I need a computer

tom24

tom24

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Tom
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My desk top is gubbed, i need a laptop or desk top.

Can anyone recommend what i need for the following, storing and editing pics, email, using around half a dozen forums, facebook and you tube.

I'm really not computer literate and have always just got one of my daughters to upload any pics i've taken to photobucket.

I don't need anything other than using the above and would probably be better with a customised outfit i think but as i said i know nothing.

I'm looking for advice as to what i should be asking/looking for in specifications.

Hope you can help,
tom
 
Tom

If you are not computer literate, buy a Mac.

They will give you the power to edit, and the seemingly higher initial cost is balanced by the better functions, lack of viruses and ease of use. Took me a long time to cross the fence but it was so easy once I arrived!
 
shreds said:
Ermmh....whats going on? Post No.3 (not mine) has vanished?
Click to expand...

A mac isn't the answer to computer illiteracy, but can sometimes be a comfort to those who prefer computing ignorance to learning. Sometimes they can seem to make a lot of good default choices for you, and sometimes they can leave you helpless and frustrated with no obvious options or solution.

To start answering the OP, what kind of budget do you have and do you need the portability of a laptop? Best value is likely to be a base unit with Intel i5 quad core processor, 8Gb RAM (minimum) and 2TB hard drive, plus a Dell U2412M screen to help with the editing. There are upgrades that would make it run faster at a price.
 
shreds said:
If you are not computer literate, buy a Mac.
Click to expand...
Like Tom I would recommend an Apple if you're rich (rather then computer illiterate).
If you are not & prefer freedom Try a Dell XPS or mobile workstation (M3800).
 
PC or Mac? What does the person who helps you the most use? If your daughters can't use a Mac, there is no point getting one.
 
arad85 said:
Oh dear....
Click to expand...


Sorry.... but that's good advice. If you are not computer literate, a Mac makes FAR more sense. It's harder to mess up a Mac with poor browsing habits or mindless clickfest type installing of apps.

It doesn't mean Macs are FOR those that are not computer literate... but they are a MUCH better choice for those that aren't.
 
Joeturner11 said:
Agreed, wouldn't touch Windows.
Click to expand...

There are advantages and disadvantages to both systems. Blatant fan boy comments like the above are essentially useless, and quite frankly... typical in such discussions.

Macs are a single, standardised, known quantity. They all work essentially in exactly the same way, have the same hardware (your imac is identical to everyone else's iMac of the same age and type). They are much more difficult to "break" due to poor usage behaviour (viruses, spyware, malware etc.. although Macs can suffer from this too). If you have no interest in computers, and just want to get the job done... buy a Mac. The OS doesn't redically change from update to update unlike PCs recently.

Macs however, are not very customisable compared to PCs. Are worse value for money, and you get less performance, for more money. The range of GPUs is archaic compared to PCs (and not always user upgradeable). They are a poor choice for anyone who games. If you don't like the way they look.. tough... as you're stuck with it. Apple OS is also difficult to customise, so again, if you like it, great.. if you don't, there's nothing you can do.

If you like computers... are knowledgeable and capable and like tinkering, customising, gaming, or just want a bespoke system that values performance over everything else... buy a PC. PC's can look pretty too BTW... PCs are about choice. If you just want a no nonsense, straight out of the box solution to getting your work done, and have no interest in computers, then buy a Mac.

That pretty much sums it up.
 
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Dale_tem said:
PC or Mac? What does the person who helps you the most use? If your daughters can't use a Mac, there is no point getting one.
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This is sound advice, talk to people you know and get something they can help with.
 
I wasn't sure about windows 8.1 but love it now, very fast, especially with a ssd. Mac v windows is dependent on so much more than just fanboy attitudes. Both have their advantages, especially on versions of software you have. If you swap so, you may need to buy new software.

Macs, mac laptops are very nice, high quality but costly for it. You pay the price for the nice components then extra for the apple logo on top.

Ignore the claims that macs don't get viruses or Trojans. Apple quietly dropped that claim in 2012 after quite a lot got infected with Trojans. At my previous place, we had a managers MacBook Pro infected and it sat on the network trying to infect any unprotected machine. Majority of the issues we see with macs are from malicious websites.

It would help if you described what you have at the moment, what's installed, what you are familiar with, any software you have installed, use.
 
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I was thinking of going to a local business that sells and refurbishes machines and asking them to put together a base unit with the recommendations of which processors and memory you fellas give me.
I'm assuming that would be the cheaper option, i have a monitor that will suffice for the moment.
Thanks for your input, much appreciated.
 
If you have a monitor that works , then look at a Mac Mini. It's just the heart of the machine, no keyboard, mouse or monitor. But you've got those ( You may need a keyboard as the Mac keyboard is slightly different to the standard UK one ).

