i3 workstation upgrade running Windows 7
So another year gone and our workstations running Windows 7 are somewhat lagging when opening too many apps. The recent release of Windows 8 has led to a review of our developer's equipment and the verdict is that our workstations need upgrading (it always is). So on a budget (ie. as cheap as possible), we'll skip Windows 8 and wait for Windows 9, but in the meantime we need something that flows as smooth as any other Microsoft product with Windows 7 as its Operating System:

Proposed for January 2013 (5 suppliers)


Processor Intel Core i3 3220 Dual Core CPU ( 3.30GHz, Socket 1155, 3MB Cache, Ivy Bridge, 55W, Intel HD Graphics 2500, Advanced Vector Extensions) - Intel £88.50
Motherboard AsRock H61M-DGS Motherboard (Socket 1155, Intel H61, DDR3, 4 x S-ATA 300, Micro ATX, PCI Express 3.0, AsRock XFast USB, AsRock Instant Boot) - ASrock £37.58
Hard Drive Western Digital Caviar Blue 160 GB (7200 rpm) SATA 8 MB 3.5 inch Hard Drive (Internal) - Western Digital £24.95
Memory Corsair CMX4GX3M1A1333C9 XMS3 Desktop Memory 4GB - Corsair £20.05
Optical Drive Sony AD-5280S-0B DVD±RW 24x SATA Drive with Dust Protected Enclosure and Emergency Eject - Sony £17.77
Other 2 X Serial ATA Sata Hard Drive Data Cable Lead - Unbranded £0.90
Total £189.75


Confirmed for January 2013 (2 suppliers):

Motherboard / CPU / RAM Bundle Intel® Core™ i3-2120 Processor
Asus P8B75-M LE
4GB 1600Mhz DDR3 Memory
 £91.66 (exc. VAT)
£109.99 (inc. VAT)
Hard Drive Western Digital Caviar Blue 160 GB (7200 rpm) SATA 8 MB 3.5 inch Hard Drive (Internal) £18.29 (exc. VAT)
£21.95 (inc. VAT)
Optical Drive LG GH24NS95.AUAA 24x Bulk DVDRW Internal DVD Drive £12.49 (exc. VAT)
£14.99 (inc. VAT)
Total £122.44 (exc. VAT)
£146.93 (inc. VAT)


Prices do not include the Operating System (in this case Microsoft Windows 7 Pro 32-bit) nor the chassis as we merely transferred the license from our previous machines.