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New PC and Antivirus


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My old PC finally died on me yesterday, luckily i'm in a position to go out and spend £400-£700 on a new one, the problem is i know little or nothing about Computers.

My old PC was slow with just a single Intel processor and struugled to run just a few leagues when playing the last couple of FM's although it did have a decent graphics card(although i cannot remember what it was)

Obviously i want something as powerful yet at the same time as cheap as possible that if/when i start playing FM again i can do so playing with more leagues and with a much healthier processing time.

If anyone can point me in the right direction i would greatly appreciate the assistance, thanks.

Also, i want to purchase some good Antivirus software, something that deals with spyware/malware/virus's etc, etc and wondered if there was one that stood out from the crowd?

Again, thanks for any help thats offered.

(i'm using my GF's laptop atm and i hate the bloody thing)

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That looks decent enough and a very good price, i had looked at this from PC World, this is just the tower though.

Cannot copy and paste with this laptop GRRRRRRrrrrrrr

Advent Centurion desktop PC, if anyone can provide a link and do a compare i'd appreciate it greatly.

Thanks

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Just about everyone i know has warned me away from Norton? :confused::(

dont know why i've used them for past 3/4 years and no probs,just seen the new norton internet security at smiths for under £30.also try pc specialsits to build your own pc did mine for under £500.

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Do not buy this. Terribly overpriced and there is no need to spend money on anti-virus software!

For those that are interested, Microsoft Security essentials was recently named the best anti-virus product on the market. And it's free.

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This looks really good to me and about the best i have found, good size monitor too.

As i said i know little or nothing about computers though, would like to hear a few replies regarding this machines spec compared to its price etc.

Thanks

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Do not buy this. Terribly overpriced and there is no need to spend money on anti-virus software!

For those that are interested, Microsoft Security essentials was recently named the best anti-virus product on the market. And it's free.

Sorry mate, missed your post whilst writing my previous post, can you tell me why you think this machine is overpriced?

Thanks

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For that price it is poor.

There is very little point in getting 6gb of Ram, particularly if it is only DDR2 and not accompanied by a new i5 or i7 processor. The graphics card in that machine is also at the very, very low end. I would avoid PC World all together and check out Dell, PcSpecialist, novatech, ebuyer etc etc.

At the moment my preferred desktop would be something like;

AMD Phenom II Black Edition Quad Core

Ati HD 47xx range graphics card

500gb Hdd

4gb DDR 3 Ram

Windows 7 x64 Home

You should be able to get that for around the same price.

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Its not that bad of a desktop, you could do better but it would run this game and many others without problems.

Are we on about a gaming machine or a machine that can run FM10 only?

Generally to run FM10 you need a fairly decent amount of RAM (4GB), a decent processor that is capable of running over 2GHz, a graphics card that is not intregrated. Ofcourse people will probably take pieces out of me for saying that but its a machine that would run FM10 and many leagues.

The above spec that i just gave will run many league on a database. Need evidence? Well check through the forum where people have asked what pc to get, and you will see what most people say will run FM10.

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For that price it is poor.

There is very little point in getting 6gb of Ram, particularly if it is only DDR2 and not accompanied by a new i5 or i7 processor. The graphics card in that machine is also at the very, very low end. I would avoid PC World all together and check out Dell, PcSpecialist, novatech, ebuyer etc etc.

At the moment my preferred desktop would be something like;

AMD Phenom II Black Edition Quad Core

Ati HD 47xx range graphics card

500gb Hdd

4gb DDR 3 Ram

Windows 7 x64 Home

You should be able to get that for around the same price.

Have you any links?

Cheers

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Its not that bad of a desktop, you could do better but it would run this game and many others without problems.

Are we on about a gaming machine or a machine that can run FM10 only?

Generally to run FM10 you need a fairly decent amount of RAM (4GB), a decent processor that is capable of running over 2GHz, a graphics card that is not intregrated. Ofcourse people will probably take pieces out of me for saying that but its a machine that would run FM10 and many leagues.

The above spec that i just gave will run many league on a database. Need evidence? Well check through the forum where people have asked what pc to get, and you will see what most people say will run FM10.

FM is practically the only game i play, although i am having a little time off from it(maybe until next patch) but i'm getting a PC anyway, so it may as well have the capacity to play FM comfortably just in case the game improves enough to warrant playing it again.

