Refurb pc's are usually excellent value.

Especially if it's just been sat in a office for a couple of years browsing the Internet and opening spreadsheets.

You have a point. My desktop is a similar spec - i5 4690K with 8GB based on a Novatech bundle and loads of old bits from the previous PC. I've had it nearly 4 years and unless it goes bang it will probably last another 4. I recently added a better graphics card so I could play Obduction. It's had an SSD and a new CPU cooler because I pinched the stock one it was supplied with for my backup PC.

My recent mucking about hasn't been as much fun as in the past, largely because I feel guilty about spending the money. 
 

Absolutely! Until a few months ago, my main PC was built in 2009 and consisted of a Core i5 750, 8GB RAM (upgraded from the original 4GB tbh), 256GB SSD, Radeon 7870. Ran most things I threw at it quite nicely. The only issue was a bit of increased struggling with modern games which I do play from time to time. Older games plus everything else still ran fine though.

Of course, go back to the mid-2000s and before and an 8 year old PC would have been laughably outdated. Heck, even a 3 year old PC would have been struggling (for example, if you had a PIII 500, TNT2 Ultra when 1.4GHz Athlons and GeForce 4s were around).

Yep, things have slowed up massively over the last 10 years or so. I see it particularly at work where there's a 3 year refresh cycle and 2.6GHz Core i5 laptops with 8GB of RAM are being replaced with slightly-newer-gen 2.6GHz Core i5 laptops with 8GB of RAM that are maybe 20% faster.

That was the problem I had when getting a new laptop last year. All I really wanted was a high resolution screen. Ended up with a modest speed boost and an SSD. Much slimmer and lighter laptop, but that's a given with time.

The previous one had lasted me at least 5 years.

Yup, same here. My i5-2500K (never overclocked it even though that was the plan with the unlocked multiplier of the K) and it's still fast enough for nearly everything I do.

Sometimes wish I had more than 4GB tbh, and the graphics card definitely struggles with newer games. Although the last one I payed was Doom and I just about got away with that by lowering the detail and resolution.

I definitely wouldn't be installing beta versions of Windows anymore like I used to. It was fun at the time playing with betas of ME and XP.

My work laptop is pretty decent, much newer, but I don't find that really any quicker than my desktop. I think SSDs have helped a lot with loading times and general speed of things. Don't want to go back to a computer with a spinny disk as a boot drive.

Aye. (nod)

How did you get on with having a PC in your loft/attic?

Haha. That didn't last too long, luckily. I hardly used it when it was up in the attic.

The kids have now got bunk beds in the same room so my computer room is back :D That may have to change when they get a little older, though, and require more space :'(

Just set up camp in the computer room and don't come out. Bolt yourself in and pretend to be out when they come knocking wanting the room back.

As yet, I'm not sure what you're going to do for toilet breaks, or food.

I'm imagining a situation such as this. Whether you're the guy in the glasses, or liken yourself more to the boys is up to you. :J

I had a similar issue myself, compounded by the fact that no current manufacturer makes a laptop with a decent screen (matte, 16:10 or 3:2), decent keyboard (nice key travel and feel), and decent trackpad (not too big, ideally with discrete buttons). Some laptops have one or two of these, but I'm yet to find a modern one with all three.

In the end, I upgraded my old 2010 ThinkPad X201 (now has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD) and bought a new battery for it.

What did you get battery-wise?

A while back I looked and they were £60+ for unbranded (and twice that for a Lenovo sticker), but now they seem to be going for as low as £15.

I'm not as specific and you and BP. I just wanted a screen which was at least 1080p, no bigger than 13.3".

Ended up with a Dell Inspiron 5378. Not ideal but happy I got it.

To be honest, I asked for it as a Christmas pressie, so it's actually a proper Lenovo one and holds a good charge as a result. Haven't tried some of the unbranded or Duracell ones, but I might try one at some point as I do like having a spare battery.

Like a lot of things, Lenovo batteries are just a sticker put on a Panasonic/Sanyo/Sony product (and a couple of unverified reports suggest Panasonic do the best ones).

What I don't know is if the cheap ones are one of those brands or are completely unbranded, (which I'd avoid because fires and stuff) - so guess I'm going to have to try asking and prepare myself for a few rounds of support staff misunderstanding and telling me it's guaranteed lenovo compatible etc.

"support staff"

Call center ESL smurfs fielding calls for disparate products who know SFA about any of them, and are reading from scripts from which they aren't allowed to deviate in any case?

As it happens, bought a new refurb PC today and an SSD to go with it. How exciting.

Definitely. What did you get?
 

Aye. :'(

Grade: A Grade Refurbished Desktop
Brand & Model: Dell Optiplex 9020 SFF
Processor: Intel i7-4790 3.60GHz
Screen: N/A
Memory: 16GB DDR3
Storage: 500GB Sata Hard Drive
Optical Drive: DVD RW
Graphics: AMD RADEON R7 250 2GB
Input Device: UK Qwerty Keyboard & Mouse
Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit & Libre Office
Wireless: No
Bluetooth: No
Ports: 6 X USB 2.0 Ports, 4 x USB 3.0 Ports, Serial Port, Mouse & keyboard Ports RJ-45 Network Port, VGA port, 2 x Display Ports
Warranty: 12 Months
https://itzoo.co.uk/collections/pc-base-units/products/dell-optiplex-9020-sff-desktop-computer-i7-4790-3-60ghz-16gb-windows-12

For just under £300. Had a code for 10% off.
240GB SSD for £59

I'll swap the graphics card for what I'm currently using.

That's pretty good value!