Family Mac Replacement

[PhilipStockton314]

Hi - having abandoned the mini-pc idea we are going for a full-sized pc.

The aim is to replace a flagging 2010 27 inch Mac that is the general family pc for photos, office apps, browsing and streaming.

The kids each have a dedicated gaming machine but I can't rule out this being used for occasional light gaming (browser games) and some photo/video editing. Need it to last 5 years plus.

This is what the 5-step configurator came up with; I'd welcome thoughts/suggestions on spec as below.

Thanks

Case
PCS 3312B BLACK CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-10400 (2.9GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
Gigabyte H410M H V2: Micro-ATX, DDR4, USB 3.2, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 SUPER - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 760p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3230MB/sR | 1625MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W CV SERIES™ CV-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 16 to 19 working days
Miscellaneous
Created Using Jargon Free Configurator
Price: £1,017.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-home-office-pc-III/5bSM9UEZ2U/

 

[sck451]

I don't think that's a great build at all, sadly. (Generally the jargon-free configurator comes out with some strange stuff.) This is especially true as it's come out with the configuration option for office computers, rather than the more flexible "gaming" configurator.

If you want to buy right now, the best option is probably an Intel build with no dedicated graphics card: you can use the integrated graphics card instead: the 10400 is definitely the right card to go for in that case. It's possible to add a dedicated graphics card down the line if you want to. If you don't mind waiting a month, it may be possible to get an AMD machine with dedicated graphics (the 5600G), which will be a much superior option in every way, though it might be a touch more expensive.

Here's what I'd go for if I was to get the Intel option today. The AMD option would probably be around £100 more expensive, but that's not been announced yet (indeed, it's not even clear whether PCS will stock it). It would, however, be miles better and have far better longevity.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-10400 (2.9GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B460-PLUS: ATX, LGA1200, USB 3.2, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 16 to 19 working days
Price: £758.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z490-pc/NzhfD2yupP/

 

[PhilipStockton314]

I don't think that's a great build at all, sadly. (Generally the jargon-free configurator comes out with some strange stuff.) This is especially true as it's come out with the configuration option for office computers, rather than the more flexible "gaming" configurator.

If you want to buy right now, the best option is probably an Intel build with no dedicated graphics card: you can use the integrated graphics card instead: the 10400 is definitely the right card to go for in that case. It's possible to add a dedicated graphics card down the line if you want to. If you don't mind waiting a month, it may be possible to get an AMD machine with dedicated graphics (the 5600G), which will be a much superior option in every way, though it might be a touch more expensive.

Here's what I'd go for if I was to get the Intel option today. The AMD option would probably be around £100 more expensive, but that's not been announced yet (indeed, it's not even clear whether PCS will stock it). It would, however, be miles better and have far better longevity.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-10400 (2.9GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B460-PLUS: ATX, LGA1200, USB 3.2, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 16 to 19 working days
Price: £758.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z490-pc/NzhfD2yupP/

That's a great help, thanks. I've been faffing with this replacement for a year or more so another month to see if the mentioned AMD 5600G comes to PCS seems prudent. Thanks again @sck451

 

[DarTon]

If x86 is the plan then I'd have to agree with @sck451 that an AMD 5600G or 5700G would be best. Those integrated Vega 7 or Vega 8 graphics are quite a bit better than the Intel equivalent. Suspect that pre-builts might be the way to go on that if you want it ASAP since we are already seeing them released by big name manufacturers. No idea when they will get to custom builders like PCS. Hopefully soon but the likes of the 5800 and 5900 are still not available and the've been out for 6 months except to OEMs.

Really, though, what about a Mac Mini? The M1 is a very nice bit of kit. If games aren't a requirement why downgrade from MacOS to Win?

 

[sck451]

If x86 is the plan then I'd have to agree with @sck451 that an AMD 5600G or 5700G would be best. Those integrated Vega 7 or Vega 8 graphics are quite a bit better than the Intel equivalent. Suspect that pre-builts might be the way to go on that if you want it ASAP since we are already seeing them released by big name manufacturers. No idea when they will get to custom builders like PCS. Hopefully soon but the likes of the 5800 and 5900 are still not available and the've been out for 6 months except to OEMs.

Really, though, what about a Mac Mini? The M1 is a very nice bit of kit. If games aren't a requirement why move downgrade from MacOS to Win?

The AMD APUs are being released to consumers in August.

 

[DarTon]

The AMD APUs are being released to consumers in August.

That's very good news for the lower end of the market. I'd already seen some systems from the usual big names but didn't know consumers would get access that soon. Suppose the question is will there be enough supply at a sensible price.

 

[PhilipStockton314]

If x86 is the plan then I'd have to agree with @sck451 that an AMD 5600G or 5700G would be best. Those integrated Vega 7 or Vega 8 graphics are quite a bit better than the Intel equivalent. Suspect that pre-builts might be the way to go on that if you want it ASAP since we are already seeing them released by big name manufacturers. No idea when they will get to custom builders like PCS. Hopefully soon but the likes of the 5800 and 5900 are still not available and the've been out for 6 months except to OEMs.

Really, though, what about a Mac Mini? The M1 is a very nice bit of kit. If games aren't a requirement why downgrade from MacOS to Win?

I've grown up with Win and feel more at home on that OS. I've never liked the MacOS and as all other machines in the house are Win wanted to take this opportunity to align that machine too. That said the Mac has never missed a beat in 11 years and still gets used daily despite it being as slow as a slug on sand...

 

[sck451]

Just to note that the 5600G is now available on the configurator and it still looks like it'll be awesome for what you want. Here's the build I'd suggest. Good for your purposes now, easily upgradable in the future if you want more powerful gaming performance for whatever reason.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G Six Core CPU with Radeon™ Graphics (3.9GHz-4.4GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS WiFi (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NOT REQUIRED
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 16 to 19 working days
Price: £865.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/2!7nPGkxzM/

 

[PhilipStockton314]

Just to note that the 5600G is now available on the configurator and it still looks like it'll be awesome for what you want. Here's the build I'd suggest. Good for your purposes now, easily upgradable in the future if you want more powerful gaming performance for whatever reason.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G Six Core CPU with Radeon™ Graphics (3.9GHz-4.4GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS WiFi (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NOT REQUIRED
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 16 to 19 working days
Price: £865.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/2!7nPGkxzM/

That looks great, thank you taking the time to re-visit my post. I'll get it ordered let you know what the family think. Just need to work out how best to get our photos and videos etc from the mac to this and we're sorted. Cheers!