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Processor (CPU)

AMD ATHLON II X4 620 SOCKET AM3 (2.6GHz/2MB CACHE)

Memory (RAM)

4GB CORSAIR XMS2 DUAL-DDR2 800MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY

Motherboard

ASUS® M4N78-AM: DUAL DDR2, S-ATA II, PCIe x16, 1 x PCIe x1, 2 x PCI

Operating System

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)

USB Options

6 x USB 2.0 PORTS (4 REAR + 2 FRONT) AS STANDARD

Memory - 1st Hard Disk

500GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

2nd Hard Disk

NONE

RAID (HDD 1 & 2)

NONE

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive

22x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

2nd DVD/BLU-RAY Drive

NONE

Graphics Card

512MB NVIDIA GEFORCE 210 PCI EXPRESS

2nd Graphics Card

NONE

Sound Card

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

Network Facilities

ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT

Modem

NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND

Memory Card Reader

INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)

Case

STYLISH BLACK/SILVER TRIDENT CASE + 2 FRONT USB

Power Supply & Case Cooling

450W Quiet Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£25)

Processor Cooling

SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£19)

Firewire & Video Editing

NONE

TV Card

NONE

Monitor

LG W1954TQ 19 INCH WIDESCREEN, DVI-D/D-SUB 1440x900 (£112)

2nd Monitor

NONE

DVI Cable

NONE

Keyboard & Mouse

Logitech® Deluxe 660 Cordless Keyboard & Optical Mouse (£18)

Mouse

NONE

Speakers

LOGITECH S120 2.0 BLACK SPEAKER SYSTEM (£7)

Webcam

NONE

Headsets (VOIP)

NONE

Surge Protection

NONE

Printer

NONE

Anti-Virus

NONE

Office Software

NONE

External Hard Drive

NONE

Home Installation

NONE

Warranty

1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1st Month Free Collect & Return

Delivery

STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time

Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 9 working days

Quantity

1

£616 from PcSpecialist (not sure if the link will work http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/results/)

Take the speakers and mouse/keyboard off and you've got a vastly superior machine with a better monitor for less.

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Processor (CPU)

AMD ATHLON II X4 620 SOCKET AM3 (2.6GHz/2MB CACHE)

Memory (RAM)

4GB CORSAIR XMS2 DUAL-DDR2 800MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY

Motherboard

ASUS® M4N78-AM: DUAL DDR2, S-ATA II, PCIe x16, 1 x PCIe x1, 2 x PCI

Operating System

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)

USB Options

6 x USB 2.0 PORTS (4 REAR + 2 FRONT) AS STANDARD

Memory - 1st Hard Disk

500GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

2nd Hard Disk

NONE

RAID (HDD 1 & 2)

NONE

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive

22x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

2nd DVD/BLU-RAY Drive

NONE

Graphics Card

512MB NVIDIA GEFORCE 210 PCI EXPRESS

2nd Graphics Card

NONE

Sound Card

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

Network Facilities

ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT

Modem

NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND

Memory Card Reader

INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)

Case

STYLISH BLACK/SILVER TRIDENT CASE + 2 FRONT USB

Power Supply & Case Cooling

450W Quiet Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£25)

Processor Cooling

SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£19)

Firewire & Video Editing

NONE

TV Card

NONE

Monitor

LG W1954TQ 19 INCH WIDESCREEN, DVI-D/D-SUB 1440x900 (£112)

2nd Monitor

NONE

DVI Cable

NONE

Keyboard & Mouse

Logitech® Deluxe 660 Cordless Keyboard & Optical Mouse (£18)

Mouse

NONE

Speakers

LOGITECH S120 2.0 BLACK SPEAKER SYSTEM (£7)

Webcam

NONE

Headsets (VOIP)

NONE

Surge Protection

NONE

Printer

NONE

Anti-Virus

NONE

Office Software

NONE

External Hard Drive

NONE

Home Installation

NONE

Warranty

1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1st Month Free Collect & Return

Delivery

STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time

Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 9 working days

Quantity

1

£616 from PcSpecialist (not sure if the link will work http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/results/)

Take the speakers and mouse/keyboard off and you've got a vastly superior machine with a better monitor for less.

Cheers for that Wakers, have saved the site to favourites and will take a good look at it tomorrow. :thup:

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Don't know if you'll be able to find something similar, but I just purchased an Acer AM5800 for about $600 from an online retailer (no monitor included) that comes with:

Intel Core2 Quad Processor 8300(2.5ghz)

6gb ddr3 memory

ati radeon HD4650 (1gb discrete memory)

640gb hard drive

Windows score breaks down as (1.0 to 7.9max):

Processor- 7.2

Memory- 7.2

Graphics- 5.1 (for windows aero)

Gaming graphics- 6.4

Primary Hard Disk- 5.9

Currently downloading AVGfree...

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www.ebuyer.co.uk

www.overclockers.co.uk

Two very good websites to buy from.. Find a full system that seems reasonable, and then browse the website for the same parts, and then build it yourself. Doesn't take that much knowledge to do so, and will always be people on the internet willing to help I guess.

