# New Computer Needed



## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

Hi All,

I'm sure you get plenty of these threads but I'm just after opinions and any useful websites or info please.

So currently I have my 4 year old Acer Aspire 8930 (see specs here: http://www.acerdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_8930G-944G64Bn_Gemstone_Blue_Laptop_LX.AT10U.003/version.asp)

I've upgraded it to Windows 7 and it runs quite well, but I'm after something really good.

What I will use new PC for:
Video editing (not pro though)
Photo editing (Photoshop CS5 / CS6)
3D CAD (Inventor or Solidworks)
And all the usual PC stuff.

Ideally what I'm after: Fast 4 core processor, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD along with 1TB or 2TB Hard Drive, possibly 2 DVD drives (1 Blu Ray writer and 1 DVD writer) - however this is not important as I can get an external one.

So the important point...I have NOT decided on Windows or Apple OS. I am used to windows, but considering changing to Apple iMac - played with one and was very impressed.

So the iMac I was looking at is:
27-inch, 2.7GHz quad core processor, 4GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1TB HD, Magic Mouse and Keyboard. This is £1,879 -12% student discount = £1,653.52 and I would buy 4 x 4GB RAM for £60 and install myself. That makes a total of around £1,700. To me this seems VERY steep and would have preferred to spend a bit less. However there is a new 2012 iMac due out end of October which might have a better spec and be worth it so I will wait.

What I would like help with is recommending me other systems, windows or apple...although I do want a more desktop set up as I have a netbook and iPad so not after another laptop but wouldn't really want a massive big gaming tower either. If I went for a 'custom build PC' I would probably go for a £200 or so monitor from Amazon about 24" and get a keyboard off Amazon too.

Ideally I would like to spend around £1,000 on a custom build PC though as the iMac is a bit too much but Apple seems more robust, great looking and just works so it is tempting.


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## jamest (Apr 8, 2008)

Just did a very quick build of:

i7 3770K 3.50GHz
16GB RAM
1x 256GB SSD
1x 1TB hard drive
MSI HD 5450 1GB GFX
Bluray RW
DVD RW
24" Samsung S24B300BS
Windows Home Premium

£1,460 (doesn't include keyboard/mouse)

With the higher spec PCs like you are looking for there isn't a huge gap between a Windows based PC and an iMac.

The Apple screen will be far superior to the 24" Samsung that I included in my quick build.


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

Thanks for your reply mate, much appreciated.

I'm not sure if I would 'need' the i7 or if I should stick with the i5 processor to save costs.
I may require a better graphics card too, but I don't really know much about them...everything else is spot on.

I notice on Amazon I could get the 24" Acer screen for £130, decent keyboard £30 and already have a good mouse. 

I have a working Windows 7 Ultimate which I could use if the built PC came with no operating system, which again would save some money. 

When you say you done a quick build, is that through a site or do you mean one you have recently actually made? And yeah the 27" apple screen is just amazing :argie:


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## jamest (Apr 8, 2008)

A quick build using a "systems configuration" tool on Overclockers.

You probably could drop down to an i5 but my understanding was that the i7 although not masses better than an i5 at gaming is a fair bit better than the i5 when it comes to video rendering etc.

If you aren't gaming a "cheaper" graphics card will be fine for you, despite doing graphics and video work they generally don't use the graphics card but are more CPU centric.

That Samsung monitor was £150 to give you an idea of cost.

So you will have saved:

- £20 off monitor
- ~£60 on CPU
- £85 on Windows

£1295

Can save an extra £100 odd by only getting a 120GB SSD.


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## LRBK (Jul 23, 2012)

I have a 128gb ssd in my Win7 PC. I am running Win7 Ultimate, Full MS Office Suite, full Adobe CS4 suite, and plenty of other software (games, browsers, media players etc), and I still have 88gb free on my SSD.
So, I'm wondering why you want a 256gb ssd? Assuming you will use the SSD for programs and your HDD for files etc. You'd have a job filling 256gb, and a 128 is much cheaper.
16gb of ram sounds like overkill too. I have 8gb and even when encoding HD video, with 10 tabs open in my browser, my VPN software, Media Monkey, Dropbox all running it never gets above 50%
If the ram isn't getting used, it's basically wasted. It's not like more is better.
If you are encoding video, it is the processor that takes a beating, so get the best you can afford. But I think you can save a fair bit by sticking with a 128gb ssd and 8gb of fast ram.