Apart for everything else said about mac's it's worthwhile mentioning the sales support both before and after. You can visit an Apple store and talk to someone who can help both before and after. You also get support over the phone. OK it's a call center, but one in Cork. I would rate Apple as one of the best support operations I have come across. So if you are unsure about computers they will spend time talking you through things.
 
So although Macs are easy, there needs to be lots of support, you've used it lots and it has been good

Just joking. ;)

If you want something to work and last, do not go to the local PC shop. You will get their left over bits. Buy from Dell, HP or other. Get a PC that works and comes from a reputable company.

We buy these at work...

http://www.dabs.com/products/hp-400...fessional-B16N.html?refs=50240-56570000&src=3

Add a 2nd HDD and another 4Gb to get to 8Gb or buy 2 x 8Gb. It comes down to how much photo work you do, how much stuff you have open.

The above will work well, last a long time and ticks all your boxes.

Remember to ensure you have at least 1 backup method (NAS etc.)
 
I am a big Scan fan through and through. Though I build my own machines (often with components purchased from them). I now recommend Scan machines to other people. Something like the Scan V15i from this range http://www.scan.co.uk/3xs/value/budget-home-office/form-factors would do the job well. They also have a cracking selection of monitors.

In terms of Mac vs PC I agree with the comments saying that for the non computer literate the Mac may well be the better option. But for the extra you would pay I would rather spend the money on glass/bodies :)
 
Either of those would work well. If additional cash were available then I'd add a 128Gb SSD for windows + applications, take the memory to 8Gb and have a 2TB HDD for data.

I'd definitely not have W7 now. Since moving back to Windows from Mac last year, Windows 8.1 has been impressively quick, and has not gone slow on me after a few weeks like older versions used to, and *feels* very nearly as quick as the day I first booted this machine. TBH my experience with Windows this time round has been that it 'just works' every bit as much as OSX, but some of the default choices made can be poor (like making 'start' default on a non-tablet computer). Fortunately it's very easy to adjust things for an simple and pleasant experience.
 
Pookeyhead said:
Sorry.... but that's good advice.
Click to expand...
In context, it's about as useful as the following:

Q: "I want to buy a car"

A: "Buy an automatic"

There are enough people (on here included) who have issues getting Macs to "just work". PC's "just work" too IME.

The best advice so far - based on the information in the posts above - is this:

Dale_tem said:
PC or Mac? What does the person who helps you the most use? If your daughters can't use a Mac, there is no point getting one.
Click to expand...
 
arad85 said:
In context, it's about as useful as the following:

Q: "I want to buy a car"

A: "Buy an automatic"
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but that's not a good analogy at all. You're missing one crucial part.

Q: "I want to buy a car, but I have no interested in cars, or driving... I just want to get from A to B".

A: "Buy an automatic".


That would be a more accurate analogy.

I'm not saying Macs are idiot proof white goods, but if you just want to take it out of the box, plug it in and get on with stuff, you ARE better off with a Mac.
 
Pookeyhead said:
I'm not saying Macs are idiot proof white goods, but if you just want to take it out of the box, plug it in and get on with stuff, you ARE better off with a Mac.
Click to expand...

I buy a dell or HP, plug it in and it just works.

:confused:
 
Initially, yes. How many times have we heard the same old thing though... "PCs slow down and become unstable and clunky over time"? They don't of course... not in terms of hardware. It's a machine, and will remain as fast as it was when new. However, to the unaware, and computer illiterate, poor browsing habits, careless installing of unknown software etc, will inevitably cause problems due to resource hogging malware oriented background processes also being installed along with it . Macs are far less sensitive to such issues (although not immune to them), so represent a safer option in a lot of cases.

The comment about using whatever the people helping you are using is valid however. The caveat is though... We do not know what his daughter uses, and besides.. if the help required is stuff like uploading images etc,(as the OP stated) then such knowledge is platform independent - web sites and online services will be the same regardless of machine used.
 
Pookeyhead said:
Initially, yes. How many times have we heard the same old thing though... "PCs slow down and become unstable and clunky over time"? They don't of course... not in terms of hardware. It's a machine, and will remain as fast as it was when new. However, to the unaware, and computer illiterate, poor browsing habits, careless installing of unknown software etc, will inevitably cause problems due to resource hogging malware oriented background processes also being installed along with it . Macs are far less sensitive to such issues (although not immune to them), so represent a safer option in a lot of cases.
Click to expand...
I have no idea where neil_g has gone, but he'll happily tell you that he spends as much time fixing Macs that have slowed as PCs... The general problem is people expect a £350 laptop to be as well spec'd as a £2000 Mac. Even with Apples pricing policy (and anyone who says they are cheap and really believes that only needs to look at Apple's last quarter profits) it's patently not the case.
 
