I have very little computer knowledge but have a very good friend , now retired who builds them and as my old home computer which he built is now an antique in computer terms he has built me a new one to last me for the next few years, specification below from his quote.
>The new Intel IVYBRIDGE quad core i5 Processor
>>>Running at 22 NM 3.2 GHZ 6 MB
> cache LGA 1155
>>
>>Motherboard
>>
>>Asus P8 H61-MX USB 3 Anti Surge GPU
> Boost
>> UEFI Crash free BIOS
>>
>>Memory
>>
>>Kingston 8 Gigabyte DDR3
> Memory
>>
>>Graphics
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>>NVIDIA GeForce 210 Card
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>>500 gig Hard Drive
>>
>
>>Optiarc DVD RW AD-7201S ATA Device
>>
>>High definition Audio
>>
>
>>Setup with Windows 7, Office suite, Writing tools , Transfer
> Documents
>>and delivered to home.
He has allowed in his price for two hours at my home to set it all up but I know if it takes longer he will not charge extra and he is always available for advice if I do get problems.
I have already said go ahead and he has built it and is installing on Friday.
Out of interest ,what does the team think of the spec and what sort of price it would be if I bought that sort of spec from a retail outlet?
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You're probably getting a better system than you'd get at retail because things like the motherboard and memory might be better quality than an OEM built one.
When it comes to the hardware spec. Three things that stand out though:
- This is using an Ivybridge CPU from Intel which uses the older (just replaced) LGA1155 socket. The latest CPU's are Haswell. They will cost more (not much) and I'd go for one of those
- The graphics card is very low spec - I'd get something better. In fact the GPU in the latest Haswell CPU's might be good enough for you if you're not into gaming etc. The GTS 210 is about £15.
- The motherboard is a micro ATX - do you need/want a smaller case for any particular reason?
Ignoring software, the cost of that including a case/PSU etc. will be less than £400 for the hardware I'd say.
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The retail version of the CPU mention above is the Intel Core i5 3470 and is about £150. The newer Haswell CPU is the Intel Core i5 4570 and is about £157. This processor has much faster integrated graphics and would probably be all you need. Well if you think the ancient GTS 210 from nvidia is good enough :-)
Haswell is a socket 1150 CPU so needs a different motherboard - so a little future proofing as next year there will be a faster CPU for that socket. This newer motherboard would be a little more expensive.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Wed 3 Jul 13 at 11:05
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RTJ - I did a quick rough price up on Amazon and agree with you probably £350 to £400 to buy the hardware , also I know he paid around £ 65 for Windows 7 software .
When you add in his time to build , delivery and installation although he is retired and does it as a hobby and as a friend I am not going to complain at the spec .
The cost to me is £525 plus dinner for him and his wife when he comes over to instal.
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Sounds okay price wise to me. But personally I'd get something better than a GTS 210 graphics card or stick with the inbuilt graphics on the CPU. I assume you're not into playing games etc. If you went for the newer Haswell CPU the graphics are probably good enough for what non-gamers needs in a PC.
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Not into gaming at all...... I am sure the spec is fine for an oldie like me
I like a game of draughts on Fly or Die occasionally but that is about it....
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Then I don't see why you need a separate graphics card - although not good for gaming, the GPU onboard the Core i5 processor you are thinking of will be fine. Saves a bit of money and a little bit of electricity.
EDIT: Assuming your monitor accepts either a DVI or VGA connection... otherwise you'd need an adapter for the outputs on that motherboard listed above.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Wed 3 Jul 13 at 12:51
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If all the OP does is tinternet and some "Office Products" I'd go for a brand named box...and go for a laptop.
I know a laptops are difficult to upgrade, cost more and if something goes wrong it can be bin-time but convenience factor is worth a lot.
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>> If all the OP does is tinternet and some "Office Products" I'd go for a
>> brand named box...and go for a laptop.
>>
>> I know a laptops are difficult to upgrade, cost more and if something goes wrong
>> it can be bin-time but convenience factor is worth a lot.
>>
Aye, you can get an awful lot of laptop for 450 notes these days, for example:-
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00AW6ZKJI/ref=nosim
Down to how much screen size you need really.
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>> Down to how much screen size you need really.
Just hook it up to the old desktop one, or any modern flatscreen TV.
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New Computer Spec - Any Comments - rtj70
