Powerful mini PC -- how does this look?

[colevalleygirl]

I'd like some feedback on the spec for a powerful mini-desktop PC that's intended to meet my needs for 4-5 years -- in particular the graphics card, PSU and case options, but also on anything else that looks glaringly out of line/over- or under-spec'd).

Some context:

1. This will be my main workhouse for software development, website development (including running an XAMPP stack), data crunching (including running mySQL) and some image manipulation as well as routine email/browsing (lots of tabs open)/word processing/admin/videocalls -- basically the system I'll be using 15 hours a day. I won't be gaming (well, maybe Zork, which will tell you what era I hail from :whistling: ), but I do want top-notch performance with multiple memory-hungry applications open, and to be able to watch good quality video with adequate but not brilliant sound.
   
2. The local Gigabit network includes a ASUStor NAS with 8Tb of RAID 5 storage (and handles media streaming around the house), and the data on this PC will also be stored in the cloud and on the NAS via Dropbox (with file history saved every 30 minutes to the NAS and full nightly backups and weekly DR images to the NAS), so I reckon 500Gig of local PC storage should be ample space-wise. If I lost the SSD on this system, it would not be a disaster to replace it -- I could keep working using my Ultrabook plus my old workhorse for a few days until I could source and install a replacement SSD and restore from the backups.
   
3. Longer term, I'll be hooking the system up to a couple of wide monitors (Dell U2913WM) acting as a single virtual screen if possible, one of which will have a soundbar, and an ergonomic wireless keyboard and mouse. I'm thinking Display Port for linking the monitors to this system, but am open to suggestions. Short term it will be a single monitor, which will also be connected by HDMI to my current workhorse (which will be re-purposed to serve as a test environment with virtual machines for Windows 7 and Windows 8). I plan to share the keyboard and mouse using Mouse Without Borders or Synergy or similar.
   
4. The system will be located on my desktop behind one of the monitors so needs to be relatively small (especially in depth) and quiet.

Specific questions:

• My budget is £1000 inc VAT and this comes in slightly over-budget -- what changes could I make and still meet my needs (I won't want to reduce the CPU memory or disk)?
  
• In particular, I suspect the graphics card I've selected is overkill -- could I get by using a lower spec card and DVI connections from this system to two monitors? Would prevent me using two monitors as a single virtual screen in future?
  
• Have I allowed too much headroom in the PSU?
  
• Is there a cheaper case option that would still provide adequate (quiet) cooling?

Thanks for looking
Helen




Case
Silverstone SG05B-USB3.0 Mini-ITX Case
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4790T (2.7GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® H97I-PLUS: Mini-ITX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
2GB AMD RADEON™ R7 260X - DVI, HDMI, DP- DX® 11, , Eyefinity 3 Capable
1st Hard Disk
500GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W VS SERIES™ VS-650 POWER SUPPLY
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 8.1 Professional 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 8.1 (64-bit) Professional DVD with paper sleeve

3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

 

[keynes]

What dimensions are you looking for? I would consider a compact case instead with an i7-4790 which should perform better than the i7-4790t

 

[colevalleygirl]

What dimensions are you looking for?

It needs to sit a 300mm x 300mm footprint, height up to 400mm... those dimensions include 'airflow space' around it.