...Only reason to go i7 vs i5 is if you plan to do a lot of video work...
per ladytx: "Also editing and rendering video"
I'm not saying the configuration above is ideal. I picked up one of the base ones and made a few changes towards what OP wants. It took me about two weeks (and a help of more advanced friends) to configure mine. And even at that one component turned out faulty and we had to replace it in a month or so.
Waitng for the next new thing is vicious circle. There is always one (or more) on a horizon. Yesterday it was SSD and USB3.0, today it's Thunderbolt, tomorrow there will be something else, but equally exciting. It never stops. Yet at some point you must make a decision. And yes, the moment you hit "Submit order" button you'd get an email telling you about a brand new technology XYZ that immediately renders your still-to-be-assembled machine obsolete. That's life.
And yes, don't keep waiting for new stuff. There's a reason I buy my computers with an intent of keeping them for at least 5 years: I know I am going to be seeing *many* new things, so I'm not too worried about what's coming out soon.
Also, if I only replace it every 5 years, I can allow myself to spend a lot of money on it
And yes, don't keep waiting for new stuff. There's a reason I buy my computers with an intent of keeping them for at least 5 years: I know I am going to be seeing *many* new things, so I'm not too worried about what's coming out soon.
Also, if I only replace it every 5 years, I can allow myself to spend a lot of money on it
It's my MO, too. I'd love to do it more frequently, but then it becomes a bit overly expensive. So I kinda did the same thing what I did with my cameras. I have 5DII and 7D, which seem to be on two different lifecycles, so hopefully I would never have to upgrade both at the same time. With computers I currently have a 3 yo laptop (which is still pretty decent) and a 6mo desktop. They are about 2.5 years apart. My hope is that I will be able to upgrade my laptop in a couple of years, thus catching on some technological advances, and then in 4.5 years update the desktop, etc. This way I should be only 2.5 years "behind the front edge".
I was just pointing out that Sandy Bridge CPUs are here and offer a significant benefit at lower cost compared to the prior generation processors.
Only reason to wait for Z68 is Quick Sync which handles video encoding very, very well.
I agree about the futility about waiting for the 'next big thing' but we are talking a week for significant benefit. If time is an issue, a Sandy Bridge board/CPU can easily be found now.
I will say this to the OP. Yes, there is lots of good info here.
1. Yes. that 64GB SSD will work, but I love my 160Gb ones simply because they allow me more room, which translates to me being able to be lazy about making sure they're clean/mean/lean! 2. VIDEO: like me, Nik, and others may have said, once you step into VIDEO editing, forget SSD and think RAM, and as much as you can afford>.< 3. You didn't ask, so I'll tell you: I multi task often. BUT I USE TWO COMPUTERS! When rendering video, or something other-such, I always do one task at a time on my "workstation." AND I keep my Workstation OFFline! Sometimes I have to go Online with it to update or some-such, but otherwise, it doesn't get a connection..not even a cable to connect it with. I love it too much! The other good news about keeping it OFFline is, you don't need to have Antivirus running all the time. Antivirus software has to monitor everything and that takes: t i m e! 4. I did a build up to the Workstation I presently have. It was painful only because dollars don't come easy to me. I learned a LOT! SSD's will definitely make any system rock that hasn't had one ( i have three over two systems) But they are not the end all or end-game. As soon as you say video, and especially if you mix that word with Adobe: Think RAM!
As far as CPU's go. If I were buying today, I'd definitely go with the newest Intel CPU: Sandybridge. It is a second generation chip, meaning they got a second chance to fix things. And from everything i read: they did!
Incidentally, i bought a Radeon HD card prior to spending 1k on a Nvidia QuadroFX3800. The Radeon @ appx.$230 was Almost equal to the Nvidia card that was a full grand. Why: Because I do video and video is spelled: R. A. M.!
I participate in other forums, mainly having to do with rendering video and using After Effects. RAM is THE watchword. Get a card that suits ya, such as the one you mentioned or whatever is the latest that you can afford over at Nvidia or Radeon, but watch it on Nvidia's marketing hyperbole, they'll have you thinking that their Card will fix anything. it won't! so spend a couple hundred on a card, and forgetaboutit!
I will say this to the OP. Yes, there is lots of good info here.
Good stuff, Tom!
Speaking of antivirus. I don't use any (except MS Security Essentials lately, which doesn't seem to boggle CPU at all), never had a problem. And yes, I do surf, just not blindly :-) And I agree, they can be major culprits behind the machine low performance.