Also, don't buy from PC World, it really sucks.. even in sales it's still never a good deal. The people there barely know anything about computers, and are basically just 'sales people', doing whatever they can to persuade you to buy something.

Paying for any anti-virus/anti-spyware software is also a waste, use this website: http://www.techsupportalert.com/ - offers advice for free programs :)

Enjoy.

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FM is practically the only game i play, although i am having a little time off from it(maybe until next patch) but i'm getting a PC anyway, so it may as well have the capacity to play FM comfortably just in case the game improves enough to warrant playing it again.

If you only play FM you may not need to buy a graphics card. I got myself a new PC recently with no graphics card as I will put my old one in. I ordered a PSU from a different site and it hasn't arrived yet so I have been playing FM with the integrated graphics (Intel GMA 3100) and to my surprise the match engine has been running flawlessly. Personally I would advise you to get a card in case you want to play other games, but if you want to save money somewhere it is definately possible to play FM on integrated graphics with no loss of enjoyment.

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I found this, it looked really good to me, but i might be missing something obvious?

Can anyone in the know make any comment/s regarding either the system/spec/manufacturer/etc

Thanks

http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.aspx?PAGE=PRODUCTVIEWPAGE&USG=PRODUCT&ENT=PRODUCT&KEY=714197&utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=online&utm_content=MATRIX_PRO_NERO&utm_campaign=panel1

The base price is just £488.38 which seems rather cheap for what it is, but is it missing an important piece of hardware???

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I found this, it looked really good to me, but i might be missing something obvious?

Can anyone in the know make any comment/s regarding either the system/spec/manufacturer/etc

Thanks

http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.aspx?PAGE=PRODUCTVIEWPAGE&USG=PRODUCT&ENT=PRODUCT&KEY=714197&utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=online&utm_content=MATRIX_PRO_NERO&utm_campaign=panel1

The base price is just £488.38 which seems rather cheap for what it is, but is it missing an important piece of hardware???

Processor, Power Supply and Graphics are all very poor for £600. Dell seem to have the best deals around at the moment but overclockers, pc specialist and novatech are all usually good value for money. Find a spec from one of those sites and don't rely on the high street stores.

Processor (CPU)

AMD PHENOM II X3 720 SOCKET AM3 (2.80GHz/6MB CACHE) - BLACK EDITION

Memory (RAM)

4GB CORSAIR DOMINATOR DUAL-DDR2 1066MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY

Motherboard

ASUS® M4N78-AM: DUAL DDR2, S-ATA II, PCIe x16, 1 x PCIe x1, 2 x PCI

Operating System

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)

USB Options

6 x USB 2.0 PORTS (4 REAR + 2 FRONT) AS STANDARD

Memory - 1st Hard Disk

500GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

2nd Hard Disk

NONE

RAID (HDD 1 & 2)

NONE

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive

22x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

2nd DVD/BLU-RAY Drive

NONE

Graphics Card

1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT220 PCI EXPRESS

2nd Graphics Card

NONE

Sound Card

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

Network Facilities

ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT

Modem

NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND

Memory Card Reader

INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)

Case

STYLISH BLACK/SILVER TRIDENT CASE + 2 FRONT USB

Power Supply & Case Cooling

450W Quiet Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£25)

Processor Cooling

SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£19)

Firewire & Video Editing

NONE

TV Card

NONE

Monitor

NONE

2nd Monitor

NONE

DVI Cable

NONE

Keyboard & Mouse

NONE

Mouse

NONE

Speakers

NONE

Webcam

NONE

Headsets (VOIP)

NONE

Surge Protection

NONE

Printer

NONE

Anti-Virus

NONE

Office Software

NONE

External Hard Drive

NONE

Home Installation

NONE

Warranty

1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1st Month Free Collect & Return

Delivery

STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time

Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 9 working days

Quantity

1

£537 including VAT and delivery.

So much better value for money, you can probably get closer to £488 by choosing a slightly poorer graphics card too (even that will be much much better than the one listed by Mesh).

Also, Mesh aren't using the Black edition Phenom processors, which is why I said it was poor for that price - the black edition processors are soo much better than the regulars.

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For all those that knock PC world,I have never had a problem with any desktop/laptop from them. I brought my latest Acer aspire 5536 and AVG internet security software and have no probs at all. Some of those sites mentioned are expensive for what they give you as I have checked them out before but its always best to trawl the net and compare prices

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I wonder how much you paid for all that from PC world :D I bet it's at least £100 more than it should have been.

They are the worst PC retailer you can possible buy from. That and their sister companies.

