New computer?

Davyboy

Davyboy

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I need some advice please folks, I'm planning on buying a new computer and although I won't be using it for gaming at all, I'll still need a bit of punch for my photo editing. When I got my present computer built for me after selecting the components I wanted, it was the bees knees but that was ten years ago. (AMD 2000 a massive 80G hard drive etc) I'm pretty sure I could build it myself but there's a few issues I'm not too sure about if things don't go smooth, so I've decided to have one built. There seems to be that many choices with motherboards and memory etc, but I think the Intel i5 2500 would be ok as a start as I don't intend overclocking, but I need advice on a case, graphics card, (would the one built in do me) etc. My budget would go to around £900 or so, and if possible I would like an smallish SSD drive with say a 1TB to go with it. It was always suggested that you should get the highest spec what you can afford, or do you think I am going over the top for someone who doesn't have his camera with him all the time and maybe just edits 20 or 30 images every few weeks or so? Your advice would be very helpful, as one minute my minds made up, then the computer mags come out and I'm back to square one.
 
You can pick up a radeon HD 4890 for around £120 and its doing a great job for me(runs 2x 24" HD monitors). I built my I7 920 / 6Gb desktop for around your budget so shop around, ebuyer is a great site to use.
 
i5 2500 would be perfect, but wait until they've got supply of the new chipset sorted (this is costing Intel a LOT to put right - see: http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2589). Put at least 4G RAM in (preferably 8G if you're doing lots at any one time - I have lightroom/ps5/premiere running simultaneously here and using 8G of my 16G) RAM if you can afford it. Win 7 64 as OS.

Case - if you have the money, I like the Antec P182 - it's very quiet and puts the power supply at the bottom so doesn't have the CPU heating the power supply.

Graphics - almost anything will do if you're not gaming. PS5 only uses the graphics acceleration to do 2D manipulation (rotates/zooms etc). I run a passive 9600GT absolutely fine (and run 2x24" monitors too).

One thing I would do is get a decent (and slightly overspec'd) power supply. BeQuiet/Coolermaster/Corsair at 600W+ would be my recommendation.

SSD - you have 2 real choices at the moment: OCZ Vertex or Crucial C300. I have a 90G OCZ running Win7 64 with all the usual apps installed. I run my user space on a separate Samsung 1Tb Spinpoint drive and I'm using 30G of the 84G formatted space.

Everything else will start to look slow by comparison (especially apps loading off a fast SSD!)
 
Davyboy you are paying someone to build this for you? A company? How much are they charging? You could probably find someone near you on this forum or a computer forum to build it for you for cheaper. I'd do it if you shipped it to me or brought it to me. Or, have a go yourself at building. There's really not that much to it. In fact, something I can recommend is to use www.scan.co.uk and select the scansure insurance protection. This protects you if during installation you accidentally screw something up and break the hardware.

If you don't mind waiting a little bit, it's a good time to see how the AMD Bulldozer does when it comes out soon. This could be a turning point in the market with Intel on the backfoot after the chipset issues they have faced. Certainly be careful if you order an Intel based system now and check for the issues they have had.
 
clicktor beat me to it. Scan with the scansure is the way to go, that way if you damage anything, (within a month I think) they will replace it.

The only slightly daunting bit is inserting the CPU in the motherboard, but with Scansure this isn't a worry. All the rest is just a matter of assembly and being methodical, (assuming all your components are compatible).

One of the advantages is that as you have built the thing, you know the weak spots etc and can update when more cash becomes available.
 
Don't forget a decent monitor too....
 
Thanks a lot folks, some real good advice there it backed up a lot what I had figured out. The worrying bit regarding building it myself was fitting the CPU and heatsink, the thermal paste bit actually, as I think the processor will only go in one way, but like DaveOz suggests I could get a bundle already pre assembled. You make it sound easy Clicktor,I certainly wouldn't have any fear of AMD chipsets as mine is ten years old, it's on every day and I've had no trouble whatsoever with it. I think I'll wait like you say for a review on the Bulldozer if it's out soon. By the way, the concern I have building it myself is not fitting the hardware, it's if I have to start altering settings in the bios system or similar, you see I'm not a young buck and although this might seem a doddle to some, until you've done it a couple of times with success it can seem a bit daunting. Thanks for the help though boys, it is greatly appreciated.
 
