I need help with spec for new PC

Jellycat

Member
I have spent many weeks vacillating over which PC I would like and where to buy it from and which graphics card is good for my needs and which hard drive and which cooling is good etc - the list is as endless as it is confusing. I've been to many websites but always come back here as it appears to be the most configurable but I still can't decide.

I would like a PC for mostly multi-tasking (not gaming - never been in to gaming) and generally need a fast good performance PC . My budget is under £1,000. I'm in to music, graphic design, photography - multi-media if you will.

The spec below is what I have attempted to conglomerate but I really need pointing in the right direction ;

Case
COOLERMASTER HAF 922 MID TOWER GAMING CASE (£98)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7-870 Quad Core (2.93GHz, 8MB Cache) + Turbo Boost
Motherboard
ASUS® P7P55D-E PRO: USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, CrossFireX™ / SLI SUPPORT
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTS450 GDDR5 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
10x BLU-RAY ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW (£59)
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply & Case Cooling
600W Quiet 80 PLUS Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£59)
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1156 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB Options
6 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
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: £985.00 including VAT and delivery.
 

Darko

Well-known member
check this one also :)

Case
COOLERMASTER HAF 922 MID TOWER GAMING CASE (£98)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-950 (3.06GHz) 4.8GTs/8MB Cache - future proof processor and more powerfull
Motherboard
ASUS® P6X58D-E: DDR3, USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, 3-Way SLI
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX460 GDDR5 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11 - well never checked gts 450 before but 460gtx will run every game now.
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD10EARS, SATA 3 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE - there is no difference between 6gb and 3gb !
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply & Case Cooling
600W Quiet 80 PLUS Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£59)
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1366 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
6 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
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: £974.00 including VAT and delivery.
 

MoshiMoshi

Silver Level Poster
You can also save a bit by dropping down on the type of casing. Save 30 quid that way.

Spend the saved cash on a better cooler which imo is more important.

Also, get a regular WD hard-drive, not the GREEN series. They tend to perform slower as they're meant to be 'green' drives and thus use less power.
 

Jellycat

Member
Wow, thanks akikos956. That motherboard is excellent - thanks ! And the graphics card....now I could never have done all this without help. Brilliant.

Aoshi_88. Yes I agree about the case, you're right. I must admit I chose it because it looked good - yes, I know it's not the best reason to choose a case but it did also receive great reviews. I did think about getting a different cooler and akikos956 recommended a different one too so I will look into that. Thanks too for the advice on the green hard-drive.

A great deal of help from you and much appreciated. It looks like I will make the changes you both implemented. I can't wait as my old PC 'crashed and burned' and I was at a loss at what to do next.
 

Darko

Well-known member
forgot something. change ur ram to 6GB SAMSUNG DDR3 TRI-DDR3 1333MHz (3 X 2GB). It will perform much better.
 

Sleinous

Author Level
forgot something. change ur ram to 6GB SAMSUNG DDR3 TRI-DDR3 1333MHz (3 X 2GB). It will perform much better.

He speaks the truth, the reason is - incase you're wondering, not so much the additional 2GB of RAM but, because, thsi motherboard supports Tri-DDR3, that is to say, maximum efficient performance is obtained when you have 3 modules working together, of the same brand and speed and capacity, preferably all bought together in a triplet pack. (This is what PCS will be using if you go for this RAM)
 

Jellycat

Member
Thank you akikos956 and Sleinous. I have updated my specifications and think I chose the right (?) hard-drive. The price has gone up a bit now but still in the same area - roughly. It's very exciting but expensive. Any more feedback would be appreciated.




PCSPECIALIST.CO.UK QUOTATION

The specification below has been formatted so you can easily copy and paste this to our forums when discussing your specification. Once you've copied the specification, please click here to continue.


Case
COOLERMASTER HAF 922 MID TOWER GAMING CASE (£98)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-950 (3.06GHz) 4.8GTs/8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P6X58D-E: DDR3, USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, 3-Way SLI
Memory (RAM)
6GB SAMSUNG DDR3 TRI-DDR3 1333MHz (3 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX460 GDDR5 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply & Case Cooling
600W Quiet 80 PLUS Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£59)
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1366 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
6 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
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: £1,035.00 including VAT and delivery.
 

Darko

Well-known member
Thank you akikos956 and Sleinous. I have updated my specifications and think I chose the right (?) hard-drive. The price has gone up a bit now but still in the same area - roughly. It's very exciting but expensive. Any more feedback would be appreciated.




