Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

My lord, they ripped you off. £500 !! to fix a 7-year-old PC.
For that you could have bought a new gaming screamer.

Last year for $500 Cdn (~ £320), I got a quad-core laptop with 6 GB RAM, 750 GB hard drive, & discrete video processor, plus a wireless keyboard & mouse. They also threw in Windows Office.
Plug it into the big-screen TV & sit in your easy chair.

All the major bits inside: motherboard, RAM, & HD keep getting faster & cheaper, with more capacity, so it doesn't make sense economically to upgrade an old machine.
A symptom of our throw-away society.

I hope the upgrade, or whatever they did, lasts you another 5 years, but doubtful.

I know that wasn`t for me - shoulddn`t have read it! Couldn`t understand a word - but at least I`ve gathered there are ways not to spend
a fortune on repairs, so thanks! M.

what Syzgy says is true but overlooks a couple of serious points.

a lot of things (even things made here)are quite a bit cheaper his side of the water.

most people are not computer-literate and any techno-babble goes right over their head. if you haven't got a friend who is in the know you could be in deep shit. specially if you think the likes of PC World can or will help you.

whatever you buy will become obsolete the moment you walk out of the shop with it. serious repairs aren't worth doing (unless you can diy.

I find John Lewis good to deal with. they know what they are doing, don't overdo the techno-babble and don't try and sell you a rolls royce when what you really need (and want)is a family saloon.

Thank you Syzgy, Magworth and Phillip. Yes, I know it was expensive, but to all intents and purposes, I now have a new computer (I think).

The technology is well beyond me, and I assume, many of my generation. At least, the woman who did the upgrade seems to know what she is talking about, and her shop is just across the water in Largs, so I can stick the computer under my oxter any time it fails. If it lasts another five or seven years, it will do me.

Thanks again.

P

phillip's last point is so apropos.

Most PCs are now total over-kill for the average user. It certainly helps to bring along a knowledgeable friend.

An excellent book I always recommend to patrons:
How computers work by Ron White
http://preview.tinyurl.com/6sjmso2

Mainly pictures & just the right amount of explanatory text without jargon. Best 20 quid you'll ever spend.

It's in the British Library system so you can take a look first.

Surprised at how expensive computers are there, even at discount outlets. Why is that? You have twice the market. In Canada there are constant sales, especially at Christmas & when school starts. The US trumps us though.

Best of luck. Hope it goes the distance.