Advice please

[johns]

I'm looking for a new PC to use for email, internet, home office, music and photo storage. Nothing heavy, but would like opinions and advice on the spec. Thanks in anticipation.

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5-650 Dual Core (3.20GHz, 4MB Cache) + HD Graphics + Turbo Boost
Motherboard
INTEL® DH57JG: H57 Express Chipset, 10-Channel HD Audio, 2x DDR3
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB ATI RADEON™ HD5450 - DVI,HDMI,VGA - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 10 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
WIRELESS-N (150Mbps) 3dBi HIGH GAIN USB ADAPTER
USB Options
8 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2010 (1 License Product Key Card) (£75)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor
IIYAMA E2271HDS 22" LED WIDESCREEN, HDMI/DVI-D HD 1920x1080 (£139)
DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE GOLD PLATED V1.4 HDMI CABLE (£8)
Keyboard & Mouse
Logitech® Wireless Desktop® MK250 Keyboard and Mouse Combo (£19)
Speakers
LOGITECH X-540 5.1 Surround sound effect with full range and deep bass (£74)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 13 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £939.00 including VAT and delivery.

Configure Here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-core-mini-pc/

 

[djs596]

Looks good, nice choice of speakers, they're great (I have them)

 

[MickyG]

What sort of price range are you looking at? Also whatever spec you do decide on make sure you choose the Silver Warranty (only £5 and you get 1 year collect & return)

G

 

[johns]

Hi no real price range but £1000 max sensibly : )

 

[PCS]

Welcome to our forums

A well balanced mini ITX system you have put together there, which is pretty much ready to go and suited towards your desired usage. You could however reduce the RAM to 4GB and save a little here, as 8GB is a little overkill.

Also, here's a Sandy Bridge (next gen CPU) equivalent specification, for comparison purposes:

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5-2400S Quad Core (2.5GHz, 6MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
INTEL® DH67CF: Mini-ITX, LG1155, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB ATI RADEON™ HD5450 - DVI,HDMI,VGA - DirectX® 11
Memory - Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 10 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
WIRELESS-N (150Mbps) 3dBi HIGH GAIN USB ADAPTER
USB Options
8 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Stand-Alone Monitor
IIYAMA E2271HDS 22" LED WIDESCREEN, HDMI/DVI-D HD 1920x1080 (£139)
DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE GOLD PLATED V1.4 HDMI CABLE (£8)
External Keyboard & Mouse
Logitech® Wireless Desktop® MK250 Keyboard and Mouse Combo (£19)
External Speakers
LOGITECH X-540 5.1 Surround sound effect with full range and deep bass (£74)
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 9 to 13 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £880.00 including VAT and delivery.

Configure Here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-sandy-bridge-mini-pc/

 

[Meds]

I'd agree with PCS, I'd opt for one of the new Sandy Bridge based PCs. If your not a fan of the Mini-PC then you can order one in a full tower here;

http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-sandy-bridge-pc/

 

[johns]

Thanks for the info and advice. I have ordered the mini PC purely for the size and tweaked the original spec a little. I thought going for the 8GB memory would keep the machine running for a little longer and cope with software changes rather than have to upgrade it in a few years.

 

[JSG10]

4Gb is usually more than adequate for most "normal" users. Plus Ram is, by far, the easiest component to upgrade.