A good machine ... but not for gaming?

CanaryDwarf

CanaryDwarf

CanaryDwarf

Associate
Joined
23 Apr 2016
Posts
1
Hi guys and girls :)

I have a requirement for a new desktop but I'm totally unsure of what I really need, how much that I need to spend and how to get the best value for my £££.

I use my current desktop for trading and have a dual screen setup connected via HDMI and VGA. My main requirement is for speed. I run 2 apps for my trading and they are not that resource hungry but I do sometimes end up with 10 or so windows open (IE and Chrome) to look at things like eBay/email/trading stuff, etc, when I am trading. I don't think that I need a graphics card and that onboard graphics will be fine. An additional point is that my house is always dusty and I'm forever cleaning my PC, screens, TV, etc, so I need a case that can handle the dust and in the Summer the occasional heat as my current machine (Acer Aspire X3990 i5-2320 3.0ghz & 6gb RAM) seems to struggle sometimes.

Additionally my missus uses the machine to stream TV and movies etc.

I have looked around and think that I need:

Case: Corsair Vengeance C70
Motherboard: no idea???
CPU: I7 for speed (overclocked?)
RAM: 16gb
HD: 1TB
SSD: Samsung 250gb Evo
PSU: ???

Now to be honest I don't have a clue as whether this sounds like a good system with nicely matched components that can stand the test of time? I'm not even going to attempt to build one myself as I have no patience whatsoever and I'd hate to think that I'd configure a machine only for the builder to think 'what the hell was this guy thinking!'

So this seems to be the place to come for help ... so please HELP! :)

Cheers - Dave
 
I'd spec it something along these lines.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £768.80
(includes shipping: £0.00)
​


​

As for building - phone OCUK up ask for a quote for it to be built for you.
 
The K3 mobo may not allow the monitor with VGA/RGB/D-Sub to be used:

* The DVI-D port does not support D-Sub connection by adapter.
Click to expand...

So check to see if one of your monitors has DVI-D (and the other, HDMI).

The SSD would give you the speed, and the 16GB RAM enough for plenty of browser windows open.


CanaryDwarf said:
CPU: I7 for speed (overclocked?)
Click to expand...


I wonder if an i7 is going to be any faster at running just two apps (plus browsers) than an i3, especially if you say they are not very resource hungry. If it isn't, it's an awful waste of money (approx. £300 more) on a cooler, Z mobo and more expensive chip, that may not give you any faster performance than a H110 mobo (with HDMI and VGA/D-Sub/RGB) and an i3 with stock cooler.
 
Might be worth buying a SATA SSD and reinstalling on that. I suspect you may not notice any difference from a faster CPU/more RAM (other than you have a fresh install on a swanky SSD).

Worst case I that you bring the SSD forward with you to a shiny new build ;)

E: Worth checking that your trading apps work with new operating systems as well. All the traders I know (not home users admittedly) are still running Windows 7. Unlikely but badly coded bespoke apps have a habit of not liking new operating systems
 
10 browser windows open at a time is nothing. I regularly have 50+ open.

I suggest you build a fanless system. This will stop any dust issues.

You'll want:

i5 CPU with motherboard and RAM
Nofan CR-95C CPU cooler (not available from OCUK)
SSD
Silverstone FT02 or FT05 case - remove the fans
Silverstone 460W fanless PSU

Being fanless will also help with movie streaming.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom