Opinion from PC experts?

[dragonmist]

I have just ordered 2 of these at £699.99 from Ideal World TV. Pick of the Day until 9 pm.
They are £699.99 each, so the two actually came to the same price as the one my grandson wanted from the place that rhymes with Hell. I'm no expert, but the specifications seem good. What do you reckon?
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Cube" 2 Intel Dual Core PC with 19" LCD Widescreen

The Cube 2 Intel Dual Core PC with 19" LCD Widescreen Monitor hosts big brand names throughout the PC (including Intel, ATI, Nero, Microsoft etc.) for your use and enjoyment.
For work, play or general use, the Cube boasts an array of features and fantastic aftercare that make it so much more than a standard PC.
Features:

• Intel Pentium D Dual Core Processor (2 x 2.66GHz)
• 19” Widescreen Monitor
• Corsair 1024 (1Gb) DDR2 667mhz High Speed RAM
• Samsung 200Gb Hard Disc Drive
• Latest 18x speed DVD Re-writer
• 8 x USB 2.0 Ports
• 256MB ATI X200 SMA Graphics
• Hybrid Digital and Analogue TV Tuner with media software and Remote Control
• 56k modem
• Software:
• Nero DVD Authoring and Viewing Package
• Microsoft Works V8
• Bullguard Anti Virus with 1 year free updates

Note: This PC is fully Microsoft Vista Compatible (launch date currently January 2007) but comes with Windows XP Home Edition.
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[Paulwillhappy]

Hi,

I was watching earlier, This looks like a fantastic deal, The Machines are quite a good Spec for the money & the manufacturer has been around for a while.

I'm quite envious

Now here's come the next poster to say their Brother in Law knows someone who's Auntie is related to a bloke round the corner who cleans the floor in PC World

Or their next door neighbour's name is Fred Kodak and he's related to the people who make Dell computers.


Good luck and i hope you enjoy them Great Kit

[dragonmist]

Ugh! PC World! I went in there for advice re a PC for my grandson. Spotty youth started rabbitting off, and lost me in 2 minutes flat. I just stood there like a rabbit caught in the headlights until he shut up. He must have learned it all parrot fashion off the manual, because he was totally unable to answer a single question.

[Stu_Millard]

Speaking as PC techie, never go to PCWorld for advice on a PC. Asides from the fact that half the time they don't really know the ins and outs of the equipment they're talking to you about (other than reading the display card to you), they're there to get sales from Joe Public. On the other hand, if you know what spec machine you want, you know what your budget is, you know you don't want the extras (ie; desk, printer, a forest worth of paper, USB pendrive, scanner and digital camera) and you see something you like - by all means buy from there. Same goes for Dell - IMO Dell PCs are for people who want to make an easy choice at a low price. The machines themselves are perfectly fine and ideal for many everyday applications - I personally wouldn't buy one from a techies point of view having dealt with them at work.

But back to the question - fantastic spec PC for the £700 price tag, especially with the 19" TFT. My only gripe, and it's a small one as I know the MS won't ship it to anything other than an OEM, is the fact that the OS is XPHome - I'd prefer XP Media Center. But don't let that detract from fact that that's a smashing little system. And I am completely jealous!

[Pete27]

http://www.idealworld.tv/csp/isd/ideal/index.csp

if your jealous theres your chance to get one.. looks good but i dunno bout specs

[Stu_Millard]

http://www.idealworld.tv/csp/isd/ideal/index.csp

if your jealous theres your chance to get one.. looks good but i dunno bout specs

I might be jealous, but I also don't have the funds right now. However, if the damned payrise I've been promised for the past two years happens to finally be agreed this month.....

[dragonmist]

Unfortunately Stu, it's only at that price until 9 pm tonight. [Pick of the Day] Then it goes up to £899.99. That's why I had to jump in before they ran out. The last special offer ran out while I was still making up my mind. I don't know the benefits of Media Centre I'm afraid, and I'm used to XP Home. It has got to be heaps better than the HP thing I have now.

[Stu_Millard]

Unfortunately Stu, it's only at that price until 9 pm tonight. [Pick of the Day] Then it goes up to £899.99. That's why I had to jump in before they ran out. The last special offer ran out while I was still making up my mind. I don't know the benefits of Media Centre I'm afraid, and I'm used to XP Home. It has got to be heaps better than the HP thing I have now.

There's no technical benefit of Media Center per-se. XPMCE is designed for "digital integration" of your home entertainment system. Basically, your PC sits in the lounge, connects (preferably) to a large screen TFT TV/monitor and can be used as a storage and transmission device for your pictures, movies, DVDs, films and digital television.

[dragonmist]

Ah well, that explains that then. Thanks Stu. Something else I don't need as I watch very little TV. I have a TV/DVD combo next to the PC so I can watch DVD's and still work on the PC if I want to .