advice on desktop

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deputy dawg

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Martyn
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Hi i am looking for some advice on buying a desktop,purely for photography i have very little knowledge when it comes to computers and the ideal spec to have i have a budget of between £600-£800 any help gratefully recieved.
 
With or without monitor?
 
deputy dawg said:
Hi i am looking for some advice on buying a desktop,purely for photography i have very little knowledge when it comes to computers and the ideal spec to have i have a budget of between £600-£800 any help gratefully recieved.
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With a budget of £600-£800 I would suggest finding a company that builds custom PCs rather than an off the shelf PC.
You will get a very good custom PC for your budget.
Where are you based, as I might be able to point you in the direction of a good, small company.
 
These guys build to order and are great value. Options for just base units or full packages with monitors.

http://www.cube247.co.uk
 
neil_g said:
dell.co.uk
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That's awesome, well done, fantastic advice, I applaude you :clap:
A budget of £600 - £800 and blow it on a disposable PC once the warranty expires or be ripped off for a non standard motherboard :bonk:

OP, with advice like that.
If are not too far from London, I'd be more than happy to help you spec the machine, source the parts and I will also build it for you free of charge.
If it helps, this is my proffession so I do know what I am talking about (I'm not blowing my own trumpet).
 
Dont think you need to spend that much IMHO, around £500 should get a lovely self build system, look for your local PC shop.
 
hashcake said:
That's awesome, well done, fantastic advice, I applaude you :clap:
A budget of £600 - £800 and blow it on a disposable PC once the warranty expires or be ripped off for a non standard motherboard :bonk:

OP, with advice like that.
If are not too far from London, I'd be more than happy to help you spec the machine, source the parts and I will also build it for you free of charge.
If it helps, this is my proffession so I do know what I am talking about (I'm not blowing my own trumpet).
Click to expand...

Stick with Dell you get a good reliable PC that works out of the box with support. Here £479.00 incl Vat & Del and well over speced for photosop.
 
sbowler579 said:
Dont think you need to spend that much IMHO, around £500 should get a lovely self build system, look for your local PC shop.
Click to expand...

I agree he doesn't need to spend that much, £500 would be a good budget but perhaps allow a bit more for the OS.
Even I would be hard pushed to spend £800 and I am very fussy on the components I use.
I'm certainly not saying they are all cowboys but research needs to be done to find a decent shop that does PC builds.
I've seen plenty of PC's that were thrown together, messsy cabling and badly configured.
There are a lot of small traders who think they have a clue when they don't.
Take time to find out about a local place if you decide to use one.
There are companies online that have a good reputaion but there is no reason why a decent local business could not do you a very good deal.
 
Thanks for all the replies yes it would include the monitor and i would happily spend less than the budget. It has also been suggested a laptop would be just as good which has added to the dilema. I am just outside bury st edmunds.
 
hashcake said:
That's awesome, well done, fantastic advice, I applaude you :clap:
A budget of £600 - £800 and blow it on a disposable PC once the warranty expires or be ripped off for a non standard motherboard :bonk:
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About a month ago I blew £700 on one of these. It was a pretty compelling "rip off" given that I'd have struggled to have built a machine of that spec for the price, and the situation will likely be the same in X years time when I need to upgrade.

Admittedly I'm not a huge fan of the non-standard motherboard, but IMO this ceases to be relevant to anyone but the most spec-hungry, latest-tech-chasing enthusiast; given that by the time the average user comes to upgrade their home built system the only things that won't be obsolete will be the case and PSU anyway.

And as regards disposibility and warranty claims, my previous Dell took a beating for 7yrs, had several upgrades and the only hardware failure it suffered was a knackered CRT monitor after about 4yrs.

I'm all for sustainability and making things last, but in this case I don't think much comes close to Dell for out and out value.
 
tbm said:
About a month ago I blew £700 on one of these. It was a pretty compelling "rip off" given that I'd have struggled to have built a machine of that spec for the price, and the situation will likely be the same in X years time when I need to upgrade.

Admittedly I'm not a huge fan of the non-standard motherboard, but IMO this ceases to be relevant to anyone but the most spec-hungry, latest-tech-chasing enthusiast; given that by the time the average user comes to upgrade their home built system the only things that won't be obsolete will be the case and PSU anyway.

And as regards disposibility and warranty claims, my previous Dell took a beating for 7yrs, had several upgrades and the only hardware failure it suffered was a knackered CRT monitor after about 4yrs.

I'm all for sustainability and making things last, but in this case I don't think much comes close to Dell for out and out value.
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I don't disagree with many of the points you have made.