Ultimately people need to get into the idea of a separation of the hardware and the software (something that is more difficult with Mac as Apple restrict hardware substantially).
I recently moved my Wife from a Mac to Windows 8.1 after her iMac hardware began to creek under her Animation workload (though like me she also does photo editing work).
Though she loved her iMac and the screen was great the Core 2 Duo and 4GB of RAM was really beginning to struggle. This left us with 3 options:

1. Another Mac (either high end iMac or Mac Pro)
I did seriously look at this but the cost to spec a 27" iMac to have a i5 Quad with 16GB of RAM pushed it towards £1700. With a Mac Pro being more expensive still. Effectively paying £500+ for OSX struck us as too steep.

2. A Hackintosh
This is a bit of a wildcard option. I did run one for a little while but you have to accept some things may not work as expected or just be completely non functional. It also has questionable legal status.

3. A Custom Built PC
Fortunately with me working in IT having built several machines I was quite comfortable about this. I was able to design and build something from the ground up for her requirements which included:
Quad Core i5
16GB RAM
120GB SSD for OS/Apps
2x 1TB HDD in RAID 0 for Data (this is backed up over a network for redundancy)
Nvidia 750Ti Graphics Card for GPU Workloads
A custom case of her choosing
High Quality Dell Monitor

I very much agree with arad85's statement above about a £350 Windows based Laptop not being able to compete with a £2k Mac.

These days I would argue the biggest difference anyone can make to their machine is swapping out a HDD for an SSD or in the case of a tower running them both in parallel.

If I was going to be designing a workflow for a professional photographer regardless of operating system (which in my opinion is more of a usability thing) the hardware has to be appropriate.
If they wanted an OSX based laptop I would probably suggest the cheapest MacBook with 256GB of SSD and 8GB of RAM configured (which I think is still likely to cost ~£1k)
If they wanted Windows I would suggest something like this Dell laptop.
I would pair both the above options with some sort of high capacity, redundant NAS system to sit at home with.

If it was a desktop I would personally recommend Windows every time from a cost saving a customization perspective and get someone like Scan to build it for me. If it has to be OSX I might be tempted with a Hackintosh. Interestingly I have seen people build hackintosh builds because the top end Mac Pro's aren't quick enough for specific applications. Again this is of questionable legal status.
 
I've had my surface pro 3 now a few weeks and I love that little machine. Hardware and software designed by Microsoft with no bloat ware drivers. It is fast and works really well. Just as instant or fast as my MacBook Air. A very impressive machine. However it costs about the same as well, I looked for cheaper options but like for like they just aren't there.

Saying that. I had to get something from my MBA this morning. Hadn't touched it for several weeks. I lifted the lid, entered the encryption password, logged on to the machine and wow it woke up instantly with still 80% battery left. Very impressive.

I'd get a main brand desktop if you want that opposed to one build by Fred around the corner.
 
dejongj said:
I'd get a main brand desktop if you want that opposed to one build by Fred around the corner.
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I have to disagree strongly. Main brand PC desktops (as opposed to enterprise grade workstations and servers) are usually poor quality, build to a price, and unimaginatively built.. and all the savings they make are all in the wrong places... like power supplies and case ventilation... stuff that anyone who knows anything will tell you are crucial to longevity and reliability.

I recommend a little research time, then self-build. You get EXACTLY the machine you want. All the parts are individually warranted, and if you buy from Scan.co.uk, you can even insure your parts against damage when building (for a very small fee).. even if it's caused by your own incompetence :)

Spend some time reading good forums like www.bit-tech.net and you'll be surprised how much you can pick up in no time.

I'd never actually buy a ready made PC now. I've built my own since the mid 90s. It's not necessarily cheaper, but you get a better machine for your money if you choose your components carefully. It depends how much time you;'re prepared to spend researching the subject to become knowledgeable. Some can't be arsed. I on the other hand love learning... so it was an excuse to research something too. Another reason is... it's great fun. I love building PCs. The first time you power up your first PC build, here the POST beep, and see your monitor display that BIOS screen it's a great feeling.

If you're the type that's too lazy or impatient to learn (usually the type who would rather ask questions all day on forums rather than read the ****ing manual to get the information that's been right in front of them all the time).. then perhaps you should buy a PC actually... but at least buy one from someone who builds decent machines. Scan spring to mind again. Talk to them, tell them what you want, and what you want to do and they'll design a bespoke system for you.
 