I've had a butchers at some sites regarding building my own, and the issues I had have almost disappeared. I mean fitting the CPU and heatsink and fan seems like an 8 year old could do, so it looks like I'm going to have a bash myself. The bios settings seem pretty straight forward too, as long as I know which key to press to bring them up on the screen of course. It would mean I could spend more on components rather than someone's labour charges, I have another four or five weeks before I start so there's still plenty of time to brush up on the subject, I'll post on here with any success I have. (or failure)
 
Good luck its like a jigsaw puzzle most things only fit one way so can't go wrong really :)
Just watch your static charge when handling the components.
 
Good luck.

One suggestion I would make is to use a modular or semi-modular PSU.
If you get a non modular PSU all the cables are hardwired and even if you are not using them all, you still have to lose them in the case.

Another thought is to get a (large) case with a removable motherboard plate, this lets you mount the motherboard without having your head inside the case (y), however, unlike me, check it slides back in Ok after you have fitted the CPU heat sink :(.
 
John Oh.

I was intending getting a Corsair TX 650, I don't suppose you know which one that is do you please?
 
Davyboy said:
John Oh.

I was intending getting a Corsair TX 650, I don't suppose you know which one that is do you please?
Click to expand...

A modular PSU is unnecessary if you have a case with good cable routing.
 
I don't think the TX 650 is modular, although I believe the HX 650 is.
 
I'll look at the spec on the HX, also I take it that on a modular PSU there are sockets instead of wires? When I've searched for a decent unit I've never noticed any mention of whether it's modular or not.
 
a modular unit will let you disconnect the wires on the PSU that arent in use so keeps things tidier. i can certainly recommend bequiet, and ive stuck a silverstone stider in my HTPC today which is also pretty good for the price.
 
I can't seem to find a definitive definition on the old Interweb.

However my undestanding (for what its worth) is :

Modular
All cables plug into sockets on the PSU, you use what cables are required

Semi_modular
The regular (most often used) cables are hard wired and additional cables are provided to plug in to the PSU as required

Non-Modular
All cables are hard wired into the PSU, and you 'lose' those you don't need in the case.

Some people believe Modular PSUs introduce losses and fault liability due to the extra connectors, but you pays your money and takes your choice. :shrug:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modular_Power_Supply_Unit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Modular_vs_non-modular_PSU.JPG
 
Have a look at scan or novatec web site they sometimes do the barebone deals. You will have to get the dvd Rom graphics card etc.
 
When choosing components it's worth looking at www.ebuyer.com as they have a lot of user reviews.

I would go for a modular PSU too, less clutter means better airflow and a cooler running PC.
 
redddraggon said:
I use all my cables
Click to expand...
That's either a cr*p power supply or you have dial/triple SLI/Xfire with gazillions of disks... But for us mere mortals, I find I have a lot of cables left over...
 
I have lots of stuff in my case.

mutley73 said:
I would go for a modular PSU too, less clutter means better airflow and a cooler running PC.
Click to expand...

It's just this statement which is BS, and I don't like it when people make BS statements like that - I'd have the same number of cables whether I had a modular or non-modular PSU, so why would the modular PSU mean less clutter and better airflow? Better airflow and less clutter is a property of the case not the PSU. If people didn't post such rubbish I wouldn't need to keep repeating myself.
 
redddraggon said:
I have lots of stuff in my case.

It's just this statement which is BS, and I don't like it when people make BS statements like that - I'd have the same number of cables whether I had a modular or non-modular PSU, so why would the modular PSU mean less clutter and better airflow? Better airflow and less clutter is a property of the case not the PSU. If people didn't post such rubbish I wouldn't need to keep repeating myself.
Click to expand...

as andy said there is a very small amount of users that would need to use every single PSU connector. on my last non modular PSU i purchased that had like 12 hard drive connectors and 2 PCIe among others.

youre assuming everyone runs massive towers with cable routing behind the motherboard tray etc. fact is most smaller cases, especially m-ATX and ITX dont have a) anywhere to hide excessive cable and b) any space to waste.

thats not BS, thats fact.
 
