PC or not PC...that is the question.

[Icefever]

As in buying a new one...we all use the net, that's how we come to be on here.
My problem is the laptop I use at present is getting old, a couple of keys work when they feel like it.
The cursor jumps to where it wants to go..so I'm typing away and when I look back to the screen, the cursor has jumped back half a doz words so then I have to delete and start again

Now here's the problem...I don't want Win 10...I've read and seen all sorts of crap about it. I have tried Linux on an old laptop, I like it but sometimes it's hard to setup/add a program. When it gets into drivers I'm ok..but not that hot on them.

Mrs Ice had a new Chromebook last year...she loves it, but I'm not mad about Apps...so what the smegging hell do I do??

I have a 7" tablet that I use in the truck, but I don't get on with small screens...and it's Android...

Any ideas??...what do you guys run?

[Phantom]

Linux isn't hard. I dual boot windows 7 (but virtually never use it) and kubuntu (which is the Ubuntu that uses kde as its graphic environment - a bit more familiar to windows in how it looks/works than the gnome front ended normal Ubuntu).

My phone is an HTC One M8, which is Android (which is based on Linux anyway).

Erindoors has a 10 inch Samsung tablet which she gets on with fine.

I mostly use the phone day to day as it works wherever.

The main PC only has windows as "she" has a couple of windows based games she likes. Though it's playing up a bit, but it's proving hard to work out why.

A £500 area PC will do the job, if you just installed Kubuntu or even gnome based Ubuntu you'd be able to do all the stuff non-techie types uses PC's for. It's straight forward to update/upgrade (my great aunt is 87 and she manages to use Ubuntu almost without issue). We went and found her a Lenovo laptop for about a monkey about 6 months back, I just installed the Kububtu over the top of windies........

Don't forget, a PC is tied to the one location but can be easily managed, uprated, upgraded, etc. A laptop is more flexible for location but upgrades etc can be considerably harder to do along with the higher costs associated with that.

[Myles]

I changed my home PC last year. Most of the time it just sits idle but it is needed to interface between the wifi router and the modem.

Most family and visitors use wifi, so the computer is under utilised. A shame because it is actually briliant.

Novatech Pockit http://www.novatech.co.uk/pc/range/novatechpockithdnpi17.html

Basically they build anything you like.

[Phantom]

I changed my home PC last year. Most of the time it just sits idle but it is needed to interface between the wifi router and the modem.

Most family and visitors use wifi, so the computer is under utilised. A shame because it is actually briliant.

Novatech Pockit http://www.novatech.co.uk/pc/range/novatechpockithdnpi17.html

Basically they build anything you like.

dunno about novatech, but you should be able to access routers,modems and Wi-Fi setting straight through a browser just by using the devices IP address and password to change, modify and update them.

My PC is also underused, but when it comes to doing anything "properly", the screen real estate and mouse/keyboard access is a real bonus/benefit (no chance of incorrect inputting from "fat fingers" - and in any case, I touch type at 40wpm+ and you can't do that with a phone or tablet screen)........

Gonna look at that link though. Save me having to research for a home build one.......

[Jaggie]

decide what i want it to do then think Really will i do that then build/buy acordingly

[vino-tinto]

Now here's the problem...I don't want Win 10...I've read and seen all sorts of crap about it.

Don't worry about Windows 10, I used to be a certified MS engineer and helped test 10 for 18 months prior to release. In it's early stages it was a copy of 8, which was crap, then 8.1 sorted it out. You can install your old programs just like 7, they just call them apps nowadays and appear as icons on the desktop.
There is no need for a touch screen as a mouse/keyboard works just fine.
An Intel chipset is best as there is more support and if you can afford it an i7 CPU would make it future proof.
8Gb of ram is the way to go as this will cause no lag when running multiple windows.
The graphics card would be your choice, but if you don't play games you needn't go higher than a 1 Gb Nvidia

Hope this helps. VT

[Icefever]

Thanks for the info guys...it's given me something to think about...when it comes from VT that has worked with Win 10....maybe go and take a good look at then again.. and try and make my mind up.

