Need help buying new pc

[jtaylor7]

Looking to buy a new pc for home and need some advice. Will be used for web browsing, office tasks (word, powerpoint), email, storing pictures and videos, and would like to be able to stream HD movies should I want to. Don't anticipate much, if any, photo/video editing or any 3D gaming (have xbox 360 for that).

Looking at a dell inspiron 580 with i3 550 processor, 8gb ram, nvidia g310, 1TB HD.

Is that sufficient for my needs?

If it is sufficient, should I still "overbuy" (meaning get quad core and better graphics card and more ram) in the hopes that it would then last longer (meaning longer time before it becomes slow) or should I just buy what I need and not spend the extra money? I want a system that will do what I mentioned above and last atleast a few years (3-4 years but don't want to buy more than I need. Not sure if overbuying makes the computer last longer in terms of it becoming slow...assuming what i do on computer doesn't change over time.

Thanks much for any advice.

 

[greg24601]

this computer you are looking at seems like a bit much i would go lower on either the ram or the HD (my pick would be the HD 1 TB is a lot for the tasks you are carrying out) and to answer your question on overbuying i would say it makes little sense to overspend on what seems to be a work computer. You are not paying for a state of the art system, i honestly dont think having a better computer will necessarily increase its life it just will run a little faster in its older age. What is your estimate on the price?

Just an opinion

 

[jtaylor7]

I agree but that ram and hd is only option with this particular setup. Price is $650 but that also includes an lcd monitor. Yeah, basically it's a work pc but I'd like to be able to stream hd or maybe do a little photo or video editing with windows movie maker . If this system will do those things then great. If not then guess I'd need to spend more in order to do the video editing.

 

[DXRick]

It will work (and probably quite well for your needs). The only difference between that computer and one with a quad-core CPU and expensive GPU (with CUDA) is speed. You can look at variuos bench marks to determine how much speed you need.

 

[kitaware]

the whole point of Sandy Bridge is better graphics and video for casual use withOUT a video card...and reviews say it works...

a better graphic card with expensive GPU only works with software that will access it....and most casual photo and video processing software doesn't use it...overbuying only makes sense for planned near-future use...and even then it isn't cost effective to overbuy from the OEM...it only profits the seller, not the buyer...

 

[halodude23]

I agree but that ram and hd is only option with this particular setup. Price is $650 but that also includes an lcd monitor. Yeah, basically it's a work pc but I'd like to be able to stream hd or maybe do a little photo or video editing with windows movie maker . If this system will do those things then great. If not then guess I'd need to spend more in order to do the video editing.

Hello, would you be interested in my computer?
My Specs are
MotherBoard: EVGA X58 SLI LE 141-BL-E757-TR [240$ Originally]
Graphics Card: MSI N460GTX Hawk GeForce GTX 460 [241$ Originally]
Ram: Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 6GB DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 [46$ Originally]
CPU: I7 920 3.36 Ghz (Dummy O.CED) [280$ Originally]
Cooler: CoolerMaster V8 [40$ Originally]
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s [70$ Originally]
Power Supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 [80$ Originally]
Case: Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case [173$ Originally]

Total:1, 170$

I will sell you it for 900$? Tell me what you think.

 

[aznshinobi]

No selling computers off forum Halodude. It's in the forum rules read befor posting.

 

[noonin]

If you can wait until the whole Intel defect has worked itself through (online Dell chat thought maybe 2 weeks), look at something with the new Sandy Bridge processors like an i2400. They have, from what I read, good onboard graphics and faster clock speeds and lower power use than the current processors. Then you can forget the video card for now, as you can always add it later if need be. Also, like Greg mentioned, see if you can save money with a configuration with a small HD, then add your own second drive to store your pictures and videos, which will be a safer, backup option. Use the primary drive for the OS and programs. Unless Dell is throwing it in cheap, get less RAM and add it yourself. I bought a laptop from Dell with 2 GB RAM and soon after bought 2 more GB from Dell for 1/2 what they wanted to add it at purchase...go figure ;-).