Hardware Revolution

For other computer systems, see: Computer Systems

Introduction: This office computer is designed for daily users, for people who wants or need a great office PC. When I designed this computer, with a budget of 1000$, I considered the requirements that you will have from an office computer and I think that this system will answer all your needs. If one of your requirements is not met, contact me, it will be my pleasure to assist you and suggest the best solution for you.

So, let’s move on with my recommendations for what hardware parts you should buy to answer your needs. These are the parts that I believe that will answer your needs, for a high performance office PC. Call it the best office computer for 1000$
For each part of this system, I will tell you my recommendation, the reason for it and give you a link to buy the item for your conveniance. Of course, I’m open to suggestions, comments, questions so please post them.

Cpu: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600: At 2.40Ghz, quad-core, 1066Mhz fsb and with 8MB of cache, I think that the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 will meet all for your office requirements. This cpu will increase your productivity, by allowing you to multi-task as much as you desire! You will not wait for this cpu, it is so fast that it will be waiting for your next orders. This cpu will also offer plently enough power to handle any programs or situation. With the 4 cores, its speed of 2.40Ghz and the big 8MB of cache, this cpu will definately answer your needs now and be future-proof for several years. This Intel cpu is simply a powerhouse and it will be yours, ready to be used, for only 194.99$
Click here to buy the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor for only 194.99$

Video card: ASUS Radeon HD 3450 256MB. You will be using this card, so you can use more than one screen. You will also be able to watch HD content, decode all major video formats in real-time with AVIVO and connect it to an external HDTV using DVI or HDMI if you buy the DVI-to-HDMI connector. The HD 3450 supports HDMI with 1080p and 5.1 output.
Click here to buy the ASUS Radeon HD 3450 256MB Video Card for only 34.99$

Motherboard: With the P43 chipset, this motherboard is exactly what you need, as it offers 4 RAM channels, with Dual channel support, a PCI-Xpress connection, 6 SATA connections with RAID support, a firewire connection, 6 USB 2.0 connections, a gigabit LAN and an e-sata connection. WIth the 4 extra SATA channels, it leaves room for additionnal hard drives or a bluray drive perharps! With ASUS legendary reliability, supports everything we want and with a reasonable price, this is the motherboard you want!
Click here to buy the ASUS P5QL-E ATX Intel Motherboard for only 109.99$

Ram(Memory): Two kits of two sticks of 2GB of DDR2 1066 memory, running in dual channel, for a total of 8GB of RAM and all the bandwidth you need for your critical applications. Enough memory for all your multi-tasking needs and just what you need, with the high-speed to avoid delays.
Click here to buy two OCZ Platinum 4GB kits DDR2 1066 Mhz (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory, for a total of 8GB of high performance RAM for only 219.98$

Hard Drive: Three Western Digital 500GB Hard Drives, for a RAID 5 array. Why RAID 5? This is an office computer, so you need a mix of performance, with real-time backup. RAID 5 does exactly that, it increases your hard drives performance, while protecting your data 24/7 with real-time backup, so if an hard drive fails, you will not lose any critical data. You will get a total of 1000GB of storage, with the peace of mind, knowing that your data is safe. Also perfect to reduce programs and Windows loading times. SATA connections and 7200 rpm. Reliable, fast and silent. Simple and effective.
Click here to buy three Western Digital Caviar SE 500GB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive for a RAID 5 array, for only 224.97$

Dvd Burner: A Samsung 20X DVD Burner, for all your reading and burning needs. Silent, reliable and cost-effective.
Click here to buy the SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S202J for only 23.99$

Case: Here’s my suggestion to what case to use. I understand that you might have your preference though, so feel free to skip my recommendation and pick your own case. My recommendation is a nice mid-tower computer case from Cooler Master, with two 120mm fans and a side air duct included for additional cooling , which is what you need to keep your computer cool and reliable. Comes with 2 USB 2.0 connections and a firewire connection in the front. It has 5 external bays for Dvd-Burner, CD-Rom and hard drives and 4 hard drive bays in the inside. I like the design of it as well.
Click here to buy the COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Computer Case for only 52.99$

Power Supply: In order to power up your computer in a safe and reliable way, you need a quality power supply. This is what this MSI TurboStream 600W power supply will do for you, with it’s 600W of power. With a quad-core processor, 3 hard drives, 8GB of RAM and many other parts, this power supply is perfect. It also have some overhead, so you won’t have to worry if you adds more hard drives or upgrade in the future. This is perfect to power up this powerful computer.
Click here to buy the MSI TurboStream 600W Power Supply for only 79.99$

Sound Card: You’ll be using the included onboard sound of the motherboard. I think that it will be perfect for office uses.

