Any suggestions for a new computer?

Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+, S24 Ultra

07/13/2009 07:02:38 PM · #1

Hey guys, I'd appreciate any suggestions you might have about computers. I've just about fried my fourth one in seven years and had better get a new one before I'm in a bind. I'd like something reasonably priced, PC-based (can't afford to change all my software to mac). I am a pro photographer and use my computer constantly. Please, if you have any ideas on what I might check out that's going to last me more than two years, I'd love to hear it!

crayon

07/13/2009 08:48:55 PM · #2

Originally posted by moswyn:

I'd like something reasonably priced, PC-based

ambaker

Google Glass Google Glass

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

07/13/2009 08:51:29 PM · #3

Define reasonably priced...

For me reasonable is about $1,000. How much is reasonable to you?

07/13/2009 08:53:53 PM · #4

That's reasonable enough. Not a $2500 machine. If it lasts more than two years and is $1000, I'm already ahead of the game, you know?

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

07/13/2009 09:21:02 PM · #5

Originally posted by crayon:

Originally posted by moswyn:
I'd like something reasonably priced, PC-based

Not sure what advice you're offering here, thanks.

Covert_Oddity

Nikon D700

07/13/2009 09:31:14 PM · #6

I've recommended Dells for my family and they seem really happy with them. The price is usually pretty good and they give you a fair amount of customization options, so you could skip on the stuff you don't really want (like a super high end video card or high end CPU) and choose upgrade options that will suit photography better, like lots of RAM and HDD space.

I use Dell at work as well, and I find the monitors pretty crisp and clear, can't really comment on photography though as I use a Mac at home.

For $1000 you should be able to get a pretty high spec machine, I wouldn't even imagine you would need to spend that much unless you're planning on using it for games as well.

07/13/2009 09:35:55 PM · #7

I build my own, but I'm not sure that is what you want. Anyway, here is what I built for about $650 in January:

AMD Athlon X2 6000+ (3 Ghz dual core)
Asus M3A78 Motherboard
Thermaltake V1 CPU cooler
Antec Sonata III case w/ 500W power supply
4Gb 800Mhz DDR2 RAM
350 Gb SATA drive for OS and applications
1 Tb SATA drive for files
Diamond Radeon 4650 Video card (drives 2 monitors)
LG DVD-RW drive w/ light scribe
Bay mounted Card reader
Windows Vista Home Premium (System builder version purchased with motherboard)
Existing keyboard, mouse & monitors from old computer
Handy bay mounted drawer for storing important items, such as flashdrives and shoehorns

Message edited by author 2009-07-13 21:38:18.

07/13/2009 09:39:56 PM · #8

How did you manage to fry your computer? I'm wondering if perhaps there is something you need to account for with your next one.

07/14/2009 12:56:07 PM · #9

I don't know what I'm doing to them. I leave my computer on pretty much all the time, but I do have it set to sleep after ten minutes. I do move a lot of files around. What typically happens is that my computers get slower and slower or they start rebooting themselves, even after completely formatting. Which, that's a hassle if there ever was one. Takes three days to get all of my stuff back on there.

I will look into Dell, and I have thought about building my own. Well, my husband would be stuck with the job, but that's what you men are for, right? ;)

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

07/14/2009 01:08:04 PM · #10

Originally posted by moswyn:

What typically happens is that my computers get slower and slower

That sounds like normal behavior of a Windows machine after several years of use. Except that reformatting and reinstalling everything should normally take care of it.

Originally posted by moswyn:

or they start rebooting themselves, even after completely formatting.

This could be some other issue, such as overheating or electrical issues. Could also be an OS problem, but again, reinstalling should take care of it. I have occasionally had problems with spontaneous reboots. What brand of computers have you had until now? One possibility is power supplies going bad.

I generally do not leave my computer on 24/7. I turn it off at night and it stays off until I come home from work. My wife leaves her Mac on all the time however.

I got 5 years out of my last build, until I felt the need to upgrade, and I am still using the old one in the spare bedroom.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

07/14/2009 01:32:15 PM · #11

From the perspective of electronics reliability, leaving it on 24/7 is really not an issue. It's often more stressful to electronics to be turned on and off all the time. The one thing you need to watch for, however, is dust collecting in the case. A computer left on 24/7 will accumulate dust to the point where it can overheat, causing temporary, or in the worst case permanent damage. If you see large amounts of dust, particularly in the areas of the CPU fan, graphics card, or power supply, you may want to clean it out. I've found that the best way is carefully using a compressed air source. I emphasize carefully, because fast-moving air streams ca cause static which can damage equipment. It is safer, however, and more effective than trying to vacuum it out. Vacuum nozzles are usually plastic, and they accumulate a *huge* static charge.
I normally clean out my systems once a year, and there is *plenty* of dust to clean out.
With regard to the comment that slowdowns are "normal for Windows systems," this was certainly *very* true for Win9X, and true for WinXP if a lot of software was installed over the years and hard drives were not defragmented. Vista (and Win7) should be much more resistant to that, although good hard drive management is still the responsibility of the user. If you don't regularly defragment your drives, you should. It need not be done often, perhaps every 6 months, and it really does not need to be done on drives where files are not regularly re-written (like back-up drives).
Another source of system slowdowns is malware. Again, *much* more prevalent with Win9X, reduced to near-zero with good practices under WinXP, and even less of an issue with Vista/Win7.
As you upgrade, consider spending a little more and getting something just one step back from the latest and greatest. You don't need to "hang the big bucks" but getting a fast machine now means that as the demands of applications and operating systems increase, your machine won't seem like a dog as soon as if you start out with a middle-of-the-road machine. If I were building a machine today, it would be Intel i7-based, no doubt. Big step forward, and doable for around $1200 or so, perhaps a little more if you want lots of memory (which I would also recommend, I run 8GB). If you run more than 3GB of memory, you will need a 64-bit OS to support it. Win7 release candidate is currently available free of charge, and is a fantastic OS. If you are familiar with Vista at all, Win7 will feel comfortable. The release candidate will work until early next calendar year, at which time you'd have to buy the OS.

