Upgrading hardware, deciding between intel processors and form factors

I've been running an HP slim desktop that uses an E5500 CPU. I want to upgrade to get a larger screen (been using 17" lcd want to go to a 23" LCD).

The two choices I've come up with are as follows:

1. Intel NUC and replacement monitor. NUC has a i5-5250U. This is going to get a little pricey considering the cost of the NUC, a new monitor, memory and SSD.

2. Lenovo THINKCENTRE M92Z - 3314D9U which has a i5-3470S CPU and is an all-in-one

The NUC setup will probably cost 3 times the lenovo setup. I'm wondering coming from that old E5500 will the Lenovo seem be good enough or should I go for the NUC? This machine does not do a huge amount of processing, it's a kitchen web/email/office machine but I do run a MySQL instance on it for very light duty DB work.

Thoughts? Thanks,

Roveer

The Lenovo i5-3470S scores 6209 on the Passmark benchmark. Clock speed 2.90.

The NUC i5-5250U scores 3624; clock speed 1.60

Offhand, looks like a no brainer for the Lenovo. That's a considerable difference in the benchmark and you'd probably notice it. Plus it's 1/3 the price of the NUC.

As you perceive it, what are the shortcomings of the Lenovo?

Why is the NUC even under consideration? Are you limited to those 2 choices without exception?

I'm guessing neither has an SSD?

I'd be a bit antsy about having a so-called "all-in-one", but I don't think those NUC things are easily upgradeable either.

ignatzatsonic said:

The Lenovo i5-3470S scores 6209 on the Passmark benchmark. Clock speed 2.90.

The NUC i5-5250U scores 3624; clock speed 1.60

Offhand, looks like a no brainer for the Lenovo. That's a considerable difference in the benchmark and you'd probably notice it. Plus it's 1/3 the price of the NUC.

As you perceive it, what are the shortcomings of the Lenovo?

Why is the NUC even under consideration? Are you limited to those 2 choices without exception?

I'm guessing neither has an SSD?

I'd be a bit antsy about having a so-called "all-in-one", but I don't think those NUC things are easily upgradeable either.

Thank you for the detailed response. This is pretty much exactly the information I was looking for. I was mildly concerned about the Lenovo being an all-in-one but feel I can work with it. I'll want to mount it into the wall so it sits up off the counter. I pretty much customize all of my PC installations so I have no problem doing what ever is necessary to get this mounted the way I want. I will put an SSD into whatever I buy to give it that extra kick.

I was considering the NUC because it has such a small form factor and while I have a slim PC sitting on a shelf right now I was looking for something even smaller.

Thanks for your input.

Roveer

whs said:

Here is another small option.

HP Pavilion Mini Review - ComputerShopper.com

Whoa!!!! Computer Shopper!!!!!

I had not thought about them since the 1990s, when they published that huge paper catalog you could find on newsstands. Use to browse through it semi-religiously.

I thought they were defunct and long gone.

ignatzatsonic said:

whs said:

Here is another small option.

HP Pavilion Mini Review - ComputerShopper.com

Whoa!!!! Computer Shopper!!!!!

I had not thought about them since the 1990s, when they published that huge paper catalog you could find on newsstands. Use to browse through it semi-religiously.

I thought they were defunct and long gone.

I have to admit it... That was my porn mag of the 90's. I was just getting my first job in NYC back then and would get a copy of that huge paper and literally drool over every piece of hardware listed. There was no internet, very few magazines were selling so this paper was a pretty big deal. Oh the good old days. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Roveer

So at this point I scored a Lenovo M92Z with a a i5-3470S processor (4 cores) with 8GB of RAM. I'm going to ditch the 500gig hdd and put in my own SSD. This should be a pretty good machine for 315.00 bucks delivered. Let's hope it works out.

Roveer