Good stuff, Tom!
Speaking of antivirus. I don't use any (except MS Security Essentials lately, which doesn't seem to boggle CPU at all), never had a problem. And yes, I do surf, just not blindly :-) And I agree, they can be major culprits behind the machine low performance.
Woo! Thanks Nik (Paul too)! I haven't heard of MS essentials, but am off to look 'em up. I don't run anything on my Workstation, due to it being Offline, but of course I do fire up my AV when I have to go ONline, which has happened about 4 times in 8 Months so far.
I don't know about others that may keep their work-horses offline, but with the Internet so rife with garbage and hidden Gems and the like, I am thankfully glad I do not have to Multi that workstation as an Online Machine.
Oh, and as an aside to your (NIK) reporting your RAM usage of 22Gb at some points, I venture to say that number would go right on up to 48 GB if you had it... up and until you ran into I/O prob's on an HDD. Did I mention BUY MORE RAM yet?:D
Am looking at this computer for photography/video. Would like some feedback and advice as to whether this computer would do all the tasks involved quickly. Are the components any good. Any other thoughts or recommendations. Buy a pre-made computer or have one built?
Processor - Intel Core i7
Processor Speed 3.4 GHZ with turbo boost
Cache Memory - 8 mg
RAM - 8 gb (would add 2 gb memory)
Type of RAM - DDR3 SDRAM
Hard Drive Type - SATA (7200 rpm)
Graphics Card - ATI Radeio HD 5770
Video Memory - 1 gb
Windows 7
That system spec looks pretty good, you might consider either switching the HDD to an SSD or adding the SSD and using the SATA hard drive for storage.
Perfect timing
This thread was perfectly timed for me. My older Dell system bit the dust Friday night with a hard motherboard failure. It was down level enough to not justify a repair.
I was actively researching my options when I came across this thread.
Thanks to everyone for their sound advise. I used Nikolai's config as my base with a few up tweaks and came up with a new system I am happy with.
I also upgraded my dying old LCD display with a [FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica][SIZE=-1]NEC EA231WMi-BK 23-Inch MultiSync Widescreen eIPS LCD Monitor[/SIZE][/FONT]
CyberPower Black Pearl (NO MONITOR)
CAS: * Azza Hurrican 2000 Full Tower Gaming Case with 4 Hot Swappable HDD Cage & (4) 230MM Fans
CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
CPU: Intel(R) Core™ i7-960 3.20 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1366
CS_FAN: Default case fans
FAN: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
HDD: 128 GB A-Data S501 V2 SATA III 6.0G/s Gaming MLC Solid State Disk [+221] (Single Hard Drive)
HDD2: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+68] (Single Hard Drive)
KEYBOARD: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
MEMORY: 24GB (4GBx6) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module [+225] (Corsair or Major Brand)
MOTHERBOARD: * (2-Way SLI Support) Asus Rampage III Gene Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX LGA1366 mATX Mainboard - Overclockable w/ 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, IEEE1394a, USB3.0, SATA-III, RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1, & 1 PCI [+57]
MOUSE: Logitech B100 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 800 dpi Mouse (Black Color) [+4]
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OS: Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
POWERSUPPLY: 800 Watts - CoolerMaster Silent Pro Gold 80 Plus Power Supply (80+ Gold) [+85]
RUSH: RUSH!!! READY TO SHIP IN NEXT BUSINESS DAY [+109]
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
USBX: NZXT Internal USB 6-PORT Expansion Module [+19]
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+79] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEOCAMERA1: Logitech HD Webcam C510 [+58]
_PRICE: $2224
This is a significant upgrade from where I was and I'm looking forward getting this set up next weekend. I am not looking forward to reloading all my current software apps. That is always a pain.
Once question, I current have the LR3.4 32 bit and CS4 32bit. Can I just download the 64 bit versions on my new system or are they going to force me into paying an upgrade to get 64 bit versions of my licenses apps?
Just an update. I received my new PC from CyberpowerPC (config in above post) last week and got it set up this weekend.
I'm very happy with the results so far. The one caveat that they should have caught when reviewing my order was I ordered Window 7 Home Premium and 24GB of memory. Win 7 Hm Premium only supports up to 16GB of memory so I had to upgrade to the Win 7 Pro version to be able run with my installed 24GB RAM memory.
No biggy, just something good to understand.
