| Author | Thread |
|
|
10/06/2008 05:22:12 PM · #1 |
I've always built my PCs and am willing to do so again, but I no longer keep up on what's good, bad and different these days.
About 14 months ago I built a PC and now my business has grown and it's time for a bigger badder machine.
I know what I want...but finding it is frustrating!
AMD or Intel I don't really care. 3Ghz dual core is the objective, Windows 64, 4Gb of ram to start (may upgrade later..may not). 1Gb network.
Then I need a C drive of 300gb or so, and RAID - a couple of 750s, or maybe 3 of them - I need a lot of space and raid will eat up some for it's overhead/protection, etc.
Dual DVI video for photo editing. It won't be gaming so that part's unimportant. I'm not brand loyal.
I've seen for $499 pretty close to what I want sitting on store shelves..it lacks RAID and 1G networking and will need a video card. Perhaps that's the better route to go? All those things can be added and the HP/Dell machines at bestbuy seem to be the best bang for the buck, often with a 500Gb HD and 4Gb ram, windows 64, dual core 3Ghz intel. Not sure on the power supply capacity as that may be an issue.
As i've always built my machines I've not had issues with proprietary PITA things like my laptop has (althougth it's not too annoying but it does have it's factory installed quirks)
Thoughts and suggestions?
I'll probably get one of these $500 deals as a new home computer and move let my kids have the current one in addition to a new business machine.
|
|
|
|
10/06/2008 05:30:39 PM · #2 |
| Do you really need RAID in the primary machine? I always use a standard drive in my main machine and then RAID in a server I back up to. I recently switched to using a Drobo and it is a much better alternative to RAID in that there is zero overhead and it can be upgraded to larger drives on the fly. |
|
|
|
10/07/2008 07:06:15 AM · #3 |
I am a full time pro and shoot a lot- 18Gb at the last wedding and I do 20 a year, 6 gb a senior and I did 22 so far this year, plus events, babies, sports leagues, etc. So while I do backup up, the reliablity and speed benefits as well as size are why I want my main data on a RAID array.
Backup is to alternating external eSata drives and that will continue work.
DROBO is very interesting, but it's not cheap and it's proprietary, meaning your data is locked into the DROBO system. I'd prefer to keep things as generic as possible.
I'm now using LR and I have concerns about how ever edit is 'sealed' inside LR. No other program can access your edits. So if something better than LR comes along, or Adobe redoes the database structure, the old data may be orphaned. When DROBO went from 1.0 to 2.0 they initially said there was no way to move your disks/data over! Not good if your livlihood depends on getting to your data.
RAID on backup is kinda silly IMO. Depending on the RAID choice you can decrease access time and that's handy on a main drive but pointless on a backup. The backup drive needs not run 24/7, only when a backup is occurring so that drive can last a long time, and won't need defragged, etc.
|
|
|
|
10/07/2008 10:02:38 AM · #4 |
| If you do decide to "roll your own" again, my recent thread may provide some ideas. My needs are somewhat different from yours as far as storage (I don't generate near the data volume) but my editing needs are probably in line with yours. |
|
|
|
10/07/2008 10:34:31 AM · #5 |
For heavy duty use, look at the Dell business machines and high-end gaming machines. Also look at using a server box running the OS of your choice.
The more expensive machines have lots of features you may or may not need that just aren't available in consumer models. I've found the Dell servers to be better built than the Dell high end machines, which are better built than the Dell low end machines.
Also, expensive video cards have features that many programs are starting to take advantage of. Expensive NICs do processing on board, cheaper ones offload the processing to the CPU. And so on--each cost upgrade comes with a benifit that Dell doesn't always talk about.
BTW, Quad-core machines are starting to show up in Costco.
|
|
|
|
10/07/2008 06:06:34 PM · #6 |
I tried dell's online site to put together a system...$3300 and I was still shot a drive for RAID or something (I gave up at that price).
Quad core is probably something the software I'm using can't take advantage of where as speed of the CPU I can use. It's easy to find 3Ghz dual core but most quads are around 2.2 to 2.4. The difference between them is 30%! IF the software/OS can use all 4 cores then it's got the edge...
vista64 (premium most likely), CS4, LR2 and some other less CPU intense applications.
4Gb of ram is a start, 8 may be best. I'm considering a raptor drive as well either for C or a swap/work drive. A friend did a raptor array for data and a flash drive of some kind for work/swap drive - he says it flies.
|
|
|
|
10/07/2008 06:09:00 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
If you do decide to "roll your own" again, my recent thread may provide some ideas. My needs are somewhat different from yours as far as storage (I don't generate near the data volume) but my editing needs are probably in line with yours. |
I did look at your thread. There are so many solutions these days. With LR2 as my main file management solution I want one large drive deal that I don't have to mess wtih for a year or 2. Two being a dream LOL.
I like the idea of DROBO, but something about it bothers me. I've tested my external drives and they are slower to read/write than internal drives so there is a performance hit that you don't take with an internal RAID system.
|
|
|
|
10/07/2008 06:13:59 PM · #8 |
Yep, when you try to build something custom on Dell's site, it can get expensive real fast. The best bet with Dell is to try to tweak an existing product, starting with an e-code from one of their mailers or elsewhere.
My completely custom box referenced in a previous post came in around $2300, but that included a $269 monitor, a $210 Wacom tablet and a $190 1TB external drive. |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 12/27/2025 09:48:10 AM EST.