For what it's worth my build (was over a year ago mind):
Processor: i5 2500k (OC to 3.9ghz)
Mobo: Asus P8P67 PRO
Ram: 8gb Corsair Corsair Vengeance DDR3 16000mhz (2x 4gb)
SSD: 128gb Crucial M4
HDD: 2x 2TB Seagate Sata 3
Case: Lian Li something or other...
I had a screen already, but in total the build cost me about 800, and the thing flies, if you can stretch to an ivy bridge i7, you'll be laughing! :thumb:


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

Ah I see, that's a great comparison and would be a pretty sweet system.

Very helpful to know about the i7 being better for rendering ... something my current laptop struggles with BIG time. And also good to know about the graphics card too, cheers.

Seems like the set-up I have in mind, but I was hoping to spend a bit less still so I might have to consider what I really need compared to what I 'want'. A local PC shop here in Aberdeen is going to give me a few quotes for a range of custom spec'd PC which I will be able to compare to the info you have given me so thanks again :thumb:


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## Will_G (Jan 23, 2012)

I've used these folks for parts before and they do their own builds too for example:

eVision 6800 Series Is Ideal For The Professional User & Gamers Who Is Looking For Great Graphics and Speed. 
INTEL Core i5 3570K OVERCLOCKED 3.9Ghz+
16GB DRR3,120GB SSD
1TB HD
ATI Radeon HD 7700 1GB
Microsoft Windows 7 Premium 64bit

http://www.etstore.co.uk/customkititems.asp?kc=ECODE-850&eq=

£930 inc VAT, extra £34 for a bluray player, admittedly only comes with a 120GB SSD although I'm sure if you called they'd amend it to your spec.

There is an i7 spec on there at around £1,350 which is overclocked to 4GHz and comes with a 2GB graphics card.

EDIT: Interesting you're in Aberdeen, I'd pop in and see this lot if it isnt them you've already been speaking to


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## LRBK (Jul 23, 2012)

I got all my stuff from Scan, if you are patient you can pick up some good deals in their 'Daily Deals' section.

Oh yeah, and unless you are playing games, stick with a cheap video card, you don't need to spend more than about £30 unless you are using it for games. :thumb:


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

LRBK said:


> I have a 128gb ssd in my Win7 PC. I am running Win7 Ultimate, Full MS Office Suite, full Adobe CS4 suite, and plenty of other software (games, browsers, media players etc), and I still have 88gb free on my SSD.
> So, I'm wondering why you want a 256gb ssd? Assuming you will use the SSD for programs and your HDD for files etc. You'd have a job filling 256gb, and a 128 is much cheaper.
> 16gb of ram sounds like overkill too. I have 8gb and even when encoding HD video, with 10 tabs open in my browser, my VPN software, Media Monkey, Dropbox all running it never gets above 50%
> If the ram isn't getting used, it's basically wasted. It's not like more is better.
> ...


Thanks a lot for your reply...unfortunately I suffer from 'I WANT' haha but the SSD does indeed seem to be more than I would need and a 128GB might be a much better idea and save me £100 or so. The 16GB of RAM wouldn't be too much cost compared to 8GB and currently on the works PC with 8GB RAM Inventor, AutoCAD, Email, Dropbox and Internet uses about 6GB RAM so I think I would rather just go for 16GB although not likely to be needed. I'm also thinking of the future as I would be looking to get 4-5 years out of this PC - maybe even more so that extra £50 now will hopefully be worth it.

Can you tell me where you got your PC from (assuming all is well with it)?

Thanks again for your reply :thumb:


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

Will_G said:


> I've used these folks for parts before and they do their own builds too for example:
> 
> eVision 6800 Series Is Ideal For The Professional User & Gamers Who Is Looking For Great Graphics and Speed.
> INTEL Core i5 3570K OVERCLOCKED 3.9Ghz+
> ...


I've actually just emailed him about an hour ago and he is going to get some spec options to me with prices for a custom build I think, so thanks for the heads up on them...only ever used them for individual parts :thumb:


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## LRBK (Jul 23, 2012)

Yeah, I built it using parts I got from Scan, first one I built, but it's pretty easy to do. Like lego really!!!
Get a decent cooler, as the stock Intel one isn't up to much.