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Pookeyhead said:
I have to disagree strongly. Main brand PC desktops (as opposed to enterprise grade workstations and servers) are usually poor quality, build to a price, and unimaginatively built.. and all the savings they make are all in the wrong places... like power supplies and case ventilation... stuff that anyone who knows anything will tell you are crucial to longevity and reliability.
Click to expand...

Come and inspect our Dell machines which are going back to Core 2 Duos and haven't missed a beat (Vostro range, now discontinued)

Can everyone keep the author of the first in mind. He wants something simple that works. He doesn't want to build. Remember what you do is not always the same as what someone else wants.

I build all my home PCs, I would never build them for work and I would never advise someone who isn't into PCs to build one. Too much hassle. Think about where they are, what they want and then give them sensible advice.
 
Exactly that. A person asked for something simple and it goes all the way to a Mac to self build and even a hackintosh ;)
 
:confused:.com but :ty: folks`
 
Pookeyhead said:
The OS doesn't redically change from update to update unlike PCs recently.
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The OS GUI didn't really change radically in Windows until the abortion that is Windows 8.1 was released.
I'm not a Mac user but others have told me the latest version of OSX uses a similar flat, boring 90's style GUI similar to Windows 8.1
Your post is probably the best unbiased view I have ever seen when it comes to PC vs Mac.
 
tom24 said:
I'm looking for advice as to what i should be asking/looking for in specificationstom
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That opens a can of worms as you can see from the replies :)
From what you have said, the most demanding CPU and memory hungry task you need a computer to do is for editing photos.
A budget Intel Icore3 with 8gb ram laptop (around £400) or same spec desktop would handle photo editing without any problems.
It can even handle doing layers etc in the likes of photoshop without any struggle.
Yes the more memory the better but Windows 8.1 will run fine with 8gb of memory.
That spec wont have the latest high definition display and it wont have a graphics card that will be capable of playing the latest version of call of duty but then you have not asked for these.
Yes, a decent spec self built desktop will pee all over the boxes that the likes of PCW sell (like others this is what I do) but unless you have any interest in reading about the latest chipsets, motherboard review etc I doubt you will be inclined to go down this road.
As you haven't mentioned that you have been using an Apple computer, do you want to learn about a new system or just happy to more or less carry on with a Windows system like you are already use to?

Pookyhead has given the best PC vs Apple point of view imho should you decide to change platform.
I use a Windows platform for computers and Android when it comes to smartphones as these suite my needs perfectly.
I'm not saying that Apple fanboys are trying to convince you to move over to it but some of the posts here do certainly smell of it :)
 
dejongj said:
Exactly that. A person asked for something simple and it goes all the way to a Mac to self build and even a hackintosh ;)
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He said "would probably be better with a customised outfit i think but as i said i know nothing.".. so a custom build was something he was considering. With a little bit of research, self-building is easy. Literally anyone could do it, but something custom (even if not by him) built was what he initially was thinking
 
Aye, just something windows based preferably.
Only for photo storage and editing, i don't play games and participate in few forums.
 
hashcake said:
The OS GUI didn't really change radically in Windows until the abortion that is Windows 8.1 was released.
I'm not a Mac user but others have told me the latest version of OSX uses a similar flat, boring 90's style GUI similar to Windows 8.1
Your post is probably the best unbiased view I have ever seen when it comes to PC vs Mac.
Click to expand...
I guess I'm he only one who loves windows 8.1. It works brilliantly on my surface pro. Then I also really like Yosemite. And Ubuntu. And even the latest android 5.x.
 
dejongj said:
I guess I'm he only one who loves windows 8.1. It works brilliantly on my surface pro. Then I also really like Yosemite. And Ubuntu. And even the latest android 5.x.
Click to expand...

Nope, not just you. I really like 8.1 (y)
 
dejongj said:
Do you think it helps when you use a hybrid touch enabled device/screen/mouse.
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For me? Not particularly. I tried it on a touch screen device in PC World, and unfortunately, as its not a way in which im used to working, I didnt really enjoy the experience. I just use it at home with a normal monitor and mouse, and am more than happy with it.

I admit, im not the most computer literate/tech savvy person, but I do struggle to see what peoples issues are with it.
 
dejongj said:
I guess I'm he only one who loves windows 8.1. It works brilliantly on my surface pro. Then I also really like Yosemite. And Ubuntu. And even the latest android 5.x.
Click to expand...

W8.1 is great, and I'm happy to use it. Yosemite was an improvement over Mavericks and Mountain Lion (at least my Macbook will charge properly again) although the interface and especially fonts are a bit of a mess. Linux - I like several different varieties, and presently run Mint Cinnamon at home. Android is fine in whatever varieties it come in too.

I just wish the "you're too dumb to understand computers so you need a Mac like me" people would try to help the OP in threads like this, rather than trying to reinforce their purchase decision.
 
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