Reply With QuoteYou're probably better off buying a custom built one from the likes of Overclockers or PC Specialist. I had a Mesh years ago and it was fine but these days I'd prefer to build my own or at least spec it exactly how I want it.
I tried, unsuccessfully, to hijack another thread about desktop PCs.
I've had various Dell machines over the years but have seen higher spec for better prices when I have looked recently. I'm always suspicious of "too good to be true" offers but wondered if anyone had any experience - good or bad - of any of these:
https://www.awd-it.co.uk/
https://www.palicomp.co.uk/
https://www.meshcomputers.com/
I'm not a gamer but something that can handle a bit of holiday video editing and a bit future-proof is what I'm after.
Thanks.
You're probably better off buying a custom built one from the likes of Overclockers or PC Specialist. I had a Mesh years ago and it was fine but these days I'd prefer to build my own or at least spec it exactly how I want it.
Thanks, so both Overclockers and PC Specialist reasonably well respected?Originally Posted by MrBanks
Mesh appears to have gone bust at some stage and someone obviously bought the name. I think they were an "enthusiasts'" maker way back but obviously a lot has changed
Definitely overclockers. I've been buying from them for the last 17 years. My friends have bought from PCS and they've been very good.
Thanks for that. Very helpful.
A PC really is the sum of its parts and only real differentiator is price and customer service in the unlikely event that things fail.
Pretty much. When I bought my Mesh computer many years ago the parts were fairly cheap ie base spec hdd, ram etc. The only parts you could really spec in terms of brand were the gfx card and cpu.
Thanks.
This looks pretty decent (at face value):
https://www.meshcomputers.com/Defaul...&XAPPL=1285477
What am I missing?!
I had a bad experience with a Mesh PC. It arrived and just didn't work. I was burgled the next day and it was stolen (a coincidence I'm sure). I use Dell for work, they always work fine and last a few years. Good machines on the whole.
I am guessing you are not looking at this for a good reason but a Mac Mini could tick every box.
There might even be a new one announced tomorrow around 6 or 7pm.
i-Mac
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
This looks good to me too, I would also be interested in knowing what is missing. I would prefer a smaller form factor case but then would it run noisier?
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Most people would probably want to add a wi-fi adapter.
Quite a low end gpu rrp of ~£70-80. It might be fine for your planned use it might not, I’d check on video editing performance.
Quite a low powered psu means if you wanted to update the gpu that would likely need replacement.
As others have said the Mac mini is a great value proposition for your use case.
This may not affect you, but I had a C drive of 256GB and it's very easy to fill up if you install a number of programs. You can of course install onto C or D most of the time, but doing that means you lose the SSD benefits that C has. I installed Unity (3d modelling) and Visual Studio and a couple of other things I use for development and hit the limit.
If you want future proof, you want a system builder who uses off the shelf components, rather than the often proprietary stuff that a huge system builder like Dell use. It might have changed, but when my dad asked me to upgrade his Dell desktop machine, there wasn’t a lot we could upgrade.
With frequent CPU socket changes though, most upgrades need a motherboard and cpu, but graphics cards can usually be carried over or pep up a system, just make sure it’s got a free x16 PCI-E slot.
You mention video editing, that’s CPU dependent mostly, so look for something with 6 cores and upwards. Intel are currently in the lead (them and AMD keep playing leapfrog) for that sort of thing but the fastest processors can cost as much as an off the shelf office desktop alone.
An SSD will make almost any PC feel snappy, so get one with as big a capacity as you can for whatever money it is you’re spending, and 16GB of system ram will be plenty.
If you’re not a gamer, then the integrated graphics on some CPUs are pretty good these days, my daughter uses an AMD 5600G CPU to play Sims and Roblox etc, and in HD resolutions.
Wired2Fire is another system builder that gets good reviews, but I tend to buy my components from the likes of Overclockers and/or Scan, whoever is the cheapest really. Good service from both of those though, and they build systems to almost any spec if you give them a call.
I'd say a Ryzen mini pc would be very suitable for what your wanting it to do , have a look at the mini PC's on : droix.co.uk
Mini PC's have got a lot more powerful over the last few years mainly due to Ryzen processors having decent built in graphics.
I've bought from Droix a few times & always get fast delivery with good customer service.
Depending upon your budget I would seriously consider Intel NUCs.
A Ryzen APU would be better due to much more graphics power , Intel are still far behind AMD in that respect.
