Buying New PC - Need Advice

[harryg]

I am considering buying a computer with the below specs:


Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2.66GHz
2GB 667MHz DDR2 RAM
ECS P965T-A Motherboard
Windows Vista Ultimate
2 x 80GB 7200rpm Hard Drives
320MB GeForce 880GTS PCI Express Graphics Card

I would like to ask your advice as to whether this computer suits my needs. Mainly I will use it for:


3D Gaming (Notable Flight Simulator X - a beast for PC Specs)
Graphics & Website Design
And other things in this field


using the following programs mostly:


Adobe Suite; Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks etc
Microsoft Office Suite; Word, Publisher, Outlook etc
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite; Photo-Paint, CorelDRAW etc
Bullguard, Ad-Aware, CCleaner etc
Most top browsers


I would like to be able to:


Play FSX at a good frame rate, as well as other 3D games/simulators
Efficiently Multi-task with, say, 6+ programs


I could downgrade the Processor to 2.4GHz which would save £200. What would you recommend? My budget is around £1,000 at tops, I have a quote for the above computer at £1058 inc VAT and delivery.

Thanks in advance, Harrison.

[jlreich]

Welcome to the http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif forums.

Yes that will meet all your requirements.

If you were just a gamer I would say yes go ahead and drop the CPU down, then bump up the v-card to an 8800GTX. But since you do other things that could use the extra CPU power I would leave it like it is. The 8800GTS will have no problems running any of the latest games.

And that's actually not a bad price for what you are getting.

One thing though, double check that the programs you need to use will run in vista without problems. ;)

[harryg]

Thanks for your help jlreich.

I've checked if all of my programs are fully compatible with Vista (which thankfully they are), I think I will keep the same specs that I've posted - unless I can't dig enough out of my pocket in which case I'll choose the E6600 instead (Would this have any large impact on performance?).

I have another question which is about the cooling: Is a Quiet Dual Rail PSU incl Case Fan & CPU Cooler enough to keep the system cool and quiet at the same time?

My current computer is ancient and has been upgraded quite a bit and is quite noisy, even though it only has a CPU fan and PSU fan (which broke a few weeks ago and had to be replaced).

Thanks again for your advice.

[jlreich]

The E6600 will be fine. The E6700 would be nice but you are not sacrifices much at all compared to a $200 savings.

Is a Quiet Dual Rail PSU incl Case Fan & CPU Cooler enough to keep the system cool and quiet at the same time?

I need more information to say one way or the other. Perhaps a link to the system you are planning on buying?

Generally speaking you need at least two case fans and the PSU and CPU fans don't count. They have their own job to do and don't do anything for the overall system cooling. You want an intake fan in the lower front to pull in fresh air, and an exhaust fan in the upper rear to get rid of the hot air. That provides the best airflow.

If you are after quiet, bigger fans (120mm) are better. They move the same or more air at lower RPMs so they make less noise.

[harryg]

If you follow this link: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/index.php?page=form&&select=pciex2 and scroll down to "Power Supply and Cooling", select the drop down menu, and under "Advanced Power & Cooling" is the "500W (Peak) Quiet Dual Rail PSU incl Case fan & CPU cooler (£39)".

[jlreich]

Well unfortunately I can't tell anything from that. But 500W is plenty for the PSU.

I assume the case fan and CPU cooler is an upgrade to the stock ones. So you should be good to go.

[harryg]

Good. Thanks for your time :)

[jlreich]

You're welcome. Enjoy your new system. :)