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2 PC options - which would you recommend?

A

Amazins6986

Junior Member
I'm in the market for a new desktop for the first time in 5 or 6 years.

For now, I've narrowed down my options to 2 possible systems. Both seem to have their plusses and minuses.

My primary uses would be web browsing, video streaming, Office work and occasional light audio/video editing. Nothing too crazy.

OPTION A: Lenovo H50
- AMD A10 7800 processor
- 12 GB DDR3 1600 mhz RAM (expandable to 16 GB)
- 2 TB HD 7200 RPM
- AMD R7 Graphics (believe it's the R7 240 w/ 2 GB RAM)

OPTION B: Dell Inspiron 3847
- Intel i5 4460 processor
- 8 GB DDR3 1600 mhz RAM (expandable to 16 GB)
- 1 TB HD 7200 RPM
- 2 GB Nvidia GeForce GT 705 graphics

The first system is $100 cheaper, has 4 GB more RAM, twice the HD space. On the downside, the i5 seems like the better processor. I'm guessing the Nvidia graphics card is also superior, but I'm not sure how much of a factor that should be given my uses.
 
I assume you mean GT750 for the gpu for the second system. If so, that is definitely the better system, both in cpu and gpu with the dgpu. Actually for if you are not going to be gaming, you would be fine with an i3 and the integrated igpu.

Actually, if you dont mind refurb, Burpo's suggestion is a good one. You might not even need a dgpu unless you want to do some gaming.
 
frozentundra123456 said:
I assume you mean GT750 for the gpu for the second system.
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I wouldn't be so quick to jump to that conclusion. There are a lot of "funny" OEM model numbers for discrete cards, that have no equivalent in the retail enthusiast space.

Edit: Look here:
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gt-705-oem/specifications

48 CUDA cores, 1GB 64-bit DDR3

I was immediately suspicious, when you suggested that a major OEM vendor, would actually sell a competent, well-balanced, gaming rig.

Edit: OP, the first PC doesn't have discrete graphics either. The "R7 graphics" is integrated graphics, built into the APU, and running off of system RAM.
 
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dave_the_nerd said:
i5. Everything else can be fixed later.
Click to expand...

Thank you member of the QCP.

In truth, if the OP doesn't do heavy video editing, they would probably be served better by a Haswell i3 PC, and just use the integrated graphics.

Edit: Looks like those $230 Acer refurb ebay specials are gone, but I found this new i5 PC from BestBuy (it's an Acer):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Acer-Aspire...Drive-Black-/201393702682?hash=item2ee400071a

and this A10 one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Asus-Deskto...191465092989?hash=item2c9435777d&_sid=2048038
 
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Neither as neither have an SSD. Have a local builder whip up an i3 4170 with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD + 2TB HDD with an H81 board as a base and a decent 450w ish PSU (seasonic built or seasonic OEM). Case of your choosing. You really really really want an SSD.

And its quad core police. :whiste:
 
escrow4 said:
Neither as neither have an SSD. Have a local builder whip up an i3 4170 with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD + 2TB HDD with an H81 board as a base and a decent 450w ish PSU (seasonic built or seasonic OEM). Case of your choosing. You really really really want an SSD.

And its quad core police. :whiste:
Click to expand...

^^^+1

Both are crap. Much better to get a built PC with quality parts then that OEM stuff IMHO. The Lenovo and Dell may or may not be upgradeable in the future due to proprietary/OEM cases and mobo setup. Plus they come with crap power supplies.

I have built 2 PCs just like what escrow4 described (one for my father and sister) minus the 2TB HDD as they did not need it. Both were ~500 w/o rebate and had all quality parts (Samsung SSD, ivy/haswell i3, corsair CX450M, MSI/Asrock mobo, corsair 200r case).

Also, building a PC is quite easy. I built my 1st one in 2009 and she is still running strong as my main/gaming PC. I just watched the Newegg How to build a PC (on youtube) and a few hours later I was done.
 
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Ordering things from DELL can be confusing. Sometimes you can get more for less or about the same price and sometimes the same computer can be sold with 2 different deals for different prices. The other day I looked at their options for including a monitor and if you included the 23" monitor it was $199, but the same monitor sold separately could be purchased for $159. Dell seems to have no end to their confusing marketing deals.
 
Out of the two, the i5 system for sure. IMO, there have been too many threads about people disappointed by their new system with an AMD CPU.
note: We are talking the last few years, I am not necessarily an AMD hater, just disappointed in them compared to where they were.

12 GB vs 8 GB of RAM would make no tangible difference for what you are doing with it.

It is still hard to find a reasonably priced system from the big OEMs with an SSD. The best way to handle it would be to get a good SSD after you buy the computer you want, and clone it. Not an impossible process at all.
 
GT 705 is not superior, it's a crap. i5 4460 is definetly powerful than an APU but it a10 7800 has stronger GPU. 4460 has more powerful cores but it's meaningless for your use. Because most of the applications don't use the extra integer units on i5 4460. They only benefit in the games but you can't play game (well maybe Super Mario works perfect) with Geforce GT 705.

So I suggest system 1.
 
Thanks for all the responses.

Probably will stick with Intel, the only brand of processor I've used in 20+ years with computers. Would a current i3 really be sufficient, given that I would plan on keeping the system for up to five years? An i5 might be more than I need now, but I was thinking I might be glad to have it later on. I'm on an old first gen i5-760 right now.

As for graphics, the integrated Intel 4600 HD isn't even worth considering in a system, right? I haven't had a desktop with integrated graphics in 10 years, but perhaps they're not as bad as they once were. I have a dedicated Radeon 5670 HD from 2010 in what I use now.
 
Amazins6986 said:
Thanks for all the responses.

Probably will stick with Intel, the only brand of processor I've used in 20+ years with computers. Would a current i3 really be sufficient, given that I would plan on keeping the system for up to five years? An i5 might be more than I need now, but I was thinking I might be glad to have it later on. I'm on an old first gen i5-760 right now.

As for graphics, the integrated Intel 4600 HD isn't even worth considering in a system, right? I haven't had a desktop with integrated graphics in 10 years, but perhaps they're not as bad as they once were. I have a dedicated Radeon 5670 HD from 2010 in what I use now.
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The only use case that you have that might need a quad core is video editing. Everything else can be accomplished with a dual-core without issue.

There's no real benefit for a dedicated GPU for the use cases you mention, except for perhaps video editing. But for editing, it only helps if you have a software suite that can benefit from GPU acceleration.

Overall, an SSD will make a much bigger difference in system performance than a quad core or a dedicated GPU.
 
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