Mini PCs and PCs

[paulpet]

Hello everyone,

I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to PCs... but basically... I'm thinking in buying either a desktop or a mini...

I will use software such as: AutoCAD 3d/ photoshop/ v-ray/ sketch-up/ Revit...

Ideally I would like a mini, because I don't have that much space in my room+ it will be a lot easier to carry it around...

I looked at both desktops and mini, and I'm just wondering, if I buy a minipc will I be able to upgrade everything on it? In terms of graphic card/ processor/ and whatever needs to be upgraded... as software will advance...

My budget is around 800£ ( without a monitor )

Can anyone suggest a few PCs or Minis ? And what's the advantage of getting a PC over a Mini ?

Ideally it will have to be a powerful tool-- as I want everything to run smoothly... I would also like it to be for gaming.

Kind regards,

Paul

Below I've attached ideal requirements for Revit Architecture



Operating System*

Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit

Enterprise
Ultimate
Professional
Home Premium
Browser

Internet Explorer 7.0 (or later)

CPU Type

Multi-Core Intel Xeon, or i-Series processor or AMD equivalent with SSE2 technology. Highest affordable CPU speed rating recommended.

Revit products will use multiple cores for many tasks, using up to 16 cores for near-photorealistic rendering operations.

Memory

16 GB RAM

Usually sufficient for a typical editing session for a single model up to approximately 700 MB on disk. This estimate is based on internal testing and customer reports. Individual models will vary in their use of computer resources and performance characteristics.
Models created in previous versions of Revit software products may require more available memory for the one-time upgrade process.
Video Display

1,920 x 1,200 or higher with true color

Video Adapter

DirectX 10 capable graphics card with Shader Model 3 as recommended by Autodesk.

Hard Disk

5 GB free disk space
10,000+ RPM (for Point Cloud interactions)
Pointing Device

MS-Mouse or 3Dconnexion compliant device

Media

Download or installation from DVD9 or USB key

Connectivity

Internet connection for license registration and prerequisite component download

 

[mantadog]

For applications like that you really want to be getting a full on desktop PC, a mini pc would struggle with that kind of workload given that you can't seem to fit a full on i7 2600.

This is what you would be looking at for your budget.

Case
COOLERMASTER ELITE 310 BLUE CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5-2500 Quad Core (3.30GHz, 6MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z77-M: MICRO-ATX, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, ATI®CrossFireX
Memory (RAM)
16GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (4 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 560 - DVI,HDMI,VGA (Special Offer)
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
600W Quiet 80 PLUS Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£59)
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE INTEL CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 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
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 10 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £824.00 including VAT and delivery.

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

Not quite ideal, would like to add an i7 in their but thats the best i can come up with for your needs. I'm not sure if you will benefit from CUDA cores of the GPU, if you wont then drop the GPU to a 550ti and see if you can afford an i7. Processing power is the key to your uses so you need the best CPU you can get.