New desktop pc recommendations

[Theblackbox]

Hi

looking for a new (or new to me) desktop pc setup (will also need a printer) to go in my workshop will be for business use. It’ll mostly get used for open office general web so nothing too taxing there

I’d also like it to be able to run photo editing software (gimp or photo pos pro), cura slicing and then cad software (solidworks and fusion 360).

Budget around £300 for the tower can add a bit more but not looking to spend loads as it’ll get covered in crud really quickly don’t mind second hand

I’m really confused at what I actually need currently have a decent spec dell laptop that’s several years old. Intel i5 based seems okayish but can get a bit laggy on cura and some photo editing software. Seems to handle fusion 360 okay sometimes a bit laggy. This is its spec

been looking at some gaming pcs but not sure if they are overkill or not suitable.

something like this

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302507090694

also seen a second hand tower for £290 locally with this spec

HP Elite desktop PC with Intel i7 processor
Specifications:

Intel i7 @ 3.8GHz turbo boost and 8MB Smart Cache

128GB SSD+1TB HDD

16GB RAM

Radeon 6950 Cayman Graphics

Fresh&licenced Windows 10 Pro

Wi-Fi, USB 3

Welcome any recommendations and advice thanks all

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

No idea what gen the CPU is from that

Probably want to find a newer GPU.
That's ten years old so would assume the CPU is older too.

Keep eyes on Facebook for gaming rigs being sold.

Can snap up decent deals for that sort of money.

 

[tigdlo]

I wouldn't bother with either of the ones suggested, just too old.

The ebay link is blatently lying, it's a really, really bad gaming pc, flashing lights and a sererate graphics card doesn't make a gaming pc, adaquate performance to run games makes a gaming pc. That advert was like going back to 2000 when people were selling mid 90's pc's as being great for surfing the web!

The one for £290 may be ok but with a 5 year old graphics card I doubt it.

I'll have a look at a few ads aand see if there is anything I would recommend.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Didn't see the link. That's dire. Definitely avoid.

 

[daedalusminos]

I've been investigating a new PC myself, if you're up for building your own then something based on the Ryzen 5 3400G, SSD, 8GB RAM should be had for £350 ish, not including printer/monitor.

 

[Theblackbox]

Thanks for the replies will keep an eye on Facebook etc nor in any rush to buy got to build a new desk piece for it to live on first!

potentially I could build myself but don’t get too much free time and I’ve not done it for a long time!

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Thanks for the replies will keep an eye on Facebook etc nor in any rush to buy got to build a new desk piece for it to live on first!

potentially I could build myself but don’t get too much free time and I’ve not done it for a long time!

This helps.

https://pcpartpicker.com/

Makes speccing it a doddle

That's the hard part done
Everything else is just plugging stuff in.

 

[qwakers]

when i was in the game i used to build a machine in 15 mins. even out of the game i could probably do it in 25 mins.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

when i was in the game i used to build a machine in 15 mins. even out of the game i could probably do it in 25 mins.

Yup. As above. Choosing the parts takes the time.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

My first build in a decade.

 

[Kayos]

Ive just built a PC for my son based on this

￡98.02 | HUANANZHI X99 motherboard with XEON E5 2620 V3 2*8G DDR4 2666 NON-ECC memory combo kit set NVME USB3.0
https://a.aliexpress.com/_BUW0kM

With a £250 graphics card it cost a smidge over £500 with a decent psu, 512gb nvme drive, rgb case, keyboard and mouse so with a s/h gpu you could build a very capable machine within your budget

 

[Brad93]

My first build in a decade.

How much did that cost you to put together?

 

[Brad93]

I need to get a decent PC dedicated to CAD.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

How much did that cost you to put together?

About 760 but I had a newish PSU and HDD/SSD and GPU which kept the costs down probably 1400 if I had to do it all.

Ryzen 7 3700x 32gb ram x570 board

No regrets. Properly quick

 

[tigdlo]

I've had a look and there is nothing I would personally recommend even close to £300 for a pc to run solidworks or fusion 360.

2nd hand gpu prices have gone silly, 12 months ago you could get an AMD RX 580 8gb for about £100, there are bids up to £170ish on ebay right now.

@Brad93 I have almost this exact PC, same graphics, CPU and 16GB RAM, very happy with it for games and 3D CAD.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I need to get a decent PC dedicated to CAD.

Easy to build. Check the link I posted here to pc parts picker. Wish I'd had something like that a decade ago.

 

[skotl]

Hi

looking for a new (or new to me) desktop pc setup (will also need a printer) to go in my workshop will be for business use. It’ll mostly get used for open office general web so nothing too taxing there

I’d also like it to be able to run photo editing software (gimp or photo pos pro), cura slicing and then cad software (solidworks and fusion 360).

