PC check please...

[Tonster]

My father in law wants a new PC as he's got one of my cast-offs that has probably fossilised by now (IIRC the graphics card is a Geforce 9800 Pro). He has a budget of up to £500 and only needs the base unit stuff. Once upon a time I knew what PC specs actually meant but these days it's all Chinese so I can only go on price and brand, as such would any kindly passer-by just tell me if I'm making a horrible mistake with this poorly researched option;
http://www.ebuyer.com/616481-dell-optip ... -3020-5375

He won't be playing games, just normal basic stuff old people do, though he does want to do basic home video editing and doesn't want to be dead before the video has rendered.

Just remember, squeezing the last few ounces of performance out of the spec is not paramount, cost effectiveness and simplicity is more important.

TYVM in advance (assuming anyone still comes here any more)

[larchy]

1. How PC literate is he? Eg, does he click on the "E" to "go on the MSN"? If so, please do consider the likely consequences of him purchasing something with Windows 8 on it, ie constant calls about how to get anywhere with the clusterfuck of an interface. Even if you manage to get the new 8.1 update from yesterday there is still a learning curve.

2. There's nothing hugely wrong with what you linked to, it's about what you pay for a generic box with an i3 and Widnows preinstalled. I'd be tempted to get something like this which is the same, just cheaper and with a useable operating system. And smaller.

Or this, which is cheaper and higher spec (well, apart from the single threaded performance which is irrelevant for what you're buying for as it's all fast enough anyway).

Some of the zoostorm desktops have laptop 4200/5400 rpm drives in which render them unusable, but that one is ok.

[Tonster]

I've never heard of Zoostorm but I have no fear when the larch recommends something. That's a lot of extra bang for fewer bucks. I think we have a winner.

He's not massively PC literate and yes, does click the blue E for his t'internet.

Thanks, as ever.

Vote larcheh!

[larchy]

They're ok for what they are - cheap generic desktops. The cases are cheap, but at least look decent. Tend to have the wrong documentation for the parts actually inside, and are built from what's cheapest, but there's nothing wrong with them and they're usually cheaper than most other shitbox builders.