Help appreciated with quick office system

Fett · 31 Dec 2012 at 19:29

I’d appreciate any help with this spec, the guy I would normally rely on for this is currently in China until March and takes a week to reply sometimes.
We have to have five of these. It has to be a pretty quick and quiet system, for office based work (Excel, database, some PS work etc. No gaming). Each PC has 3 monitors (2 @ 1920x1200 and 1 @ 2560x1440).

Budget can go up but in my novice eyes, the spec is probably already OTT, which I’m ok with. Money saved would be great if there is no discernible impact on speed. Would probably use any inbuilt overclocking ability that comes with the motherboard.

Any compatibility issues? Is the PSU powerful enough (not sure how to calculate draw)? Right memory?

Any comments and/or suggestions are gratefully received.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £161.99
1 x Asus P8Z77-V PRO Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £159.98
1 x Samsung 128GB SSD 840 PRO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7PD128BW) £119.99
1 x Seasonic X-Series 650w '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £114.98
1 x Corsair Carbide 500R Midi Tower Case - Black £96.35
1 x Sapphire HD 7750 Ultimate 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £95.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Arctic White 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9W) £59.99
1 x Noctua NH-D14-2011 Dual Radiator CPU Cooler with PWM Fans (Socket LGA2011) £59.99
1 x Pioneer BDC-207DBK 8x BluRay ROM / DVDRW SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM) £54.98
Total : £940.74 (includes shipping : £13.75).

R-evans · 31 Dec 2012 at 19:32

A bit much if you ask me. Will be interesting to see people's specs.

LukieBoy007 · 31 Dec 2012 at 19:41

Looks like too much to me too.
The PSU is powerful enough.

R-evans · 31 Dec 2012 at 19:44

I'd say this. No need for heatsink, stock will be ok. Not sure about GPU for three screens, someone else will have to spec that.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £161.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TD120BW) £89.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £89.99
1 x Seasonic G series 550w '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £76.99
1 x TeamGroup Elite 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED38GM1600HC11DC01) £35.99
1 x Xigmatek Asgard III Gaming Case - Black £27.98
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £511.02 (includes shipping : £11.75).

honosuseri · 31 Dec 2012 at 20:02

YOUR BASKET
1 x Samsung 256GB SSD 840 PRO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7PD256BW) £209.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x HIS HD 7850 IceQ X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H785QN2G2M) w/ FARCRY3 & Sleeping Dogs PC Games £155.99
1 x Corsair Obsidian 550D Quiet Midi Tower Case - Black £119.99
1 x Seasonic G series 550w '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £76.99
1 x Asus P8Z77-V LX2 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £72.98
1 x Alpenföhn K2 Mount Doom CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £59.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Blu 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C10 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C10D3B1K2/16G) £59.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £966.40 (includes shipping : £13.75).

Quiet and quick although money could still be saved, certainly on the case and heatsink for sure. 16GB of RAM could be overkill for your needs but it's the same price as the 8GB kit you used.

MORE SPEED · 31 Dec 2012 at 20:06

honosuseri said:
YOUR BASKET
1 x Samsung 256GB SSD 840 PRO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7PD256BW) £209.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x HIS HD 7850 IceQ X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H785QN2G2M) w/ FARCRY3 & Sleeping Dogs PC Games £155.99
1 x Corsair Obsidian 550D Quiet Midi Tower Case - Black £119.99
1 x Seasonic G series 550w '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £76.99
1 x Asus P8Z77-V LX2 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £72.98
1 x Alpenföhn K2 Mount Doom CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £59.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Blu 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C10 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C10D3B1K2/16G) £59.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £966.40 (includes shipping : £13.75).

Quiet and quick although money could still be saved, certainly on the case and heatsink for sure.

Does he need anything like a 7850?

RJC · 31 Dec 2012 at 20:16

Just for office use something like this should be ok:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT128M4SSD2) £89.99
1 x Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £89.99
1 x Pioneer BDR-207EBK 12x BluRay RW / 16x DVD±RW 128GB - Retail £79.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) £72.98
1 x Sapphire HD Radeon 6450 FLEX 1024MB GDDR3 Multi Display PCI-Express Graphics Card £44.99
1 x Gigabyte H61MA-D2V Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £39.98
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020046-UK) £36.98
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £35.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case - Black £29.99
Total : £534.98 (includes shipping : £11.75).

R-evans · 31 Dec 2012 at 20:20

Do you need a large HDD or will it be a server?

honosuseri · 31 Dec 2012 at 20:22

I don't know what the screens are he is using i.e what outputs he needs from the GPU. It does have more VRAM and multiple video outputs, the higher res screen could well use display port. CS 6 (photoshop) can use Opencl which means the better the GPU the better the benefit.

