Need Help to Choose between 2 PC's - Confused!

thistledome

Hello

Can anybody give advice about this?

I've almost decided on my new PC, but I'm torn between these two:

1. 640gb HDD with Intel i3 530 processor

or

2. 500gb HDD with Intel i5 650

All other specs are the same on both models. The one with the i5 processor is an extra £50, but the HDD is smaller. (Why don't they keep it simple and have the cheaper one with the smaller HDD and slower processor?)

I don't play games (apart from Freecell ) so is the faster processor really worth the extra £50 in this case? Just use for internet, email and general home/office stuff. Watching the odd You Tube vid. Don't edit vids or anything like that.

Also get quidco on the cheaper one (the 640gb/i3), but that's not my priority.

Thanks for reading.

EDIT: On reflection I'm leaning toward the cheaper one with the bigger HDD, but if the i3 is hopeless garbage please tell me!

diable

Is this with monitor and all the other bits included or a bare system?

closed

Have you got 640GB of data, what's wrong with the one you are using?

turbobob

From what you've said I doubt you need to spend extra on the i5. The Core i3 530 is a very fast processor by most standards. I don't know what you are using now but at stock speeds it is significantly faster than dual core AMD Athlon or Phenom II's, or any Intel Core 2 Duo.

thistledome

Thanks all

closed, I don't have a PC right now, mine about died 2 weeks ago. (this is hubby's, he's not keen on sharing!). Old one was 80gb and I never filled it, but it's nice to have the extra space.

diable, It's just the tower and keyboard/mouse. Monitor will be bought separately.

turbobob, thanks very much. I think I'd prefer the bigger HDD over the faster processor. My old one was 8 years old and I've no idea what processor I had in it, but I doubt it would have been anywhere near the i3 or i5.

Marty_J

I would go for the i5. It'll be able to handle modern applications and operating systems for longer than the i3 will, and it's easier (and cheaper) to upgrade the HDD if you decide you want a bigger one in future.

John_Gray

Marty_J wrote: »

it's easier (and cheaper) to upgrade the HDD if you decide you want a bigger one in future.

True, and even easier to add an external USB hard drive.

gonzo127

but if the op has been using the old computer for 8 years with no problems i doubt very much that any programs they have will be a problem for either,

i would go the i3 one because of the cost difference

turbobob

Well here is a comparison of the two. Also for comparison purposes a Core 2 Duo E8600 3.33 ghz (from the last generation - an expensive processor), and a P4 2.0ghz which I guess would have been a typical choice about 8 years ago.

http://hwbot.org/hardware.compare.do?type=cpu&id=1958_1&id=1652_1&id=1317_1&id=1960_1

PC Mark 2005 is an all round test which should give an indication of real world performance. The difference in this test between the i3 and i5 is not massive, the i5 is around 6% faster. Obviously, the difference between any of them and the P4 is vast.

closed

How did the old one die, what are the symptoms. If it was just the hard disk, new ones are very cheap (less than £30).

If you were happy with a 8 year old one, and never used the 80GB, I wouldn't go OTT on the spec of the new one, a cheap one will browse, and play freecell easily.

If you've already got another pc in the household, have you considered a laptop instead?

thistledome

closed wrote: »

How did the old one die, what are the symptoms. If it was just the hard disk, new ones are very cheap.

If you were happy with a 8 year old one, and never used the 80GB, I wouldn't go OTT on the spec of the new one, a cheap one will browse, and play freecell easily.

Good point.

The old HDD had been making a noise for a while and it's had problems on and off for the last 2 and a bit years. Maxtor's Utility disc revived it once a few years ago but this time it went for good. Tried various software to save some of the data and only Recuva could even read it, the others all saw the drive but couldn't access it.

I could just buy a new HDD, but I don't know enough about computers to be confident that my old components would work with a brand new item, also I'd have to buy a new OS and I thought I may as well spend a bit more and treat myself to a new one.

I'd love to build my own (husband is laughing his head off in background and saying, "you couldn't build a computer!!":eek:). The actual building seems straightforward but if it didn't work properly from the outset, I'd be utterly clueless to fix it.