?

No.

I know nothing about UK computer parts sources.