Budget Workhorse Computer Recomendations

[Ashimema]

Hi All,

Now that the Sandy-Bridge Problems have all been sorted I felt it was time to get back to specing out my new work machine. I want it fairly future proofed (hoping to make it last 5+ years with a few minor tweaks here and there as we go along).

So, the machine will be mainly used for; Coding and testing Perl, PHP, Javascript and other Web 2.0 technologies and Coding, Compiling and testing C# programs. I'm known to be constantly working with many open shells to servers all over the place and run a few Virtual Machines for testing simultaneously. There's the chance of possible Light gaming (Very light, it's a work computer primarily) too.

So, any recommendations would be great? I'm wondering if I've gone to high spec if I'm honest; it's very easy to get blown away in facts and figures and advertising hype! Ooh.. also I should be able to claim the VAT back so the spec below is just about within (well outside by a few squid) my £750 budget.

Case
COOLERMASTER CM690 MKII ADVANCED CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7-2600k Quad Core (3.40GHz, 8MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P8P67 (NEW REV 3.0): USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, CrossFireX™
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB ATI RADEON™ HD5670 - DVI,HDMI,VGA - DX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB INTEL® X25-M SERIES SSD, SATA 3 Gb/s (upto 250MB/sR | 100MB/sW)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
4x BLU-RAY ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ROM (£35)
Power Supply
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£29)
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £918.00 including VAT and delivery. (£765 ex VAT)

 

[Gorman]

Looks fairly well balanced, my suggestions would be the non k version 2600 and up the PSU to around 650w, PSU's lose grunt over time so its best to overspec them to begin with.

 

[Ashimema]

Cheers Gorman,

That seems like sound advice.. Any chance you could clarify the differences between the k version and the non k version of the i7? Is it simply the unlocked multiplier I believe I read about (it's been a little while since I did my research on it)?

 

[Gorman]

Cheers Gorman,

That seems like sound advice.. Any chance you could clarify the differences between the k version and the non k version of the i7? Is it simply the unlocked multiplier I believe I read about (it's been a little while since I did my research on it)?

Correct, thats about it, the K version is for those who want to overclock. Overclock implies enthusiast and why an enthusiast would opt for the little 2nd gen I7 chip with an integrated gpu and not wait for the big chip "Ivy bridge" is a little beyond me.

Normal workhorse use, flat 2600 is the one to go for.

 

[Ashimema]

OK,

Going off on a complete tangent I thought I'd spec up an roughly comparable AMD based system (My last couple of machines have been AMD based and have performed admirably). It obviously comes out a bit cheaper.. though not by as much as I was expecting so maybe I've over done it again? What are anyone's views on AMD vs Intel at the moment especially considering the usage cases I've outlined in the first post? I'm also interested to know what people's opinions are on 6 physical AMD cores vs 4 Physical and 4 Hyper-threaded Intel i7 Cores?

So,.. the modified specs taking into account Gormans recommendations would be;

AMD

Case
COOLERMASTER CM690 MKII ADVANCED CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD PHENOM II X4 970 (3.50GHz/8MB CACHE/AM3) - BLACK EDITION
Motherboard
ASUS® M4A89TD PRO/USB3 : DDR3, USB 3.0, SATA 6.0Gb/s, CrossFireX
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB ATI RADEON™ HD5670 - DVI,HDMI,VGA - DX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB INTEL® X25-M SERIES SSD, SATA 3 Gb/s (upto 250MB/sR | 100MB/sW)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
4x BLU-RAY ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ROM (£35)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TX SERIES (TX650) 80+ ULTRA QUIET PSU (£78)
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £868.00 including VAT and delivery.



Intel

Case
COOLERMASTER CM690 MKII ADVANCED CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7-2600 Quad Core (3.40GHz, 8MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P8P67 (NEW REV 3.0): USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, CrossFireX™
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB ATI RADEON™ HD5670 - DVI,HDMI,VGA - DX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB INTEL® X25-M SERIES SSD, SATA 3 Gb/s (upto 250MB/sR | 100MB/sW)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
4x BLU-RAY ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ROM (£35)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TX SERIES (TX650) 80+ ULTRA QUIET PSU (£78)
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £951.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[Meds]

There is only one winner = Intel.

If the difference in price doesn't matter than I'd push you in the direction of the Intel i7-2600 PC every time. Obviously, if the budget was an issue, then you could consider an AMD based PC or simply downgrade the Intel CPU to the i5-2500. Even though it doesn't have HT, it will still probably perform better than 90% of AMD chips.