Thanks everyone; some very useful info and pointers.
I shall try and find time to work through it all and see if I can get something that fits the bill.
To be honest, the rate of performance increase has slowed significantly in recent times and you're not going to be benefiting significantly by buying the latest tech.
I bought a couple of not that recent Dells recently - Basically laptops in small desktop cases - and with a bit of extra RAM they're perfectly capable of video editing (I regularly do this), unless you're doing professional-level stuff.
I've given up trying to be at or near the bleeding edge, it's pointless these days.
Maybe different if you're a gamer, but still the improvement rate is way down on what it was, say, 10 years ago.
As someone else said, lots of RAM and an SSD will make your PC seem faster than the latest CPU.
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
I'll echo having a look at Intel NUCs. Around 2-months ago I built myself a new system based on an Intel NUC 11 Enthusiast which uses the M2 SSD format (SSD that looks like laptop RAM). It's blisteringly quick and I do use it to edit diving (underwater type) videos. It's blisteringly quick, silent and the size of a hardback book. It also drives a 49" ultrawide screen monitor at 5120 x 1440 and 120Hz with ease. It won't be the cheapest solution but I don't regret it for a minute.
If you want maximum performance in an Intel NUC then go for the NUC 12 Extreme; it will take a full-sized GPU.
Depends what you do with your computer. He specifically said video editing which will be way faster on a modern CPU.
Lots of RAM and an SSD (or two) is a great idea, but honestly, my image processing on my new CPU is miles faster than my 5 year old i7. Jobs that I used to go and make a sandwich whilst it runs, take less than a minute these days.
Thanks. Rightly or otherwise, I've always tried to go for one or two below the latest thing with the processor to try and get the right mix of price and performance.
Looks great but £1,400 plus VAT and not even supplied with OS!
Each to their own; we could all be wearing a £20 Casio, or driving a Dacia. It's not supplied with SSDs, RAM or an OS but an OS (Windows 11 Pro) can be purchased for £20, free if you have a valid copy of Windows 10 (or 8 or 7)
A pretty poor response to the OP saying basically - that it is out of his price range.
Easiest thing possible is still buying a Mac Mini.
Something like in the link below will easily do what your wanting out of it.
https://droix.co.uk/product/beelink-...zen-9-mini-pc/
The OP didn't state anything of the sort. 99% of the time you get what you pay for. If you want bleeding edge you'll certainly pay for it. Nobody can advise another on what to buy without understanding what they're prepared to pay against their requirements. I'm very fortunate in that I can buy whatever I decide is what I need. I decided that the Intel NUC 11 Extreme was overkill for me as a non-gamer so went with the Enthusiast and it has been superb.
No offence taken. I just don’t personally want to spend as much as that because my needs are relatively modest. Not like I’m editing 4k video for hours a day. It’s just having the option and having a degree of general future proofing by getting something currently of a reasonably high spec.
I have found that there are 2 specs when buying a PC either basic or top spec with very little in between, I wanted a top spec for doing normal photo editing and a little bit of music production, none of the basic PCs covered this so the only choice seemed to be a top spec gaming system at around £3k and that's a lower (top spec) PC.
So I decided to go a different route, I wanted the top spec, without the 500 quid graphics card and other little bits that all add up, I ended up buying the DELL AIO 7700 27" for just over £1100 and then updated the ram from 8GB to 32GB and I now have a top i7 system that is way over powered for anything I can chuck at it, photo or music wise and it will be capable for a good few years, and was far cheaper than buying a custom made to my spec PC.
Intel i7
2 x 512GB SSD
32GB RAM
Intel IRISMAX graphics
27" screen
all in for under £1300 and a custom PC was going to cost around £2400 and future proof for many years
edit... Oh and the AIO 27 7700 is called the Mac killer for good reason ;-)
Last edited by Dangermouse64; 9th June 2022 at 19:59.
Interesting option. Not seen those before. Thanks.
I'm sure they run an i7 CPU with only 4 cores , a 4 core CPU is fairly low end & out of date compared to most modern CPU's I'd look at something else.
There's usually a selection of discounted configurations available in the Dell outlet/refurb online store at any given time.
As discussed in this review.
Not really surprising that we've escalated to a £1400 PC with no drives or RAM.
After all, if someone says they have a £200 budget for a Dive Watch, someone here will inevitably tell them to save for the Rolex Submariner they really want
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
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