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If you are worrying about temps and clutter in a small case, you either have the wrong case or are needlessly worrying.
 
redddraggon said:
I have lots of stuff in my case.



It's just this statement which is BS, and I don't like it when people make BS statements like that - I'd have the same number of cables whether I had a modular or non-modular PSU, so why would the modular PSU mean less clutter and better airflow? Better airflow and less clutter is a property of the case not the PSU. If people didn't post such rubbish I wouldn't need to keep repeating myself.
Click to expand...

How is this rubbish? As others have said, the majority of us don't use all the cables from the PSU or have huge towers. It doesn't matter how good your case is, having a bundle of unused cables inside the case will disrupt airflow around the case. It's not about needlessly worrying about temps, but building a stable, cool running PC (more so if you overclock).
 
Nobody is wrong or right IMO.
I've built loads of computers from shuttle's too gaming rigs and I personally go for a modular PSU because they look better :D
Airflow isn't a big factor in a decent case with the PSU on the bottom unless as somebody said you are running triple SLI set-ups etc.
So get what suits you best but be warned cable routing/tidying is a pain even with the best cases and modular/non modular PSU's!
 
if price is not an object, then modular is ideal, however, id rather put the difference back into the hardware that really matters :p

to the OP though, id settle on a budget before you do anything

then pick the components you want, compare to budget, pass over the less important components to your usage requirements and slim down the cost, after a couple of passes youl have pretty much matched the budget

more than willing to help with specifics, just pm me, or whatever

and i buy most of my hardware from either aria or misco, fyi
 
Having had 2 power supplies die on me (and fortunately not lost any disks/hardware when they did go) I now always overspec the power supply and spend a decent amount on them. The cost difference between a similar spec/quality modular and non modular PSU isn't a lot in the overall scheme of building...
 
i hear you on overspeccing the power capabilities, i know a guy who builds all his stuff with cheap, but powerful, amd chips - downside is the thermal inefficiency, i think he blew three PSU's going up in increments until he found one which actualy ran the damn thing

but what i meant was, so long as the psu is working, it doesent affect performance, at all
 
My personal advice is to buy a computer from Dell (small business -> vostro)
which should be under 600£ for your requirements. In my experience you
buy reliability of your machine from Dell which ultimately is a big factor for
how much fun you'll have with it. You still have the option to change
parts if you really need to.

There are many factors of how realiable your machine is if you build it
yourself and I only built one myself because I love computers and wanted
a high end gaming machine.
 
I intended getting a Corsair 650w or something very similar, but read an article advising a 1000w PSU, seems a bit ott seeing as I won't be gaming.
Blueowl I thought about building one myself as I could get more spec for the same bucks, also it would be nice to say to myself hey I put that together, especially seeing as I thought a motherboard was what the opposite sex did their ironing on not that long ago.

There are many factors of how realiable your machine is if you build it
yourself.

I'm not too sure what you mean Blueowl with this statement, surely if the computer is up and running after completing it's just the same as whoever built it. The components are guaranteed for at least a year, so instead of returning it to say Dell, I'd just contact the relevant supplier.
 
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Davyboy said:
I intended getting a Corsair 650w or something very similar, but read an article advising a 1000w PSU, seems a bit ott seeing as I won't be gaming.
Blueowl I thought about building one myself as I could get more spec for the same bucks, also it would be nice to say to myself hey I put that together, especially seeing as I thought a motherboard was what the opposite sex did their ironing on not that long ago.

There are many factors of how realiable your machine is if you build it
yourself.

I'm not too sure what you mean Blueowl with this statement, surely if the computer is up and running after completing it's just the same as whoever built it. The components are guaranteed for at least a year, so instead of returning it to say Dell, I'd just contact the relevant supplier.
Click to expand...

christ, our new quad xeon servers run 1100w PSUs.. im pretty sure a single i7 will be okay on 600w :LOL:
 
a single otherwise ordinary computer with a double sli on the higher end nvidia cards can easily get past 1000W :p

the key lesson here is that graphics cards EAT ELECTRICITY
 
exactly

that said, if he gets the bigger psu now and then wants to start, its a good future proofing

even if it isent modular, you can get adaptors, so if you get a bigger psu this time, you can avoid paying twice later on
 
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