And you do not need to pay for anti-virus security. That is the biggest scam going right now.

Someone look for a similar spec to the one i posted above on PC world, I bet anything you can't get it for under £650 :D

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Processor, Power Supply and Graphics are all very poor for £600. Dell seem to have the best deals around at the moment but overclockers, pc specialist and novatech are all usually good value for money. Find a spec from one of those sites and don't rely on the high street stores.

Without the extras mate it is only £488, the extras include a surge control socket, a 12 month security licence, a BETTER processor and a 24" Full HD Monitor.

I thought quad core whether AMD or intel would be rather good.(athlon 2.6) which could be upgraded to a(phenom 2.8)

4 GB RAM

1 GB Graphics

22" Full HD Monitor

This is what i mean about not understanding computers, that looks a good solid PC to me similar to the one you linked for £600.

Can you tell me where i am misunderstood?

Thanks

I'm looking to make a purchase ASAP, which is why i'm interested in such feedback.

I am PCless atm.

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£537 for the one I quoted.

The Mesh (either base or upgraded processor) does not specify "black edition" on the processor, which is very important. Pcspecialist use those and quote cheaper prices for 25% better performance.

It's not the size of graphics card but the make and model that are more important. Go by the numbers - HD4670 is a higher end model than HD4300, and quite significantly so.

I guess though if you're without a computer at the moment you would not want to wait 10 days for delivery?

Do you need a new monitor too?

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£537 for the one I quoted.

The Mesh (either base or upgraded processor) does not specify "black edition" on the processor, which is very important. Pcspecialist use those and quote cheaper prices for 25% better performance.

It's not the size of graphics card but the make and model that are more important. Go by the numbers - HD4670 is a higher end model than HD4300, and quite significantly so.

I guess though if you're without a computer at the moment you would not want to wait 10 days for delivery?

Do you need a new monitor too?

I have a poxy 14" TFT monitor atm.

Taking into consideration the fact that i can have a 22" full HD monitor in with the price would you consider this a half decent machine?

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You cannot have a non i5/7 or DDR2 and call it "future proof", the term itself in the tech world really only means 4-5 years and thats if you slap in a few upgrades along the way.

Mesh are good, as are scans 3XS systems and overclockers too.

Cyberpower are cheap but they dont have a great reputation, you pretty much get what you pay for. 3XS systems cost a little more but the build quality is much higher.

Take the time to fully research it, I did and I still only got a PC that was 80% what I wanted (had to scale back on the budget) but because I spent a few weeks comparing, calling people up, researching etc I got a really good deal.

Also dont forget to keep stuff from the old PC if its going to be chucked, I didnt have to spend about £100 because I kept back old drives, hard drives and a few fans etc, also the screws and stuff can come in handy too!

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Do Dell use the "black edition" processors that you mentioned?

Thanks

If you are really into overclocking etc go for it, just dont get duped into spending money on a processor/MB with features you will never use!! I know my MB has about 3 features I am not going to use but it was the best one I could find for the money I had. It has everything I need anyway :D

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How about this slightly upgraded version?

http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.aspx?PAGE=PRODUCTCONFIGPAGE&USG=PRODUCT&ENT=PRODUCT&KEY=714197&UTM_SOURCE=homepage&UTM_MEDIUM=online&UTM_CONTENT=MATRIX_PRO_NERO&UTM_CAMPAIGN=panel1

Link does not show changes.

I upgraded processor to 2.8 ghz

Graphic card to HD4670

1TB Hard Drive

24" Full HD monitor

Total = £631

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That link didn't work - it just sent me to spec where I could customise, and it had all the lowest items selected.

I would avoid mesh to be honest. They used to be good but now I find they are somewhat overpriced and coasting on their reputation.

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That link didn't work - it just sent me to spec where I could customise, and it had all the lowest items selected.

I would avoid mesh to be honest. They used to be good but now I find they are somewhat overpriced and coasting on their reputation.

See post 15;07

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The components still aren't as good as the ones in the Dell system to be honest. I'm not sure how good the monitor is either.

The Core 2 Duos are offer better performance than any of the processors that Mesh make available there.

The only way that Mesh unit could compete would be if it offered the Black Edition Phenom II's, but as it doesn't mention Black Edition at all, I wouldn't want to recommend it.

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The components still aren't as good as the ones in the Dell system to be honest. I'm not sure how good the monitor is either.

The Core 2 Duos are offer better performance than any of the processors that Mesh make available there.

The only way that Mesh unit could compete would be if it offered the Black Edition Phenom II's, but as it doesn't mention Black Edition at all, I wouldn't want to recommend it.

Okay mate cheers, looks like i should research a little more before making up my mind.

Thanks :thup:

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