Office Rig X2 For Father

[MyGeekTips]

My Father want's to buy two new system for his office. Help me in deciding the config as per his budget. Sorry For Using TE Template. Just did a copy paste.

Q: What is your budget?
15K for a single PC
Total: 30K (Little Extendable)

Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
CPU - Amd 64 x2 4800+
Motherboard - Asus Don't Know
GPU - No
RAM - Zion 1 GB DDR2
Monitor - HP 15 Inch with speakers
SMPS - Cheap Generic Brand

Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
Monitor - HP 15 Inch with speakers
Keyboard & Mouse

Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.
CPU - Intel i3 2100
Motherboard - MSI H67 E-35
Ram - Gskill 4GB
HDD - Segate 1TB or less (as of Thailand Flood)
PSU - FSP Saga 350W (as office rig so no gpu)
Case - Zebronics Bijli w/o PSU

Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component
Nothing if price of HDD increase then i will use old HDD Now & Upgrade Later.

Q: Where will you buy this hardware?
Mumbai (Lamington Road)

Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TEF Market
NO

Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
Heavy Browsing (50 Tabs at once)
Microsoft Word & Excel
Adobe Photoshop Work
Microsoft Outlook
Multi Tasking

Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
Do not want to buy Asus product as I heard the after sales service in India is pathetic (only if something available @ great price. )

Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for normal usage
Desktop - 1280x728 ( I think it is little less than it)

Q: Are you looking to overclock?
No

Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
Windows 7 64 bit (Already Have the Basic Version)

This Test concludes i3 2100 at stock clocks is vastly superior than 4.2 ghz Phenom X4 955.

The Best Sub-£100 CPU | bit-tech.net

 

[rajatGod512]

As you are looking for multitasking and multi thread application you should probably go for Phenom x4 955 BE

 

[Cilus]

1st of all download CPU-z and run it to verify the exact details of your motherboard. If it is an AM2+ mobo then there is no need to change the whole system at all. You can get a Phenom II 955 or Athlon II X4 processor and plug it into the motherboard. Also just add another 2 GB DDR2 ram, priced at 1.2 to 1.4K.
For office work, even a Phenom II X4 is not required, an Athlon II quad core will do the job just fine. So let us know the details of your motherboard 1st.

 

[MyGeekTips]

1st of all download CPU-z and run it to verify the exact details of your motherboard. If it is an AM2+ mobo then there is no need to change the whole system at all. You can get a Phenom II 955 or Athlon II X4 processor and plug it into the motherboard. Also just add another 2 GB DDR2 ram, priced at 1.2 to 1.4K.
For office work, even a Phenom II X4 is not required, an Athlon II quad core will do the job just fine. So let us know the details of your motherboard 1st.

The PC is old & I want a new rig with warranty. I thrash that old stuff. The Reason i'm not going for X4 955 is bcz @ 4.2 ghz it's still not able to beat i3 2100 & becoming a heating machine & a power sucker too.

Here is the latest test did by Bit-tech yesterday:
The Best Sub-£100 CPU | bit-tech.net

 

[Cilus]

The review you've posted is clearly showing that Phenom II X4 955 is on the par with i3 2100 and sometimes performs better. When overclocked, it is performing best at the lot.
How did you conclude that Phenom Ii X4 is inferior to i3 2100 even when overclocked to 4.2 GHz?
The link you've given is not working with me, so posting it again:
The Best Sub-£100 CPU | bit-tech.net

 

[MyGeekTips]

The review you've posted is clearly showing that Phenom II X4 955 is on the par with i3 2100 and sometimes performs better. When overclocked, it is performing best at the lot.
How did you conclude that Phenom Ii X4 is inferior to i3 2100 even when overclocked to 4.2 GHz?
The link you've given is not working with me, so posting it again:
The Best Sub-£100 CPU | bit-tech.net

Phenom X4 955 has to go 4.2 ghz (sucking 400W @ load) to beat i3 2100 even in multi-threading test done by tomshardware clearly shows X4 955 BE is no match for i3 2100.

