Is this the right one for me?!

[Spookstreet]

Hi folks! :euro:

I stumbled across this website for the first time a few days ago, as I'm looking at finally upgrading the old HP Pavilion Media Centre Desktop that has served me well for 7 years now:

I've been very impressed by the range of options available through PCspecialist, and I'm pretty sure I'll be taking the plunge on a MiniPC when I have the necessary funds gathered!

So here is the (fairly top-end) MiniPC I have specced for myself:
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Case
Silverstone SG05B-USB3.0 Mini-ITX Case + 300W PSU
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-3570T (2.30GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z77-I DELUXE: Mini-ITX, LG1155, Wi-Fi, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card
1GB AMD RADEON™ HD6670 - DVI,HDMI,VGA - DX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
SONY BD-5750H 6x BLURAY WRITER & CYBERLINK SOFTWARE (£79)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® MK520 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO (£39)
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 10 to 12 working days
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Ok, so what are your thoughts?

The reasoning behind some of my decisions are:

• MiniPC: I want a MiniPC as I want it to be hidden away in a bureau I have bought recently. The HP it is replacing has always been too big and bulky for my liking!
• High Performance: I'm not a gamer, so the computer will be mainly used for Internet, playing media, some software (Office, photoshop....etc) and the odd game of Football Manager. I realise that it's probably way over specced for my needs, but I plan on keeping it for another 4-5 years, so i don't want it to be outdated in a couple of months!
• 2 SSD's: I plan to run a dual-boot of Windows 7 64-bit and Windows XP 32Bit, with another partition for shared files and programs. I know I could do this with 2 standard HDDs, but I think i can manage the price, so thought SSDs would be the better option.
• Case: I opted for this case, as I think I would rather have better cooling than going silent, as I often leave my computer running for 12+ hours.
• Graphics Card: Thought getting a dedicated graphics card would be a more solid option in terms of future-proofing the desktop, in case the urge takes me to play some form of 3D online games...etc.
• Blu-Ray Drive: Again, more of a precaution, should I see the need to burn some data or movies onto a blu-ray disc.

Some of my main concerns:

1. Is the integrated wireless adapter on the mother board reliable? The only other option I could see was a USB adapter, which wouldn't be ideal. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the setup though.
2. The graphics card says it requires a PSU of 350W minimum, but the one that comes with the case is only 300W. Would this be an issue? And if so, is it possible to get an upgraded PSU as part of the build (I didn't see any option anywhere).

Let me know what you think. Be brutal! :tt2:

 

[keynes]

Graphics Card: Thought getting a dedicated graphics card would be a more solid option in terms of future-proofing the desktop, in case the urge takes me to play some form of 3D online games...etc.

I'd suggest an NVIDIa graphics card rather than an AMD for 3D gaming, I believe nvidia 3d vision is easier to set up.

8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P

There is not much difference in price but you may not see any noticeable difference between the 1333mhz and 1600mhz.

The only other option I could see was a USB adapter, which wouldn't be ideal. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the setup though.

I'd suggest a pair of homeplugs that are more reliable than a wireless card.

 

[PCS]

Welcome to our forums

1. The product you have currently selected (10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs) is not a wireless card; it's an onboard LAN port. You will need to select a USB adapter if you require wireless or as rubensolo has suggested opt for homeplugs.

2. The graphics card will be absolutely fine in this system. We state 350W because on desktop systems this is the lowest specification PSU we offer.

 

[Spookstreet]

I'd suggest an NVIDIa graphics card rather than an AMD for 3D gaming, I believe nvidia 3d vision is easier to set up.

There is not much difference in price but you may not see any noticeable difference between the 1333mhz and 1600mhz.

I'd suggest a pair of homeplugs that are more reliable than a wireless card.
View attachment 1738

Thanks for the reply. Will definitely take on board the comments in relation to the graphics card and RAM.

Not so sure about the homeplugs idea. I think I'd prefer to have a wireless card, as I live in shared accomodation, so access to the router is not straight forward.

Welcome to our forums

1. The product you have currently selected (10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs) is not a wireless card; it's an onboard LAN port. You will need to select a USB adapter if you require wireless or as rubensolo has suggested opt for homeplugs.

2. The graphics card will be absolutely fine in this system. We state 350W because on desktop systems this is the lowest specification PSU we offer.

1. Hmmm. Maybe I'm confused. I thought the motherboard I selected had a wireless adapter built-in as it says WiFi in the description. I'll go back and take another look.

If not, would there be a port in this setup, where I could put a wireless card, if I bought one separately. (would prefer to have both LAN and Wireless card, if possible?

2. Ah, that's great. Cheers for the info!

 

[PCS]

Ah - my mistake. You are right it does indeed have Wi-Fi integrated: