Please check my spec?

J

JohnWilliams149

Member
Hello everyone,

I'm configuring a machine to replace my old Dell 7020.

It's important to me that I have, in no particular order,

Dual display ports to support 2 monitors 1 HDMI the other AVI/VGA

I want to use my existing microphone (3.5mm jack) and Harmon Hardon speakers (3.5mm jack) if possible

I estimate I need 6-8 USB ports and ideally they would be configured on the back on the machine

The case must fit a space that is 417mm x 347mm by 340mm (Odd I know but that's the size of the space in my desk

I expect to use the machine mainly for business related work (a local charity) and try to keep my data and operating system separate.

I rarely play games.

Any comments would be appreciated as I'm hoping to place an order in the next few days.

Regards,

John

Case
PCS ELEMENT CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-12400F (2.5GHz) 18MB Cache
Motherboard
GIGABYTE H610M K DDR4 (Micro-ATX, LGA1700, USB 3.2)
Memory (RAM)
16GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030 - DVI, HDMI
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2200 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy™ FX
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo
 
J

JohnWilliams149

Member
JohnWilliams149 said:
Hello everyone,

I'm configuring a machine to replace my old Dell 7020.

It's important to me that I have, in no particular order,

Dual display ports to support 2 monitors 1 HDMI the other AVI/VGA

I want to use my existing microphone (3.5mm jack) and Harmon Hardon speakers (3.5mm jack) if possible

I estimate I need 6-8 USB ports and ideally they would be configured on the back on the machine

The case must fit a space that is 417mm x 347mm by 340mm (Odd I know but that's the size of the space in my desk

I expect to use the machine mainly for business related work (a local charity) and try to keep my data and operating system separate.

I rarely play games.

Any comments would be appreciated as I'm hoping to place an order in the next few days.

Regards,

John

Case
PCS ELEMENT CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-12400F (2.5GHz) 18MB Cache
Motherboard
GIGABYTE H610M K DDR4 (Micro-ATX, LGA1700, USB 3.2)
Memory (RAM)
16GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030 - DVI, HDMI
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2200 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy™ FX
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo
Click to expand...
  • 1) Your budget (you might not have a budget as such, but you will have an idea of the max you'd like to spend)
    • Provisional budget is around £800
  • 2) What's the PC / Laptop for (gaming, workstation, heavy VM use, etc.) <-- as much detail as we can get here helps!
    • The PC is intended as an upgrade for an old Dell 7020. I use my machine for preparing documents and presentations, limited image processing, web-browsing, and video conferencing. I don't play games on my PC as I use an Xbox for that.

      I use the machine for presentations with a projector and have a standard microphone and external Harmon Hadon speaker system - both using 3.5mm jacks - which I want to continue to use.

      I also use the machine for applications like Spotify, Netflix and Prime and would like to continue using my Hauppauge TV USB Tuner/Win 10

      I have two wi-fi connected printers that I want to be able to use. A Xerox B325 Mono Laser printer for general work and a Canon TR7550 Colour Inkjet for limited colour printing.
      I separate the operating system disc from the data disc purely to make it easier to reinstall Windows though that seems to have become less important with OneDrive synchronisation. I'm still not entirely sure of the difference between a second drive and a storage drive. I want SSD to protect the machine from mechanical shock.
  • 3) What monitor will you be using (especially important for gaming) <-- there's no point in us suggesting a lower end graphics card if you have a 4K high refresh monitor!
I hope that's more helpful and look forward to any comments!

John
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
This is where I'd be looking personally, it's far more powerful, tiny bit over budget, but near as damnit I can get it without making substantial compromises.

Regarding monitors, analogue connectors aren't supported anymore, it's HDMI or Display Port which are both digital. To connect your old SyncMaster, you'd need an active adapter from say HDMI on the motherboard to whatever connector on the monitor. These aren't cheap, and there's a lot of fakes on amazon that are just a port converter, these don't work, it needs an active chip that can convert the digital signal to an analogue one. You may find the cost doesn't make it worth it over a cheap modern monitor.

But everything else is gravy baby.

Case
CORSAIR 3000D AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE Case is paramount to the build, dictates the airflow in the system, better quality case means better airflow and better quality fans ergo less noise
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core CPU (4.0GHz-5.2GHz/38MB CACHE/AM5) Generally more powerful CPU at around the same price point, motherboard supports upgrades for another good few generations so you have the option to upgrade the CPU rather than the whole platform
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B650-PLUS (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready! For your uses this will be fine and offers far better connectivity options. AMD also run far cooler, and use substantially less power
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (1 x 16GB) Sweetspot for DDR5 speed, it's RGB simply because that was the only option at this speed, but you can turn off RGB if you want
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU) CPU has on board graphics
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR, 1625MB/sW) Far better quality drive with better endurance
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW) Have fit with the caveat that you understand any data should always be stored on an HDD because SSD's fail catastrophically and you can't get data off once they've failed. HDD's fail sector by sector so you have usually months of warning before they fail to get a replacement
Power Supply
MSI 550W MAG A550BN POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
DeepCool AG400 Performance ARGB CPU Cooler Better from a noise perspective than the standard cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) Return to base increased from 1 month to 1 year for £5er
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Price: £826.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/K4jMfTxwt4/
 
J

JohnWilliams149

Member
Many thanks for your suggested configuration. I have a few questions but will think them over tonight and perhaps talk about them tomorrow?

Meanwhile thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

Regards,

John
 
J

JohnWilliams149

Member
Hello again,

Thanks for your help so far. I hope you won't mind if I clear up a few things I'm still concerned about?

CORSAIR 3000D AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Case is paramount to the build, dictates the airflow in the system, better quality case means better airflow and better quality fans ergo less noise.
I understand that entirely so am planning to rip out my desk and provide additional space to accommodate the larger case,

Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core CPU (4.0GHz-5.2GHz/38MB CACHE/AM5)
Generally more powerful CPU at around the same price point, motherboard supports upgrades for another good few generations so you have the option to upgrade the CPU rather than the whole platform
Many thanks for this suggestion!

Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B650-PLUS (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
For your uses this will be fine and offers far better connectivity options. AMD also run far cooler, and use substantially less power
I note your comment about the CPU having on board graphics but will this be presented as an HDMI and AVI port to support my existing monitors. (It's the main reason I chose the other Radeon card.)

Memory (RAM)16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (1 x 16GB)
Sweetspot for DDR5 speed, it's RGB simply because that was the only option at this speed, but you can turn off RGB if you want
I hope you'll pardon my ignorance I don't know what RGB is or what difference it makes but I'll look up. Meanwhile I'm happy to go with this

Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
CPU has on board graphics
I think this will be fine as long as I can connect my HDMI and AVI monitors. Is that correct?

1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR, 1625MB/sW)
Far better quality drive with better endurance.
Thanks for this. I originally tried for a 512GB PCS drive but was advised there were supply delays. This sounds excellent.

1st M.2 SSD Drive
Should this be the first Storage Drive or the 2nd M.2 SSD Drive? I'm not sure about the difference but understand the M.2 drives connect to the to the motherboard and are much quicker? If it's the 2nd M.2 drive can it still act as what I'd normally expect to be the D: drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
Have fit with the caveat that you understand any data should always be stored on an HDD because SSD's fail catastrophically and you can't get data off once they've failed. HDD's fail sector by sector so you have usually months of warning before they fail to get a replacement.
Thanks for pointing this out. I've thought about it and will accept the risk but will mitigate it by ensuring all my important data is backed up to an external disc drive. My profile data is already synchronised with OneDrive.

Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Is this presented as separate microphone and speaker 3.5mm jacks? (It's the reason I chose the Soundblaster Audigy)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
I don't need wireless but Blutooth is useful

Processor Cooling
DeepCool AG400 Performance ARGB CPU Cooler
Better from a noise perspective than the standard cooler
I'm ashamed to admit I've never considered this and am grateful for your suggestion.

