New computer needed - advice for an idiot please

[BIGDAI]

Thanks all, lots of good stuff there for me to digest.

The Dell kit looks like it could well do the job (price looks good too).

I've never really got on with Apple stuff (have enough of a fight with my old iPod and iTunes!

The Chromebook also looks to be good value but I definitely don't want a laptop.

I had my fingers burned last time I had an old PC serviced - moron that I am I didn't have everything backed up and lost the lot!

When we start talking about an SSD and re-installing stuff I am way out of my depth but I assume I can spec an SSD from the likes of Dell so I'll look at that.

Thanks again for all the advice.

[RobDickinson]

These days you can use OneDrive or dropbox or whatever to store your important things on and you dont then loose them if your drive goes.

Not sure that model of Dell can be speced with an SSD which does speed things up a lot. I live in NZ so not really up on UK prices or models tho.

[Big Pants]

I'm by no means an expert, but my experience of an SSD is that the important things are faster. MUCH faster.

Boot up in a seconds rather than a minute or two. Similarly fast starts for any programs you use often and therefore keep on the SSD.

You can always look at a secondary "normal" hard drive if you need storage for photos/videos or loads of other programs.

Think of SSD as pretty much "always on", like the way an iPad is ready when you open the cover, rather than the more traditional booting up experience you get from a traditional hard drive. It's worth the few extra quid.

[funkyrobot]

OP, if you are going Dell, check out their clearance section. They sometimes have deals on older models.

[cobra kid]

Don said:

An iMac is ............. and looks great.

[Foliage]

BIGDAI said:

Thanks all, lots of good stuff there for me to digest.

The Dell kit looks like it could well do the job (price looks good too).

I've never really got on with Apple stuff (have enough of a fight with my old iPod and iTunes!

The Chromebook also looks to be good value but I definitely don't want a laptop.

I had my fingers burned last time I had an old PC serviced - moron that I am I didn't have everything backed up and lost the lot!

When we start talking about an SSD and re-installing stuff I am way out of my depth but I assume I can spec an SSD from the likes of Dell so I'll look at that.

Thanks again for all the advice.

I've learnt from experience to have an external hard drive, all my documents, photos etc is on that, the internal hard drive is for the OS and programs, pretty simple really. If you don't need loads of space (just for your CV and the like), you can get pretty cheap memory sticks that are 128gb now.

Also as has been said backup the important stuff online.

[funkyrobot]

Foliage said:

Also as has been said backup the important stuff online.

Or use a couple of external hard drives and leave one at another house (friend or family member etc.).

Online is ok, but if you have rural broadband it can be a pain with large file sizes.