Will these be ok for our training centre?

F

FTJAM

Member
Hi all,

We are a charity with a small training centre and current PC's are falling over. we train people how to use graphics packages like Photoshop, illustrator, indesign & dreamweaver. CS3 but considering upgrading to CS5

We don't have a huge budget (or space hence why we're considering mini pc's) but this is what I've come up with. Please let me have your opinion

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i3-550 Dual Core (3.20GHz, 4MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
INTEL® DH57JG: H57 Express Chipset, 10-Channel HD Audio, 2x DDR3
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD + Clear Video HD Technology
Memory - Hard Disk
250GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 10 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB Options
4 PORT USB 2.0 EXTERNAL HUB + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£109)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Stand-Alone Monitor
19" Wide TFT Silver/Black 1440 x 900 5MS, D-Sub, DVI, 18.5" Panel (£89)
External Keyboard & Mouse
Logitech® Internet 350 USB Keyboard (£9)
Notebook Mouse
Black Logitech® Optical Wheel Mouse USB (£5)
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
8
 
S

Shibin

Enthusiast
Use an amd processor,better for the tight budget(bang for buck). Use a graphics card as it will help with the cs5 etc (cant recommend specific as i havent used cs5 etc).

Pcs give discount on bulk orders,so take this into account....since your a charity maybe you guys could ask for more or whatever. (anyway for that you would need to call thier sales advice.)
 
Sleinous

Sleinous

Author Level
Yes go for (even) the cheapest nvifia gpu, cuda technology will help cs5 and take strain off cpu, also consider a 32mb or 64mb cached drive for a little more, try specing an AMD X2 or a Core 2 Duo CZU to cut down on othr costs
 
F

FTJAM

Member
thanks for your help. I have come up with this spec:

Processor (CPU)
AMD ATHLON II X2 260 (3.20GHz/2MB CACHE/AM3)
Motherboard
ASUS® M4A88T-I DELUXE: 880G Chipset, 2x DDR3, 2 x USB 3.0, 6 x USB 2.0
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG 1333MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 2GB)
Graphics Card
Integrated ATI Radeon™ HD 4250 + HDMI, DVI-D
Memory - Hard Disk
640GB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD6400AARS, SATA 3 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
INTEGRATED GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS 802.11N CARD (AS STANDARD)
USB Options
8 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Bluetooth & Infrared Options
Integrated V2.0 Bluetooth Adapter + EDR Capability
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£109)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Stand-Alone Monitor
19" Wide TFT Silver/Black 1440 x 900 5MS, D-Sub, DVI, 18.5" Panel (£89)
External Keyboard & Mouse
Logitech® Internet 350 USB Keyboard (£9)
Notebook Mouse
Black Logitech® Optical Wheel Mouse USB (£5)
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
9


what do you think?
 
Sleinous

Sleinous

Author Level
Yes, its not bad, and comes out at £551 per unit, however, what bugs me is the lack of CUDA tech, and to me, thats something a value build would really benefit from, even if its the lowest Nvidia GPU out there, so my suggestion is here:

So....for £547 a piece, here is my little suggested spec:

Case
STYLISH PIANO BLACK ENIGMA MICRO-ATX CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Pentium® DualCore E5500 (2.8GHz) 800MHz FSB/2MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P5G41T-M LX2 S: MICRO ATX VALUE BOARD & DDR3, SATA-II, 2 x PCI
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT430 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
640GB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD6400AARS, SATA 3 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 & Case Cooling
350W Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA775 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
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" Wide TFT Silver/Black 1440 x 900 5MS, D-Sub, DVI, 18.5" Panel (£89)
Keyboard & Mouse
Logitech® Internet 350 USB Keyboard (£9)
Mouse
Black Logitech® Optical Wheel Mouse USB (£5)
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: £547.00 including VAT and delivery.

So for this, you get the same accessories, monitor, keyboard, mouse, the Intel Pentium Dual Core E5500, and the latest 400 series Nvidia release (The GT430).
 
F

FTJAM

Member
Great thanks!
only query is why the choice of Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)... asit is for a training centre I thought we would need to use the professional version? What is the difference between the home and pro anyway?
 
F

FTJAM

Member
Still on the case with this. Can someone tell me if we would be able to network these home premium PC's to a windows 2000 or 2003 server? This is for internet access and file sharing.
TIA
 
Gorman

Gorman

Author Level
Home Premium will not allow you to join a domain, so will they network? yes. Can you join them to a domain controller, nope.
 
F

FTJAM

Member
Well, we finally got the Mini PC's and although DHL Delivery was a pain in the butt ...they are finally here...and we are happy :) they're cute and pretty small.
and now we face the problem of thieving types walking out with them under their coat.

Had a quick look at standard kensington locks but on first inspection the case hasnt got any holes/hooks to pass such a thick cable through. Just wondering whether anyone can recommend any other security locks?
 
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