Please advise on budget for basic desktop PC

[Santy]

You could go for Gigabyte GAB75M-D3H
I have this one. Its a good VFM and very stable board. Should be around 4k.
Even cheaper is GAH61M-D2H (3k)

Chuck SSD for now.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thanks for the advice. Having never done games/video, I have always been content with a built-in. In fact, for much of my computing life (but not now) a dumb terminal sufficed

 

[Shivam]

I use AMD Phenom based system with 16GB RAM.

If you plan to use Nikon and click raw, then store them as some other format for future use. NEF (Nikon raw) format is a closed format and future support can be a problem.

 

[Santy]

Thanks for the advice. Having never done games/video, I have always been content with a built-in. In fact, for much of my computing life (but not now) a dumb terminal sufficed

I fooled myself to be a gaming enthusiast and spend 16k on a mid range Radeon graphic card only to play 32 minutes of games on it -in the last 5 months. That is for every single minute of gameplay, I've spent 500 bucks. Biggest mistake of mine in recent times:sad:

 

[hydra]

...
Intel Core i5-3570 CPU (do not need overclocking)
Original Intel or Asus motherboard (or Gigabyte or MSI)
16 gb (2x8Gb) DDR3 2133mHz Corsair Vengence RAM
500W PSU (Corsair) - is this enough or 600/650 better?
4 USB ports (two in front, two in back)/two DVI
HDMI (back)
Samsung 128 Mb SSD Boot Drive
1Tb HDD (WD Caviar Green)
Card reader (multi)
Coolmaster Cabinet
Logitech keyboard and mouse
...

I don't think a "Green" HDD would be appropriate for an image editing machine, even if it is just a Data storage device (with the SSD doing OS and S/W install duties). A 7200RPM HDD would be more appropriate, IMHO.

If you're planning on installing the OS on the HDD, you should definitely NOT go for a Green disk (considering your needs). A 7200RPM HDD would definitely be needed. In the case of WD, that would be a "Blue" disk. And for Seagate a "Barracuda" disk.

EDIT: To add, when you choose the motherboard, it would be a good idea to go for one that has at least 2 USB 3.0 ports.

 

[Staxxx]

Will definitely change the HDD. I managed to spend so much of everyone's time on getting the configuration right and now I think my plan is coming undone....all because getting the OS is turning out to be one third of the price of the machine !!! I need at the very least Home Premium 64 bit and it is almost Rs 10k. Not sure what my alternatives are, although I hear there are some alternatives - please PM me if you can give me the contact number of anyone who can help in this regards. Thanks.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

now I think my plan is coming undone....all because getting the OS is turning out to be one third of the price of the machine !!!

Linux comes free. The Gimp comes free. Darktable comes free. Many throw up their hands in horror, but there are pros using free software.

If you have already shelled out the considerable cost of Photoshop, and you are very used to using it, you are probably not interested in a change of platform, and I could understand why --- but it would cost nothing now to set aside 20Gb for Linux and have a dual-boot machine, allowing you to spend some time now and then exploring possible options for the future.

On the MS side, at least up to W7 (I think: I bailed out at XP), once you have a full retail pack, you can always transfer it from old machine to new machine

 

[Staxxx]

Thanks Thad. I am too set to change to Linux for now. Both my laptops came pre-installed with Windows, so I suppose that I would be unable to migrate it. At any rate I do want to keep running the laptops concurrently with the desktop.

 

[Shivam]

I agree with the Linux idea. I have been using 64bit SuSE Linux for a long time now. GIMP works well with images and is very good. ufraw plugin takes care of my raw file needs. Only problem is the bit depth of gimp but it is a small problem and not even noticed.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

(The reason I need a graphics card is that I'm very stick-in-the-mud with my desktop. I use Compiz and Emerald (with MATE for the Gnome2 look and feel) so I need 3d acceleration. My AMD built-in seems to be obsolete (although the machine is only a couple of years old) and recent AMD Catalyst drivers are not supporting kernels beyond a certain level, as I discovered when a routine update made my desktop look all wrong! I don't want to freeze my kernel level)

 

[anm]

instead of a SSD, you may use a CF card for booting the OS.

 

[Staxxx]

ANM, that is an interesting alternative. So how does that work please? The desktop will be provided with DOS and the OS like Win 7 will be on a CF card. I have an external transcend reader. So I will need to leave the card in the transcend as long as I run the OS ? Sorry for the newbie question.

 

[anm]

ANM, that is an interesting alternative. So how does that work please? The desktop will be provided with DOS and the OS like Win 7 will be on a CF card. I have an external transcend reader. So I will need to leave the card in the transcend as long as I run the OS ? Sorry for the newbie question.

you will need to use something like this - Amazon.com: Cf To Sata Hard Drive Adapter for Notebook: Electronics

For OS installation, 32GB should be good enough. Rest all installations/ data can reside on another hdd.

