New Desktop Advice Needed

jlt_2

Wondered if i can get some advice on a new desktop for a small business i run.

I've come up with the following from PC Specialist:-

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Processor i7-870 (2.93GHz) 8MB Cache + HyperThreading
m


Memory (RAM)
8GB CORSAIR XMS3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY!

Motherboard
ASUS® P7P55D DELUXE: DDR3, S-ATA II, 3 x PCI-Ex, 2 x PCI

Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)

USB Options
8 x USB 2.0 PORTS (6 REAR + 2 FRONT) AS STANDARD

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

2nd Hard Disk
NONE

RAID (HDD 1 & 2)
NONE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
22x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
2nd DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NONE
Graphics Card
512MB NVIDIA GEFORCE 8400GS PCI EXPRESS
2nd Graphics Card
NONE
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Network Facilities
WIRELESS N 300Mbps PCI CARD (£16)

Modem
56KBPS INTERNAL V92 DATA/FAX/VOICE MODEM
Floppy Disk Drive
NONE
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)

Case
STYLISH PIANO BLACK FUSION CASE inc. 2 FRONT USB

Power Supply & Case Cooling
800W Quiet Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£99)

Processor Cooling

SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£19)

Firewire & Video Editing
2 x IEEE 1394a FIREWIRE PORTS (1 onboard, 1 at back panel)
TV Card
NONE

Monitor

LG W2353V 23 INCH WIDESCREEN, HDMI/DVI-D/D-SUB FULL HD 1920x1080 (£169)
2nd Monitor
NONE
GeForce 3D Vision
NONE
DVI Cable
NONE
Keyboard & Mouse
Logitech® Internet 350 USB Keyboard (£9)
Mouse
NONE
Speakers
NONE
Webcam
NONE
Headsets (VOIP)
NONE
Surge Protection
Belkin 4 Socket 2M Surge Protector with £25,000 Protection! (£8)
Printer
NONE
Anti-Virus
NONE
Office Software
NONE
External Hard Drive
NONE
Home Installation
NONE
Warranty
1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1 Year Free Collect & Return (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 10 working days
Quantity
1



Price of the quote is £1192.34+VAT.

Or should i go for this at ebuyer HP Pavilion Elite HPE-083UK.
Core I7 860 2.8GHz, 8GB RAM, 1.28TB HDD, Blu-ray, 15-in-1 Card Reader, Windows 7 Home Premium

Sorry can't do links.

Price £974.49+VAT

It will be used for quickbooks (bookeeping software), word, publisher, internet, youtube, iplayer etc and a few forklift parts ordering programs.

Will be in constant use for 8-9hrs every week day with up to 4-6 programs running at once.

What is your opinon on the two desktops?

Which is best for what i want? HP or the Pc Specialist machine? Or neither?

Will welcome any sugestions.

Many thanks for reading if you got this far!

spakkker

I think that both of those pc's are overkill for what you are going to use them for.
Modern twin or quad core cpu's have really improved the last few years ,the thing is, the software is still catching up.

bazster

Unless your business is photography, making movies, or writing computer games, absolutely any new computer you buy is going to be able to handle it without even breaking into a sweat. Cheapest you can find is the way to go, with the provisos that

(i) anyone sitting in front of it for 8-9 hours per day would probably appreciate a largish, reasonable-quality monitor
(ii) you might want reliability backed by decent warranty/support, which would point you to someone like Dell rather than some no-name bolter-together of cheap components
(iii) make sure it has enough memory for whatever flavour of Windows you fancy (check Microsoft's recommendations, and go for the recommended memory, not the minimum!)

Seriously, even the most basic computers today far exceed the needs of most business users. I design databases for a living, which makes me a user of heavier-duty software than most businesses, but I'm also on the road a lot - so I do all my work on a Samsung netbook! It works brilliantly, except for the tiny screen (I simply cadge a monitor to plug into it whenever I arrive anywhere).

jlt_2

spakkker wrote: »

I think that both of those pc's are overkill for what you are going to use them for.
Modern twin or quad core cpu's have really improved the last few years ,the thing is, the software is still catching up.

Thanks for your reply.

I know i could cope with i5 & 6G of ram but i want to induldge and have been given the money & say-so to actually do it.

To see where i coming from, i am currently using a 500mb laptop with an 500gb external modem.

It's slow and because of that it's effecting how much work can be done.

Just this morning it was running at a snails pace, me and my mum who works in the office with me got hardly anything done. Sitting there waiting for it to catch up.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble, thanks again.

Any more suggestions?

[Deleted User]

Both machines are far too over powered and expensive for what you want to use them for. A £500 Dell from the business ranges would be more than adequate plus for business use you wouldn't want an RTB warranty..

welshryda

As mentioned, total overkill mate, those specs and price are way of the top for your requirement, any standard twin cpu will handle your requirement and you would be looking to spend less than 400, do you really need a 23 inch monitor? if its just for an office table you can pickup 21" for £110 or even 19 for £80.

bazster

jlt wrote: »

I know i could cope with i5 & 6G of ram

"Cope"??? It's enough horsepower to run the Starship Enterprise!

JasX

seems a waste putting such a high end processor into a machine with a budget graphics card..... onboard only sound etc etc...

tbh as these things slow down over time unless you're up for a rebuild every few years might it be better value to get a less expensive machine and replace it more frequently?

other questions I'd be asking for that money -hard drives, bit of a gap developing between the 'typical' ones and better performing ones (the new £55 odd samsung F3 1TB drives makes even my 'not that old' 10k rpm raptor drives look positvely pedestrian) you don't even know what you're getting.

is the wireless N card 5Ghz and 2.6Ghz or only single band.....

jlt_2

bazster wrote: »

Unless your business is photography, making movies, or writing computer games, absolutely any new computer you buy is going to be able to handle it without even breaking into a sweat. Cheapest you can find is the way to go, with the provisos that

(i) anyone sitting in front of it for 8-9 hours per day would probably appreciate a largish, reasonable-quality monitor
(ii) you might want reliability backed by decent warranty/support, which would point you to someone like Dell rather than some no-name bolter-together of cheap components
(iii) make sure it has enough memory for whatever flavour of Windows you fancy (check Microsoft's recommendations, and go for the recommended memory, not the minimum!)

Seriously, even the most basic computers today far exceed the needs of most business users. I design databases for a living, which makes me a user of heavier-duty software than most businesses, but I'm also on the road a lot - so I do all my work on a Samsung netbook! It works brilliantly, except for the tiny screen (I simply cadge a monitor to plug into it whenever I arrive anywhere).

Many thanks for your reply and i do take on board what you are saying.

I think i've responded to many of your points in my previous reply.

With regard to buying a Dell, i just don't fancy it, maybe beacuse of some of the horror stories i've been reading on the net.

But am willing to listern to anyone who can suggest that buying a Dell is a good option. There must be some people out there.

bazster

JasX wrote: »

seems a waste putting such a high end processor into a machine with a budget graphics card..... onboard only sound etc etc...

tbh as these things slow down over time unless you're up for a rebuild every few years might it be better value to get a less expensive machine and replace it more frequently?

other questions I'd be asking for that money -hard drives, bit of a gap developing between the 'typical' ones and better performing ones (the new £55 odd samsung F3 1TB drives makes even my 'not that old' 10k rpm raptor drives look positvely pedestrian) you don't even know what you're getting.

is the wireless N card 5Ghz and 2.6Ghz or only single band.....

Who cares? He only wants to do a bit of admin.

BillScarab

Buying a Dell is a good option.

You're just don't need a machine of that power. If you want it that's another matter but you'lll be paying over the odds for what you're planning to do with it.