Note: Currently encoding DVD vid, with browser and media player open, CPU cores are all at 80-90%, but my 8gb of ram is at 29%!! :thumb:


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

LRBK said:


> I got all my stuff from Scan, if you are patient you can pick up some good deals in their 'Daily Deals' section.
> 
> Oh yeah, and unless you are playing games, stick with a cheap video card, you don't need to spend more than about £30 unless you are using it for games. :thumb:


I will give them a look, cheers for that. 
And yeah it's great to know the graphics card doesn't have to be anything amazing...that will save a few bucks thanks :thumb:


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

LRBK said:


> Yeah, I built it using parts I got from Scan, first one I built, but it's pretty easy to do. Like lego really!!!
> Get a decent cooler, as the stock Intel one isn't up to much.
> 
> Note: Currently encoding DVD vid, with browser and media player open, CPU cores are all at 80-90%, but my 8gb of ram is at 29%!! :thumb:


Yeah my old desktop was bad at overheating and now my laptop is too so would be willing to invest in the cooling...interesting about the CPU being 80-90%, will be making sure I can get the best CPU I can afford, cheers!


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

Although you say the graphics card doesn't have to be anything fancy for video / picture editing...does that apply for 3D CAD work?

I would regularly be playing about in parts and assemblies mostly nothing too complex but sometimes large assembly models with up to 4,000 parts worst case. At work we have a pretty good one in the PC's which costs £600-£1,000 I'm told and a quick google gives me:

"The NVIDIA® Quadro® 4000 delivers up to 5x faster performance to drive a broad range of design, styling and video applications".


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## jamest (Apr 8, 2008)

martin_46 said:


> Although you say the graphics card doesn't have to be anything fancy for video / picture editing...does that apply for 3D CAD work?
> 
> I would regularly be playing about in parts and assemblies mostly nothing too complex but sometimes large assembly models with up to 4,000 parts worst case. At work we have a pretty good one in the PC's which costs £600-£1,000 I'm told and a quick google gives me:
> 
> "The NVIDIA® Quadro® 4000 delivers up to 5x faster performance to drive a broad range of design, styling and video applications".


Depends on the applications used. I don't think many use the GPU for rendering, just for accelerated display of the preview in the program.

The workstation GPUs are extremely expensive.


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## GJM (Jul 19, 2009)

Located in Aberdeen, I have an alienware desktop for sale, never been out box

Only has 128ssd though but good all round spec.

Can get you more info if keen and you could pop round to see it


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

GJM said:


> Located in Aberdeen, I have an alienware desktop for sale, never been out box
> 
> Only has 128ssd though but good all round spec.
> 
> Can get you more info if keen and you could pop round to see it


I guess you haven't sold it yet then?


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

GJM said:


> Located in Aberdeen, I have an alienware desktop for sale, never been out box
> 
> Only has 128ssd though but good all round spec.
> 
> Can get you more info if keen and you could pop round to see it


Yeah if you want to give me the full specs and price mate? 
I have quite a restriction as to what size of box I could have...I think the compact alienware would be fine but the larger one may be a problem.

The 128GB SSD would probably be sufficient and can be swapped out easily enough for £150 or so.


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## GJM (Jul 19, 2009)

I can get you the lowdown on it, it's i5 with a decent graphics card but the tower is of the larger size as opposed to compact, didn't know they did a compact one or maybe they only vary slightly in size

Do you want me to get the dimensions first for you to see if it's going to be suitable first


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

Yeah if you can give me the specs that would be good :thumb:

The maximum height I can ideally have is about 450mm I think.
Currently the one I'm considering is: 
Dimension (W / H / D)	185 x 413 x 486 mm

If it's a new alienware then it will either be the X51 (compact size) or Aurora one I'm guessing?


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

GJM said:


> I can get you the lowdown on it, it's i5 with a decent graphics card but the tower is of the larger size as opposed to compact, didn't know they did a compact one or maybe they only vary slightly in size
> 
> Do you want me to get the dimensions first for you to see if it's going to be suitable first


Replied to your PM, but browser crashed just after so let me know if you got it ok :thumb:


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## Gruffs (Dec 10, 2007)

I've just specced a new Dell up for what you have listed.

My price was about what James found.

FYI, My Inventor guy recommends a PC with Windows 7 64bit. 16GB Ram and a minimum 2GB (Nvidia recommended) graphics card if you are looking at doing very high component numbers or complex feature arrays etc.

The difference between PC and Macs is not so much at this spec level (again as stated) though Inventor and SolidWorks are not Mac native so you would need to run in Boot Camp or parallels on the Mac.

