New PC for Open University and Home

[fitzyj]

Hi everyone,

I've recently enrolled for a Open University Postgraduate degree and I'm looking for a new PC for home.

I currently have a Macbook Pro and Microsoft Work laptop. I feel with the way an OU degree is taught a desktop computer will better suit my needs.

I'm a complete novice when it comes to buying PC's so any advice will be great. I have a budget of around £1500 so the Apple iMac 27" with Student discount comes in at just over £1400, which I'm looking at at the moment.

I'm not totally set on a Apple iMac so am open for suggestions.

I'll be studying for a Finance Master's so a majority of the PC work will be via Word Processing and Spreadsheets.

Thank you
James

 

[keynes]

Hi everyone,

I've recently enrolled for a Open University Postgraduate degree and I'm looking for a new PC for home.

I currently have a Macbook Pro and Microsoft Work laptop. I feel with the way an OU degree is taught a desktop computer will better suit my needs.

I'm a complete novice when it comes to buying PC's so any advice will be great. I have a budget of around £1500 so the Apple iMac 27" with Student discount comes in at just over £1400, which I'm looking at at the moment.

I'm not totally set on a Apple iMac so am open for suggestions.

I'll be studying for a Finance Master's so a majority of the PC work will be via Word Processing and Spreadsheets.

Thank you
James

If no gaming is involved and it is just for word processing I wouldn't suggest spending more than £600. You can get an i3 or an i5 with a decent monitor for around £600/700

 

[fitzyj]

If no gaming is involved and it is just for word processing I wouldn't suggest spending more than £600. You can get an i3 or an i5 with a decent monitor for around £600/700

Thanks Keynes.

I'm just going through a configuration on the website for a mini-desktop but being a novice I'm unsure on the spec of components I should be going for.

I would like to future proof the PC as much as possible so I don't mind spending that little bit more if I know the PC will perform well over the next few years.

 

[keynes]

Inwin Mini-ITX Performance BQ660 Case + 120W PSU
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-6500T (2.5GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® H170I-PLUS D3: Mini-ITX, LG1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
8GB Kingston DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEL® HD GRAPHICS MEDIA ACCELERATOR 2500
1st Hard Disk
500GB Samsung 750 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 40 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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: £636.00 including VAT and delivery.
Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-skylake-performance-mini/KGAUA9PD0m/

 

[fitzyj]

Thank you Keynes, very much appreciated.

If I was to store music and movies on the hard drive would the 500GB Samsung 750 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s be sufficient enough?

I'll be adding a monitor to this setup and I'm looking at the IIYAMA E2283HS-B1 22". For what I'll be using the PC for this monitor looks like it will do the job.