Dogfish_magnet made a comment without backing it up, hence my reaction.
You've proven that it is possible to get a decent spec PC for the money when it comes to the likes of Dell.

Obviously they get things right as they shift a lot of boxes.
Granted I've never seen loads in one go, but I've seen Dell boxes with a faulty motherboard 6 months after the warranty has expired and Dell charge silly money for replacements.
If Dell used a standard ATX motherboard rather than their own non standard design, tbh I probably wouldn't knock them.

Using retail prices, I can match that spec for £685 inc Win 7 32bit (assuming your spec is the one in the middle?) using decent components.
Even though hardware margins are dire these days, a shop might be able to build it (inc labour) for the same price if not a bit cheaper
Ok so it's £35 more but the motherboard and ram I used in the spec, I think this box would perform faster than the Dell.
There is also the bonus that with the motherboard I opted for, the CPU can be overclocked without any problems.
I understand that these aspects will not bother most people.
But bang for bugs, more can be squeezed out of the custom box rather than the Dell.

Maybe I am biased as I work in the industry and I've always built my own PCs, I don't see things in the same way as the general public.
 
'Dogfish_magnet made a comment without backing it up, hence my reaction.'


WTF you on about.......i posted a link to a priced and speced Dell Pc -


'Maybe I am biased as I work in the industry and I've always built my own PCs, I don't see things in the same way as the general public'

I also work in the industry..........and recommenced Dell Pc's due to the fact that anyone can order one and it will turn up fully working having been built on a production line in controlled conditions using class leading components. not in some ones bedroom surrounded by crap and static etc, etc. Before Dell it used to be compaq unfortunately since HP bought them the quality is not as good. Oh and when it breaks there's a fully skilled support team to help resolve any issues, including bios updates , software updates , driver updates etc etc-
 
hashcake said:
That's awesome, well done, fantastic advice, I applaude you :clap:
A budget of £600 - £800 and blow it on a disposable PC once the warranty expires or be ripped off for a non standard motherboard :bonk:

OP, with advice like that.
If are not too far from London, I'd be more than happy to help you spec the machine, source the parts and I will also build it for you free of charge.
If it helps, this is my proffession so I do know what I am talking about (I'm not blowing my own trumpet).
Click to expand...

ROFL.

if it helps its my profession too and has been for the last 10 or 11 years or so. we have approx 200 dell desktops and another 100 or so laptops. last time a motherboard failed in a desktop in the 4 years ive worked with dell kit.... errr, never. in the laptops only due to droppages.

theres a LOT of options on the dell site, hence i only gave the site so the OP can do some browsing.

would you like your toys back now, they seem to be all over the floor..
 
Hashcake, you are stuck so far up your own ring you cant see out, i use Dells at work, i use Dell laptops on the move and i also use Dells at home, ive bought and sold dozens of Dells and not once have i or anyone ive sold to had a single problem

OP if youre looking for a comp what does what it says on the tin, look no further than Dell, and if youre looking for a great deal on a used massive specced desktop well BELOW your budget then drop me a PM
 
neil_g said:
ROFL
would you like your toys back now, they seem to be all over the floor..
Click to expand...

Rather than just post the website, your experience with Dell would have been more useful for the OP.
I was obviosuly wrong but you see can see what I mean.

I will now ask my mummy to let me crawl on the floor so I can pick my toys up....:dummy:
 
Dogfish_magnet said:
'Dogfish_magnet made a comment without backing it up, hence my reaction.'


WTF you on about.......i posted a link to a priced and speced Dell Pc -


'Maybe I am biased as I work in the industry and I've always built my own PCs, I don't see things in the same way as the general public'

I also work in the industry..........and recommenced Dell Pc's due to the fact that anyone can order one and it will turn up fully working having been built on a production line in controlled conditions using class leading components. not in some ones bedroom surrounded by crap and static etc, etc. Before Dell it used to be compaq unfortunately since HP bought them the quality is not as good. Oh and when it breaks there's a fully skilled support team to help resolve any issues, including bios updates , software updates , driver updates etc etc-
Click to expand...

Oops, I meant neil_g, sorry not you, my apologies
 
Gary Coyle said:
Hashcake, you are stuck so far up your own ring you cant see out
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No I'm not believe it or not.
The point I was trying to make and did an utter crap job of doing was to try and explain to the OP that his only option wasn't an off the shelf solution.
As I said earlier, I know Dell make reliable machines as it's obvious they wouldn't be as big as there.
 
