Advice and Thoughts on Two Builds

[brat]

Hiya all, first post on Hexus and it's for advice and thoughts
Bear with me, I shall explain and ask after giving hardware details.

I require two computers (for a business), the builds I have in mind are as follow:


Build 1:

• Intel i5 2400 @ 3.1GHz
• Gigabyte H61M-USB3-B3
• 2X2GB Crucial Ballistic
• 2x500GB WD Caviar Blue
• Corsair 430W Builder Series
• Adaptec 2405 RAID Card
• IntaShield 300 Serial/Parallel PCI
• Windows XP Pro

Build 2:

• Intel i3 2100 @ 3.1 GHz
• Gigabyte H61M-USB3-B3
• 2X2GB Crucial Ballistic
• 2x500GB WD Caviar Blue
• Corsair 430W Builder Series
• Windows XP Pro

My Justifications

Build 1

• RAID 1 so as should either drive fail, business continuity is ensured (I will also have regular backups made on other media, should a virus crawl in or some form of data corruption should occur)
• Adaptec 2405 - from my research it is a reputable brand with good quality boards, the model chosen as it is a low priced hardware based as opposed to software or software-hardware hybrid
• The IntaShield as a serial and parallel port is required for a modem and a printer, and the motherboard does not have back panel ports for these two

Both Builds

• Windows XP Pro as the software provider will only install on an XP Pro machine
• The motherboard as it is one of the cheapest socket 1155 boards I could find with both PCIe and PCI slots as well as supposedly being a defect free board
• The RAM was chosen as Crucial has a good reputation and this particular model was looked up on their website to be guaranteed to be compatible with the chosen motherboard
• The HDD's due to the reputability of WD and thier harddrives, reviews on this drive seem generally positive, inc. for RAID 1
• The Corsair Builder Series is supposedly well built, reliable and cheap
• The Intel i series as for equivalent performance from a Core2Duo, I thought the price was around the same

My Questions

1. I will be using some form of remote desktop software to access and use the computer over the internet. Would an i3 be sufficient?
2. Would 430Watts be sufficient for both builds? Assuming the i5 stays. I looked it up on an online calculator, and it appears so. However, clarification would be nice
3. Are there any faults in the compatibility of the parts I have chosen, or any issues I may have missed?
4. Any thoughts on how I could make these builds cheaper? (Currently, inc. monitors, keyboard/mouse and OS the cost is around £1100)
5. Any comments about the RAID card chosen? I'd like to point out in advance I've heard too many negative comments about HighPoints solutions and thier customer service to consider them.
6. Any thoughts/opinions what so ever on these builds that don't fit into the above questions? Or any questions I should be asking that I don't appear to have thought about?

Okay, that's all of that over.
I'd like to thank anyone for any help they may offer in advance.


Bharat.

Answers

1. The i3 will be sufficient, assuming I don't plan to use any virtualization
2. The Corsair uses sleeve bearings, and since the system will be on almost all the time, ball bearing is a wiser choice. PSU changed to Antec HCG 400W
3. .
4. .
5. .
6. A larger screen with a highr resolution would certainly make a difference, but physical limitation restrict size and a lower resolution is preferred

Updated Info

• Build 1 will feature an i3 2100
• Both builds will feature an Antec HCG 400W

[Pancake]

Logging off in a moment, however the answer for 1 and 2 is Yes it will be fine. That PSU would do very nicely and last you for ever, and the i3 is still a very powerful CPU. Near enough as makes no difference to a Q6600

[dave87]

My main concern would be the use of WinXP - it is very long in the tooth.

If you get Win 7 Professional then you can run XP in a virtual machine for apps that don't support win 7 if you are dependant on it.

Would also allow you full use of the 4gb of RAM in each machine.

[brat]

I wanted to use Windows 7, and run XP mode, but the company we are using won't agree to it. The are determined that XP Pro must be the OS. I tihnk it's partly because they want to make sure we have to upgrade again in a few years and fork out more money to them. And also they have only tested thier software on XP Pro, not on a virtual machine running XP. (They were going to charge £2000 for two Core2Duo computers with a total hard drive capacity across both under 750GB!).

