Suggestions for new desktop

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dm76

New Member
I posted here awhile back pondering the idea of building or buying. Some people gave suggestions on each, but I think I am at the point where I should pull the trigger soon. Basically I just want a new desktop to replace my aging slow one. The most labor intensive thing I will be doing is editing photos with Photoshop and also editing and organizing HD video files from a camcorder. As far as budget, I will just say that I would like to have a decent machine, but not to overdo it with anything I won't need. There are some Dell's I have considered that are near $1000, but thought I'd see some suggestions on builds first. Probably the biggest thing I am stuck at right away is AMD or Intel.
 
The only advice I have to offer, which you've maybe heard this in your previous thread, is that you will get more bang for your buck if you build rather than buy pre-built. I bought a pre-built and in time have upgraded certain parts of my machine, but I ended up spending much more money than necessary. I now will always build my own machines and machines for my family members, just a better way to go as long as you know what you're doing!
 
Whether you're buying or building, i'd go with an amd athlon ii x4 or intel core i5, ensure it's got atleast 4gb ddr3, a radon hd 45xx series or comparable nvidea card and you should be happy with it for several years given the tasks you mentioned you commonly execute.
Also, ensure you're getting genuine Windows 7 64-bit!
 
OK thanks for the advice. I'll check on newegg and try to put together a system and post it on here to see if you guys think its a good choice.
 
Oh man this is more complicated than I thought. I mean with all the choices of motherboards, and cases, and processors, I don't really know what to choose! Are things listed in the DIY combos decent? If some of you "experts" have some extra time, I would appreciate it if you put together some links to components.
 
Thanks for the setup there. That is about the price range I was looking at, and while it doesn't seem any cheaper than something I could buy from Dell, the components are better, right?

So I somewhat understand the different CPUs, and amounts of memory, and video cards, but what exactly do you look for in a motherboard? What makes one better than another with similar specs? And why is the memory that you would buy in a build better than memory that would come with a prebuilt?

Also, I notice you added an optional solid state drive. What is the purpose of that? Do you just put the OS on it? Does it make the computer run much faster? Thanks again for all your help.
 
The components are much better, yes. That would especially be true of the Power Supply which is really important. A bad PSU can short out and take other components with it. An SSD reads and writes significantly faster than a traditional Hard Drive. Whatever software you have on an SSD will load much faster. This includes your OS which translates into faster boot times.

I think Daisy tailored his list to fit the $1000 budget you had mentioned in your first post. Is that the accurate budget? Also, 1TB Spinpoints are back to $60 at the Egg. link
 
Yeah I could spend $1000 if necessary. But on the other hand, if I could save some money by not getting more than I need, I wouldnt mind that either. But if its only going to be saving a couple hundred, then its not worth skimping. So I'm back at $1000 again :) hehe. I guess I just want the best bang for the buck. I know in the past when I ordered Dell's, I would just add a little extra here and there and that extra $20 or $50 per component doesn't seem like much but it adds up.

On more thing about building...do you need to order anything extra like cables, or anything else, or should all the components come with everything?
 
Just browsing some of the other posts, I see where for the lower priced computers, you are better off buying a prebuilt. Someone was referring to one in the $500 range. Is that where the cutoff seems to be? Would what I am looking for not fall in the lower priced range?
 
I think most people here would say that at $1000 you are better off building. As far as cables, generally what you will need is going to be included with your motherboard and your power supply. Get your major components including OS, and you shouldn't need to buy anything else unless you want something optional as an addition.
 
Those HDs you listed are pretty cheap. Maybe I will put two of them in there, with one of them being used for backups rather than an external. Is that SSD A LOT faster to put the OS on? Would it be worth the extra $100 or whatever it costs?
 
dm76 said:
Would it be worth the extra $100 or whatever it costs?
Click to expand...

Well, you're asking for an opinion there. I don't have an SSD and am very comfortable with the speed my rig runs at. I've never seen a rig run with an SSD though, and I don't know the specifics of your finances. They aren't a necessity though, I think most would agree with that.
 
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