Dogfish_magnet said:
I also work in the industry..........and recommenced Dell Pc's due to the fact that anyone can order one and it will turn up fully working having been built on a production line in controlled conditions using class leading components. not in some ones bedroom surrounded by crap and static etc, etc.
Click to expand...

I'm not picking holes or arguing with your statement.
However, static is not as big an issue as it used to be with electronics.
I'd agree that there are probably a lot of people who don't take anti static precautions when building a PC but anyone who was previously involved in the electronic industry wouldn't normally make the same mistake.
When it comes to production environments, I come from a background where things were not done on a massive conveyor belt set up (I got out from that side of things many years ago When the UK electronics industry more or less dissapeared overnight, or had to adopt a different approach to survive).
One person would normally take care of the assembly of a product and also take pride in their work.
Too be honest my biggest niggle with the big PC producers is the lack of tidying the cables.
I've seen enough machines were cables potentially run the risk of being caught by a fan.


Anyway that is not the poing of this thread and I digress far too much.
I just wanted the OP to know there is another option but I sadly admit I did a very bad job of trying to explain his options.
 
hashcake said:
Rather than just post the website, your experience with Dell would have been more useful for the OP.
I was obviosuly wrong but you see can see what I mean.

I will now ask my mummy to let me crawl on the floor so I can pick my toys up....:dummy:
Click to expand...

thats fair enough, i think everyones overeacted a little in here now (me inc).

hugs all round lol
 
neil_g said:
thats fair enough, i think everyones overeacted a little in here now (me inc).

hugs all round lol
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lol fair enough, I've never spent so much time on a forum apologising to people and realising I've been a right tit :D
 
my mates dell's motherboard has failed just outside of warranty, and he's having to get a new one cos the motherboard is non replaceable bar getting ripped of by dell for a repair, cheaper to buy a new one.

TBH i have bought a few dells for work and home but after this id reconsider using them again, had a couple off www.pcspecialist.co.uk they werent too bad i thought
 
deputy dawg - I also owe you an apology as well.
You just wanted to ask from some advice on a new PC and I just complicated matters.
In all honesty, what the guys have said about buying a Dell is true, you will get a good PC for your money.

I know you are new to his forum but please don't let this thread put you off.
I've never caused a problem like this before on TP.
Twice today I have made errors in this section of the forum and I know I was wrong both times.

This really is a friendly forum and if you have a look at various threads, I'm sure you will find plenty that I have posted in where neil_g, Gary Coyle, deputy dawg etc have posted on and there has never been any arguing.
I really don't want to give you a false impression that I am an arguementitive old git.
The last thing I would ever want to do is to put a member off this forum.
 
hashcake said:
I'm not picking holes or arguing with your statement.
However, static is not as big an issue as it used to be with electronics.
I'd agree that there are probably a lot of people who don't take anti static precautions when building a PC but anyone who was previously involved in the electronic industry wouldn't normally make the same mistake.
When it comes to production environments, I come from a background where things were not done on a massive conveyor belt set up (I got out from that side of things many years ago When the UK electronics industry more or less dissapeared overnight, or had to adopt a different approach to survive).
One person would normally take care of the assembly of a product and also take pride in their work.
Too be honest my biggest niggle with the big PC producers is the lack of tidying the cables.
I've seen enough machines were cables potentially run the risk of being caught by a fan.


Anyway that is not the poing of this thread and I digress far too much.
I just wanted the OP to know there is another option but I sadly admit I did a very bad job of trying to explain his options.
Click to expand...

I suggest you read this from Intel.

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) costs the electronics industry millions of dollars each year in
damaged components, non-functional circuit boards and scrambled or missing information. ESD
can occur in the manufacturing, shipping, receiving, and field handling of integrated circuits or
computer boards with no visible signs of damage. A malfunction in these components or boards
can occur immediately or the apparatus may perform for weeks, months, or even years before an
unpredictable and premature breakdown causes a field failure


I do a lot of product evaluation and recommendations for clients , which ultimately leads to the deployment of thousands of PC's and servers and i can safely say i have never seen or heard of Cable getting caught in a fan.

Building a PC 8-9yrs ago was the way to get the best bang for buck - Personally in todays market place its just not worth it.
 
Dogfish_magnet said:
I suggest you read this from Intel.

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) costs the electronics industry millions of dollars each year in
damaged components, non-functional circuit boards and scrambled or missing information. ESD
can occur in the manufacturing, shipping, receiving, and field handling of integrated circuits or
computer boards with no visible signs of damage. A malfunction in these components or boards
can occur immediately or the apparatus may perform for weeks, months, or even years before an
unpredictable and premature breakdown causes a field failure


I do a lot of product evaluation and recommendations for clients , which ultimately leads to the deployment of thousands of PC's and servers and i can safely say i have never seen or heard of Cable getting caught in a fan.