Cooling:
Heatsink: With a quad-core processor, we need adequate cooling, to increase its lifespan and also to save your ears from the loud and inefficient Intel stock cooler. This is where the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro acts. While not being the best, it is very cost-effective, at only 26.99$ and very silent, which is why I chose it.
Click here to buy the ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler for only 26.99$


Thermal Compound: Someone on digg commented on the previous system, “Executive office computer: Performance, reliability and features” and pointed out that Arctic Cooling MX-2 was superior to Arctic Silver 5, for several reasons. After checking that information, I’ve got to say that it’s true, thus why I changed my suggestion of thermal paste to MX-2. Thanks ivybat!  Many power-users, overclockers and now, I also believe that it is the best performing thermal paste on the market. It will ensure good thermal transfer between the cpu and the heatsink and for 6.99$, it is one investment that will pay off, considering how many degrees it will remove from your cpu temperature!
Click here to buy ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound for only 6.99$

Case fan: The case comes with two 120 mm fans, one on the back and one on the side. This extra case fan will be for the front. I’ve picked a fairly silent, to keep the noise level to a minimum. This fan will help with cooling the entire case, ensuring a quality airflow to keep your parts cool and reliable!.
Click here to buy the COOLER MASTER R4-S2S-12AK-GP Case Fan for only 7.99$

Screen: Although I don’t include the screen in the budget, as the price is only for the computer itself and you may already have a screen, I now recommend the new Samsung T240HD screen. The T240HD is part of Samsung new screens just were just recently released. Excellent for office use, gaming, programming and simply outstanding for movies. 5ms reaction time, 300cd/m2 brightness and an amazing 10000:1 contrast ratio! Very nice, but the best is that it comes with a DTV Tuner, which will dramatically enhance the picture quality, especially when you watch TV or movies, both in analog and HD format. If you intend to watch videos, TV and/or movies, on your computer, I definately recommend this screen

Click here to buy the SAMSUNG ToC T240HD Rose-Black 24″ 5ms Widescreen HDTV Monitor Built in Speakers for only 509.99$

Kebyoard and Mouse: That is entirely up to you, as each person have his own preferences.

Operating system: For the Operating system, I do recommend Windows Vista Ultimate, 64 bits, as it is a mature OS now that the SP1 is released. I recommend using the 64 bits edition, to fully access your RAM, as 32 bits OS are limited to only 4GB. Since this system has 8GB of RAM, it is very important to use a 64 bits OS. The OS is not included in the budget, as you may already own it or have a company deal, but here’s a link if you need it =)

Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit Service Pack 1: Click here to buy Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64-bit English for only 179.99$


Total price, for the computer only: $983.86, taxs not included, as they vary depending on where you live.

Ratings -On a scale of 10- :
Gaming : N/A You will be able to play a few games with low or medium quality and with no AA and AF in most games. You will be able to play on low to medium resolutions without any problem. This system was not designed with gaming in mind, so this is not a problem.
Office : 9/10 This system is based on a very fast quad core processor; it will run any applications quickly, it will run several cpu intensive programs (Image/Video editing, media burning, programming, calculations,etc) all at once without latency(lag). Very quick on multi-threaded optimized applications, great at multi-tasking. The speed, the 4 cores and the 8GB of high-speed RAM will help you a lot.
Overclocking : N/A Although I don’t recommend that you overclock this system, as it will increase heat output, electricity consumption and decrease reliability if not done properly, you can overlook those details if you’re not a beginner and have experience with overclocking. 3.6Ghz (9×400FSB) is a fairly realistic goal.
Power consumption : 6/10 With a quad-core processor, three hard drives and 8GB of RAM, this system will consume a moderate ammount of electricity. The cpu will be the part that use the most power.
Value for the money: 9/10 This system will offer you outstanding performance for a great price tag. A blazing fast quad-core cpu, with 8GB of Ram and 1500GB of storage in RAID 5 with the possibility of multi-tasking as much as you desire and run any application at full throttle is simply amazing. It will also allow you to watch movies, including HD content, offer to you a lot of choices and options for a reasonable price tag.

Conclusion: There it is, your not everyday office computer. With superior performance, real-time backup and everything you’ll need from an office computer. Of course, with a reasonable price tag, considering the performance and features offered.

Well, what do you think of this system? I think that you’ll be able to do all the work you wish on it, with a hugh improvement in speed compared to your actual system! I also think that you’ll be future proof and that you know that you will be able to upgrade your cpu, ram and hard drives in the future if you want to. Enjoy!