Reason not to go for AMD X4 955:

1. More Heat (Stock Cooler Not Enough)
2. 2x Power Consumption than i3 2100 at stock clocks when overclock 3-4x more power consumption
3. Old Architecture
4. AMD Future is not good & Intel Ivy Bridge Supports 1155 Socket so i can upgrade to quad core ivy bridge

So No Reason to go AMD Except you're in budget. I know you've AMD Rig that's why you're forcing me to go AMD.

 

[Cilus]

Who said that the Phenom II 955 Stock cooler is not enough? Ever had experience with one?
In TDF forum lots of forum members are using 955 with the stock cooler and pushing upto 3.6 GHz without any issues. My previous CPU was the same and I was able to overclock it to 3.7 GHz with the stock cooler.

Check the Anandtech CPU bench: Phenom II 955 Vs i3 2100..

If you want Intel based solution as the Intel upgrade path is more promising, get
Intel Core i3 2100 @ 5.6K
Intel DH67BL-B3 @ 5.1K
Corsair 1333 MHz 4GB X 1 DDR3 value @ 1.3K(H67/H61 don't support more than 1333 MHz Speed)
Zebronics Bizli Cabinet W/O PSU @ 1K
Circle Raw Power PFC 400 PSU @ 1.5K (Link)

 

[MyGeekTips]

If you want Intel based solution as the Intel upgrade path is more promising, get
Intel Core i3 2100 @ 5.6K
Intel DH67BL-B3 @ 5.1K
Corsair 1333 MHz 4GB X 1 DDR3 value @ 1.3K(H67/H61 don't support more than 1333 MHz Speed)
Zebronics Bizli Cabinet W/O PSU @ 1K
Circle Raw Power PFC 400 PSU @ 1.5K (Link)

Is Intel DH67BL-B3 better than msi model i suggested above ?
Is Circle Raw Power PFC 400W better than FSP Saga 400W ?

 

[Cilus]

Intel DH67BL is overall a better feature rich product. Although the H67 boards from MSI, Gigabyte and Asus offer better build quality than the Intel one, they are highly priced and since you can't Overclock in H67 mobo, the extra build quality does not have any effect.
The current Intel mobos' build quality have been improved a lot and DH67BL does have good build quality.

 

[MyGeekTips]

Intel DH67BL is overall a better feature rich product. Although the H67 boards from MSI, Gigabyte and Asus offer better build quality than the Intel one, they are highly priced and since you can't Overclock in H67 mobo, the extra build quality does not have any effect.
The current Intel mobos' build quality have been improved a lot and DH67BL does have good build quality.

But Intel One is 1K Costlier So i think MSI one would be fine for me.

What about PSU ?

 

[S_V]

Intel DH67BL-B3 sucks big time and have lot of issues with Video Playing..... With personal experience stay away from this Intel Board.

 

[Cilus]

S_V, thanks for sharing. Could you elaborate a little wehat are problems you've faced?

But Intel One is 1K Costlier So i think MSI one would be fine for me.

What about PSU ?

MSI H67A-E35 is priced at 4.7K and Intel DH67BL is 5.2K.

 

[MyGeekTips]

MSI H67A-E35 is priced at 4.7K and Intel DH67BL is 5.2K.

Sorry Overlooked. Now How does the PSU you suggested Compares to FSP Saga 400W ?

 

[S_V]

Based on requirement these Boards came into our Office to give developers who actually are working in Wafer Image Applications...

First of all these boards in India comes with outdated BIOS which carries lot of Bugs.... Even updated to latest BIOS these boards have problem detecting USB devices well, especially with USB Keyboards. They frequently fail to detect Portable Devices which is more than 500 or more GB devices.. Always have to go to Device Management and assign Drive letters.

