Help me build my new computer - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

01/29/2007 10:39:11 PM · #1

I need some advice. I'm finally going to get a new computer. I have all the software I need so it's all going to hardware and I'll have $3000 CDN (around 2550 US) to do it with.

As my primary business computer running Adobe CS2 and Macromedia Studio MX what is your recommendation? Mac? PC? Dell? Alienware? Dual monitors? One big ass monitor? LCD? CRT? What would you do with it?

Message edited by author 2007-01-29 22:44:19.

zeuszen

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

01/29/2007 10:47:33 PM · #2

24" iMac
â�¢ 1GB memory
â�¢ 250GB hard drive1
â�¢ 8x DL SuperDrive
â�¢ NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics

CDN $ 2449,-

I'd add memory. That's it. You can add up to 3 GB.

Message edited by author 2007-01-30 12:52:02.

crayon

Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+, S24 Ultra

01/29/2007 10:49:22 PM · #3

Originally posted by sea2c:

Dual monitors? One big ass monitor? LCD? CRT? What would you do with it?

that's a must have! dual monitors (or make that 4 monitors if you have the cash). actually 2 is good enough - 1 primary one (huge screen) and a secondary one. Once you are used to this setup, nothing else is good enough.

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

01/29/2007 11:18:59 PM · #4

Originally posted by crayon:

Once you are used to this setup, nothing else is good enough.

I have dual 19's at both home and work and I can't say it's made a huge difference in how I work. If I had to go back to one 19 it would be tough. If I went to a 24" I think I'd be just fine with that. Actually, I'd be pretty stoked about that. Big time.

fotomann_forever

01/29/2007 11:51:18 PM · #5

Unless you are a gamer, I really wouldn't bother with the Alienware machines. Don't get me wrong, they are great machines, but not worth the money for less demanding apps.

I'd likely go with the Dells, max out the memory and storage space and get dual monitor support.

Also, another good option is to have a custom machine built by someone locally. While a bit more expensive to start custom machines offer the best upgrade path in the future.

littlegett

Canon EOS-20D

01/29/2007 11:55:22 PM · #6

Yes, custom built is the way to go.

I keep wanting to get a Mac myself (even though I can't custom build it myself) But, it just doesn't support enough RAM for me. I am a resource hog, and I don't even play games really. Just a power user I guess. So the first thing I normally look for, is how much RAM can I stuff in the sucka. If its less than three gigs, I keep lookin.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/29/2007 11:59:41 PM · #7

One of the alienware pc's came with 6 GB to start with and could go as high as 16 GB. Crazy. I could do that under 3K, BUT, no monitor, 150 GB HD but is very upgradeable.

doctornick

Apple iPhone 13 Pro

01/30/2007 12:44:00 AM · #8

Originally posted by zeuszen:

24" iMac
â�¢ 1GB memory
â�¢ 250GB hard drive1
â�¢ 8x DL SuperDrive
â�¢ NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics

CDN $ 2449,-

I'd add memory. That's it.

I second that!

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/30/2007 06:23:17 PM · #9

Thanks for the tips guys.

Any other opinions/suggestions?

Ben

Canon EOS-30D

01/30/2007 06:26:37 PM · #10

One tip, don't get an Alienware, you could build yourself a better machine for less money.

Imac sounds good for what you're wanting though.
Unless your familiar with building yourself dual core with dual monitors (which i what i'm in the process of doing, pending funds).

EstimatedEyes

Fujifilm X-T5

Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR

01/30/2007 06:53:39 PM · #11

Have you considered building your own PC? You get a lot more bang for your buck, and its not that difficult (or so my techie friends tell me). Mostly just plugging and/or screwing parts together. I'm about to try it with parts from newegg, which, besides having great prices, has tons of great information and customer reviews about which parts to buy.

Mark

Canon EOS-600D/T3i Rebel

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

01/30/2007 07:15:21 PM · #12

Originally posted by EstimatedEyes:

There is a lot of risk involved in doing this. You really need to trust yourself and know what you're doing. It's easy to overlook things and run into serious problems. If you accidentally forget to ground yourself, you can build up charge, and if you're tinkering around and zap something, you'll have to replace it, which is a pain and expensive. If you don't have the machine properly cooled, you can melt your processor, graphics card, or both. You also don't have anyone who can service it, which means that if you have a problem you're on your own.

EstimatedEyes

Fujifilm X-T5

Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR

01/30/2007 07:27:43 PM · #13

Originally posted by Quickshutter:

There is a lot of risk involved in doing this.

Very true, and I should have warned that you have to be somewhat tech savvy to try this. But risks appear manageable, and there is a lot of information out there that will help minimize and avoid these problems. I've done enough tinkering around with computers (swapping hard drives, optical drives, installing upgrade cards, etc.) that I'm reasonably confident in my abilities, and I've got those techie friends to call on when my BIOS won't load correctly. I'm actually more nervous about trying to clean my sensor for the first time, than building my own PC (but then again, maybe ignorance is bliss)

