Office/HD/VMware machine. Can you please spec me?

iluap

iluap

iluap

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20 Dec 2010
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6
Hello all,

I have read 95% of the threads posted here to get to know if someone had the same needs as I do, but to no avail. I have an old Dell PC (bought in 2005) and I need to replace it since it is just crawling. I checked the different technology but I need some help. I will basically need the PC to run like an office machine but I still need to be able to run 2-3 VMWare machines at the same time as well as have enough memory to go through logs (some of them being as big as 5GB).

I would not need to buy a monitor (at least not for now) because I can use my 42 inches plasma screen (I know it's not very efficient but I can always buy a monitor later on). If I can have an HD graphic card, that would be great because I could plug it to my TV and have a HD media server with the right software in place.

I need to buy OS as well.

I would obviously like a system not too pricey, although I could afford to spend up to £600. Also, I should be able to build it myself (I've some strong DIY skills at different levels).

As you can see, I will not be using the machine to play games but to do some office work.

Please, ask me if anything requires clarification. Thanks in advance for your help.

Merry Xmas!!!,

iluap
 
Welcome to forums, sry your post must have got missed first time round

If youre in no rush it may be worth waiting a coupla weeks for Intels new release which is SandyBridge, though you wont need the power, its always nice to have newer tech :D, if not then this is more than enough, maybe OTT but it fits nicely in your budget and will last you for some time

Intel Core i5 760 2.80GHz (Lynnfield) (Socket LGA1156) - Retail £140.99
Gigabyte GA-P55-USB3 Intel P55 (Socket 1156) DDR3 Motherboard £88.36
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-00599) £82.24
BeQuiet Pure Power L7 530W Power Supply £44.99
Silverstone PS02B Precision Midi Case - Black £39.99
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD103SJ) £39.99
2 x Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £39.99 x 2 = £79.98
HIS ATI Radeon HD 5450 512MB GDDR3 SILENT Low Profile PCI-Express Graphics Card (H545HR512) £33.99
OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £11.74
Sub Total : £478.51
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £11.75
VAT is being charged at 17.50% VAT : £85.80
Total : £576.06
 
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Hi 95thrifles,
Thanks for that! I'm not sure if I really need to wait for the new processor since the PC will not be used for anything more powerful than running 2 VM machines at a time. Furthermore, if I order it today, I will save 2.5% on the total given the raise on VAT due.
Thanks for your help, I saw many threads where you recommended hardware and couldn't see many where a spec different from yours was recommended (only 1 or 2 items out of the whole list).
 
Something else guys, do I need a CPU cooler? If so, is there any limitation as to what can I buy in terms of models/technology?
 
yeah, looks like a good spec especially for the VMs, the extra ram and quad core i5 will make running the VMs pretty slick and easy.
I generally run around 5-6 VMs for some of my labs and there is no way I could do it without a quad core and a decent chunk of ram, trying would just result in a bus load of frustration :P
 
Hey no worries

As above if you dont plan to OC the stock cooler is fine, if you did want an aftermarket cooler either for quieter operation or OCing then just make sure in the description it lists the socket type, which is 1156, the arctic freezer 7 pro rev 2 is a good little basic cooler, £19 iirc
 
Note: I'd personally go for a hex core...depending on the performance you want from each of the VMs.

I do a lot of virtualization and the 6 cores really come in handy with VMware (though I prefer VirtualBox).

Was just checking RAM, 8GB should be perfect : )
 
Thanks for the clarification re cooling. I went for the Titan Fenrir Evo CPU Cooler (it was on sale and only a bit more expensive). I also got Arctic Cooling MX-4 in case the thermal compound that comes with it is not worthy. I removed the DVD drive (I already have two on my old machine) and added a cheap wireless keyboard/mouse set.
I am not going to overwork the VM's, it's only reproducing issues on straight forward env (I also prefer VirtualBox, it's on my iMac but I need to use VMware as per company's requirements). Hopefully, the 8GB will be more than enough for what I need the PC for.
Thanks for the suggestions and comments guys ;)
 
Hi guys,
I got my new PC yesterday and I just finished building it. That was good fun and I enjoyed doing it.
I am not sure why but I was expecting a faster performance. I'll carry on fine tuning it.
Thanks for your help again ;)
 
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