OT: Where to buy a new PC?

[Wardy]

I am in the same position as the original poster. I want separates in case a component goes wrong and my poor eyesight suits a desktop better. But I want a small box with the components so I can carry around at a pinch, for clients, exhibitions, talks etc. Just in case the laptops misbehave.

i5 minimum specs, or equivalent.

What do you plan on doing with it and what do you call small? The main problem with small cases is you are limited with a number of things. Firstly the size means the motherboard you want may not fit. Likewise expansion cards may not fit. Lastly you can also face issues with keeping it cool since you will not have the fan space or air flow.

 

[Wardy]

I am in the same position as the original poster. I want separates in case a component goes wrong and my poor eyesight suits a desktop better. But I want a small box with the components so I can carry around at a pinch, for clients, exhibitions, talks etc. Just in case the laptops misbehave.

i5 minimum specs, or equivalent.

And I would want my main HD to be solid state if they are reliable.

How about
PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1iCDH
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1iCDH/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1iCDH/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£242.50 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard (£100.41 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: GeIL Enhance CORSA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory
Storage: Crucial V4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Storage: Hitachi Product Series:7K1000<br/>Product Line:Travelstar 1TB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£60.25 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case (£37.98 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq 500W ATX12V Power Supply
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer
Total: £441.14
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-20 08:36 BST+0100)

If you are sure about a SSD I would go with a smallish one and use it for the OS and the main software you use then use a normal hard drive for data. Unless of course you have a £1k to spend on a decent sized SSD.

 

[perseus]

How about
PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1iCDH
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1iCDH/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1iCDH/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£242.50 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard (£100.41 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: GeIL Enhance CORSA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory
Storage: Crucial V4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Storage: Hitachi Product Series:7K1000<br/>Product Line:Travelstar 1TB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£60.25 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case (£37.98 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq 500W ATX12V Power Supply
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer
Total: £441.14
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-20 08:36 BST+0100)

If you are sure about a SSD I would go with a smallish one and use it for the OS and the main software you use then use a normal hard drive for data. Unless of course you have a £1k to spend on a decent sized SSD.

Thanks Wardy. It looks magic. I am going to wait until the heat dies down before thinking about it.

Are modern PCs quiet? The fan makes a racket on my Dell. Yep the plan is for two HDs, a small one one for programs and OS and another one or two for information.

 

[perseus]

What do you plan on doing with it and what do you call small? The main problem with small cases is you are limited with a number of things. Firstly the size means the motherboard you want may not fit. Likewise expansion cards may not fit. Lastly you can also face issues with keeping it cool since you will not have the fan space or air flow.

Currently I have a very old Dell Dimension computer which is rubbish because it is noisy. It has a case with a carrying handle which is handy for a desktop.

 

[jgmcdee]

If you are sure about a SSD I would go with a smallish one and use it for the OS and the main software you use then use a normal hard drive for data. Unless of course you have a £1k to spend on a decent sized SSD.

Seems a little over the top. You can pick up a (very good) 256GB SSD for about £180.

 

[Wardy]

Seems a little over the top. You can pick up a (very good) 256GB SSD for about £180.

Agreed, but once you have put and OS and then and some software there is not much left for anything else. You can get 1TB SSD's but they are about £1.4k. Better to get a smallish SSD for your OS and programs then a standard HD for data.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

I'm looking to replace my tired old desktop, as it can't cope with photo (Lightroom) and HD video editing, and upgrading isn't practical. I don't use the PC for gaming. Budget around £800. Would love to build it myself, but prefer something that works!

PC Specialist and Chillblast seem to be the main contenders for configuring your own spec.

I've had several decent PCs from Evesham, but they went bust. Bad experiences put me off Mesh and Dell.

Are there any other on-line retailers anyone can suggest? Any good / bad experiences in the past year?

TIA.

As others have suggested build your own. You get what you want and you also get the satisfaction of building it yourself.

Novatech do motherboard, cpu and memory bundles.
http://www.novatech.co.uk/motherboardbundles/intel/

All that is left to get is:
Hard Drive
Case & Power Supply
Graphics Card
DVD Re-Writer

And put it all together.
CPU & Fan is already mounted to motherboard and tested, when you buy the board. You don't need to mess around fitting the CPU, Thermal Compound and fan.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Why not an iMac, you can run Windows on it with Bootcamp. You get a powerful bit of kit, very reliable, great screen, and if you fancy it, you can try using that OSX they all keep talking about.

I'm going to build one of these later on
http://www.hackintosh.com/

 

[Fungus]

As others have suggested build your own. You get what you want and you also get the satisfaction of building it yourself.

Novatech do motherboard, cpu and memory bundles.
http://www.novatech.co.uk/motherboardbundles/intel/

All that is left to get is:
Hard Drive
Case & Power Supply
Graphics Card
DVD Re-Writer

And put it all together.
CPU & Fan is already mounted to motherboard and tested, when you buy the board. You don't need to mess around fitting the CPU, Thermal Compound and fan.

Interesting alternative, maybe best of both worlds! Like the idea of the pre-mounted CPU and fan.

Tend to agree with Wardy, though, about the SSD - it's a "nice to have", rather than essential. I'll have to see how far the budget stretches.

 

[perseus]

I want the guarantee of a model made by a professional. Reliability is a very high rating. I have made them in the past. SSD are thought to be more reliable.