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

01/30/2007 07:42:56 PM · #14

There is of course some risk in building your own, but also a lot to gain. It's not always cheaper, in fact can be slightly more expensive, but YOU control what components go into it. The end result, if you do your homework, is a lot of bang for the buck, and low failure rates, since you've specified the better components. You also understand how it was built, and so are able to deal with issues more effectively. You also avoid the inevitable vendor-specific software that they push on you, and you have all software CDs/DVDs since they are purchased as specific items. No crappy "recovery" partitions or lack of media if yoiu need/want to reinstall something.
I've built our last four or five PCs, and can't remember the last time we had a major hardware failure, nor have I ever needed to resort to external help to sort out an issue. I even overclock, though not to extreme.
My next machine will be a Core2 Duo based system. There are some very overclockable CPUs out there for reasonable bucks that provide a lot of performance for the dollar.

hsolakidis

Nikon D50

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

01/30/2007 07:49:02 PM · #15

I think a PC is much more upgradeable than a Mac. No matter what you buy, you 'll want something more in a 2-3 years time (if not sooner). You can go a long way with old parts as long as they cover your needs. I have a geforce 2 mx in my pc for the primary monitor and a PCI matrox 2MB (yes,2mb) for the secondary. Why? Because they do all I need.

Get a good monitor, it will be with you for a long time. The rest, go for the sweet spot of perormance/value (2-3 notches down from top, generally speaking).

This comes from a guy who paid $1200 for a 2x CD writer. Oh yeah, the SCSI card was extra... You don't want to know how much a blank was....

Harry

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

01/30/2007 07:58:14 PM · #16

I'll second (or third) the thumbs down on Alienware - overpriced and really cheesy - I bought my son one and frankly was very disappointed with it.

Since you said you've already got the software, doesn't that dictate whether you get a mac or not? Maybe not if you run Windows on a mac I guess.

Building your own has all the pros and cons already mentioned and also as indicated, is not always cheaper (if at all). Not like it used to be. And there is something to be said when you buy a system about the sense of security you get from being able to call and yell at someone when you have a problem. Weigh the options and test drive something if you can. Good luck.

01/30/2007 08:26:21 PM · #17

if this is going to be your primary business computer, i would strongly suggest saving some of your money for an external hard drive and some solid backup software.

having just (3 months ago) recovered from the complete meltdown of my primary business system i cannot express in words how important it was to have my backups set up the way they were. i borrowed a laptop, installed a couple of programs, and was back up and running at about 90% efficiency by the end of the afternoon.

my replacement system ended up being a dell latitude d620 with a core 2 duo chip and a docking station. hooked up with my external monitor, i've got all the power and dual monitory goodness i need. AND i'm mobile now which is huge.

i was reluctant to go with the laptop for my primary system since lately i've been doing some heavy video editing, but it's been an absolute champ so far.

and if you buy a dell, go through the small business end -- not the consumer end. you get better end service and the machine doesn't come installed with 8,000 aol and compuserve (cr)applications on it. :)

01/30/2007 08:42:55 PM · #18

Wow. Everyone's certainly helped alot, yet not too much. I think Alienware is out of the picture. I included them as the "other" mfg guys. That and their prices are huge.

Between mac and PC? In reality, it really is the Nikon vs Canon all over again. Isn't it? I've used both in the past and can't say one is so much greater than the other. Both can do what the other does.

As for building my own I certainly have done plenty of it as a sys/IT guy for the last multiple years I'm afraid to consider. But that isn't my business, it's primarily web development and more and more photography. But I simply don't have the patience to put up with half knowledgeable sales teens at memory express or what have you. Plus, it's not worth my time to spend to do it all.

Muckpond, definitely hear you on the external HD for sure. And the point you make about the laptop is a good one. What software are you running? If you use CS2 how is it?

01/30/2007 08:47:05 PM · #19

Originally posted by sea2c:

Muckpond, definitely hear you on the external HD for sure. And the point you make about the laptop is a good one. What software are you running? If you use CS2 how is it?

i am using photoshop CS2, illustrator CS2, indesign CS2, flash 8, flash video encoder, after effects 6.5, premiere pro 1.5, and adobe encore 1.5 and can say i have had absolutely no problem with anything. the only time i had an application crash on me was when i "transformed" a shape in illustrator 2,000 times (whoops...i meant "20").

illustrator is a hog on any system, but i frequently run photoshop, bridge, and after effects all at the same time (along with a browser and an email app) and really don't have any issues at all.

i did upgrade to 2G of ram. i guess i should say that.

01/30/2007 08:49:16 PM · #20

i should also say that the system i upgraded from was a system i built myself (a shuttlePC). i totally loved that little guy -- the form factor was such that it was on a shelf under my desk -- but i didn't for one second feel bad that i didn't put this new one together. it was so much fun to just unpack it and plug it in. like magic, i tells ya!

01/30/2007 08:54:16 PM · #21

I just priced that bad boy out. Guess I could get used to the 14" screen somehow. Definitely would give me room for a big 24" second monitor! What's your second monitor?

01/30/2007 08:58:41 PM · #22

19" samsung. i'm not a monitor size queen. *shrug*

the tiny screen was a bit tough at first (edit: it's actually nice and wide.), but compared to my old, backbreaking hunk of lead laptop i'll deal with it.

now if i could just figure out how to make the eraser tip scrolling speed slower than the mouse scrolling speed (they seem to be tied together), life would be sheer heaven.

Message edited by author 2007-01-30 20:59:34.

01/30/2007 09:10:40 PM · #23

Yeah, I've used dual 19's for about 2 years now so it's pretty daunting to feel like I'm going backwards. I think if I had one huge screen I'd be happy at home. Er, I mean my office.
:)