That being said, this config runs great. Only my OS and Lightroom and Photoshop are in the 128GB SSD. All other apps and personal docs are on a separate spinning HDD.
Once the MB initializes and you see the Windows Starting message it only take about 15 seconds to be fully loaded and ready to go. Amazing improvement over my last system. Lightroom cruises right along with none of the delays I was used to. This will be a pleasure to use.
It's nice to have 4 front panel externally accessible swappable HDD slots too. Makes swapping hard drives a cinch.
Thanks again for the configuration and Cyberpowerpc recommendations. I would definitely use them again for my next purchase.
Just an update. I received my new PC from CyberpowerPC (config in above post) last week and got it set up this weekend.
I'm very happy with the results so far. The one caveat that they should have caught when reviewing my order was I ordered Window 7 Home Premium and 24GB of memory. Win 7 Hm Premium only supports up to 16GB of memory so I had to upgrade to the Win 7 Pro version to be able run with my installed 24GB RAM memory.
No biggy, just something good to understand.
That being said, this config runs great. Only my OS and Lightroom and Photoshop are in the 128GB SSD. All other apps and personal docs are on a separate spinning HDD.
Once the MB initializes and you see the Windows Starting message it only take about 15 seconds to be fully loaded and ready to go. Amazing improvement over my last system. Lightroom cruises right along with none of the delays I was used to. This will be a pleasure to use.
It's nice to have 4 front panel externally accessible swappable HDD slots too. Makes swapping hard drives a cinch.
Thanks again for the configuration and Cyberpowerpc recommendations. I would definitely use them again for my next purchase.
I am shopping around for a new PC (or maybe an iMac) and was going to build my own, but I've now checked out Cyberpower. Their confirguration choices are dizzying!!!
I tested my current system performance using Geekbench (recommended in another thread), and my overall score was a dismal 2765. If your feeling adventurous, I'd be curious and probably a little depressed to see where your new system scores.
My scrore: http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/412660
I am shopping around for a new PC (or maybe an iMac) and was going to build my own, but I've now checked out Cyberpower. Their confirguration choices are dizzying!!!
I tested my current system performance using Geekbench (recommended in another thread), and my overall score was a dismal 2765. If your feeling adventurous, I'd be curious and probably a little depressed to see where your new system scores.
My scrore: http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/412660
Enjoy!
Edit: I ran the 32 bit version first. Updated now with 64 Bit version results.
Here is a website that provides a very nice list of equipment for photography - the only one I could find.
<table style="width: 786px; height: 27px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><col width="108"><tr height="20"> <td class="xl65" style="height:15.0pt;width:81pt" width="108" height="20">http://www.imagescience.com.au/kb/questions/141/Build+a+powerful+PC+for+Photoshop+and+other+imaging+applications#Introductions</td> </tr></table>and check out Photoshops requirements at:<table style="width: 353px; height: 40px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><col width="108"><tr height="20"> <td class="xl65" style="height:15.0pt;width:81pt" width="108" height="20">http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404439.html</td> </tr></table><table style="width: 441px; height: 45px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr height="20"><td class="xl64" style="height:15.0pt;width:81pt" width="108" height="20">
</td> </tr></table>
I'm no expert but that looks like a pretty powerful system to me.
Here's a list of benchmarks for all the various processors. Note the sub models within the Core i7 series. Some are significantly faster than others. More expensive too. I don't know how valid these benchmarks are but I used them as a guide in choosing my new computer last month.
Comments
"100. 1 to do it, 99 to post C&C"
per ladytx: "Also editing and rendering video"
I'm not saying the configuration above is ideal. I picked up one of the base ones and made a few changes towards what OP wants. It took me about two weeks (and a help of more advanced friends) to configure mine. And even at that one component turned out faulty and we had to replace it in a month or so.
Waitng for the next new thing is vicious circle. There is always one (or more) on a horizon. Yesterday it was SSD and USB3.0, today it's Thunderbolt, tomorrow there will be something else, but equally exciting. It never stops. Yet at some point you must make a decision. And yes, the moment you hit "Submit order" button you'd get an email telling you about a brand new technology XYZ that immediately renders your still-to-be-assembled machine obsolete. That's life.
And yes, don't keep waiting for new stuff. There's a reason I buy my computers with an intent of keeping them for at least 5 years: I know I am going to be seeing *many* new things, so I'm not too worried about what's coming out soon.