Ann

Olympus OM-D E-M1

Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro

07/14/2009 02:02:47 PM · #12

Originally posted by moswyn:

Slowing down can point to things like disk drives that are too full or need defragmenting, or not enough RAM for the apps you're trying to run. Since you say you're moving files around a lot, I'd look at the hard drive. How full is it? Does it need defragmenting? If it's more than 75% full, remove some stuff, defragment, and see if that improves matters.

Rebooting, though, sounds like either hardware failure (less likely) or some sort of malware infestation (more likely). Buying a new machine will only fix a malware infestation for a short time, unless you're much more careful about security with the new machine than you were with the old. Virus and spyware software, firewalls, windows update, and running as a non-administrative user are all important to keeping your computer clean and happy.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

07/14/2009 02:51:35 PM · #13

Often the slowdowns occur due to applications you have installed. Over time you have little bits of code for various things running in the background that you don't know about. Some stuff can even be left behind by applications that have been deleted. This is most readily seen during bootup and login, when you notice it is taking your computer longer to come to a ready to work state.

Anti-Martyr

Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro

07/14/2009 03:36:50 PM · #14

Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:

I build my own, but I'm not sure that is what you want. Anyway, here is what I built for about $650 in January:

AMD Athlon X2 6000+ (3 Ghz dual core)
Asus M3A78 Motherboard
Thermaltake V1 CPU cooler
Antec Sonata III case w/ 500W power supply
4Gb 800Mhz DDR2 RAM
350 Gb SATA drive for OS and applications
1 Tb SATA drive for files
Diamond Radeon 4650 Video card (drives 2 monitors)
LG DVD-RW drive w/ light scribe
Bay mounted Card reader
Windows Vista Home Premium (System builder version purchased with motherboard)
Existing keyboard, mouse & monitors from old computer
Handy bay mounted drawer for storing important items, such as flashdrives and shoehorns

You'd have to be a fool to build an AMD system. Even if you can recycle a motherboard and RAM... that's still not a good excuse. Intel's processors at every price point are much, much better.

Anti-Martyr

Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

07/14/2009 03:36:51 PM · #15

I also recommend building your own.

Any prebuilt is a ripoff in terms of price/performance.

Message edited by author 2009-07-14 15:38:14.

plugsnpixels

07/14/2009 04:07:24 PM · #16

If you wanted more flexibility you can get an Intel Mac (new or used) and run all your Windows stuff AND Mac goodies.

I like the concept of building your own computer but then you're stuck with a limited choice of OS's, whereas on the Mac you can run them all â��Â at the same time if you prefer (using Parallels, etc.).

07/14/2009 04:51:36 PM · #17

Originally posted by Anti-Martyr:

You'd have to be a fool to build an AMD system. Even if you can recycle a motherboard and RAM... that's still not a good excuse. Intel's processors at every price point are much, much better.

I disagree of course, AMD's have always provided me the most bang for the buck and I tend to stay 18 months or so behind the bleeding edge. But obviously, I am a fool.

I'm not willing to go down the same deadhorse trail as the regularly scheduled Mac/Windows and Nikon/Canon threads, so we will just leave it at me being an idiot.

Message edited by author 2009-07-14 16:52:24.

pixelpig

Sony Alpha a55

Sony DT 1.8/50mm SAM

07/14/2009 07:32:10 PM · #18

late to the party I know but here's my suggestion

//www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/asus-eee-pc-701.aspx

07/15/2009 08:33:17 AM · #19

I really appreciate all the advice!

What do you guys think about laptops vs. desktops for photo editing? Desktops still the way to go?

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

07/15/2009 08:41:21 AM · #20

I would go with a desktop simply because of being able to choose a larger monitor. Of course, you could always throw an external monitor on a laptop. Main thing in choosing a laptop, I think, is if portability is important to you.

spiritualspatula

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

07/15/2009 08:54:19 AM · #21

Originally posted by pixelpig:

late to the party I know but here's my suggestion

//www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/asus-eee-pc-701.aspx

I can't even begin to wonder how painful editing would get with 512mb of RAM on a lightly powered system. That notebook is great for surfing and tasks that are light on overhead, but I would question it's usefulness with heavy apps.

I use a laptop, because I needed portability. You will always get more power with a desktop for the price. Portability costs a premium. You also can't really upgrade things later on other than RAM and HDD.
If you're using an external screen, it sorta defeats the purpose of the portability of a laptop.
Also, editing on a laptop can be troublesome due to the variability of viewing angle.

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

07/15/2009 09:03:35 AM · #22

It's also easy to throw another big internal drive into a desktop system when needed. Terabyte drives are pretty cheap now.

spiritualspatula

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

07/15/2009 09:07:18 AM · #23

Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:

It's also easy to throw another big internal drive into a desktop system when needed. Terabyte drives are pretty cheap now.

Honestly, this is pretty pain free on a laptop too. Drive sizes aren't as big though (500gb @ 7200), and they are pricier.
Backing things up can be much more painful, however (unless you got one of those beastly desktop replacement laptops with multiple HDD bays... but they weigh about as much as a destktop anyway), and I'm not sure how possible/practical a RAID system would be, so definitely consider that as well.