Building a PC 8-9yrs ago was the way to get the best bang for buck - Personally in todays market place its just not worth it.
Click to expand...

Shall we agree to leave it alone?
We both have our opinions and I respect yours even if I don't agree 100%.
 
sorry everyone all i wanted was to know what specs i would need to have and some recomendations. the amount i put i wanted to spend was only a guide for some quality components.As i know sweet fanny adams about comps. :bang:
 
deputy dawg said:
sorry everyone all i wanted was to know what specs i would need to have and some recomendations. the amount i put i wanted to spend was only a guide for some quality components.As i know sweet fanny adams about comps. :bang:
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You have nothing to be sorry for, you did nothing wrong.
I am the one to blame.
I promise you I will never ever suggest that you buy a custom built lens of DSLR body :)
 
..aaand relax :p :)

hashcake said:
I don't disagree with many of the points you have made.

Dogfish_magnet made a comment without backing it up, hence my reaction.
You've proven that it is possible to get a decent spec PC for the money when it comes to the likes of Dell.

Obviously they get things right as they shift a lot of boxes.
Granted I've never seen loads in one go, but I've seen Dell boxes with a faulty motherboard 6 months after the warranty has expired and Dell charge silly money for replacements.
If Dell used a standard ATX motherboard rather than their own non standard design, tbh I probably wouldn't knock them.

Using retail prices, I can match that spec for £685 inc Win 7 32bit (assuming your spec is the one in the middle?) using decent components.
Even though hardware margins are dire these days, a shop might be able to build it (inc labour) for the same price if not a bit cheaper
Ok so it's £35 more but the motherboard and ram I used in the spec, I think this box would perform faster than the Dell.
There is also the bonus that with the motherboard I opted for, the CPU can be overclocked without any problems.
I understand that these aspects will not bother most people.
But bang for bugs, more can be squeezed out of the custom box rather than the Dell.

Maybe I am biased as I work in the industry and I've always built my own PCs, I don't see things in the same way as the general public.
Click to expand...
I see your point from the perspective of motherboard failure; granted that could be a concern in terms of longevity. Was all good with the old one though; just hope the new one's the same :)

Fair play with the price comparison; yes I did get the middle one but with 8Gb of RAM and the 2.93Ghz 870 processor due to a pricing error :)D) but obviously that makes for an unfair comparison. Came with Vista Prem. 64 which later got upgraded to Win 7 for nowt. Fair point about the overclocking too, although that's a whole different thing as personally doesn't appeal as it'd be mostly irrelevant to what I use the machine for.

Again, I like to know what I'm buying and am the sort of person who'd usually go for the non-mainstream approach, but I've always been impressed with Dell machines.

deputy dawg said:
sorry everyone all i wanted was to know what specs i would need to have and some recomendations. the amount i put i wanted to spend was only a guide for some quality components.As i know sweet fanny adams about comps. :bang:
Click to expand...
I trust you want it for photo editing primarily so you'll want a decent processor and lots of RAM. Graphics card won't matter much for imaging (although will if you want to play games).

Also worth considering external storage and backup options etc - my choice would be a small primary hard drive for the operating system, along with another, larger internal drive for photos and media, then an external one to back it all up.

It's a good idea to do a bit of research into processors, as you can't go by their clock speed alone. This site offers a useful yardstick as far as gauging performance goes. Current best desktop spec processors are the intel core i5 and i7s - should think a system with one of these in should be in your budget so abuse google and learn about them ;)

Regarding monitors, you'll want something with an IPS panel as these offer by far the best characteristics for photo editing. There are plenty of threads on here discussing them, and again Google is your friend.

Then it just comes down to sourcing the machine; Dell, specialist build or home build. Shall we go over the pro's and con's one more time gents......? :D
 
tbm said:
yes I did get the middle one but with 8Gb of RAM and the 2.93Ghz 870 processor due to a pricing error :)D)
Click to expand...

I've heard about people being lucky with this and not just from Dell.
It's be so nice to get free upgrades due a pricing error on photography kit :)
 
Although I recommended cube, TBH, if you do know "sweet fanny adams" about PC's, then the Dell option would be better. I buy literally hundreds of them at work, both desktops and laptops and they are very reliable and the support is great. Also, consider going for the top level warranty which gives you 3 years on site support so if anything does go wrong, you can call them before 4pm in the afternoon and someone comes to your house the next day to fix it. I once had a guys laptop screen changes in a Johannesburg hotel room - beat that for service :)
 
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