Need to build office computer for my boss, help
 

Office computer usage: word processing, excel, file storage/ transfer/ internet/email/ conferencing meeting online/ download-upload files online.


My research came down to 4 CPUs
1)Intel E8400 $179.99
2)Intel i5 750 $234.99
3)AMD phenom II X4 955 $190.18
4)AMD phenom II X4 965 $216.50

I dont know what the cost for decent motherboard for each CPU will be. Please let me know, cuz i have heard AMD motherboards are cheaper than Intel.

My Boss will pay for this, but he would like the best bang for his dollar and it is my responsibility to get him the best /most stable/ fast bootup and multi-tasking Computer.

Will Intel E8400 be sufficient with only 2 cores or is it too old for running windows 7. I will not overclock or play game on these.

Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.
thx

Does anyone have any article to share that explains why AMD clock speed 3.2Ghz can run slower than intel clock speed 2.66Ghz at benchmark testing.

is AMD GHz vs intel GHz only for marketing purposes?

There are no real good values out there. Intel and AMD have priced their CPU based on their performance. The performance of all the current CPUs is proportional to their price. You get what you pay for.

Your computing needs are not great. If you are looking to build a value system you should look at the low end CPUs, not the mid to high ones you listed. An AMD 240 or 620 CPU are popular. You should be looking at a mATX MB with onboard video & sound. I would recommend you keep an eye on the NCIX bundles. There's nothing there now that catches my eye, but there often is.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...uirements.aspx

If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what it takes:

*

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
*

1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
*

16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
*

DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver


So even this $75 CPU would be able to run Windows 7.

office computer?

go buy a dell

Ghz comparison is pretty much pointless nowadays with all the different architecture...it was useful maybe 5-6 years ago.
generally speaking....at the same clock speed - i7 > i5 > Phenom II x4, > Penryn/Conroe > Phenom I > Althlon II...etc

All of the CPU you have listed are close to the top-end models...for office tasks, a $100 AMD Quad Core (6xx) CPU is much more than sufficient

Go with AMD if you want better value, it will generally give you better performance per $ value wise especially after you take into account the costs of the motherboards. AMD mobo also comes with better onboard graphic if you don't intent on using a video card.

Just grab a pre-built one from NCIX's boxing dale sale. Futureshop/Bestbuy might have some towers for around $300, as well.

i have a budget of $650 from the boss man, i want a computer that can run windows 7 with alot of windows and background programs running without lags or crash. He does not want the pre-built model with all the accesory junky software from Dell or HP. I will look into NCIX package pc deals

ur boss is fucking stupid then

bwahaha...gold...

It's pretty easy to remove all the junky software...

Take your pick: http://a-power.com/home-459

You don't need those ~$200 processors. Get him an Athlon II X4 620: 4 cores, $99 USD.

Get a 785G motherboard with Sideport (integrated memory for the motherboard's GPU). You should be able to get an Asrock (Asus) for about $60.

Use 4GB of ram, or even 8GB.

If budget permits, get a Phenom II X4 925 instead. Similar to the Athlon II but with full cache on each core.

Make sure to install 64 bit Windows 7

You'd be a fool to get an Intel in this price range. Those A-Power systems are stupid.

Does that include the Athlon II X4 620-based system? :rolleyes:

Yes. It only has 2GB of ram, running only at 800 MHz

Nice try though ;)

So, you click the little dropdown boxes to add/upgrade components. How is that any different from buying all the bits and pieces separately?

They are charging you $70 for 2GB of DDR2 800 MHz, that's how.

I priced a similar system out quickly on Newegg.ca. The differences were:

-Asrock A785GM-LE motherboard - I built a system on this yesterday, it's a great board by Asus. It only has 2 DIMM slots, but that's enough to save $20
-4GB of OCZ DDR2 1066 MHz memory. Fast, lifetime warranty
-Other minor changes: Seagate HDD, Logitech KB/Mouse, Sony DVDROM, etc

Total price was $370 instead of $540

I think the use of 1066 MHz memory is really outside the spirit of this build. This is a business build that stresses stability and reliability. The user has no intention of OC. The user will need to enter the BIOS and manually set the RAM speed and overvoltage it to make use of this RAM. I thing it's best to leave things like this to tweakers. Let's keep this simple.

You don't have to overclock or overvolt anything to run memory at 1066 MHz. If that's what it's made to run at, that's what it will run at.

There's no reason to spend $70 on ram which would normally cost $40. Or to spend an extra $150-200 on.. well, nothing, if you can build a system yourself.

Not really relevant, unless you know what modules they're using... I'm seeing 2GB DDR2-800 sticks listing for anywhere from $50 to $120.

Main point is, though...
And yet, the second system listed there IS the exact Athlon chip you call for, NOT an Intel. Now you're pulling other stuff out of your ass to cover yourself. "Oh, I meant the RAM... I mean the motherboard... I mean..."

Smooth.

Besides:
John is right - we're concerned about STABILITY and RELIABILITY for a BUSINESS system here, and you're kvetching because they don't build it with the cheapest RAM available?

Tell ya what, you go tweak your game machines, and leave the business systems to those of us that actually use them.

BTW, I'm snapshotting this page as I go... I know you have a propensity for editing and/or deleting other people's posts to cover your own mistakes.

I'm sorry, but what kind of business "BUYS" computers?

You guys should be leasing brand new DELL PC's every 2-3 years to ensure: best /most stable/ fast bootup and multi-tasking computers. This also gives u a tax write off :) every year. unlike the one time depreciation hit when u buy.


If you are a mom and pop shop, who needs 1 pc - just buy a dell and strip the dell software that comes preloaded. It is the most effective way!

I said that they should build a system on Athlon X2 620. And I said that the A-Powers are overpriced. I then posted a similar build to exhibit that.

Are you really that stupid? Or are you just trying over and over to find a way to be correct?

Keep trying, keep failing, if that's what you really want. I was going to leave it at that, but you keep coming back with stupid replies and failed at least 3 or 4 times in this thread alone by my count.

Quit while you're ahead. :lol

To the best of my knowledge, all 1066 MHz DDR2 RAM requires more voltage than the stock 1.8V. There is no MB that I know of that will automatically increase RAM voltage to a value greater than 1.8V, based on SPD information.

Here is a typical pic of 1066 MHz DDR2 RAM. Note the recommended voltage to achieve this specified performance.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/vima...hpc_1066/5.jpg

I would click "FAIL" for you if you would only re-enable the button! ;)

One that doesn't want to deal with all the credit checks and red tape and other BS that leasing entails?

That works great, IF Dell doesn't fuck up your order. I tried to by my kid a Dell laptop before he went away to university... after two weeks without hearing anything, I went online to check the order and the site kept puking on me... at about three weeks I finally got an email saying the thing had shipped... then a few days later another email saying it had been delivered. When I clicked the link in the email though, again, the Dell site puked on itself... when I actually read further down into the email, I saw I was getting confirmation for someone else's order... from Ontario.

At this point it was three days until the kid left, so I called Dell... and they had no record of my order.

I ended up getting a limit increase on my credit card so we could run to Best Buy that night and get him a Sony VAIO (nice machine, but ultimately that proved to be a huge mistake too - both getting a Sony, and getting it from Best Buy... but that's a whole other story).