[dave87]

Is it software you can migrate away from? If so, I'd seriously be considering it if that is the level of service they give you....

Do they have to install it?

[brat]

I was just discussing that with my dad. We can migrate away, but it will mean having to learn how the new software works. Yea they have to install it, it's NHS based so they also have to ensure it connects to the NHS spine correctly and various bits of random software to just make everything work. Most of it is just background stuff, but has to be done. But yes, about migration, decideded against it because of the learning curve. As my dad plans to retire in a few years anyway, the current staff will retire then aswell, so we may change the system then, as all the new staff will have to learn either the current system or a new one. Until then, just gonna stick it out for the sake of simplicity.

Ps, in case it wasn't obv. from what I just said, I don't understand how they install and connect the various pieces of software they provide. I've tried playing around with thier current installation and I'm not entirely sure. Unless it really is as easy as it appears, in which case I wish I knew how to program and was an expert in GUI, database programming, and networking. 'Cos damn I could get rich fast!

[dave87]

Given that info, wise choice.

Are you going for new screens? I upgraded my display as one of the last things (which makes sense) but it gave one of the biggest boosts in useability. I went for a 23" Dell, 1920x1080 and the higher res and bigger screen do make a difference - I was running a 17" 1280x1024 display before that.

Just a quick q regarding the serial port modem - is that fallback? or a specific connection for a particular purpose?

[brat]

I agree, they do make a difference. However, the text will be easier to read on a lower resolution (= bigger text size by default without needing to change any settings). I was thinking a 17'' with the largest resolution for about £60 for Build 2. I can always scale down the resolution to something they can easily read. For Build 1 I was just going to use the current 17'' screen. There is the problem with space, the current 17'' just about fits into the gap where the new system will go, so want to stick to that screen size for now. After using the software, if a bigger screen will actually be beneficial for it, I'll get them after I think.

The serial port modem is used to connect to the ordering service. It's the method that's been used for decades (I kid ou not, I tihnk it's still the same modem :/ ), and it's worked great so far, so as the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, why fix it".

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The Core i5 2400 supports virtualization and the core i3 2100 does not. Hence in the future if you do get Windows 7 and require XP mode the Core i3 2100 will be a slower choice.

Avoid the Corsair 430W PSU. It uses a sleeve bearing fan and cheaper capacitors. The sleeve bearing fan alone will have a higher chance of having problems after two to three years.

I would look at the following PSUs:

http://www.ebuyer.com/185183-antec-3...-ea-380d-green

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/400w-...et-fan-atx-v23

Both are made by Seasonic,use longer lifespan ball bearing fans and more expensive capacitors .

[brat]

Regarding virtualization, since our current software provider is refusing the virtual machine XP mode, I can't see us using it in the future. If we do change to Windows 7 or even a later OS, then most likely the software we use will have migrated to that operating system aswell (this software and remote desktop-ing is the only thing that will be used on the system with regards to the business). I should be able to save £50 by changing to the Core i3 in Build 1.


I had never heard of sleeve bearings before. After a lttle googling, I understand the physical difference between sleeve and ball bearing, and having read a couple of articles, ball bearing is most certainly the way to go, most especially in this application as the system is very likely to be on 24/7. Thank you very much for providing the alternative PSU's, I tihnk I shall go with the Antec Gaming PSU since the moajority of my parts are coming from SCAN, and none from eBuyer and as such I can avoid double posting charges.



One thing, I don't understand why it is that the sleeve bearing doesn't last as long under higher temperatures and that the oil evaporates off more than it does from from ball bearings. Shed any light please?



On a side note, I've realised I can buy RAM direct from Crucial without P&P and as such can choose even cheaper RAM modules guaranteed to work for this motherboard and cut the cost of the RAM down a little. If I shave a little off here and there, it will hopefully add up and bring the total cost back closer to £1000.