Also, if I only replace it every 5 years, I can allow myself to spend a lot of money on it
It's my MO, too. I'd love to do it more frequently, but then it becomes a bit overly expensive. So I kinda did the same thing what I did with my cameras. I have 5DII and 7D, which seem to be on two different lifecycles, so hopefully I would never have to upgrade both at the same time. With computers I currently have a 3 yo laptop (which is still pretty decent) and a 6mo desktop. They are about 2.5 years apart. My hope is that I will be able to upgrade my laptop in a couple of years, thus catching on some technological advances, and then in 4.5 years update the desktop, etc. This way I should be only 2.5 years "behind the front edge".
Only reason to wait for Z68 is Quick Sync which handles video encoding very, very well.
I agree about the futility about waiting for the 'next big thing' but we are talking a week for significant benefit. If time is an issue, a Sandy Bridge board/CPU can easily be found now.
My site | Non-MHD Landscapes |Google+ | Twitter | Facebook | Smugmug photos
1. Yes. that 64GB SSD will work, but I love my 160Gb ones simply because they allow me more room, which translates to me being able to be lazy about making sure they're clean/mean/lean!
2. VIDEO: like me, Nik, and others may have said, once you step into VIDEO editing, forget SSD and think RAM, and as much as you can afford>.<
3. You didn't ask, so I'll tell you: I multi task often. BUT I USE TWO COMPUTERS! When rendering video, or something other-such, I always do one task at a time on my "workstation." AND I keep my Workstation OFFline! Sometimes I have to go Online with it to update or some-such, but otherwise, it doesn't get a connection..not even a cable to connect it with. I love it too much! The other good news about keeping it OFFline is, you don't need to have Antivirus running all the time. Antivirus software has to monitor everything and that takes: t i m e!
4. I did a build up to the Workstation I presently have. It was painful only because dollars don't come easy to me. I learned a LOT! SSD's will definitely make any system rock that hasn't had one ( i have three over two systems) But they are not the end all or end-game. As soon as you say video, and especially if you mix that word with Adobe: Think RAM!
As far as CPU's go. If I were buying today, I'd definitely go with the newest Intel CPU: Sandybridge. It is a second generation chip, meaning they got a second chance to fix things. And from everything i read: they did!
Incidentally, i bought a Radeon HD card prior to spending 1k on a Nvidia QuadroFX3800. The Radeon @ appx.$230 was Almost equal to the Nvidia card that was a full grand. Why: Because I do video and video is spelled: R. A. M.!
I participate in other forums, mainly having to do with rendering video and using After Effects. RAM is THE watchword. Get a card that suits ya, such as the one you mentioned or whatever is the latest that you can afford over at Nvidia or Radeon, but watch it on Nvidia's marketing hyperbole, they'll have you thinking that their Card will fix anything. it won't! so spend a couple hundred on a card, and forgetaboutit!
Speaking of antivirus. I don't use any (except MS Security Essentials lately, which doesn't seem to boggle CPU at all), never had a problem. And yes, I do surf, just not blindly :-) And I agree, they can be major culprits behind the machine low performance.
Woo! Thanks Nik (Paul too)! I haven't heard of MS essentials, but am off to look 'em up. I don't run anything on my Workstation, due to it being Offline, but of course I do fire up my AV when I have to go ONline, which has happened about 4 times in 8 Months so far.
I don't know about others that may keep their work-horses offline, but with the Internet so rife with garbage and hidden Gems and the like, I am thankfully glad I do not have to Multi that workstation as an Online Machine.
Oh, and as an aside to your (NIK) reporting your RAM usage of 22Gb at some points, I venture to say that number would go right on up to 48 GB if you had it... up and until you ran into I/O prob's on an HDD. Did I mention BUY MORE RAM yet?:D
That system spec looks pretty good, you might consider either switching the HDD to an SSD or adding the SSD and using the SATA hard drive for storage.
All the advice on the computer is great, but even more important is not loosing your images and work.
Spend some time looking at a back up strategy, and budget for it.
Sam
PS: I have 4 copies of my images.
This thread was perfectly timed for me. My older Dell system bit the dust Friday night with a hard motherboard failure. It was down level enough to not justify a repair.
I was actively researching my options when I came across this thread.
Thanks to everyone for their sound advise. I used Nikolai's config as my base with a few up tweaks and came up with a new system I am happy with.
