My spec - suggestions and advice welcome

D

danjuma

Member
Hello

Requirements:

1. Desk top, max £600
2. Intend to use with 2 minitors, already have a 17 inch monitor from my old PC.
3. Prefer a mini case to save space, but will settle for a small normal case, if cheaper.
4. Don't do any gaming, but do a lot of multi-tasking, and would also like to listen to music or watch a dvd or stream live TV at same time while working with programs, so require loads of RAM, at least 8gb.

I have come up with a config below that came in @ £637. My questions:

1. Are the main components I have chosen ok, in terms of working together for the best performance, especially the motherboard with the processor I have chosen for example?

2. I have chosen the Intel 2nd generation processor. Is this a better choice than the first generation ones. I.E. is the i5-2500S I have chosen better than the i5-2500k? Don't know much about these things. :)

3. I would very much like to bring the price down to say £600 round figure if possible. Any suggestions for any alternative components that are cheaper than what I have chosen but does near enough the same or better job?

Many thanks.





Case
STYLISH PIANO BLACK ENIGMA MICRO-ATX CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5-2500S Quad Core (2.7GHz, 6MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P8H67-M: M-ATX, DDR3, USB 2.0, SATA 6.0Gb/s, CrossFireX™
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED INTEL HD GRAPHICS (HDMI, DVI, 1920 X 1200)
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD10EARX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
350W Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1155 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 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
Firewire & Video Editing
3 Port IEEE 1394a Firewire PCI Card (£9)
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor
19" Widescreen TFT 1360 x 768 2MS, D-Sub, DVI, 18.5" Panel (£79)
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
Quantity
1

Price: £637.00 including VAT and delivery.

Configure Here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/comput...-sandy-bridge/
 
mantadog

mantadog

Superhero Level Poster
1. The PCS configurator wont allow you to choose components that wont work together. So you can be sure that any spec you make will work if the site lets you do it.

2. The 's' variant of the intel processors are low power options, they tend to be used in mini pc's or with pc's you want to be very quiet. The 'k' variants are for overclocking. You would probably be best to stick with the normal processors (the ones with no letter). Yes the 2nd generation processors are better.

3. The case you have chosen will do fine, but the bigger more expensive cases offer better cooling and can be quieter. They are more expensive and obviously you are on a tight budget.

If you are more inclined towards intel the only thing i can see to save some money is change the processor to the i5 2400, it will me more than able to cope with your uses. I make that a total of £619 with the setup i just made.

You could save money by going the AMD route but im not sure if the onboard graphics from AMD support dual monitors, but you can get a GPU in their and still be under budget. The processor is slightly weaker on paper than the intel i5 2400, but for your uses you wont be able to tell.

here is an AMD setup for you

Case
COOLERMASTER ELITE 310 BLUE CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD PHENOM II X4 QUAD CORE 965 (3.40GHz/8MB CACHE/AM3)
Motherboard
ASUS® M5A78L-M/USB3: M-ATX, USB 3.0, SATA 3.0Gb/s
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB AMD RADEON™ HD6570 - DVI,HDMI,VGA - DX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD10EARX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE
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
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£29)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
4 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
Monitor
19" Widescreen TFT 1360 x 768 2MS, D-Sub, DVI, 18.5" Panel (£79)
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
Quantity
1

Price: £594.00 including VAT and delivery.

Configure Here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/amd-home-office-pc/
 
Last edited:
D

danjuma

Member
Ok, I have come up with the spec below. Not too sure whether the graphics card I have chosen is decent enough though. Don't want to go over £650, and I like the intel i5-2500k I have chosen, and also plan to use it with 2 monitors (already have an old monitor to use). Your advice/suggestions guys would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Case
STYLISH PIANO BLACK ENIGMA MICRO-ATX CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5-2500k Quad Core (3.30GHz, 6MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Free Item
FREE Battlefield 3 with 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ Processor-K
Motherboard
ASUS® P8H67-M: M-ATX, DDR3, USB 2.0, SATA 6.0Gb/s, CrossFireX™
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED INTEL HD GRAPHICS (HDMI, DVI, 1920 X 1200)
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
500GB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD5002AALX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
350W Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1155 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 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
Monitor
19" Widescreen TFT 1360 x 768 2MS, D-Sub, DVI, 18.5" Panel (£79)
DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE DVI-D CABLE (£5)
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
Quantity
1

Price: £639.00 including VAT and delivery.

