What are the benefits.

nogbert

Member
Looking for a desktop pc to do general internet work,amazon,e bay,forums etc , but also need it for doing a bit of editing to photographs, have asked about on several photo forums what spec i would need for the editing i would be doing,....i3 processor,4-8 ram and a 1TB hard disc were the main things, had a look in pc world etc and found pcs that have those things but was thinking would i be better off getting one built with those things in and would there be any benefits in doing that. Thanks.

sorry posted wrong place,
 
Last edited:

keynes

Multiverse Poster
Looking for a desktop pc to do general internet work,amazon,e bay,forums etc , but also need it for doing a bit of editing to photographs, have asked about on several photo forums what spec i would need for the editing i would be doing,....i3 processor,4-8 ram and a 1TB hard disc were the main things, had a look in pc world etc and found pcs that have those things but was thinking would i be better off getting one built with those things in and would there be any benefits in doing that. Thanks.

What is your budget? Depending on your budget then someone can come up with a PCS system for you to compare with an off the shelve desktop
 

nogbert

Member
The ones ive looked at are between £350-£380 which is about my price range, i enquired in a local computer shop who build them and explained to him the requirements and what it was going to be used for and he more or less said the i3,5 and 7 are used for gaming machines so it would be in the region £500.
 

dogbot

Bright Spark
Places such as PCWorld cater for the mass market where, in general, the computer requirements are not very demanding. Quite possibly, you also come into that category but you still have to do your research. Some brands can be good value while others are overpriced for what you get. That bargain may also be last years model that has been on the shelf for a while. You say an i3 processor - but which one, there are 17 i3 desktop processors ( http://ark.intel.com/products/family/75025/4th-Generation-Intel-Core-i3-Processors#@Desktop ) so make sure you know what you are getting.

Customers of PCS usually want computers specific to their requirements whether that be for serious gaming, video editing or some other purpose which are not generally available in shops like PCWorld. Each component can be chosen based on need and/or price. Again though, some research is needed before buying.
 

Cadwah

Rising Star
It's not quite £500 but it is higher than the 350-380 you were looking at. Things like the Caviar black you definitely wouldn't find in a high street build, it is faster and hence will make your comp feel more responsive.

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i3 Dual Core Processor i3-4170 (3.70GHz) 3MB Cache
Case
STYLISH BLACK/SILVER TRIDENT CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Motherboard
Gigabyte H81M-D2V: Micro-ATX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
4GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 350W VS SERIES™ VS-350 POWER SUPPLY
Processor Cooling
INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Windows 10 Upgrade
FREE Upgrade to Windows 10 with all Windows 7 & Windows 8.1 Purchases*
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £417.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-home-office-pc/aneqgsMemO/
 

nogbert

Member
It's not quite £500 but it is higher than the 350-380 you were looking at. Things like the Caviar black you definitely wouldn't find in a high street build, it is faster and hence will make your comp feel more responsive.

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i3 Dual Core Processor i3-4170 (3.70GHz) 3MB Cache
Case
STYLISH BLACK/SILVER TRIDENT CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Motherboard
Gigabyte H81M-D2V: Micro-ATX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
4GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 350W VS SERIES™ VS-350 POWER SUPPLY
Processor Cooling
INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Windows 10 Upgrade
FREE Upgrade to Windows 10 with all Windows 7 & Windows 8.1 Purchases*
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £417.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-home-office-pc/aneqgsMemO/

So is it just a case of take delivery ,connect mouse, keyboard etc and away we go. Thanks
 

dogbot

Bright Spark
Buying from PCS is no different from buying from a shop other than, with PCS, you have more control over what you are getting. For instance, I notice that Cadwah chose W7 as the OS (would be my choice too) but you may/may not prefer W8. In a shop it you do not even get that option. It would be W8 or nothing. Also, unlike many branded computers, you get the DVD disc for the OS so, if anything serious does go wrong, it is always possible to reinstall Windows.

You should get the computer in a state where Windows and drivers have been installed but the computer has not been run from the point of view of the new owner needing to register Windows and make some decisions during the remainder of the setting up process. Most consumers will probably run the OS installation 'as is' which for general purposes is good enough but the more knowledgeable will adjust settings to get the OS as they want it. This can only come with experience.

I have used computers for 40 years and download all the Windows previews so at least I know if they will be of use to me when released. On the other hand, my old mobile phone does one thing - it makes phone calls. By comparison, my 6 yr old granddaughter has grown up with smartphones and pads and her little fingers know exactly what they are doing. If ever I get a smartphone I will have to ask her how to use it.
 

nogbert

Member
With that package if i change to the i5 processor and up the ram to 8 would that still be ok (sorry im a newbie to this computer lark ) cheers
 

Stephen M

Author Level
There are many benefits using PC Specialist, one of the main being the helpful fora - it is easy to get good advice on what spec you need, something you are unlikely to get in a major shop, even if they were able to offer the variety of PCS. Plus you do not have to pay for things you do not want, I am a Linux user so can save about 80 quid by not having an operating system.
 
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