British hi speed internet providers? Computers?

[IcyPeas]

What kind of computers to you Brits use? Just wondering if the brands are the same. What about DSL? What does it cost you guys per month for high speed internet access. Seems it's a lot more expensive in Britain than in the U.S. (for most things) especially electronics. Why is this? I know someone in Glasgow who is thinking of buying her first computer and is getting all flustered by all the technology that gets thrown at you when you are a "newbie."

Any thoughts or suggestions from your points of view and experience would be appreciated. Or any u.k. websites I can look at with good information..... Thanks much.

[pk_du]

1. www.Google.co.uk ( select UK sites only)

Google "DSL" on there and you see its appears 15.99-17.99 (Pounds) is the going rate ( about 31 dollars a month)

Look on the right hand side of the Google results and you'll see a lot of sponsored links to Uk DSL providers

[gomezcat]

2. Try these...

ADSL (as we call it) costs about £20 per month (about $35 at the moment I think), for a 512k connection with the major ISPs. The more reliable ones obviously cost more, but it's worth it IMHO.I use Zen (zen.co.uk) and have never had a problem with them. For properly independent advice about the best ISPs, try adslguide.org.uk. PC brands are worldwide, as are software, processors, printers etc etc. dabs.com and pcworld.co.uk are mainstream, but safe, places to start.

[McKenzie]

3. inside friend

I recently bought one ready-assembled for a retired friend from a local computer store. 40Gb hdd, Athlon 2600, 256Mb RAM, CD-RW, 15 inch monitor, basic speakers and XP Home preinstalled (original Microsoft disk too - not just a restore disk created by Norton Ghost) all for 350 sterling. Best bet is to look in the local press for wee computer shops that do this kind of thing; stay away from the big multiples. I've never seen a package that cheap by any of the biggies, even at the budget end, so I can't point you to any links.

Get the AVG AV proggie, Adaware and the basic Zone Alarm firewall for free. I'd advise getting Opera as a browser or Firefox. I use an old version of Opera (5) that is the ad supported version. It's a freebie and it works just fine.

I have a 512Kb ADSL connection that costs me hmmm...26 sterling a month with no download cap. I get d/load speeds of around 56Kb/sec if the server is fast. If little use is anticipated broadband can be obtained for a fair bit less than that. Cable might be an option in Glasgow.

BT are starting to rise in the ISP ratings and Wannadoo (formerly Freeserve) are good but they are getting a bit of flack right now. Tiscali I'd tend to avoid and I wouldn't touch AOL with a barge pole.

Hope this helps your friend. Don't hesitate to ask for more help from one of the Brit Pack.

[IcyPeas]

4. thank you

you guys are great. this is all good info. yeah -- the one thing I did tell her was NOT to get AOL. and I will check out all the sites you recommended.

[Pert_UK]

5. Get your friend to check www.adslguide.org...

there's a feature on there that lets you select a load of different broadband / DSL providers and it gives you comparative graphs of their reliability, customer service, average speed etc.

Only tips I have are avoid BT, AOL and most of the other big players, as their customer service is rubbish and they're usually more expensive. I'm with Pipex, who've been around for ages but are still relatively unknown unless you put a bit of effort in.

Computer brands over here are mostly the same, I believe - Dell, HP, IBM. I bought a Fujitsu Siemens off a mate for £500, including 17" flatscreen, CD writer + DVD player, 40 Gb hard drive and decent speed.

Got all the free stuff like Adaware, Spybot, AVG and a firewall (can't remember the name) off the net and there's an extra free firewall as part of XP. My advice would be to download all those for free as soon as you connect (or even better, use an already connected computer to download them onto CD to avoid connecting without any sort of protection).

My advice re: buying is that you won't ever need half the memory or speed, and probably don't need a DVD burner, so don't go for the £1500 top of the range - £400 should get you a thoroughly decent package (but you need to pay extra for a flatscreen monitor).

P.

[IcyPeas]

6. thank you... Pert

good information.

That adslguide site is great. The forums are fantastic. WOW. Tons of information there. Thanks.

It's funny, when I bought my computer 4 years ago, it came with a CD burner and I thought then - I'll never use THAT. Little did I know, it actually would be something I'd use. You never know -- but, it probably does "up" the price.

thanks again.

[billyskank]

7. For internet access

I pay £38 ($74) per month for 1.5Mbit broadband, which next year will be upgraded to 3Mbit for the same monthly fee! :D:D:D:D