Computing - Desktop PCs and Laptops
At FindElectricals we want to help you find your perfect computer, whether you want aWindows Desktop PC or Apple Mac Laptop/Notebook or Chromebook. There are now lots of ready built PCs to choose from as well as Laptops, which have now come down in price and risen in popularity and are a real alternative to a desktop PC. So if you don't know what PC to buy then read through our simple PC guide and then start looking for the best price for your new PC.
Windows Desktop PCs
Desktop PCs are still as popular as ever and new technologies keep emerging with the speeds of the computers increasing all the time, e.g. dual core and quad core computers. Pre-built PCs are widely available from a wide range of manufacturers including Fujitsu, Sony, HP and Dell. There are also other major specialist PC retailers on the internet such as PC World, Novatech and eBuyer or Amazon.
When purchasing a PC it is always better to spend as much as you can afford to get the better PC, although this really depends on what you will be doing with the PC, as if you are just going to surf the internet and write the occasional email and document then you don't need a very fast PC. On the other hand if you want to manipulate images, edit video and play the latest games you are going to require a fast PC with lots of RAM and a good graphics card.
Look for the following in any new PC:
- 16GB+ RAM
- i3/i5/i7 Intel CPU Processors or Ryzen 3,5 or 7 Processors
- 2GB+ Graphics Card (4GB or 8GB better for gaming)
- SSD or M2 Hard Drives of at least 500GB in size
- Windows 10 or Mac OS
- DVD or Blu-ray Writers are not that important anymore
Windows Desktop PC Offers
Dell OptiPlex 5050 Desktop Computer - Intel Core i5 (7th Gen) i5-7500T 2.70 GHz - 8 GB DDR4 SDRAM -  Only £750.02 more details... |
Dell OptiPlex 3000 3060 Desktop Computer - Core i5 i5-8500T - 4 GB RAM - 500 GB HDD - Micro PC - Bla  Only £470.99 more details... |
HP Business Desktop ProDesk 600 G5 Desktop Computer - Intel Core i7 9th Gen i7-8700 3.20 GHz - 8 GB  Only £810.13 more details... |
Windows Laptops
Laptops are getting cheaper and cheaper, so there is no need to pay £1,000 for a laptop anymore - unless you want the latest laptops, instead look to pay around £500 or less for a good Windows laptop, for this price you should get everything you need to play the odd game, and surf the web wirelessly etc.
There are several areas to consider when purchasing a laptop, mainly the battery life and the weight of the laptop are really important if your laptop is going to leave your house. Some manufacturers try and sell you a larger screen size, but a 15" size is fine, because larger screen sizes make the laptop weigh more and they take more battery to power them.
Your laptop should also come with wireless capability so you can surf the internet without wires. Hard drives in laptops are usually smaller than their desktop counterparts. A hard drive can be 1TB in size, useful if you are storing a lot of files on it, but if you just install programs and your files on the cloud, then a hard drive size of around 120GB-500GB is good enough, and you can always upgrade the size later on or instead install a solid state drive (SSD) which has no moving parts inside, which means an improved battery life and 10x the speed of a normal hard drive.
As much RAM as possible is desirable, at a minimum you really want 2GB in a laptop, most now come with 4GB or 8GB+ also most laptops allow you to install another RAM chip alongside the one you already have in the laptop, they are also really easy to fit, just make sure you purchase the correct SODIMM ram chip.
Look for a laptop with a long battery life, these days 2 hours just does not seem long enough, look for 4hours+.
Look for laptops and notebooks from well known computer manufacturers including Toshiba, Acer, Asus, Samsung, Apple, Dell, HP, Compaq, and Sony.
Windows Laptop/Notebook Offers
Acer Chromebook Spin 11 R751TN-C1Y9 29.5 cm (11.6) Touchscreen 2 in 1 Chromebook - 1366 x 768 - Cel  Only £378.83 more details... |
Acer Spin 11 R751TN-C0CG 29.5 cm (11.6) Touchscreen 2 in 1 Chromebook - 1366 x 768 - Celeron N3350  Only £415.06 more details... |
Lenovo ThinkPad E16 Gen 1 21JN004NUK 40.6 cm (16) Notebook - WUXGA - 1920 x 1200 - Intel Core i5 13  Only £688.13 more details... |
Apple Mac Desktop Computers
Apple Mac computers run a different operating system to Windows, and it's called Apple OS or iOS on Apple tablets and iPhones.
If you already have an Apple iPad, iWatch or iPhone it will make perfect sense to buy an Apple Mac computer which can integrate and work with all your other Apple products.
You may find Apple computers easier to use than a Windows machine, but you are paying a premium for the Apple brand. More often than not the insides of an Apple computer whether it's a desktop or laptop are the same component parts as in other Windows PCs which are much cheaper.
The entry level Apple Mac desktop computer is a Mac Mini which start at around £400-£500 which comes without a screen or keyboard or mouse. Next up there is the iMac which comes with a screen in many different sizes. There are also different internal specifications fo each iMac. These start at around £1,000 for a machine with a 21" monitor up to £2,000 for an i5 Intel processor with a 27" monitor.
John Lewis normally give extended guarantees on Apple products. You can also buy Apple products from PC World and Currys
Apple Mac Mini Desktop Computer Offers
Apple iMac Desktop Computer Offers
Apple Mac Laptops
Apple produce a range of laptops called Macbooks. The entry level is the Macbook Air which sells for around £1,000. Next up is the Macbook which sells for £1,000 up to £1,500. Finally there is the Apple Macbook Pro which retails for between £1,500 to £2,000.
Each Macbook version comes with differing screen sizes ranging from 12",13" and 15".
Most Macbooks come with fast SSD hard drives and at least 8GB RAM. They also have Intel i5 or i7 processors inside. You really can't go wrong with a new Apple Macbook. The best thing to do is to set yourself a budget and then choose the screen size you prefer and purchase that Macbook.
John Lewis normally give extended guarantees on Apple products. You can also buy Apple products from PC World and Currys
Apple Macbooks and Laptop Offers
Apple MacBook Pro MR962B/A 39.1 cm (15.4) Notebook - 2880 x 1800 - Core i7 - 16 GB RAM - 256 GB SSD  Only £2225.88 more details... |
Apple MacBook Pro MR972B/A 39.1 cm (15.4) Notebook - 2880 x 1800 - Core i7 - 16 GB RAM - 512 GB SSD  Only £2556.65 more details... |
Apple MacBook Pro MR9U2B/A 33.8 cm (13.3) Notebook - 2560 x 1600 - Core i5 - 8 GB RAM - 256 GB SSD  Only £1658.87 more details... |