My spec is OTT for sure but tried to balance his budget better. It's just a starting point and we can work it down to his needs from there. I'm not sure why a bluray drive is in his spec either :/

Fett · 1 Jan 2013 at 12:26

Thank you for the replies.

honosuseri said:
YOUR BASKET
1 x Samsung 256GB SSD 840 PRO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7PD256BW) £209.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x HIS HD 7850 IceQ X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H785QN2G2M) w/ FARCRY3 & Sleeping Dogs PC Games £155.99
1 x Corsair Obsidian 550D Quiet Midi Tower Case - Black £119.99
1 x Seasonic G series 550w '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £76.99
1 x Asus P8Z77-V LX2 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £72.98
1 x Alpenföhn K2 Mount Doom CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £59.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Blu 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C10 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C10D3B1K2/16G) £59.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £13.99
Total : £966.40 (includes shipping : £13.75).

Quiet and quick although money could still be saved, certainly on the case and heatsink for sure. 16GB of RAM could be overkill for your needs but it's the same price as the 8GB kit you used.

I sort of made the assumption that 8GB of some of the fastest RAM would be better than 16GB of not-so-fast RAM?

I prefer the looks of the Carbide 500R to the Obsidian 550D. I'd like to get the 650D, but unless someone tells me differently, there is an issue with the front fan and noise.

Is the Alpenfohn quieter or cooler than the Noctua?

Any noise issues with the 7850? I chose the 7750 Ultimate as it's passively cooled.

R-evans said:
Do you need a large HDD or will it be a server?

We don't need large HDDs.

honosuseri said:
I don't know what the screens are he is using i.e what outputs he needs from the GPU. It does have more VRAM and multiple video outputs, the higher res screen could well use display port. CS 6 (photoshop) can use Opencl which means the better the GPU the better the benefit.

My spec is OTT for sure but tried to balance his budget better. It's just a starting point and we can work it down to his needs from there. I'm not sure why a bluray drive is in his spec either :/

We need BR drives as we've had client discs sent to us in that format.

RJC said:
Just for office use something like this should be ok:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT128M4SSD2) £89.99
1 x Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £89.99
1 x Pioneer BDR-207EBK 12x BluRay RW / 16x DVD±RW 128GB - Retail £79.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) £72.98
1 x Sapphire HD Radeon 6450 FLEX 1024MB GDDR3 Multi Display PCI-Express Graphics Card £44.99
1 x Gigabyte H61MA-D2V Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £39.98
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020046-UK) £36.98
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £35.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case - Black £29.99
Total : £534.98 (includes shipping : £11.75).

Thanks for the spec and I understand that will cover us. I am trying to get a really quick and responsive system that will handle anything thrown at it and plenty of multi-tasking, so am I wasting my money on the majority of my original spec?

Idleman · 1 Jan 2013 at 13:05

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3330 3.00GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £139.99
1 x Samsung 128GB SSD 840 PRO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7PD128BW) £119.99
1 x ASRock B75 Pro3-M Intel B75 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £55.99
1 x Pioneer BDC-207DBK 8x BluRay ROM / DVDRW SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM) £54.98
1 x Corsair Carbide 200R Compact ATX Case - Black £49.99
1 x Sapphire HD Radeon 6450 FLEX 1024MB GDDR3 Multi Display PCI-Express Graphics Card £44.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 400W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £40
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £35.99
1 x Xigmatek Achilles II SD1284 CPU-Cooler - 120mm (Socket LGA775/1155/1156/1366 AMD AM2/AM3/FM1) £23.98
Total : £578.50 (includes shipping : £10.50).

BuToNz · 1 Jan 2013 at 13:10

Idleman said:
YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3330 3.00GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £139.99
1 x Samsung 128GB SSD 840 PRO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7PD128BW) £119.99
1 x ASRock B75 Pro3-M Intel B75 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £55.99
1 x Pioneer BDC-207DBK 8x BluRay ROM / DVDRW SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM) £54.98
1 x Corsair Carbide 200R Compact ATX Case - Black £49.99
1 x Sapphire HD Radeon 6450 FLEX 1024MB GDDR3 Multi Display PCI-Express Graphics Card £44.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 400W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £40
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £35.99
1 x Xigmatek Achilles II SD1284 CPU-Cooler - 120mm (Socket LGA775/1155/1156/1366 AMD AM2/AM3/FM1) £23.98
Total : £578.50 (includes shipping : £10.50).

Looks good +1 from me.