# Which off the shelf desktop?



## AGP (Jun 1, 2007)

Which of these is the better machine (with £15 in it I'm not asking by price) for mainly MS Office 2007 and general home / small office duties (photos, ripping music to ipod etc etc)?

Does the 2mb cache of the P4 make a difference as I believe the Athlon is 0.5mb. I think this is the trap of Core 2 Duo versus Core Duo, being two different P4's but I don't really understand enough to be informed.

It won't be used for gaming at all. 

Sorry to raise such a bog standard PC on a high end PC forum but I've been asked to choose for a friend and she's put her trust in me!!!


Thanks

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/product.php?sku=517226&camp_id=ppc_Froogle_search

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/product.php?sku=121723&camp_id=ppc_Froogle_search


----------



## Ericwaycotx (Oct 16, 2005)

Hello AGP,

My vote is going to be for the Packard Bell (1st Link). The core 2 Duo is a very powerful processor, and almost impossible to beat for the price. You mentioned that the computer will be used for ripping music, and the core 2 Duo would really shine in that case with 2mb cache. 

It also has a larger Hard Drive which is a plus.

Also, I personally think the Videocard is slightly better than that of the other computer.

Eric


----------



## ebackhus (Apr 21, 2005)

I wouldn't touch the PB with a sterilized and latex-coated 40-foot pole.


----------



## PanamaGal (Jun 3, 2006)

I'm not sure I would have been so eloquent, but I'm with ebackhus on this one.


----------



## Ericwaycotx (Oct 16, 2005)

I wasn't exactly speaking for the brands. That was more a purely spec choice, since that's what he asked.


----------



## Houndog777 (May 17, 2007)

Hi, AGP
Your friend has chosen the most expensive pc shop in Britain, and the "reconditioned" systems they sell are customer returns.

Browse your way over to eBuyer.com, dabs.com, scan.co.uk and microdirect for some bargains.
Not forgetting Dell, who offer great "weekend deals" and the best warranty terms.


----------



## ebackhus (Apr 21, 2005)

But poor quality...


----------



## Terrister (Apr 18, 2005)

Packard Bells and E-machines are bad news. Avoid them if you can. 
This is based on my personal experience and post here.


----------



## Houndog777 (May 17, 2007)

Hi, forgot what you asked.

I'd take the ACER T180.

Incidentally, the same offer is available at Curry's and Dixons. Exact same price; exact same refurbished system!


----------



## Ericwaycotx (Oct 16, 2005)

Terrister said:


> Packard Bells and E-machines are bad news. Avoid them if you can.
> This is based on my personal experience and post here.


Thats generally true, but I have a 1700+ emachine that I bought about 4 years ago and it's been great. Passed it down to my brother about 2 years ago.


----------

