New PC advice please :)

gonzo127

would be worth while you thinking about the following

size vs cost vs performance

as you can get really tiny systems, but they either cost a lot for reasonable performance, or are cheap but come with low powered hardware

http://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/system/Infinity_Mini_PC/

is quite a good mix and not 'too' expensive although is still expensive for the performance you get compared to afull sized system

LE3

thanks for all the advice - I've taken it on board and am looking into options.
Budget is flexible - as you can tell from the spec I tend to keep machines limping along for a while - in fact the case of this system is around 15 yrs old & it's had one motherboard/processor replacement in that time & a 2nd HDD fitted! I think it's time for a replacement that will last another few years!
In an ideal world <£300 would be good & <£250 great, but I will pay what I need to - I don't see the point in spending a lot more for what only needs to be a fairly basic spec machine though. I am not into gaming or anything that needs really high spec stuff!

gonzo127

with a flexable budget the question really (in my mind) is the size

you can get some decent powered systems (the zoostorm ones already linked) within your desired budget with a full size case,

however if you want smaller you will either have to compromise on performance or price

with something like the one i linked above in which you would get decent performance but a higher price or something like this http://www.ebuyer.com/319565-acer-revo-rl70-nettop-pc-pt-sj4e2-002 which drops the performance but keeps the price (take into account no optical drive on this system)

robmar0se

LE3 wrote: »

What I need:
Win 7, 500Gb minimum HDD, plenty of RAM
I mostly use the desktop for internet, Office, some photo processing - nothing mega fancy!

Ok I guess you have had a lot of input, the two things that I would add, especially if you plan to keep this one for another 11 years, are as follows:

1) Photography can eat a lot of RAM - if you think you might get more into this, then ensure that the motherboard can take RAM upgrades, and make sure you use win 7/64 as software in the future will definately be 64 bit.

2) Always get the best CPU you feel is appropriate for the long term, as usually it is the last thing you upgrade. For example the AMD A3500 mentioned above has a relative Passmark of 2250, whereas the current Intel I3 2120's mark is 4220, so for an extra £30 you'll get a much better CPU that will probably last you longer. In the end it's price ve performance, no one can decide it for you!!

gavpowell

robmar0se wrote: »

Ok I guess you have had a lot of input, the two things that I would add, especially if you plan to keep this one for another 11 years, are as follows:

1) Photography can eat a lot of RAM - if you think you might get more into this, then ensure that the motherboard can take RAM upgrades, and make sure you use win 7/64 as software in the future will definately be 64 bit.

2) Always get the best CPU you feel is appropriate for the long term, as usually it is the last thing you upgrade. For example the AMD A3500 mentioned above has a relative Passmark of 2250, whereas the current Intel I3 2120's mark is 4220, so for an extra £30 you'll get a much better CPU that will probably last you longer. In the end it's price ve performance, no one can decide it for you!!

On the other hand, AMD's chips have vastly superior graphics power to the Intel, which could be more useful for things like Photoshop. It's 6 of one, half a dozen of the other to be honest, though.

robmar0se

gavpowell wrote: »

On the other hand, AMD's chips have vastly superior graphics power to the Intel, which could be more useful for things like Photoshop. It's 6 of one, half a dozen of the other to be honest, though.

I agree, but I wouldn't say vastly, nor would it make that much difference except in video editing. Secondly, it is pretty easy down the line to upgrade the graphics without changing the CPU.

gavpowell

robmar0se wrote: »

I agree, but I wouldn't say vastly, nor would it make that much difference except in video editing. Secondly, it is pretty easy down the line to upgrade the graphics without changing the CPU.

Well, I can't speak for video editing or Photoshop, but certainly in games, the AMD outperforms the Intel kit by between 100 and 300%. And if you're planning to add a graphics card in the future, you then need to think about what sort of PSU you're putting into it.

Either way, upgrading is folly for something like a Duron, so we all seem to agree it's far, far better to rebuild from the ground up!

robmar0se

gavpowell wrote: »

Well, I can't speak for video editing or Photoshop, but certainly in games, the AMD outperforms the Intel kit by between 100 and 300%. And if you're planning to add a graphics card in the future, you then need to think about what sort of PSU you're putting into it.

Either way, upgrading is folly for something like a Duron, so we all seem to agree it's far, far better to rebuild from the ground up!

I know little about gaming, but as the OP said he is not planning to use it for gaming, hence the recommendation of an intel processor - hope that clarifies things.