But they are pretty.


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## GJM (Jul 19, 2009)

PugIain said:


> I guess you haven't sold it yet then?


What you mean 'it' I offered the flying machine on here but it all got a bit silly, if you remember I bought more than 1, guessing you were one who jumped on the bandwagon thinking I was upto some sort of scam?


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

Yeah I think I'm looking at about £1,000 for the right machine then I will add 256GB SSD and more RAM once I get it for about £200.

Still trying to cover all options but spending around £1,000 seems to be my idea, then £200 for screen and keyboard and another £200 or so if upgrades are required.


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## jamest (Apr 8, 2008)

martin_46 said:


> Yeah I think I'm looking at about £1,000 for the right machine then I will add 256GB SSD and more RAM once I get it for about £200.
> 
> Still trying to cover all options but spending around £1,000 seems to be my idea, then £200 for screen and keyboard and another £200 or so if upgrades are required.


So you are infact happy to spend £1400 which means the original spec I threw together would be perfect for you as it comes in at just under £1400 if you exclude Windows which you said you already had (and more if you get that slightly cheaper monitor).

Why buy something then spend additional money to make it up to the standard that you expect when you can just get the right standard straight away?


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

Very good point mate I would spend close to £1,400 total if it was perfect, but the system you had didn't have too great a graphics card compared to others I've been looking at...but these places charge £250-£300 extra for SSD and £120 for RAM, I can get both for £200 or so - that is why I would consider adding these myself. But your first post is pretty much just what I'm after bar the graphics card :thumb: - Too many options these days!



jamest said:


> So you are infact happy to spend £1400 which means the original spec I threw together would be perfect for you as it comes in at just under £1400 if you exclude Windows which you said you already had (and more if you get that slightly cheaper monitor).
> 
> Why buy something then spend additional money to make it up to the standard that you expect when you can just get the right standard straight away?


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## jamest (Apr 8, 2008)

If you are serious about rendering etc then even a high end gaming graphics card holds nothing to an AMD FirePro or Nvidia Quadro but they will set you back at least £400.

I'm sure you would be far better off using a better CPU and keeping the rendering on the CPU rather than the GPU until you can find the cash for a proper workstation GPU.


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## Gruffs (Dec 10, 2007)

I should Point out my spec was well over £2K with a high end graphics card for CAD.

In reality, unless you are Modelling factories or very complex surfaces, you should be OK.

I have huge arrayed features to deal with. If you are modelling relatively simple things, then you should be fine with a good spec 'standard' card iykwim.

Mind you, if you are buying inventor and/or SW, the GC should be a drop in the ocean.


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

GJM said:


> What you mean 'it' I offered the flying machine on here but it all got a bit silly, if you remember I bought more than 1, guessing you were one who jumped on the bandwagon thinking I was upto some sort of scam?


Re check the threads Deidre. I think you'll find I didn't post once, I just remember you posting them up a few times. I did in actual fact read them and consider buying one as I was in the market for a new PC. Glad I didn't now 
Besides I built one myself for less :thumb:


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

Thanks again for the input guys...still stuck deciding what to go for but taking on-board how the graphics card isn't as 'important' as the processor for me :thumb:


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## Gruffs (Dec 10, 2007)

Boot Camping my iMac as I type for a test Inventor Installation. I'll let you know how i get on.


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

Gruffs said:


> Boot Camping my iMac as I type for a test Inventor Installation. I'll let you know how i get on.


Nice one...that will be very helpful to know, thanks :thumb:


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## GJM (Jul 19, 2009)

PugIain said:


> Re check the threads Deidre.


Not that sad...but your comment indicated you may have been of that gang mentality



PugIain said:


> I just remember you posting them up a few times.


A couple as one got ruined by the theory gang



PugIain said:


> I did in actual fact read them and consider buying one as I was in the market for a new PC.


Yes like the couple of fools who screamed blue murder for photos and go the lot inlcuding a copy of the service tag and receipt....then went quiet!



PugIain said:


> Glad I didn't now


Why exactly


PugIain said:


> Besides I built one myself for less :thumb:


Impossible at the time Ms Rachid, the card was costing around £500 alone


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

GJM said:


> Why exactly


Because not buying a pre built one spurred me in to doing something Ive always fancied doing. Building my own.
In fact I bought a couple of upgrade bits for it last night, an Antec 1100 case and a cpu water cooler.