[Mash]

+1

Alternatively to could track down an independent pc shop... Most of them have a good line is high spec used win 7 stuff that had been reconditioned. £150 buys you quite a bit.

[Phantom]

Don't worry about Windows 10, I used to be a certified MS engineer and helped test 10 for 18 months prior to release. In it's early stages it was a copy of 8, which was crap, then 8.1 sorted it out. You can install your old programs just like 7, they just call them apps nowadays and appear as icons on the desktop.
There is no need for a touch screen as a mouse/keyboard works just fine.
An Intel chipset is best as there is more support and if you can afford it an i7 CPU would make it future proof.
8Gb of ram is the way to go as this will cause no lag when running multiple windows.
The graphics card would be your choice, but if you don't play games you needn't go higher than a 1 Gb Nvidia

Hope this helps. VT

Handy to know. When I boot into windies (7) just to run the updates etc, I've been "unchecking" the upgrade to 10 selection and waiting/keeping an eye on some of the industry and other press/web articles until there's a bit more positive feedback.

Mostly I leave the pc booted into Kubuntu as I'm much more used to using that now (plus my older Bro is a NAS/Security/sysadmin type wallah).

Still can't workout what my best option is gonna be i.e. BYO or buy (can't even make my mind up about which "family" of processor to work from so I can decide whether it's BYO or buy - the "silicon chip world" seem to have lost the ability to talk or publish in english, it's all written in geek and nerd these days).........

[vino-tinto]

Handy to know. When I boot into windies (7) just to run the updates etc, I've been "unchecking" the upgrade to 10 selection and waiting/keeping an eye on some of the industry and other press/web articles until there's a bit more positive feedback.

Mostly I leave the pc booted into Kubuntu as I'm much more used to using that now (plus my older Bro is a NAS/Security/sysadmin type wallah).

Still can't workout what my best option is gonna be i.e. BYO or buy (can't even make my mind up about which "family" of processor to work from so I can decide whether it's BYO or buy - the "silicon chip world" seem to have lost the ability to talk or publish in english, it's all written in geek and nerd these days).........

You have one year from 10's release date to upgrade for free.
If you upgrade you have 30 days in which to reverse it with no effect on 7.
My other PC was Linux based but since Ubuntu 12 came out it no longer supports my Gforce graphics card and I can't be bothered to change it.

I now what you mean about NAS/Security, my son now runs the family software company and he now baffles me with his terminology and I've only been away from it for 3 years.

On the BYO front, it's nearly as dear to make than it is to buy as it's a cut throat business nowadays. Intel is still the market leader in support but AMD is catching up slowly.

[Mash]

On the BYO front, it's nearly as dear to make than it is to buy as it's a cut throat business nowadays. Intel is still the market leader in support but AMD is catching up slowly.

+1. Intel i7 IMO.

[hampk]

Making my living, as I do, running an IT support company, I've been using Win10 since beta, and honestly, there's nothing wrong with it. ?Yes it's a bit different to 7, but then 7 was different to 2000 which (IMHO) was the best release ever

The Intel/AMD thing is pretty much snobbery these days - very little to choose between them, though being an IT snob, I run an i7 with 24Gb RAM and a whizzy graphics card

Go for it!

[Icefever]

With all the good points about 10....looks like I'll finish up with buying a laptop running 10..

[Phantom]

Meh! See I follow the point of the Intel/AMD comments, but for me, it's so much less effort to install various flavours of Linux on Intel chips.

In the same way, for graphics I'm not fussed about proprietary drivers so it's best/easiest for me to use an Nvidia card.

When trying to work out what I need, "just enough" works fine but I like to have a bit of leeway, so just enough + a bit more is where I sit.........

Looked at the novatech site yesterday, and it still seems I'd have to spend about a grand for something i7 based that will do the business.........

[hampk]

A quick trawl round our distributors has thrown up an i7 with 8Gb RAM and a 1Tb hard drive for around £525 + VAT, so cheap powerful PCs are definitely out there

The Linux/Windows debate is a bit like Apple/PC and it's a personal choice at the end of the day - you buy what does what you need. However most non-IT literate people are always going to find the Microsoft offering the easiest to operate (and more particularly to support )

Cheers

Hampk