Hi there
I've just been given the OK to order a new PC for work - my 4.5 year old Dell is really slow when starting up, and opening Outlook (2GB+ pst file). Also, some Excel files with lots of Macros in (but only c. 3MB in size) on our office NAS device can take ages to open.
I use Excel a lot, together with accounting software, Outlook and often several browser windows.
My needs are as follows:
Speedy opening and running of multiple office applications
Office Home & Business
Windows 7 Prof 64bit
6 rear and 2 front USB ports
I don't need a keyboard, mouse or monitor.
I like the idea of a Solid State drive, as I've heard they're fast, but don't know how suitable it'll be, or how reliable they are in terms of longevity. My current Hard disk is 146GB, with 79GB free, so I doubt I'll need any more than 120GB, unless performance suffers when they get over half full? I have no idea which make is a good one either.
I may also want the ability to run 2 1920x1080 screens in the future, so I don't know if the integrated graphics will manage that. I currently connect to my monitor using DVI, but I see that all cards still use VGA as well. Isn't VGA rather old technology?
This will have to last a good 4 years. I don't really know how important the various processor/ motherboard/ RAM specifications are these days - many years ago a techy chap told me that we should get as much RAM as we could afford, hence why I have 4GB on my current machine.
I'd be really grateful if someone could help me put together a spec that will match up to my needs, and maybe even answer some of my questions along the way.
Thanks in advance.
(Budget c. £800)
I've just been given the OK to order a new PC for work - my 4.5 year old Dell is really slow when starting up, and opening Outlook (2GB+ pst file). Also, some Excel files with lots of Macros in (but only c. 3MB in size) on our office NAS device can take ages to open.
I use Excel a lot, together with accounting software, Outlook and often several browser windows.
My needs are as follows:
Speedy opening and running of multiple office applications
Office Home & Business
Windows 7 Prof 64bit
6 rear and 2 front USB ports
I don't need a keyboard, mouse or monitor.
I like the idea of a Solid State drive, as I've heard they're fast, but don't know how suitable it'll be, or how reliable they are in terms of longevity. My current Hard disk is 146GB, with 79GB free, so I doubt I'll need any more than 120GB, unless performance suffers when they get over half full? I have no idea which make is a good one either.
I may also want the ability to run 2 1920x1080 screens in the future, so I don't know if the integrated graphics will manage that. I currently connect to my monitor using DVI, but I see that all cards still use VGA as well. Isn't VGA rather old technology?
This will have to last a good 4 years. I don't really know how important the various processor/ motherboard/ RAM specifications are these days - many years ago a techy chap told me that we should get as much RAM as we could afford, hence why I have 4GB on my current machine.
I'd be really grateful if someone could help me put together a spec that will match up to my needs, and maybe even answer some of my questions along the way.
Thanks in advance.
(Budget c. £800)
- I think I'll up the SSD to a 180GB Intel 330. Are they any good?