New Rig for work purpose. Reliability top priority

[engshing]

Hi all,

I want to build a rig for work purpose. will be using it for MS office as well as accounting software.

Most important thing is reliability and can last for quite a few years b4 i need to upgrade it. Budget is not a problem. any monitor to recommend will be good as well. 24" preferable.

Thank you in advance

 

[Alternative X]

Name this accounting software that you are using.

 

[engshing]

mainly myob

 

[Piezoq]

consider a dell u2715 monitor or u2415 for additional screen real estate.

other than that, a i5 processor (non k) with a h97 series motherboard is sufficient.

no gpu necessary.

platinum rated 500W PSU.

samsung 840 SSD (128GB or 256GB)

1-2-3-4 TB HDD, depending on usage. Seagate NAS, WD Blue.

If you move the cpu often for cleaning etc, consider a Lian-Li aluminum casing. Otherwise fractal design or CM are fine options.

Wireless AC card (or a AC capable motherboard) if required.

 

[Alternative X]

CPU+ Mobo: ASROCK H81M-HDS + i5 4690 (371)
RAM: G.SKILL PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (8GB) (100)
SSD: SAMSUNG EVO 250GB (179)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
DVD-RW: LG 24X DVD-RW SATA OEM (25)
PSU: FSP AURUM S 500W (89)
Case: CM K282 / K350 / K380 (55)
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)
Monitor: DELL S2440L (229)

Total cost: $1237

Buy at PC Themes, #04-15, and ask for discounts. DIY yourself. If you can't into DIY, get PC Themes to assemble for you for a fee.

Notes:

1) I am not very sure if MYOB supports Hyperthreading, hence the fastest i5, the i5 4690, is used instead.

2) 8GB should be more than enough for office work. (How much RAM does MYOB uses when it is crunching numbers at full blast?)

3) The basic Asrock H81M-HDS is good enough for your use. Motherboard nowadays usually have equal build quality across brands and chipsets and getting an expensive branded motherboard is no guarantee of quality.

4) No wifi is provided as LAN connections are still much better than wifi. If you want wifi, state internet plan and model of router used.

 

[engshing]

Hi,

thank for all ur suggestion

i shall try to answer the queries asked by Alternative X.
MYOB do not use tt much ram so i believe 8gb is enough.
I am currently on wifi, but i may be getting powerline instead. wifi is singtel 200 fibre using aztech 7003 ac router.

my current comp recently suffered failure in the graphic card followed by the motherboard 2 weeks later. hence, i am thinking of just getting a new computer as the old one is around 4-5 years old

 

[Jian19]

Can consider Seasonic g360 as powersupply

Dell u2414h as monitor

 

[Solo_Apple]

Reliability is important? Or Data is more important?

Get a Mac mini with time machine, or an Intel NUC with mobile backup HDD.

 

[ykrap1]

mainly myob

top priority is CPU no need to be fast, and no need graphics card.
RAM can have more cos better for open big accounting files

CPU Intel Pentium G3420
ASUS H81M-E
RAM Crucial 4G X 2pcs DDR3-1600
VGA onboard graphics
HDD WD 1TB
DVR-S21LBK/24XSATA
PSU Antec 400W(ST40F-ES) 80 PLUS
CHASSIS：SG08-LITE

DIY all for less than $1000

 

[TopGun]

If you are using it for work, go DELL and buy their Prosupport with NBD onsite warranty.

 

[Alternative X]

Hi,

thank for all ur suggestion

i shall try to answer the queries asked by Alternative X.
MYOB do not use tt much ram so i believe 8gb is enough.
I am currently on wifi, but i may be getting powerline instead. wifi is singtel 200 fibre using aztech 7003 ac router.

my current comp recently suffered failure in the graphic card followed by the motherboard 2 weeks later. hence, i am thinking of just getting a new computer as the old one is around 4-5 years old

Hmmm.......
Powerline adapters are superior to any wifi, but the thing is, how old is the building? If the bulding is very old, the internal wiring is likely to be very cui and causing your internet connection to be worse than even wifi.

If the powerline solution does not work out, consider getting an Intel wifi adapter for $99 at Cybermind.

Also, your current computer, could it have been a PSU failure? GPU failures are irrelevant, Intel integrated graphics are good enough for displaying documents.

 

[engshing]

Reliability is important? Or Data is more important?

Get a Mac mini with time machine, or an Intel NUC with mobile backup HDD.

Data is quite safe. There is a NAS as well as Dropbox for backup of the data.

 

[Alternative X]

Data is quite safe. There is a NAS as well as Dropbox for backup of the data.

I don't know, but is it actually OK to upload potentially confidential and sensitive data to a data cloud mantained by a third party? (Data security much?)

 

[engshing]

Hmmm.......
Powerline adapters are superior to any wifi, but the thing is, how old is the building? If the bulding is very old, the internal wiring is likely to be very cui and causing your internet connection to be worse than even wifi.

If the powerline solution does not work out, consider getting an Intel wifi adapter for $99 at Cybermind.

Also, your current computer, could it have been a PSU failure? GPU failures are irrelevant, Intel integrated graphics are good enough for displaying documents.

it is for home office. I can reuse a wifi usb adaptor if the powerline does not work. i have currently one pair of powerline linking the router to the canon printer

my current computer i have sent to a local comp shop to check and their diagnosis is motherboard failure. do not know whether is it the psu failure tt cause both the graphic card and motherboard to spoil only a few weeks apart

 

[Alternative X]

it is for home office. I can reuse a wifi usb adaptor if the powerline does not work. i have currently one pair of powerline linking the router to the canon printer

my current computer i have sent to a local comp shop to check and their diagnosis is motherboard failure. do not know whether is it the psu failure tt cause both the graphic card and motherboard to spoil only a few weeks apart

Well, if you do not mind fiddling with the internals of your rig, after you got your new rig, transplant the new PSU into the old rig and see if the old rig starts up. If it does not, then it is likely to be a dead motherboard.