Buying guide

Welcome to the website of the longest established computer sales and repair centre in Stroud. From basic Laptops to corporate networks we can supply and fix them all.

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Price Isn't Everything.

Here at The Webworks we pride ourselves in giving our customers what they want and not push what we want to sell on to them. We also believe in giving our customers the best in value for money, which is why we will not sell some of the budget machines our rivals do as their performance can be only a quarter of what a computer costing only 20% more would be.

Which Windows ?
With us, you still have a choice.

Think that you must have Windows 10 on your computer? Whilst it is true that most new cutting edge systems will only work with Windows 10 most people don't need cutting edge technology. If you really need Windows 7 on your computer we can still currently provide it on certain models from our range of refurbished computers. You are strongly advised to only use Windows 7 computers that are isolated from all external connections as it is an unsupported operating system at greater risk of security compromises.

Laptop, Desktop or Tablet?

Here is another great debate and here is our opinion

Laptops are very fashionable. They are portable, compact, convenient and appear to be cheap. but there are a number of serious down sides:

  • In terms of power for your pound you get a bad deal with a laptop:
    • Hard drives are smaller in capacity, and slower DVD drives are less than half the speed of a desktop
    • Processors are slower. Typically laptops are ony around a half of the speed of desktops for the same sort of money despite looking the same on paper.
    • Due to their portability they are more vulnerable to developing faults. Hard drives have very little tolerance to being dropped especially while they are on for example.
    • They are also much easier to nick than a desktop - a consideration if you are planning on equiping a son or daughter with a computer to help with their studying.
  • There is much less that can go wrong with a laptop before it is not economical to repair:
    • Spill a drink on a desktop's keyboard and it's a tenner for a new keyboard. but do that on a laptop keyboard and without immediate action it will usually mean the end of the laptop and is not covered under most warranties.
    • Close the lid on a laptop with a pen on the keyboard and the screen will probably break. Costing between £100 and £200 to fix - uneconomical for some older laptops.
  • When a laptop can be repaired the costs are normally much higher:
    • Several times each week we see laptops that have had their power connector broken, usually by the power cable being tripped over or pulled out without the highest level of care. This can cost up to £80 to repair but if the same did happen to a desktop the normal repair cost is only £50.
    • If the motherboard fails on a laptop it is usually, once again and uneconomical repair. but on a desktop it is normally a simply replaceable part costing around £60.
    • Laptops have very limited upgrade options. More memory and a bigger hard drive and that's about it. but with a desktop the sky is usually the limit. If a new game comes out that requires a better graphics card it can normally be fitted in a matter of minutes.

If you think that laptops have their problems then you really don't want to know the problems tablets can have.Ipad Air 2

  • Should the screen get smashed on a tablet that is worth less than £150 then you would be wiser buying a new one.
  • Power socket repairs are even trickier and therefore can be more expensive than laptop socket repairs.
  • There are no upgrade possibilities on most tablets. Some but specifically not Ipads can have extra storage added in the form of SD cards, but thats it.
  • If you think laptops are nickable then just think how easier it would be to loose a tablet.
  • The storage in a laptop is usually removable so if the laptop dies the data can normally be retrieved. This is unfortunately not possible with tablest as their storage is fixed.

So when considering a new computer have a think about what really is suitable for your needs. If this list has left you confused then give us a call and we will gladly help you.

Useful Tip

If you have a Windows 8.1 or 10 computer and are struggling with the "Metro" interface then download Classic Shell  It will restore most things back to how you are used to them.

Windows 10 Free Upgrade

All Windows 7 or newer computers are entitled to a free upgrade. Microsoft limited this offer to 29th July 2016. We however are still able to upgrade your computer without charging for a new Windows license.

Labour charges will apply but this can be as little as £10 when combined with other work.

Buy With Confidence.
All Refurbished computers come with a 12 month warranty