Is this set up any good for basic Student use

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T5270 (1.40 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2-cache), Genuine Windows® XP Professional

1 GB Ram dual channel

Accidental Damage cover 1 year

Kensington lock

€ 655.82

Is this processor alright for Internet,Word processing, mp3, novice use?
I could upgrade it but I'd rather not

 

I cant comment on the price but the cpu will be more than fine for everyday use. It should be quite frugal as well. Also what are the other specifications of the system. make sure of atleast 1GB or more of RAM and a 5400rpm HDD.

 

Why? Word processing, web browsing and playing music are all trivial things for any modern PC. My old desktop has 512MB and a CPU that was cheap five years ago and it'll walk all over tasks like that.

Look instead at the features that matter but which aren't so easy to quantify. If you're word processing, for example, you need a comfortable, reliable keyboard - something which is anything but guaranteed in a market where manufacturers will penny pinch wherever they can in order to get the best spec on paper for the price.

What's the screen like, is it clear and comfortable to read, or is it grainy, overly reflective or otherwise hard on the eyes? How is the build quality, will it withstand being lugged to and from lectures on a regular basis? Will the battery last long enough?

IMHO the CPU and memory spec are completely unimportant for the kind of uses you mention - build quality (and, if it matters to you, battery life) should be much higher up your list.

 

Ofcourse 512MB is enough only if you do word processing at a time plus a couple of other things. But background apps(antivirus, IM etc) can add up and eat into your RAM in no time. Plus these days laptops come loaded with garbage out of the box which means a brand new computer will have 2min boot up times. So, for XP 1GB RAM is ideal for any average user(which the OP chosen system has).

 

Well, if he is on a budget, RAM is the best thing to cut out of the bargain since he can always upgrade in the future. Can the OP please tell us about the hard drive and GPU?

 

So uninstall the garbage then. Upgrading your PC to run software you don't want is one of the most bizarre ideas I've ever heard!

My office PC runs XP and, until fairly recently, had 512MB. I use it for all manner of things: word processing and spreadsheets, web browsing, schematic capture, PCB layout, VHDL compilation to name but a few. The machine remained in that spec for three years.

Then, recently, I found myself needing to run simulations of a complex FPGA - a proper, high complexity, scientific application. So now I have 1.5GB and all is well - but the extra memory has made no discernable difference whatsoever to any other application. It's simply not needed.

With RAM as cheap as it is today then it's a pretty academic question, though. You'll struggle to buy a machine with less than 1GB, and for basic use that's plenty. In fact it's way overkill.

 

If you plan on taking it to class regularly, the most important things are:

Battery runtime
Weight
Good size (good compromise between portability screen size)

If you can't make it last your whole school day, you'll have to be on the look out for good seats with access to power outlet and this isn't always easy.

I have a boring philosophy class that lasts two hours and if I can't get a seat by the outlet, that class alone drains my battery from full to 20%.

 

It probably also drains your attention level from 100% to 0%.

 

some top-notch points made here. For the uses you have described, the ergonomics becomes such a major issue. Make sure you're comfortable with what you get. Try to get a feel for it at a store. Make sure you're typing positions are comfortable (keboard depth etc). Also, another major concern is that you're keyboard shoulndt make much noise if you're going to be using it to take notes in class etc. Believe me, I am a student and there is nothing more that annoys me in lectures than to listen to some idiot type away on his AIM.

 

Ah, but does it bother the idiot? As common sense budget and some of these build quality suggestions might be non existent. While you will have some choices remember basic= less options. I would do as said and check out but understand might have to accept some shortcomings.