Spec advice please

[rogerwales]

Hi all,

First post so please be gentle I'm just about to order a new desktop to replace my relic of a desktop. I will not use it for games (perhaps I might find time to have a go at a flight simulator one day), but mostly for photos, video editing, website and email. The most demanding use will be when attached to my transceiver to decode digital signals and oscilloscope type software where several applications need to run at the same time.

I want it to reasonably future proof and have budgeted below £700.00 (unless my wife finds out first, in which case it will be even lower

Can't decide between the Intel i5-760 or the AMD PHENOM II X4 925 (2.80GHz/8MB CACHE/AM3), the AMD works out cheaper any suggestions?

Any comments or suggestions for improvement would be appreciated? .

Many thanks

Roger

So far;

Case
COOLERMASTER ELITE 310 BLUE CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5-760 Quad Core (2.80GHz, 8MB Cache) + Turbo Boost
Motherboard
ASUS® P7P55D-E: USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, CrossFireX™ SUPPORT
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT220 PCI EXPRESS
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
500GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply & Case Cooling
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£29)
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1156 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI CARD (£16)
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
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 9 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £667.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[Meds]

First of all, hello and welcome to the forums!

In my opinion, the i5 760 wins hands down over the AMD 945 so we're sticking with that. I have made a couple of changes;

HDD - Very cheap atm, upgraded to a 1TB (plenty of storage)

GPU - The GT210 is not much better than integrated graphics. I have upped this to the GT240 which also supports blu ray, which you mention you may use later on in life.

Warranty - For £5.00 extra, we will collect the PC free of charge for the full 12 months!



Case
COOLERMASTER ELITE 310 BLUE CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5-760 Quad Core (2.80GHz, 8MB Cache) + Turbo Boost
Motherboard
ASUS® P7P55 LX: USB 2.0 & SATA 3.0Gb/s, CrossFireX™ SUPPORT
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT240 PCI EXPRESS (3D BluRay Ready!)
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 (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply & Case Cooling
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£29)
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1156 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI CARD (£16)
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 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 9 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £693.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[Sleinous]

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)

Excellent, I have converted Meds to the rawrsomeness of 64mb cached drives

I agree that the 240 would be much better otherwise youw ont be gaming for long before its outdated again

Apart from that, looking like a nice spec =]

 

[rogerwales]

Meds, Sleinous thank you for your replies.
I will update my selections as you suggested Meds, I think I will upgrade the soundcard while I'm at it too, as a semi-pro guitarist it might be beneficial at some point.

Thanks again, I hope to place my order in the next couple of days.

Cheers

Roger