MiniPC around 300q, for HD video
- Thread starter grandioso
- Start date
Do you require windows, because if all you want is HD video, then Linux (probably Ubuntu) would do you fine and is still a full operating system like windows, its very simple to find videos etc just like windows
The cheapest windows available is currently around £80 whereas all forms of Linux are free, which saves a lot of cash for extra hardware etc (which you dont really need as much of because linux is much more efficient and lightweight)
The cheapest windows available is currently around £80 whereas all forms of Linux are free, which saves a lot of cash for extra hardware etc (which you dont really need as much of because linux is much more efficient and lightweight)
This is without windows, ive also given you a very large hard drive because you mention HD video, but im not sure if this is from another source
Case
Inwin Mini-ITX BM643 Case + 160W PSU - cheap small quiet, looks good
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core G640 (2.70GHz, 3MB Cache) + HD Graphics - basic but powerful
Motherboard
ASUS® P8H61-I: Mini-ITX, LG1155, USB 3.0, SATA 3GBs - standard model but you wont need any of the thrills of better ones
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (1 X 4GB) - could upgrade to 8, but you dont really need it
Graphics Card
1GB AMD RADEON™ HD6450 - DVI,HDMI,VGA - DX® 11 - thought id put in a dedicated card just to make sure that 1080p video plays smoothly, ive never really trusted intel integrated graphics tbh
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
2TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 64MB CACHE - very large and fast, i thought you might want this to store HD video, if not you can get a smaller one and have more cash for other stuff
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
WIRELESS-N (150Mbps) 3dBi HIGH GAIN USB ADAPTER - this will be fine
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD - 6 USB ports, USB 3.0 is backwards compatible, i think there is 2 more on the front too
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED - you will need to install linux yourself if you want to go down that route
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) - forgot to add silver warranty which extends the warranty to a year for a fiver
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Case
Inwin Mini-ITX BM643 Case + 160W PSU - cheap small quiet, looks good
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core G640 (2.70GHz, 3MB Cache) + HD Graphics - basic but powerful
Motherboard
ASUS® P8H61-I: Mini-ITX, LG1155, USB 3.0, SATA 3GBs - standard model but you wont need any of the thrills of better ones
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (1 X 4GB) - could upgrade to 8, but you dont really need it
Graphics Card
1GB AMD RADEON™ HD6450 - DVI,HDMI,VGA - DX® 11 - thought id put in a dedicated card just to make sure that 1080p video plays smoothly, ive never really trusted intel integrated graphics tbh
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
2TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 64MB CACHE - very large and fast, i thought you might want this to store HD video, if not you can get a smaller one and have more cash for other stuff
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
WIRELESS-N (150Mbps) 3dBi HIGH GAIN USB ADAPTER - this will be fine
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD - 6 USB ports, USB 3.0 is backwards compatible, i think there is 2 more on the front too
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED - you will need to install linux yourself if you want to go down that route
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) - forgot to add silver warranty which extends the warranty to a year for a fiver
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
That sounds interesting. How much would that be ?
TBH, I was looking for something as small as a chromebox, so it's more portable. But the more I think about it, the more I realize I won't really need to move it that often, so in the end this may be a good choice.
The huge HDD is a good idea as well. I wanted to get an external HDD, but as long as I'm buying an actual PC, it seems like a better idea to have a large hard drive. But it needs to be super reliable, so I will rather pay a little extra, just to know that my files are safe.
btw how much would be the difference between a reliable 2TB and a 3TB drive ? You can never have enough space, you know
I also wanted to get an external DAC, because I want to buy some better speakers later on, but now it seems more reasonable to get a better sound card, so I'll have an all-in-one, future proof device. Does the case you are recommending support additional sound cards ?
TBH, I was looking for something as small as a chromebox, so it's more portable. But the more I think about it, the more I realize I won't really need to move it that often, so in the end this may be a good choice.
The huge HDD is a good idea as well. I wanted to get an external HDD, but as long as I'm buying an actual PC, it seems like a better idea to have a large hard drive. But it needs to be super reliable, so I will rather pay a little extra, just to know that my files are safe.
btw how much would be the difference between a reliable 2TB and a 3TB drive ? You can never have enough space, you know
I also wanted to get an external DAC, because I want to buy some better speakers later on, but now it seems more reasonable to get a better sound card, so I'll have an all-in-one, future proof device. Does the case you are recommending support additional sound cards ?
I chose the standard hard drive, I imagine the caviar black will be more reliable, but HDDs generally last forever these days anyway, although its always good to make a backup if possible
I dont think there would be much reliability difference from a 2tb and a 3tb
The motherboard should be fine for adding a sound card although tbh, most motherboards now offer very good onboard sound quality, I obviously have a middle-high end motherboard so i paid a lot more, but the sound quality is great through my monitor and through my headphones
I dont think there would be much reliability difference from a 2tb and a 3tb
The motherboard should be fine for adding a sound card although tbh, most motherboards now offer very good onboard sound quality, I obviously have a middle-high end motherboard so i paid a lot more, but the sound quality is great through my monitor and through my headphones
Music Guy123
Prolific Poster
One thing to note! I've learnt this the hard way! AMD + Linux don't really mix when it comes to drivers, and hence graphics! My laptop with AMD graphics can't even play youtube videos at 320p smoothly! I'd try to get a nVidia card, much better drivers! And yes, linux is great, I use it 24/7 now! It's free and much better built than windows. Here is what I would suggest:
Case
Silverstone SG05B-USB3.0 Mini-ITX Case + 300W PSU
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core G645 (2.90GHz, 3MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P8H61-I: Mini-ITX, LG1155, USB 3.0, SATA 3GBs
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (1 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 610 - DVI, HDMI, VGA - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 32MB CACHE
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
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 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1
Price: £371.00 including VAT and delivery.
Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-top-spec-mini-pc/cZUGff2Ree/
An extra £30 will get you an i3 cpu, I'd suggest it but it isn't mandatory!
Edit: just realised the dating, I hope I'm not too late!!
Case
Silverstone SG05B-USB3.0 Mini-ITX Case + 300W PSU
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core G645 (2.90GHz, 3MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P8H61-I: Mini-ITX, LG1155, USB 3.0, SATA 3GBs
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (1 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 610 - DVI, HDMI, VGA - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 32MB CACHE
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
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 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1
Price: £371.00 including VAT and delivery.
Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-top-spec-mini-pc/cZUGff2Ree/
An extra £30 will get you an i3 cpu, I'd suggest it but it isn't mandatory!
Edit: just realised the dating, I hope I'm not too late!!
No, you're not. Actually, I have at least 1-2 months before buying the machine, because of finances...
And I already found out, the hard way as well, about Linux + AMD. But I will need to use Windows anyway, because I work with Photoshop and stuff.
Thank you for your answers all. I will probably come back to this thread later, when I'm about to buy the computer and update my requirements.
And I already found out, the hard way as well, about Linux + AMD. But I will need to use Windows anyway, because I work with Photoshop and stuff.
Thank you for your answers all. I will probably come back to this thread later, when I'm about to buy the computer and update my requirements.