For the folks asking, PC World here in England tends to be seen as the place people who don't know much about computers go (which is fair enough really). You don't get much for your money, they try and sell you lots of expensive cover (anti-dust!) that realistically you're not going to need because you're not going to have the PC for 10 years. Bits and bobs that you might need (printer leads for example) tend to be vastly more expensive than say Amazon, where they're about £1 compared to £10.
Jenny - There are a couple of PCs at PC World which will run TS3 for £500, though probably not very well, and they tend to not be the best brands/hardware. I'm not having any trouble with the website by the way, no lag here.
Do you have a monitor? Do you just need the base unit/cpu/tower? Because if so you get a lot more for your money than with a laptop.
Personally I would build your own on the
Dell website and order it online, that way you can max what you get for the money. I don't go to PC World any more and wouldn't recommend it, but you seem pretty keen to pick up from store, not delivery.
I don't see why
this wouldn't run TS3. The GM 3 series graphics cards are supported, though I suspect the results won't be brilliant. This rolls in at £499.
What about
this Dell? Vastly more powerful than the one linked to above at
only £30 more, has 6GB RAM as opposed to the 2 you get with the PC World one (more RAM = very good thing! Especially with Windows 7. You wouldn't need more than 6GB of RAM however) It has an Nvidia graphics card and you can upgrade to a better ATI Radeon for only another £20. It has a quad core processor as opposed to a dual core, again, very good! Would definitely recommend this over the stuff I looked at in that price range at PC World because it is SO much better.
As for my computer knowledge credentials - it's based on the fact that I am constantly surrounded by geeks, boyfriend and all the guys I work with. I'm a graphic/web designer so tend to need powerful machines. My boyfriend built his own, I just ordered a new laptop from Dell (my 2nd) and knew exactly what spec I would need for my graphics applications. I've recommended two other people Dell laptops, picking the specs for them based on what they need and they're very happy (no I don't work for Dell haha).
If you're not keen on the Dell, try and find someone who knows what they're doing to go with you to PC World, because it's as people say, you don't want to spend £500 for something that doesn't work. It's a big investment