GJM said:


> Impossible at the time Ms Rachid, the card was costing around £500 alone


Nice, Ken . I was looking on ebuyer last night and theyve got a 4gb card at £600!
I settled for an OC'd Radeon 6870 when I got mine.


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## Gruffs (Dec 10, 2007)

Well,

Boot Camp went well.

But, I only have a copy of Vista. Lion only supports 7 so I got no further than a windows install. Which took about an hour but had no drivers per se. 

So, I'm not personally going to buy 7 for what was a work experiment so that is that finished.

However, My 2.7ghz i5 with 4GB RAM installed windows in about half the time that I'm used to. however, My Laptop is Royally ****ed!


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## GJM (Jul 19, 2009)

Well you never bought such a good machine if you had to go and add a new case and water cooler 

Know where your coming from, I used to build machines myself but it gets a bit tedious after a while...for me anyway so prefer to buy off the shelf so to speak...

You going to dig deep for the 4gb card then


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

GJM said:


> Well you never bought such a good machine if you had to go and add a new case and water cooler


It's more jealousy of my mates water cooling and case mods more than anything  . Hes got a flashy case with lights in it and all sorts. I bought a midi tower when I built this one and am a bit bored of the lack of space when it comes to cleaning it out. So I'm going to put all my spare bits in to this case and use the new tower for this one.



GJM said:


> You going to dig deep for the 4gb card then


 Erm no I shall not be buying the 4gb card, I'd probably end up with a stiletto heel sticking out of my head!


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

Well I'm nearly there, spec'd up an iMac for the custom PC I'm going to get and it would be £2,600 and I would have to buy an external Blu Ray R/W and pay extra for 3 year warranty ... this would take the purchase to about £2,800 :doublesho

So the option I think I'm going for is:
PSU: 750W
CPU: i5 3570 3.4GHz OC to 3.9GHz
GPU: Nvidia 660 GTX DDR5 2GB
RAM: 16GB 1600MHz
SSD:Corsair 240GB
HD: 2TB SATA
OPTICAL: Sony DVD/RW & LG Blu Ray Rw
Internal card reader
Windows 7 Premium
3 year parts and labour warranty. 

Will be getting the Acer 27" LED monitor for £187 off Amazon along with a keyboard for £30 and using my existing mouse.

I will be finalising over the weekend the exact build, price and delivery ... can't wait to get a nice new fast machine 

Just for reference, to buy all these parts off the internet it would be £1,053 and the build is costing pretty much that :thumb:

Thanks a lot for everyone's input and it's always good to explore all options, will update with final decision if it changes.


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## Gruffs (Dec 10, 2007)

One concern I have is the size of your monitor. 

For close work, that is way too big IMO. you'll end up looking around with your whole head and unless the resolution is massive, it'll look awful close up. 

Better two smaller monitors IMO to spread films across and one for close work.


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## jamest (Apr 8, 2008)

I assume you have also included a case in your price?

Make sure you get a good quality PSU. No point getting a cheap and nasty 750W one if it is going to risk frying all the other components.


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

Yeah I agree that 2 monitors would be better, but I'm restricted with having my 32" TV on the same desk so can only fit the 1 screen. Although you have a good point about the monitor possibly being too large - I plan to compare today :thumb:

Yeah it's a complete build so case is included, a compact coolmaster one. I will look into the PSU to ensure its not a cheap type too.


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## [email protected] (Jan 9, 2006)

Looking into upgrading my E6850 set up, so for me a motherboard bundle is on the cards, prob an i5 with 16gig of ram unsure on gfx at the mo


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## avit88 (Mar 19, 2012)

get on pcspecialist.com i got mine from there
amd phenom x4 3.6ghz
16gb ram

proper beast

****s on a i5 i had before chipset had it


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## jamest (Apr 8, 2008)

Phenom x4 are a bit faster than i5 but trounced by the i7 from what I remember reading.


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## avit88 (Mar 19, 2012)

jamest said:


> Phenom x4 are a bit faster than i5 but trounced by the i7 from what I remember reading.


oh absolutely but i couldnt afford one nor did i really need that amount of power!

saying all this my day to day surfing is done on a £200 acer aspire one 1.6 ghz intel atom netbook lol does me fine for just the net


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## avit88 (Mar 19, 2012)

£700-£800 i believe in the spec u want but thats just the tower on pcspecialist.com

wow if u go on top spec computers on their site you can now get an 8 core amd bulldozer with 32gb ram! omg i want one!


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