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Thread: Suggest a long-term medium spec pc?

  1. #1
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    Suggest a long-term medium spec pc?

    Hi,

    I am looking to set up a new pc for my parents that they will use for general tasks such as email, word processing, spreadsheets etc. The primary criteria in selecting components is that the system should last at least 5 years without requiring an upgrade ie high reliability, good quality. They won't be using the pc for gaming so gfx power isn't an issue; I have an AGP card that would be fine for general use that could go in there. I also have a case, DVD-ROM and CD-RW that can be used.

    So basically, I am looking for suggestions for:
    CPU
    Mobo
    RAM
    Hard drive
    Power supply

    within a budget of around £300 +-50. I was particularly wondering if it would be worth going for a dual core capable mobo that also has both AGP and PCI-Ex just in case they do want to upgrade or want to sell the box at some point in the future. Since the Pentium D 805 is pretty cheap lately, I was wondering if that would be a decent starting setup.

    I would greatly appreciate any suggestions that you may have.
    Thanks in advance.

  2. #2
    Yeah dude! NightshadowUK's Avatar
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    • NightshadowUK's system
      • Motherboard:
      • MSI Z87M GAMING
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core i7 4790K [Macho Rev.B]
      • Memory:
      • 2x8GB Corsair Vengeance LP
      • Storage:
      • Crucial M500 [240GB] & MX500 [1TB]
      • Graphics card(s):
      • 4GB Sapphire 290X Vapor-X
      • PSU:
      • 620W Corsair HX
      • Case:
      • Silverstone TJ08B-E [AP181 & NF-S12B]
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Home [64bit]
      • Monitor(s):
      • Dell U2412M
      • Internet:
      • Virgin Media 200Mb
    Going dual would be pointless for word processing / web surfing, here's what I've come up with:

    - AMD Athlon 64 3200+ ~ £88.10
    - Asrock Dual-SATA2 ~ £39.12
    - 1GB Corsair Value Select ~ £56.04
    - 250GB Samsung Spinpoint ~ £52.63
    - 380W Tagan TG380-U01 ~ £45.81

    Total ~ £281.70

    [Note: Motherboard has both PCI-E and AGP.]

  3. #3
    awm
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    maybe a microATX mobo with integrated graphics, the AGP would require a board with an AGP slot and possibly another fan and at least a power user. Just realized that Vista compatiblility might be a nice touch. Proabably any current CPU would be OK, a sempteron or celeron should even work (as much as I hate to admit I've even heard of them). For the ram any cheep 512-1GB should be fine, just from a reputable brand. The hard drive size is dependant on thier intrest in digital media, a nice quiet reliable (my Hitachi is fine, but no real comment about the brands, I'll let someone who knows more comment). An 80 GB would be pleanty unless they might fill it then go with 250ish, look for a good deal. Does you case already have a PSU, it might be enough for an integrated graphics mobo and a sempteron.

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    Thanks for your suggestions.

    I was, however, originally thinking about going dual core simply because it will support multitasking better and for the longevity of the system. I was possibly considering the Pentium D 930 which it seems you can get for about £125 nowadays. Also I think that support for DDR2 would be beneficial just in case DDR1 gets phased out in the next couple of years. Also, would it just be best to get a mobo with PCI Ex slots and onboard gfx rather than bothering with one with both AGP and PCI Ex (see first post about AGP card)?

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    sneaks quietly away. schmunk's Avatar
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    • schmunk's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Abit NF7-S v2.0
      • CPU:
      • AMD Athlon-M 2500+
      • Memory:
      • 1GB of Corsair BH-5 and 512MB of something else
      • Storage:
      • 160GB Seagate Barracuda
      • Graphics card(s):
      • ATI Radeon X800Pro, flashed to XT
      • PSU:
      • Hiper Type-M ~400W
      • Case:
      • Antec cheapy
      • Monitor(s):
      • AG Neovo F19 LCD
      • Internet:
      • Virgin Media 4MB/s
    Quote Originally Posted by dredd
    Thanks for your suggestions.

    I was, however, originally thinking about going dual core simply because it will support multitasking better and for the longevity of the system.
    If they can use Office 2005 now, they can use Office 2005 in 5 years' time. Also, how much multitasking will they really do? I usually have about 15-20 tabs open on my Explorer taskbar, over 5-10 different apps, and I cope with a single-core CPU.

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    The PC shown by NightshadowUK will be more than capable of word processing and email...I hope so, it certainly beats my celeron laptop hands down! And I do the above tasks fine on it.

  7. #7
    SSA
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    You don't say whether you need a monitor or an operating system but you could save yourself the trouble of building one and buy a Fujitsu Siemens X102 from ebuyer. Its got
    • Intel Celeron (2.8GHz)
    • 256 MB RAM
    • 40 GB Hard Drive
    • Microsoft Windows XP Home
    • DVD Drive, PS/2 keyboard and Mouse
    • 3 spare pci slots
    • network port
    • 4 USB ports on the back and 2 USB ports on the front
    • Graphics Controller - Integrated 64mb Shared
    • Integrated sound solution, 3 rear analog audio ports

    Full details here: http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/106600

    Frankly, if it weren't for the need for speed in gaming terms, I wouldn't be in process of building a new system to replace my old Athlon Thunderbird 1.2 GHz machine 'cos that's plenty beefy enough for what it looks like your olds are going to use it for

    p.s. you can get the above (or similar) even cheaper if you opt for the Linux version!

  8. #8
    Nox
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    • Nox's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Yes
      • CPU:
      • Yes
      • Memory:
      • Yes
      • Storage:
      • Yes
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Yes
      • PSU:
      • Yes
      • Case:
      • Yes
      • Monitor(s):
      • Yes
      • Internet:
      • Yes
    if that ebuyer deal doesn't grab ya:

    grab a skt 478 xc cube media from aria, (~100), a skt 478 cpu from somewhere, (~85 from scan for a 2.8 northwood) and memory/hd as above, but you wont need the PSU

    Its small, quiet, has integrated psu etc, remote control the lot. Has onboard gfx, and agp slot, gigait lan, and a kitchen sink. it also has the i865 chipset - absolutely rock solid.

    Even though you say not for games, mine plays everquest 2 absolutely fine at 1920x1200 to give you some idea of the power (tho i have 9700pro/3.2 and 2GB ram in it)

    Nox

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