Apologies if my formatting looks as if I'm shouting. I've tried to seperate my comments out so you can locate them more easily. If you do have titime, would really appreciate any comments you have and then I think I'll be ready to place an order.

I am very grateful for your help and the time you've spent helping me. It's very kind of you.

Regards,

John
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
JohnWilliams149 said:
I note your comment about the CPU having on board graphics but will this be presented as an HDMI and AVI port to support my existing monitors. (It's the main reason I chose the other Radeon card.)
Click to expand...
Apologies, did answer this but must have inadvertently deleted it at some point.
The board has one HDMI and one Display Port. You'd have to use a DVI to HDMI adapter to connect to the AVI which is very old now and no longer supported on modern PC's. VGA is definitely out, it's analogue and you'll find an active adapter (which has to convert from digital to analogue) is to the price point where just buying a cheap modern monitor would make more sense.

JohnWilliams149 said:
I hope you'll pardon my ignorance I don't know what RGB is or what difference it makes but I'll look up. Meanwhile I'm happy to go with this
Click to expand...
RGB is lighting

JohnWilliams149 said:
Should this be the first Storage Drive or the 2nd M.2 SSD Drive? I'm not sure about the difference but understand the M.2 drives connect to the to the motherboard and are much quicker? If it's the 2nd M.2 drive can it still act as what I'd normally expect to be the D: drive
Click to expand...
Just click the link, you don't need to configure anything, it's all done for you, the link will pre load the configuration.

JohnWilliams149 said:
Is this presented as separate microphone and speaker 3.5mm jacks? (It's the reason I chose the Soundblaster Audigy)
Click to expand...
It's a 5.1 channel sound card, it's the same as the audigy, dedicated soundcards are a thing of the past, 5.1 has 3 3.5mm jacks, one for front R/L, one for rear R/L and one for a sub and center. Mic is standard on any PC.
 
J

JohnWilliams149

Member
I've reread your comments regarding the AVI port, and it looks as if I'll need to add the costs of a new monitor to the new PC and the desk rebuild. As we used to say when I was working - the task expands

Can I assume the proposed configuration will support multiple monitors - ie it has TWO HDMI ports?
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
JohnWilliams149 said:
I've reread your comments regarding the AVI port, and it looks as if I'll need to add the costs of a new monitor to the new PC and the desk rebuild. As we used to say when I was working - the task expands

Can I assume the proposed configuration will support multiple monitors - ie it has TWO HDMI ports?
Click to expand...
HDMI is not the normal connector for PC monitors, it's more used for TV's and hifi equipment. It has one HDMI and one Display Port which is the normal PC connector.
 
J

JohnWilliams149

Member
Ahh yes I get that now but it will support dual monitors to extend the desktop workspace?

Sorry if I'm being dense. I'm about to place the order and I don't want to make a mistake by assuming anything.

Thanks again !

John
 
J

JohnWilliams149

Member
Many thanks for all your support and patience while I asked what I suspect are standard questions.

I'm grateful for your help.

All the best,

John
 
J

JohnWilliams149

Member
Ordered.

I noticed that the Power Supply was different on the retrieved quotation, but I've assumed you've amended this at some point to the lower 450m supply and that this will not make any significant operational difference.

Once again thanks!

John
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
JohnWilliams149 said:
Ordered.

I noticed that the Power Supply was different on the retrieved quotation, but I've assumed you've amended this at some point to the lower 450m supply and that this will not make any significant operational difference.

Once again thanks!

John
Click to expand...
The MSI MEG 550 I'd configured is out of stock so it's defaulted to the base model. I would amend that to the 550W CV
 
J

JohnWilliams149

Member
I've called PCS and adjusted the order to the Corsair 550W CV. It was surprisingly straightforward and they were helpful.

Would that all suppliers were that easy to deal with.

Thanks for the clarification!

John
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
JohnWilliams149 said:
I've called PCS and adjusted the order to the Corsair 550W CV. It was surprisingly straightforward and they were helpful.

Would that all suppliers were that easy to deal with.

Thanks for the clarification!

John
Click to expand...
You don't need to call in future, you can make any amendments in your account.
 
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