Help please - confused over system choice?

[infinatewargasm]

Hi all,

I'm new to the site and after a bit of advice on which system to choose, i'm a newbie when it comes to figuring out which is better etc.. so any help is appreciated.

here are the systems, which would be better to choose?

Processor (CPU):	Intel Xeon Quad Core Processor (E5320) 1.86 GHz - 8 MB L2 Cache - 1333MHz FSB - 64-Bit - Intel VT-x (Virtualization)
Memory (RAM):	8 GB (8 x 1GB) PC2-5300F DDR2-667 ECC
Hard Disk Controller:	Integrated SATA 3.0Gb/s RAID controller
Hard Disk Drive:	250GB 7200 rpm SATA2 Hard Drive Installed
Graphics:	XFX (ATI) HD5450 - 1 GB GDDR3 - PCIe - VGA, DVI & HDMI Output (BRAND NEW)
Audio:	Integrated High Definition Audio (Rev 1.0 Specification) with Sigmatel STAC9200 High Definition Audio CODEC and Intel ESB2’s AC97/ High Definition digital controller
Optical Drive:	DVD-ROM Optical Drive
Network Ports:	Integrated Broadcom BCM5752 Gigabit Ethernet Controller
Power:	750 watts
Operating System License:	Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium COA (License)
Expansion Slots:	6 Full-Length slots: 1 x PCI Express (x16) Graphics slot 2 x PCI Express (x8 mechanically, x4 electrically) 2 x PCI-X 1 x PCI
Interface Ports:	Front: Headphone microphone 2 x USB 2.0 Rear: 5 x USB 2.0, 1 x standard serial port 1 x Parallel port 2 x PS/2 keyboard and mouse 1 x RJ-45 to integrated Gigabit LAN audio In audio Out 1 x mic in

or.....



Advent DT2111 Tower PC Intel Core i3 (2100) 3.10GHz. 4GB 250GB

sorry not much info on the second system, but thats all that was listed.

Cheers,

Mark.

[David (PassMark)]

Depends what you are using the machine for.
The first one is a low end server (with a Xeon and ECC RAM). The second one is a low end consumer machine.

[infinatewargasm]

usage

Depends what you are using the machine for.
The first one is a low end server (with a Xeon and ECC RAM). The second one is a low end consumer machine.

Hi David,

apologies, should have mentioned... nothing major on it, most demanding thing i would imagine would be running football manager 2012. Other than that, it would be browsing, watching movies (would this playback 1080p files with no lag??) and general office type study.

Cheers, i appreciate they're low end specs but i'm on a restrictive budget and maybe looking into upgrading the system gradually over time.

Regards,

Mark.

[David (PassMark)]

If these two machines are your only choice, take the i3.

The Xeon machine is old. The DDR2 ECC RAM is so old you would have trouble upgrading it. The 750W PSU is overkill for your usage and will mean the machine is inefficient and power hungry. It also doesn't USB3. Hard drive is most likely also old and slow and on its last legs, if this was a server (servers are typically run 24x7).

I3 might not be much better, but hard to know without the full specs and history.

[infinatewargasm]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Advent-DT2111-Tower-PC-Intel-Core-i3-2100-3-10GHz-4GB-250GB-/251417952144?pt=UK_Computing_DesktopPCs&hash=item3 a89ad7f90 managed to find this out, hope it helps

[infinatewargasm]

how would this model compare? it's the same price as the others i was looking at and in new condition.

Product Description

The Zoostorm PC has an AMD A4 3300 Dual Core Processor, 4GB RAM and 500GB hard drive and Radeon HD6410D graphics for all your gaming needs. Couple this with a keyboard, mouse and an 18.5 inch LED monitor makes this the perfect choice for an all rounder for the home or office.

CPU and Memory:
AMD dual core A4 3300.
Processor speed 2.5GHz.
4GB DDR3 RAM.

Hard drive:
500GB SATA hard drive.
DVD optical drives:
Dual layer.
32x CD-RW speed.
32x CD+RW speed.
48x CD-ROM speed.
6x DVD-RW speed.
6x DVD+RW speed.
16x DVD-ROM speed.

Graphics:
Shared graphics.
On-board graphics memory.
AMD Radeon HD 6410D graphics card with 2048MB memory.

Interfaces and connectivity:
8 USB ports.
Ethernet port.
HD Audio sound system.
Wired keyboard and mouse.

Operating system & software:
Microsoft Windows 7 Premium.
Adobe Reader.
Windows Media Player.
Disc writing.

Monitor:
HD display.
Widescreen.
Resolution 1366 x 768 pixels.
Brightness 200cd/m2.
Contrast ratio 20000000:1.
Pixel pitch 0.3mm.
Response time 5ms.
Horizontal viewing angle 90 degrees, vertical viewing angle 65 degrees.
Suitable for wall mounting.

General features:
Size H40, W18, D36cm.
Power saving facility.
Size of monitor (H)34.2, (W)44.43, (D)17.5cm.
Weight 2.63kg.

[David (PassMark)]

The description of the i3 isn't complete. For example. You don't know what video card it has, nor if it has USB3 or not. Does it even come with a screen. Do you need a screen?

[i7Baby]

Try a complete description. See for example

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1411&produc ts_id=26308

Then we can see details of CPU, MoBo, HDD, ODD, GPU, OS, PSU, RAM, etc