New pc.

[motormount]

Hi all!

I'm looking for a new pc.

Will run CS5 and lightroom,no 3d or movie rendering.

I was thinking of configuring something myself but i was told that it's better to go for a HP or dell machine.

My budget is up to the first 7 machines of this page,but i wouldn't mind going for something cheaper-if it can get the job done!

For the same money if i configure something on my own i could get an ssd for os and a lot more ram but till now i've worked only on branded workstations-mostly mac- and i don't know what issues may occur with a no name one!

Thanks in advance!

 

[pmkprog]

I just got done building a machine for where I work. It was an Intel board, Intel processor, 2GB RAM, 1 TB HD and case for around $250, added an optical drive for $18, 512MB RAM video card for $35, an HP 1600x900 monitor for $150 and the board will support up to 8GB of RAM in (4 x 2). If you have all of the OS stuff and applications it isn't that difficult.
I really only ran into a snag with the fact that we have old printers so I couldn't put Windows 7 on the machine due to a lack of print drivers. So I had to opt to XP. Other than that the first optical drive stopped reading after a day so that was replaced at the manufacturer expense and I realized the on board graphics didn't support the new monitor, so I bought the video card.
It's a good fast machine with plenty of space inside.
Got it at Tiger Direct.

 

[Joe]

I just got done building a machine for where I work. It was an Intel board, Intel processor, 2GB RAM, 1 TB HD and case for around $250, added an optical drive for $18, 512MB RAM video card for $35, an HP 1600x900 monitor for $150 and the board will support up to 8GB of RAM in (4 x 2). If you have all of the OS stuff and applications it isn't that difficult.
I really only ran into a snag with the fact that we have old printers so I couldn't put Windows 7 on the machine due to a lack of print drivers. So I had to opt to XP. Other than that the first optical drive stopped reading after a day so that was replaced at the manufacturer expense and I realized the on board graphics didn't support the new monitor, so I bought the video card.
It's a good fast machine with plenty of space inside.
Got it at Tiger Direct.

Agree on this way. TigerDirect has the kits to get you started. Can't beat it for price and performance.

 

[gig0]

I just got a new build back in August that we ordered from Magic Micro. Their prices are really low and configuration options are simply phenomenal. Heres what I got for $1285:

Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core) 8000K
* Intel Socket 1366 CPU fan
* MSI X58M, DDR3, SLI & Cross Fire, GB LAN, IEEE
* 6GB (3x2GB) PC3 12800 DDR3 1600 Triple Channel
* GeForce GT 220 1GB PCI EXpress 16X dual head, HDMI
* 128.0GB Crucial C300 Series Solid State Drive, SATA3 6.0Gb/s, 350MBs
* Lite On 22x DVD Recorder Dual Layer +R/RW -R/RW
* Realtek HD digital audio (onboard)
* Ethernet network adapter (onboard)
* PowMax Black Mid Tower ATX Case w/ Front USB
* Case Fan 120 mm Extra Quiet DC fan
* Logisys 550W ATX Power Supply w/ 6pin PCI-E
* Microsoft Windows 7 Pro 64bit DVD (BTW, they give you the actually windows 7 disk with the serial number and not just some recovery disk)


You can configure it on their website and will give you a total. See if you can find anything comparable anywhere else for the same money. I highly recommend them.


Magic MICRO Computers. PC, Barebones, Computer Systems, Parts Online

 

[motormount]

Thanks everybody for the replies!

The tech told me that components might not well match,while HP/Dell machines work out of the box.

So on the same budget you get something like gig0's-which would be my choise- or an entry level ''workstation'' from Dell with much lower specs-on paper at least-.

In real life would you see major differences in 2D apps,between the two builds?

Thanks again!

 

[gig0]

Depends on your definition of 'major difference'.

For me, it's value. Both machines are fast and similarly priced but the biggest difference I see (besides memory) is CPU and drives. I can say from my real world experience is that the i7 Turbo Boost processing power (overclocking) kicks in quite a bit, including everytime the print spooler is sending larger jobs to the digital presses and when generating PDFS from InDesign, Illustrator, etc., so thats a nice advantage over the Xeon and relevant in our industry. As far as hard drive differences, check out the comparison between an SSD and SATA HDD when installing CS4: YouTube - Intel SSD vs 7200 Hard Drive - CS4 Install . Big difference in just two minutes, huh? Now imagine the difference after 8 hours. Personally, I have no problem sacrificing disk space for performance (since we store jobs on remote file servers anyways) but I could always throw in a 500gb HD as a secondary since they're so cheap these days.

As far as components not matching? I wouldn't sweat it. All the important hardware that really matters is name-brand stuff, not some knock off brand, and system configurations do get tested. Besides, it's not like any of us have never come across bunk Gateway/Dell/HP systems before.

 

[motormount]

ok,

Thanks again!

 

[motormount]

HD configuration

HD configuration

Finally i bought a T1500,i7,2x1tb HD,FX 580 gpu and-currently- 4gb ram.

Not what i was lookin after,but even small computer shop owners advised me towards a branded pc,in terms of build quality,on site service and general ease in case something goes wrong.

Now,both drive bays are occupied with 1tb HD each.

How do you suggest me to configure them;

I'm also planning to buy a usb3 controller and a docking station for back up-storage purpose.

Should i be looking for an eSata instead?

There is only one pcie slot left free so i must choose wise.
-what are the pci slots for ??? -

Thanx in advance!