Hi Martman,
This is what I feel about your choice. Generally it's a thumbs up and will suit SSE well.
Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
(Good)
Processor AMD Phenom(TM) II X6 1045T six-core processor [2.7GHz, 3MB L2 + 6MB L3 shared, up to 4000MHz]
(Good)
Memory 12GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM [4 DIMMs]
(Very good – but SSE will not require so much RAM)
Hard drive 500GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
(Which brand – Seagate? / Western Digital? – capacity is good enough, but 1 TB Hard drives are the order of the day)
Office software No additional office software
(Nothing to do with SSE, but you can consider Microsoft Home & Student Edition. If you really do not use Office software you can even consider the free “Open Officeâ€)
Security software Norton Internet Security(TM) 2011 - 15 month
(Good – you cannot do without a security software today)
Graphics card 1.5GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 440 [DVI, HDMI, VGA]
(Well beyond SSE’s requirements – good)
Speakers No speakers
(You certainly need a pair. You can consider Creative / Altec Lansing)
Primary optical drive LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
(Which brand – Sony?, LG?, Samsung?, Liteon? But basic specs are good enough)
Networking Integrated Ethernet port, No wireless LAN
(This is quite normal with most desktops. You just have to connect a router. Go for a WiFi router in case someone else in the family uses a laptop)
Front Productivity Ports 15-in-1 memory card reader, 1 USB, 1394, audio
(Only 1 USB port in the front. Normally it’s two. You’ll have more on the rear panel)
TV & entertainment experience No TV Tuner
(Not important for SSE.)
Sound Card Integrated sound
(Good enough. Today’s motherboards deliver fairly good quality sound)
Motherboard – Gigabyte, Asus, MSI, Biostar are trusted names for gaming PCs. Intel motherboards are not recommended. (Please check which one has been installed)
PSU (power supply unit) – Please ensure the machine has a minimum 600W PSU fitted. This is based on the components your PC has. A good PSU is paramount for stability of the graphics card. Well known brands are Corsair, Cooler Master, Thermaltake, Antec.
Monitor – If your budget allows go for a 27†LED. LG has one for about $420/- . If this is not suitable don’t settle for anything less than a 22†widescreen and with an HDMI port. Good brands are Samsung, Acer, Viewsonic, Asus
Are you considering the HP E460z series ? If so, the configuration is pretty good. I assume you will get good after sales service. They also have a 27†monitor to offer. Ooops ! I maybe crossing the line here !!! I am sure you have a budget and would want to stay with it. All in all HP does put good components, but please do check out the PSU. Do feel free to post further queries.
Regards
vin_sun