I also upgraded my dying old LCD display with a [FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica][SIZE=-1]NEC EA231WMi-BK 23-Inch MultiSync Widescreen eIPS LCD Monitor[/SIZE][/FONT]
CyberPower Black Pearl (NO MONITOR)
CAS: * Azza Hurrican 2000 Full Tower Gaming Case with 4 Hot Swappable HDD Cage & (4) 230MM Fans
CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
CPU: Intel(R) Core™ i7-960 3.20 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1366
CS_FAN: Default case fans
FAN: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
HDD: 128 GB A-Data S501 V2 SATA III 6.0G/s Gaming MLC Solid State Disk [+221] (Single Hard Drive)
HDD2: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+68] (Single Hard Drive)
KEYBOARD: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
MEMORY: 24GB (4GBx6) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module [+225] (Corsair or Major Brand)
MOTHERBOARD: * (2-Way SLI Support) Asus Rampage III Gene Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX LGA1366 mATX Mainboard - Overclockable w/ 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, IEEE1394a, USB3.0, SATA-III, RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1, & 1 PCI [+57]
MOUSE: Logitech B100 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 800 dpi Mouse (Black Color) [+4]
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OS: Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
POWERSUPPLY: 800 Watts - CoolerMaster Silent Pro Gold 80 Plus Power Supply (80+ Gold) [+85]
RUSH: RUSH!!! READY TO SHIP IN NEXT BUSINESS DAY [+109]
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
USBX: NZXT Internal USB 6-PORT Expansion Module [+19]
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+79] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEOCAMERA1: Logitech HD Webcam C510 [+58]
_PRICE: $2224
This is a significant upgrade from where I was and I'm looking forward getting this set up next weekend. I am not looking forward to reloading all my current software apps. That is always a pain.
Once question, I current have the LR3.4 32 bit and CS4 32bit. Can I just download the 64 bit versions on my new system or are they going to force me into paying an upgrade to get 64 bit versions of my licenses apps?
Thanks again for the great advise as always.
http://bgarland.smugmug.com/
I'm very happy with the results so far. The one caveat that they should have caught when reviewing my order was I ordered Window 7 Home Premium and 24GB of memory. Win 7 Hm Premium only supports up to 16GB of memory so I had to upgrade to the Win 7 Pro version to be able run with my installed 24GB RAM memory.
No biggy, just something good to understand.
That being said, this config runs great. Only my OS and Lightroom and Photoshop are in the 128GB SSD. All other apps and personal docs are on a separate spinning HDD.
Once the MB initializes and you see the Windows Starting message it only take about 15 seconds to be fully loaded and ready to go. Amazing improvement over my last system. Lightroom cruises right along with none of the delays I was used to. This will be a pleasure to use.
It's nice to have 4 front panel externally accessible swappable HDD slots too. Makes swapping hard drives a cinch.
Thanks again for the configuration and Cyberpowerpc recommendations. I would definitely use them again for my next purchase.
http://bgarland.smugmug.com/
Congrats on a new toy!
I am shopping around for a new PC (or maybe an iMac) and was going to build my own, but I've now checked out Cyberpower. Their confirguration choices are dizzying!!!
I tested my current system performance using Geekbench (recommended in another thread), and my overall score was a dismal 2765. If your feeling adventurous, I'd be curious and probably a little depressed to see where your new system scores.
My scrore: http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/412660
Enjoy!
My SmugMug
Edit: I ran the 32 bit version first. Updated now with 64 Bit version results.
Hi Brad, I played.
My Windows rating is currently 7.3 out of 7.9
My Geekbench result was 9490
64 Bit Results
http://bgarland.smugmug.com/
My SmugMug
Sorry about that.
Time to upgrade.
http://bgarland.smugmug.com/
<table style="width: 786px; height: 27px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><col width="108"><tr height="20"> <td class="xl65" style="height:15.0pt;width:81pt" width="108" height="20">http://www.imagescience.com.au/kb/questions/141/Build+a+powerful+PC+for+Photoshop+and+other+imaging+applications#Introductions</td> </tr></table>and check out Photoshops requirements at:<table style="width: 353px; height: 40px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><col width="108"><tr height="20"> <td class="xl65" style="height:15.0pt;width:81pt" width="108" height="20">http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404439.html</td> </tr></table><table style="width: 441px; height: 45px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr height="20"><td class="xl64" style="height:15.0pt;width:81pt" width="108" height="20">
</td> </tr></table>
"You don't take a photograph, you make it." ~Ansel Adams
Phil
Another way to look at is at the same site but graphically:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/common_cpus.html
"You don't take a photograph, you make it." ~Ansel Adams
Phil