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

mantadog

Superhero Level Poster
I have the i5 2500 with no dedicated GPU and i know from experiance it will handle everything you need even without a seperate card for graphics.

Im confused as to why you have went for the 'k' variant, as i don't think you plan to overclock looking at your cooling and ram choices. You could easily get away with the i5 2400 and save yourself £26
 
sharplucas

sharplucas

Bronze Level Poster
I think he wants Battlefield 3 but even if you did get Bf3 with it it would be run on probably medium or Low settings I'm not sure havent checked the reqirements!
 
D

danjuma

Member
mantadog said:
I have the i5 2500 with no dedicated GPU and i know from experiance it will handle everything you need even without a seperate card for graphics.

Im confused as to why you have went for the 'k' variant, as i don't think you plan to overclock looking at your cooling and ram choices. You could easily get away with the i5 2400 and save yourself £26
Click to expand...


From reading the review on the following link. Looks like the 2500k out performs the 2500 in many areas. Also the 2500k is just about £7 more than the 2500. Cheers

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/cpu/31305-intel-vs-intel-four-core-i5-2500-chips-go-head-to-head/
 
Last edited:
mantadog

mantadog

Superhero Level Poster
I have just had a quick look at the link, it shows exactly what i expected. If you look at the CPU benchmarks they are identical. I was going to mention in my previous post about the HD 2000/3000 graphics but forgot about it. its in the graphics tests that the 2500k gets a slight lead.

The reason that i recommended the i5 2400 was to save you a bit more money on your spec and get you close to your £600 budget. Your uses are very similar to mine at the moment, i have the standard i5 2500, in the real world with your intended uses you will be more than satisfied by the i5 2400, but if you have the budget to spend the 2500k will do your perfectly well.

Just as a test, for my own interest more than anything, i opened all of the following at the same time.
Itunes - playing downloaded movie
Youtube - HD video playback
Full 1080p home video in windows media player
Standard defenition video playing in quicktime

Total usage was about 20% give or take which leaves plenty more cpu to work on programmes, so whatever cpu you choose you will be fine.
 
D

danjuma

Member
mantadog said:
I have just had a quick look at the link, it shows exactly what i expected. If you look at the CPU benchmarks they are identical. I was going to mention in my previous post about the HD 2000/3000 graphics but forgot about it. its in the graphics tests that the 2500k gets a slight lead.

The reason that i recommended the i5 2400 was to save you a bit more money on your spec and get you close to your £600 budget. Your uses are very similar to mine at the moment, i have the standard i5 2500, in the real world with your intended uses you will be more than satisfied by the i5 2400, but if you have the budget to spend the 2500k will do your perfectly well.

Just as a test, for my own interest more than anything, i opened all of the following at the same time.
Itunes - playing downloaded movie
Youtube - HD video playback
Full 1080p home video in windows media player
Standard defenition video playing in quicktime

Total usage was about 20% give or take which leaves plenty more cpu to work on programmes, so whatever cpu you choose you will be fine.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your advice mantadog. So apart from the CPU, is everything else ok? Cheers
 
mantadog

mantadog

Superhero Level Poster
Even the CPU is a fine choice if you are no longer looking to stick to a budget of £600. The spec will serve your needs very easily, and should last for a long time with your intended uses.

Order it up and begin the wait!
 
D

danjuma

Member
mantadog said:
Even the CPU is a fine choice if you are no longer looking to stick to a budget of £600. The spec will serve your needs very easily, and should last for a long time with your intended uses.

Order it up and begin the wait!
Click to expand...

Thank you. Just one last question, would the graphics card I have chosen support dual monitors? Thanks
 
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