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Has anyone out there got a Tiny or Time Pentium 3 PC that they bought in the latter half of '99? If so check inside before you upgrade anything as I've noticed that they like to mislead you. Two examples:
1. Tiny said the RAM in my computer was "expandable to 512mb". The truth is they stuck two 64mb blocks in, making it harder to upgrade. Why not one 128mb block?
2. They said 64 bit AGP graphics - thats a trumped up way of saying 2mb intel 810 onboard graphics.
I think they should make the facts clear, don't you agree?
1. Tiny said the RAM in my computer was "expandable to 512mb". The truth is they stuck two 64mb blocks in, making it harder to upgrade. Why not one 128mb block?
2. They said 64 bit AGP graphics - thats a trumped up way of saying 2mb intel 810 onboard graphics.
I think they should make the facts clear, don't you agree?
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As an IT professional, I have built, rebuilt and ripped apart more PC's & Servers than I have had cups of coffee.
Over the years you can list a continuous stream of poor quality pc buiders who are just there to churn out utter pc crud to poor unsuspecting users. Anyone remember Escom ? Packard Bell, Tiny and Time are all from the same mould.
Cheapest possible parts, with massive marketing hype available as easy as you like at the end of the phone.
Along comes Joe Public, gets blinded with science & has the glorious carrot of a 'free' printer etc. JP gets PC home, plugs it in & is impressed..... Until that is JP learns a bit and realises he can't upgrade the bl**dy thing, can't get the seller to take it back or even answer the phone & they've had your money. DON'T TOUCH THESE MACHINES WITH A BARGE POLE.
As for salesman ... I'm banned from 2 of my local PC World Stores because I butt in & tell prospective customers a bit of reality. LOL
Over the years you can list a continuous stream of poor quality pc buiders who are just there to churn out utter pc crud to poor unsuspecting users. Anyone remember Escom ? Packard Bell, Tiny and Time are all from the same mould.
Cheapest possible parts, with massive marketing hype available as easy as you like at the end of the phone.
Along comes Joe Public, gets blinded with science & has the glorious carrot of a 'free' printer etc. JP gets PC home, plugs it in & is impressed..... Until that is JP learns a bit and realises he can't upgrade the bl**dy thing, can't get the seller to take it back or even answer the phone & they've had your money. DON'T TOUCH THESE MACHINES WITH A BARGE POLE.
As for salesman ... I'm banned from 2 of my local PC World Stores because I butt in & tell prospective customers a bit of reality. LOL
Time are crap! My dad has bought two from time and we have not been impressed.
i got my 1.7ghz 250mb Ram Geforce 2 computer from there(tiny)they dont seem that bad
I did notice ALOT of bad publicity about these companies for BAD after sales and refunds e.t.c i almost sure that 1 company was selling overclocked pcs and sayingh that they r a high spec than they really are!
e.g company "x" put a p3 500 in and overclock it and call it a p3 600 this is bad!!
e.g company "x" put a p3 500 in and overclock it and call it a p3 600 this is bad!!
i got mine from an independant shop as well, they dont charge you a fortune for help, and they are always nice when you visit the shop.
Whooo's right. Never buy a Packard Bell PC, or any other make of PC either. They are for people who know chugger all about PCs, and they can get away with literally anything. The mobo's absolute lowest quality, minimum RAM slots, dodgy drives, and the modem's not even a modem!
Basically, I'm screwed. With this PC, it really would be cheaper to buy another one. It needed a complete overhaul when I bought it. They sell them to people like my Grandad (mayherestinpeace) thinking he'll never try to upgrade it, change anything, or basically do anything apart from surf the Net or play the odd game, all on Windows.
If you want a PC, the safest and cheapest option is to go to a local independant computer store. Because they don't have shareholders to satisfy, you can buy top-quality PCs at almost the price it would cost to build it yourself. I'm getting a Thunderbird 1.3ghz, GeForce 3, 256mb DDR RAM, DVD, CD-RW, 52x CD-ROM and 19" monitor for £1200 inc tax. You can see, it's a very good deal, and although some large manufacturers might be able to match it on paper, mine will be highest quality and last for ages.
Basically, I'm screwed. With this PC, it really would be cheaper to buy another one. It needed a complete overhaul when I bought it. They sell them to people like my Grandad (mayherestinpeace) thinking he'll never try to upgrade it, change anything, or basically do anything apart from surf the Net or play the odd game, all on Windows.
If you want a PC, the safest and cheapest option is to go to a local independant computer store. Because they don't have shareholders to satisfy, you can buy top-quality PCs at almost the price it would cost to build it yourself. I'm getting a Thunderbird 1.3ghz, GeForce 3, 256mb DDR RAM, DVD, CD-RW, 52x CD-ROM and 19" monitor for £1200 inc tax. You can see, it's a very good deal, and although some large manufacturers might be able to match it on paper, mine will be highest quality and last for ages.
I think we should all take note of Turbonutter's current situation. He's got a Packard Bell PC and is now discovering that they cut corners everywhere. The modems cheap, the mobo is there own make. It's really giving him some problems.
All these big PC manufacturers charge extortionate prices for things that they make very cheaply.
All these big PC manufacturers charge extortionate prices for things that they make very cheaply.
Well, I hear they both suck too, my mate had a Time, my grandad a Tiny, and they both complain.... I've got a MESH PC, and this sucks too... the only PC I've ever had that I could call almost perfect was a DAN one, which never broke down, and was pretty fast for an old system :o).
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