Budget around £300 for the tower can add a bit more but not looking to spend loads as it’ll get covered in crud really quickly don’t mind second hand

I’m really confused at what I actually need currently have a decent spec dell laptop that’s several years old. Intel i5 based seems okayish but can get a bit laggy on cura and some photo editing software. Seems to handle fusion 360 okay sometimes a bit laggy. This is its spec

View attachment 267489

been looking at some gaming pcs but not sure if they are overkill or not suitable.

something like this

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302507090694

also seen a second hand tower for £290 locally with this spec

HP Elite desktop PC with Intel i7 processor
Specifications:

Intel i7 @ 3.8GHz turbo boost and 8MB Smart Cache

128GB SSD+1TB HDD

16GB RAM

Radeon 6950 Cayman Graphics

Fresh&licenced Windows 10 Pro

Wi-Fi, USB 3

Welcome any recommendations and advice thanks all

Do you already have a desktop case that you could repurpose? If you have a case and power supply then that's £100 saved out of your budget already.

Best bang for buck, processor wise, is the AMD Ryzen family - the same (or cheaper) Ryzen CPU will out perform its Intel (i3/i5/i7) rival.

I would start with scan - I pretty much buy all my PC components, or occasional full PC, from them and their prices are ~5% off ebay specials with a warranty and burn in tests.

SCAN UK | PC components and online computer shop

They have desktop computers here: Scan Home Windows 10 PCs - Scan Fast F Series Professionally Hand Built Home PC Computer Systems | SCAN UK and here Scan Office Windows 10 PCs - Scan Fast F Series Professionally Hand Built Office PC Computer Systems | SCAN UK

They also have Ryzen motherboard kits here, which include memory, if you have a case to put them in: AMD Motherboard, NVIDIA GeForce nForce, Gigabyte Motherboard, Asus Motherboard | SCAN UK
(scroll down for more affordable options)

I'm not affiliated with Scan in any way, but I make my living in computers and I recognise an easy route when I see it...

 

[MetalMonkey]

Now is not a good time for buying PC components, or indeed systems. There are massive shortages of most things and prices are ridiculous.

If you can wait until things have calmed down a bit your pounds will go a lot further.

For a basic workstation system you would do a lot worse than look for an off-the-shelf system from one of the big boys - Dell, HP, Lenovo. Hard to beat on price and usually reasonably well specced for general desktop usage.
Get a full tower if you aren't short on space - as this will make fitting a GPU at a later date an easier option.

You could build a system your self, depending on your confidence - AMD's AM4 platform is the sweet spot currently for price vs performance. You can also get a combined CPU/GPU in one chip which are surprisingly capable.

I wouldn't advise buying a "gaming" system, especially anything off of ebay - chances are its just a load of flashy lights on a naff case and substandard components.

I'm putting together a nice little workstation system at the moment for somebody, although currently waiting for the CPU's to come back in stock but it should around £450 excluding monitor.

If it helps the key specs are:

AMD 3400G
MSI B450 Mortar
Crucial 16GB DDR4-3200
Bequiet PurePower 11 400W

Ryzen 7 3700x 32gb ram x570 board
No regrets. Properly quick

Same spec as my main rig expect I'm using a B550 board. One of the best systems I've ever had.

The thing I like with the AM4 platform is you have a lot of options to pick and choose combinations - if you don't need all the high end features you can buy a B450 board and still drop in a monster CPU.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Same spec as my main rig expect I'm using a B550 board. One of the best systems I've ever had.

The thing I like with the AM4 platform is you have a lot of options to pick and choose combinations - if you don't need all the high end features you can buy a B450 board and still drop in a monster CPU.

Only reason I went x570 was to give me a better upgrade in a few years (hopefully)
Very out of touch with it all these days.

The i7 930 had just come out and went in my last build. I stopped paying attention about then.

Very true regarding parts ATM. Second hand GPU prices are through the roof ATM.

Il stick with my trusty rx480 8gb for a while longer.
I'm not playing triple A games and still keeps up for now.


You can Nab some bargains with an old gaming pc though.

Need to check what's installed before committing but there are some nice rigs floating around for sensible money. Older for sure but still very capable.

With a 300 quid budget it's an option worth considering

Coming from an old a10 5800k the ryzen 7 is a huge upgrade here
Bought the A10 rig for a ton a few years back. Eldest now using it for his gaming and coding journey.

 

[mike os]

I need to get a decent PC dedicated to CAD.

I9 cpu, half decent CUDA graphics card, 16gb ram and a ssd, sorted