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New computer for business use

J

Jader88

Member
I would like to buy a pre-built computer, but I don't know what CPU would be better.
I will be using this computer for business, Office word excel programs and a shipping software program and internet.

I'm currently using an old dell computer that has a Pentium. So I was thinking of going AMD with the Phenom 2 X6, I thought it would be nice to have 6 cores because I will be using a lot of programs at once.

Or I could go with a quad core Sandy bridge Intel I5-2500K.


what do think would be best for my needs?
 
I definitely agree that the i5 processors are far better than the AMD offerings. My only point to consider in AMD's favor would be price. He can probably get a Dell, HP, Gateway, whatever pre-built with an AMD processor considerably cheaper than one with the i5-2500/2500K.
From the sounds of it, he doesn't NEED a lot of actual "horsepower," although some Excel tasks can take a fair amount of computing power. It sounds like the programs he uses don't need multiple cores or threads, so just a good fast processor should suffice.
Considering that he's upgrading from an original Pentium...ANYTHING will seem like it's light years faster.

IF price isn't an issue, or there's not a big difference, go with the i5-2500K. It's so much faster at MOST tasks than anything offered by AMD that they're barely worth considering...except for the lower price.
You should get AT A MINIMUM, 4 Gb of RAM and a 64 bit operating system to take advantage of the memory.
 
For business:

i5, Intel motherboard and 4GB of RAM. Agreed get a 64-bit OS unless you will need to run proprietary software which doesn't work in 64-bit OS.

Intel's motherboards are usually rock stable and the support for them is very good.
 
Still using an Intel E7200 with 2 gigs of RAM and it works fine with Word 2007. If you are considering an I5-2500, maybe just go with the I5-2500K. For just a little more you can get the better graphics. With Intel motherboards read about the specific compatability for RAM. Intel is very specific about its specifications. Dont expect Intel to overclock or work with RAM that is above the specification. It is easier to get it right the first time and not have to send it back.

I looked at Dell and it seems like I have seen a lot of clearance sells adverts. So maybe they are in the process of switching over to the new chipset. Sometimes they lag behind a bit, so just know what you are buying.
 
It looks like the OEM companies like Dell are pulling their Sandy Bridge inventory in light of the Intel recall.
I just browsed the Dell site and found some Core2 rigs and some i7 rigs...nothing Sandy Bridge based.
 
Microsoft Office and Shipping software.. really why not just an Athlon X3 or X4.. They're cheap as hell..
 
I wouldn't go with an X3 or X4, the lowest I would go is the phenom 2 X4 or X6. It seams like everyone is suggesting the 2500K, I just thought that 6 cores would be better performance if I had all the programs i mentioned running at the same time. Well I will look into the I5-2500K more and see if the price is reasonable.

Thanks.
 
Jader88 said:
I wouldn't go with an X3 or X4, the lowest I would go is the phenom 2 X4 or X6. It seams like everyone is suggesting the 2500K, I just thought that 6 cores would be better performance if I had all the programs i mentioned running at the same time. Well I will look into the I5-2500K more and see if the price is reasonable.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

The problem is that even though the X6 has 6 cores, each of those cores is much slower than a Lynnfield or Sandy Bridge core.
 
Jader88 said:
I wouldn't go with an X3 or X4, the lowest I would go is the phenom 2 X4 or X6. It seams like everyone is suggesting the 2500K, I just thought that 6 cores would be better performance if I had all the programs i mentioned running at the same time. Well I will look into the I5-2500K more and see if the price is reasonable.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
It really depends what kind of programs you work with. If you just have a bunch of programs sitting in the background doing nothing, having enough ram is more important than a faster cpu or more cpu cores.

A lot of old computers I've used are fast enough to handle basic websurfing and word docs, but don't have enough memory to handle too many things opened in the background at the same time.
 
If a Pentium Pro is handling everything now, just decide how much you want to spend; anything currently made will be more than enough.
 
I'm sitting at work right now on a computer powered for a four-year-old Athlon 64 X2 2.9GHz running on Windows 7 64-bit, a processor that you can pick up today for about $50.

I have never felt bottlenecked by my processor. Not even once. And I'm a power user. With the exception of the Intel Atom and like chips, any CPU you can buy today will be more than adequate for general office tasks.

If you want top performance in your office applications while sticking to a light budget, buy a cheap Athlon II quad-core, and then use the money you saved on a reasonably-sized SSD and as much RAM as you can stuff into the memory slots.
 
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