 

[Staxxx]

Good news. I have been exploring the used market and came across the following CPU for sale (virtually unused):
Intel I5-3.4 gzh processor (2nd gen), 32Gb 1600MZH RAm, genuine Intel DH77eb mobo, 2TB hard disk with 7200 RPM, 60 GB SSD boot drive, Intel ethernet card, extra case with two fans and OS (Win 7) loaded.
The asking price is 40k.
Can some knowledgeable FMs please tell me if this is OK (especially as it is a 2nd gen and not 3rd gen machine - when 4th gen Haswell is round the corner). It has all bills and warranties from some shop on SP Road.
Should I make a counter offer? If so at what price please?

 

[mbhangui]

with that kind of money, you could buy a new mac book mini for 39,900 and use it for photography

 

[Staxxx]

with that kind of money, you could buy a new mac book mini for 39,900 and use it for photography

I have a large IPS monitor screen which I have bought specifically for photo editing (thanks to FMs will be calibrated with Spyder). To use several of the filters in CS6 I need at least 16 gb RAM as well and the big HDD is useful too. I have unfortunately not had a good experience with my last Mac, in terms of reliability and recovery, so am avoiding it for the time being. I am therefore looking at configurations similar to the one above. I just wonder if it is too expensive and whether I should make a counter offer at some reasonable discount to the price asked. Regards.

 

[malvai]

mac book mini is not the right machine for what your needs Stax. I'd go for the new Imac (very bloody expensive) or a Macbook Pro.

I personally use a Macbook pro, as it allows be portability when I am shooting (mostly video). My Panasonic GH3 allows wifi connectivity and so I use the Macbook for monitoring as well as emptying the Flash media.

If you want a longterm solution go for a Macbook pro with 16GB RAM and SSD.

If you want a Cheap solution for now... then a I5 or I7 is good enuff with a regular drive and 16GB RAM.

Personally, I am all for a long term solution as it ends up savinf a lot of moolah in the long run...

 

[Staxxx]

Thanks Malvai. Definitely the voice of reason. I was debating the same as part of the specs of the desktop that I wanted to get built offered me some choices (like an H75 motherboard against a Z75 motherboard) which I was trying to decide depending on the possibility of upgrading and using longterm.
However, just my personal experience, and style of existence which is also very evident in my audio life, I just upgrade and move to the latest components and technology every two or max three years.
With regards to the Mac, I am just so annoyed with my last two macs failing just out of warranty (in within 15 months) that I cannot make myself buy one of those at the moment. I did not do a back up and they could not recover anything on the laptops. Bah! Also in this case I do have a monitor and so am only looking for a CPU.
Hence I hope I get some recommendation to buy the above used systems and be done with it.
regards

 

[Staxxx]

Please, has anyone had any experience with buying a AMD FX-8350 eight-core Processor @ 4.0 GHz based system? Is this a 2013 component and comparable to i7? Thanks.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

you could buy a new mac book mini for 39,900

I was debating the same as part of the specs of the desktop that I wanted to get built offered me some choices (like an H75 motherboard against a Z75 motherboard) which I was trying to decide depending on the possibility of upgrading and using longterm.
However, just my personal experience, and style of existence which is also very evident in my audio life, I just upgrade and move to the latest components and technology every two or max three years.

Although I have an eight-year-old laptop just on the other side of the room, I would always advise a desktop/tower machine for longevity and ease of repair/upgrade. My message on laptops is to only buy them where portability is required, or where they are a lifestyle decision to match the furniture, which is a different kind of economics altogether.

I built my current computer end-2010. I spent far more than was necessary on the case and the power supply. The case will last as long as the technology continues to have the same basic shapes and sizes. Effectively, I can forget about replacing it unless I really, really, really want to (Highly unlikely, unless I get rich and go for some expensive passive-cooling thing. I'm unlikely to get rich ). Effectively, the same can be said for the power supply, which is way over-specified, although they do loose efficiency with age, and electrical failures (unlike the case) are possible.

A good case and a good power supply are good investments. I don't intend to upgrade my mobo/cpu (it is already OTT for mostly browsing and playing music) but, even if I did want to keep up to date, the case/psu would be good for several generations of innards.

Even if I did not use my PC for music listening, I would want it to be quiet, and I did go through several iterations of cooling (at one point a fellow forumite enquired as to if I was obsessed with buying fans! :lol: ). Again, that is investment which would work with future generations of mobo/cpu. Hopefully, the cpu cooler would fit already, but even if not, I have hopes that a company like Noctua would make the brackets available for its premium products.

The monitor... Again, a lasting investment, and Staxxx has already made that one, which is where the conversation started.

This has been my PC buying/building methodology and, as I have zero interest in upgrading hardware for the sake of it, I hope I am set up for at least five years with nothing more than breakdown replacements.