August, 2017 | Expertec

Back to school often means a lot of expense, from stationary to back-to-school-2628012_1920 uniform the list of back to school kit seems never ending! And now, with technology forming a cornerstone of education, pupils of all ages, from primary to higher education, are expected to use computers for their work, meaning back to school budgets can easily spiral out of control, as well as leaving parents, and pupils, confused as to which PC is best, both for your budget and needs!

There’s obviously a lot to consider before shelling out on a new PC: safety online, memory, graphics, budget-the list can seem endless! We’ve tried to ease the challenges these factors can bring by picking out some of our best PC’s for a variety of budgets and technological needs to get you and your kids kitted out for the new academic year.

Safety First!

As always, the first concern of many parents is keeping their children safe online, and rightly so, but with a few guidelines safe, online activity can be easily achieved.

The internet is a massive adventure for children, however, they can sometimes be unaware of the dangers it can hold. Therefore, we would never advocate unsupervised web surfing. With children having predominant access to the internet we know this can be difficult to achieve. So, if you can’t always supervise them in person parental controls can be a great way to ensure they won’t come across nasty or explicit content when surfing the web, as well as monitoring and understanding how they use their PC and the internet. With the prominence of online safety for children growing, some companies and internet providers now provide this service free of charge, but, if they don’t there is software, available to purchase or download, that can also provide parental controls.

Although parental controls are a great way to protect children online it’s also key that they know the dangers of the web, and what measures to take to be safe, themselves. We don’t want to frighten them, after all the internet is a fun, educational and worthwhile tool when used appropriately, but, making sure they know how to stay safe is key for them to get the most out of their PC and enjoy the benefits of the internet!

Dell Optiplex (DT) Core 2 Duo 2GB 160GB + 17” TFT & Windows 7 Pro

Fully refurbished, this PC, with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor and 17” Dell monitor, is in excellent all-round condition. At £69.94 it is one of our cheapest monitor bundles with many excellent features, such as the Windows 7 Pro operating system and 160GB Hard Drive, that make this a great budget PC for studying.

Dell Optiplex (DT) Core 2 Duo 4GB 320GB + 17″ TFT & Windows 7 Pro

Fully refurbished, this PC, with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor and 17” Dell monitor, is in excellent all-round condition. Priced at £84.94 this PC offers 4GB of RAM and a 320GB Hard Drive, both more than the Dell Optiplex (DT) Core 2 Duo 2GB 160GB + 17” TFT & Windows 7 Pro featured above, and, therefore, the main point of comparison between the two.

RAM (Random Access Memory) and hard drive space are easily confused but it is an important factor to consider when purchasing any PC to save you both time and money and get the best out of your PC.

RAM (Random Access Memory) refers to the memory inside your computer. This stores actively running programmes on your computer. So, for example, if you open a programme like Microsoft Word it will be loaded onto the computer’s memory. However, when you quit this programme, the memory is freed up for use.

The hard disk or drive is a disk that can hold several gigabytes of data. Therefore, disk space refers to how much space you have available on your hard disk for storing files. So, when you save document or install a new programme it will be stored on your hard disk.

If you run out of RAM you will not have enough memory to run certain programmes and so you will need to upgrade your memory by buying more RAM. Adding RAM to your PC will also enable it to run more programmes and perform more tasks simultaneously, something potentially needed for students. If you do not have enough disk space to install a programme you can either delete files you no longer need or buy an additional hard drive.

Dell Optiplex (Tower) Core 2 Duo 4GB 1000GB + 17″ TFT + Windows 7 Pro

Fully refurbished, this PC, with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor and 17” Dell monitor, is in excellent all-round condition. One of our more expensive Desktop PC’s at £119.94, it again has 4GB of RAM, but, a 1000GB Hard Drive, a point to consider if the PC will be used to store many documents and files. This PC has a Tower Case Type but, as with the two previous models, does come in SFF and DT Case Types also, so, not matter what case type you want there should be a PC for your budget, needs and taste!

Gaming or homework? No need to choose with our excellent range of Gaming PC’s, perfect for gaming and studying!

Cheap Core I3 Gaming PC Computer WiFi 1TB 8GB + 1GB Graphics & Windows 10 Pro

This PC has been refurbished and rebuilt by our system builders in a new Vantage gaming case, which is one of the best sellers on the market! With its Intel Core I3 Processor, it has great processing power for home or office use making it a great choice for balancing work with play and fighting off those back to school blues! This also comes with a 1-year manufacturer warranty.

Quad Core Gaming PC Tower with WIFI & 8GB 1TB HDD + 1GB Graphics

This PC has been built by our in-house team of expert builders using AMD Technology and fitted with a Storm Case, so, you can be assured that this PC is built to last! Although more expensive than the other PC’s featured, the Gaming PC Tower, with its AMD A8 7600 3.8GHZ x4 (Turbo) processor, is perfect for home, office or school work and so could be a perfect PC for the whole family! With its bundled items including a Gaming Keyboard and Mouse and 1TB Hard Drive this is the perfect PC for balancing work and play. This also comes with a 1-year manufacturer warranty.

These are just a few PC’s we have available that would be great for back to school! But we have a great range of PC’s, so whether it is gaming or homework you have in mind we’re sure you’ll find something to suit your budget style and needs!

Still spoilt for choice? Check out our comparison table to help you find the right back to school PC for you and your family!

Sometimes things just all go wrong at once!

Car needs a new tyre, fridge died, need some clothes for a special do…..whatever happens it just means when you have a desktop disaster and your computer gives up you just don’t may not have the funds to replace it.

So it goes to the bottom of the ‘to buy’ list.

Consequently if you cannot afford to buy new, or take out finance for a computer bundle then seriously consider refurbished set ups.

Advantages of buying Refurbished Computers:

– Low price – savings of 20% to 80% on purchasing a new computer.
– The quality and reliability of refurbished PCs are guaranteed by the manufacturer.

First step is to decide just what exactly you need from your computer before you start looking.

TIPS:

– Consider what do you need from a computer…do you just surf the net, read emails, go onto Facebook and twitter, use your word processor? If this is the case you will find that an older PC will be more than adequate.
– If you play video games, download music and images then a PC with a bigger memory and an increased processor speed would be needed. E.g. the DELL Optilex (Tower) Core 2 duo 4GB 1000GB + 17”TFT & Windows 7 Pro.

– Unless you have a lot of experience with computers it is best to look for retailers or manufacturers who are quality refurbishers.
– Buy from a retailer who is also authorised to sell refurbished items and is also selling new products.

A good reliable sales outlet with good customer service may have just the answer and you can be set up to go quickly without a big outlay of cash.

If you think about it anyone who is knowledgeable with the inner workings of a computer is going to make that extra effort to make sure that the refurbished items they sell are top quality.

Matching up refurbished items can be a problem if you buy your set up as separate items. It is advisable to buy from a retailer who is selling a Monitor bundle. i.e. you will get the tower, a monitor, keyboard and mouse so you know they will work together.

Check out the online deals you can get from reputable computer experts. Ringing the customer service department or chatting online, would be my recommendation, if you are not sure what Monitor bundle is right for you. Remember they want to sell you a top quality item that you are happy with and so will be more than happy to give you the best advice.

Expertec

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