Main Problem: While Playing videos offline with players or Through Internet Streaming.. The monitors flicker every 2-5 secs.. We changed monitors, Updated or downgraded drivers still no use. We are forced to buy discrete Video cards which solved video Playback issues.

We used 20 Mobos and 14 of them are faulty...

Only Thing I liked about this Board is having 4 RAM slots for this cost...

Also regarding these Processors.... We are using both these Processors.. It's really sad to say.. I3 2100 sure beats 955BE very conveniently... During Wafer images loading in our applications i3 2100 is loading 2 mins faster than AMD processor...

 

[MyGeekTips]

Based on requirement these Boards came into our Office to give developers who actually are working in Wafer Image Applications...

First of all these boards in India comes with outdated BIOS which carries lot of Bugs.... Even updated to latest BIOS these boards have problem detecting USB devices well, especially with USB Keyboards. They frequently fail to detect Portable Devices which is more than 500 or more GB devices.. Always have to go to Device Management and assign Drive letters.

Main Problem: While Playing videos offline with players or Through Internet Streaming.. The monitors flicker every 2-5 secs.. We changed monitors, Updated or downgraded drivers still no use. We are forced to buy discrete Video cards which solved video Playback issues.
Only Thing I liked about this Board is having 4 RAM slots for this cost...

Thanks For Telling the queries you've had with that board. I will stay away from that. I will buy MSI H67 It's 0.5K cheaper & better.

 

[vickybat]

Based on requirement these Boards came into our Office to give developers who actually are working in Wafer Image Applications...

First of all these boards in India comes with outdated BIOS which carries lot of Bugs.... Even updated to latest BIOS these boards have problem detecting USB devices well, especially with USB Keyboards. They frequently fail to detect Portable Devices which is more than 500 or more GB devices.. Always have to go to Device Management and assign Drive letters.

Main Problem: While Playing videos offline with players or Through Internet Streaming.. The monitors flicker every 2-5 secs.. We changed monitors, Updated or downgraded drivers still no use. We are forced to buy discrete Video cards which solved video Playback issues.

We used 20 Mobos and 14 of them are faulty...

Only Thing I liked about this Board is having 4 RAM slots for this cost...

Also regarding these Processors.... We are using both these Processors.. It's really sad to say.. I3 2100 sure beats 955BE very conveniently... During Wafer images loading in our applications i3 2100 is loading 2 mins faster than AMD processor...

Nice one buddy but do you think a guy going for a discrete gpu should stay away from this board?

 

[S_V]

hi vicky ..... How are you mate?

Yep..... Though Board have many issues with some things like USB and PLayback issues.. the performance is good especially with all RAMS occupied... With Discrete card... He will be free from Playback issues but sometimes he have to deal with USB issues..
I really hope Intel comes up with good BIOS update.. Such a lovely performance is wasted with lot of issues. Especially noobies are going to have hell with this one...

Running i3 2100 and i5 2400... with these Boards.. Especially 2400 Rocks with this Board.. That's the Reason we didn't want to send these boards back.

i Know I am confusing OP with all these.. But I agree he should stay away from this Board.

 

[d6bmg]

^^ Its good to see a user is helping everyone to know what the problem really is (may be its regional). I never saw anywhere the type of problem that you have mentioned, but as far as I can understand, DH67BL is having lots of problem with BIOS, and even with graphics card, one can't solve problems in detecting USB devices & external HDDs.

 

[Cilus]

S_V, there is a chance that the product lot you guys have received was faulty. My friend in Kolkata has purchased the same mobo just before Durga Puja and it is working fine, so such problems like you've mentioned.

 

[S_V]

S_V, there is a chance that the product lot you guys have received was faulty. My friend in Kolkata has purchased the same mobo just before Durga Puja and it is working fine, so such problems like you've mentioned.

Nice to hear that this board is working fine to your friend... Like I told 14 of 20 boards have these problems. The rest are fine..