PCSPECIALIST.CO.UK QUOTATION

The specification below has been formatted so you can easily copy and paste this to our forums when discussing your specification. Once you've copied the specification, please click here to continue.


Case
COOLERMASTER HAF 922 MID TOWER GAMING CASE (£98)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-950 (3.06GHz) 4.8GTs/8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P6X58D-E: DDR3, USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, 3-Way SLI
Memory (RAM)
6GB SAMSUNG DDR3 TRI-DDR3 1333MHz (3 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX460 GDDR5 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply & Case Cooling
600W Quiet 80 PLUS Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£59)
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1366 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
6 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
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: £1,035.00 including VAT and delivery.

Well i checked now ur first post. u said u are not playing games. So pick gts 450 instead of gtx 460. will save some money :)
 

Jellycat

Member
Thanks Gorman and akikos956. I may be getting slightly bogged down into reviews of graphics cards but what about the ATI Radeon HD 5770 ? Better to get the spec right now then worry about it after I've bought it.
 

Sleinous

Author Level
Consider a Quadro FX380

Like Gorman says, if you're more into graphic design etc, a Quadro card (excelling more in 2d aspect of gpu technology) would be a better plan.

COnsider the WD10EARS HDD (3gb/s instead of 6gb/s) if you want to save a few more pounds too. The difference is near unnoticeable as 6gbs is mainly for SSDs
 
Last edited:

Jellycat

Member
Yes, I did have the WD10EARS HDD then changed it as someone else said not to go for the 'green' series. Also, I must be missing something but I don't see the Quadro FX in the drop-down menu - sorry.
 

SteveB

Gold Level Poster
Hi Jellycat,

I think what Mr Gorman was suggesting is you go for the quadro because of the CUDA technology which helps with photo and video processing

I have put together something which I feel would be much more suited for your needs, although it is a fair bit over your budget you will see where your money went with the way it will perform and the black WD drive you'd probably only see a small benefit when coupled with a SSD drive but I'm sure I'll be corrected if i'm wrong on this.

Case
PCS MAELSTROM T900 BLACK GAMING CASE (£59)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-950 (3.06GHz) 4.8GTs/8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P6T7 WS SUPERCOMPUTER: SUPPORTS CUDA TECHNOLOGY
Memory (RAM)
6GB SAMSUNG DDR3 TRI-DDR3 1333MHz (3 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
PNY QUADRO FX580 512MB GDDR3, CUDA ENABLED - 2 x DP, 1 x DVI-I
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD10EARS, 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 (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply & Case Cooling
600W Quiet 80 PLUS Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£59)
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1366 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
6 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
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,188.00 including VAT and delivery
 
Last edited:

Sleinous

Author Level
Yes, I did have the WD10EARS HDD then changed it as someone else said not to go for the 'green' series. Also, I must be missing something but I don't see the Quadro FX in the drop-down menu - sorry.

No difference between green and black really. They are just more power efficient. I have both, never noticed difference.
 

Jellycat

Member
Thanks again sleinous.

SteveB, wow, that looks seriously impressive ! I have checked out the changes you made and they look excellent - the graphics card seems ideal from what I can glean. It all comes at a price as you suggest but it's in the right area and not on aesthetics. The case to me seems really nice....I was leaning toward changing the Haff922 as I had seen some comments on here and in someones sig :). I've been on the phone to my building society too trying to move the old coffers around !
 

Sleinous

Author Level
Thanks again sleinous.

SteveB, wow, that looks seriously impressive ! I have checked out the changes you made and they look excellent - the graphics card seems ideal from what I can glean. It all comes at a price as you suggest but it's in the right area and not on aesthetics. The case to me seems really nice....I was leaning toward changing the Haff922 as I had seen some comments on here and in someones sig :). I've been on the phone to my building society too trying to move the old coffers around !

I always notice that the coffers - once filled - are always harder to move around if you catch my drift ;)
 

Jellycat

Member
I always notice that the coffers - once filled - are always harder to move around if you catch my drift ;)

Not with a fork-lift :).

The building society persuaded me to open up an ISA as the interest is higher.....I think it's the ISA Spades.....OK, so it was an obvious joke :). Once I get all the documents I can finance my new PC.
 

Sleinous

Author Level
Not with a fork-lift :).

The building society persuaded me to open up an ISA as the interest is higher.....I think it's the ISA Spades.....OK, so it was an obvious joke :). Once I get all the documents I can finance my new PC.

haha and beware as sometimes those forklifts are owned by the bank xD
 

Jellycat

Member
Does anyone have any more recommendations or alterations before I place an order ? I like SteveBs spec the best .
 
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