New Build Desktop

[anisin]

Hi! I wanted to ask:
(a) do I need to upgrade the case? I will never be looking at it, as it will be hidden behind a desk! But a higher spec case may have more things, such as USB ports or whatever?
(b) given the Motherboard and other things that I have chosen: Is the AMD processor an overkill -- I am trying to get as much speed as poss and also trying to make this desktop future proof for a few years at least.
(c) the graphics card has DirectX -- is that a help?
(d) do I need to upgrade the power supply -- as there is sippage of a cerain percentage with age?
(e) do I need to upgrade the processor cooling -- to the next leve for another £19?

I am a silver surfer: don't do gaming nor video streaming or watching DVDs or live TV on the computer. The budget of around £900.00 is OK but don't want to waste money for no benefit? Thank you for your help.


Case
STYLISH PIANO BLACK ENIGMA CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Processor (CPU)
AMD PHENOM II X6 1090T (3.20GHz/9MB CACHE/AM3/) - BLACK EDITION
Motherboard
ASUS® M4A87TD/USB3: DUAL DDR3,SATA 6.0GB/s, USB 3.0
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (4 x 2GB KIT)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT430 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
450GB WD VELOCIRAPTOR® SATA 6-Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (10,000rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply & Case Cooling
350W Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI EXPRESS CARD (£19)
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 13 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £910.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[Rakk]

For what you've said you'll be doing, yes that CPU is overkill, you could reduce the RAM down to 4GB of the Samsung RAM (since 8gb of the Kingston is also overkill) as well.

But make sure you pick up the Silver Warranty for a fiver (its well worth it).

 

[Sleinous]

What id suggest: AMD Phenom X4 970 - yes that six core is mega overkill
Then: Get a GTS450 and upgrade psu to 450w

 

[Phoenix]

Definitely get the silver warranty and consider the coolermaster elite 310 case, while the case you chose should be fine this one isn't much more expensive and will provide better cooling which is always nice for those warm summer days.

 

[PCS]

Welcome to our forums! There are many silver surfers who come to PC Specialist, our oldest was over 90 so you're not alone!

Generally a great spec. My advice is to keep the spec as it is with the exception of reducing the RAM to 4GB as Rakk suggested, and parhaps lowering the processor a little, as for your usage it's a little overkill.

The case is nice - you don't need to upgrade it.

The power supply and processor cooling are more than adequate, no need to worry about these, and yes, DirectX will help for graphical performance. You card has DirectX 11, which is the latest version. It's mainly used for gaming, so this is not a major contributing factor for your usage.