OT- Anyone Build their own PC? [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

boBQuincy

03-19-2010, 08:33 PM

I have built at least a half dozen over the years. It is not too difficult if you are mechanically & electrically inclined and have some tools around. I did have to do some soldering for the last one, to extend some power supply wires.

The advantage is you get exactly what you want and none of what you don't want. There is no point paying for a gaming video card if all we want is to look at photos (that's me). Other advantages are you get to choose the best of power supplies (PC Power & Cooling), cases (Antec), and other components. Careful selection of case & fans can get us a really quiet PC that runs cool and is still fast.

Disadvantages are the time and work, and there is really no savings over buying one ready to go, in fact rolling your own may even cost more! Another option is a custom builder such as Puget Systems.

I buy most of my parts from NewEgg, except for power supplies (the aforementioned supplier's 375 Watt supply weighed three times what the generic 400 Watt supply did, must be a lot more copper in it).

I would go with Windows 7, at least a quad core CPU, 4+ GB of fast RAM, and a solid state hard drive for the boot drive.

WDWFigment

03-19-2010, 08:50 PM

I have never done it, but I too have thought about it. Good to see you're not one of those fart-wafting Mac fanboys.

I would recommend doing Windows 7 64 bit as the only supplement to what Bob wrote.

Groucho

03-19-2010, 09:16 PM

I have built dozens and dozens of PCs... (actually, I'm quite sure that it's over a hundred.) Modern PCs practically assemble themselves! They are very easy to put together.

If you are putting together a bottom-tier PC, the price savings isn't huge, but if you start to go slightly higher-end, you can start to save a lot of money.

One of the best places to buy components is NewEgg and this morning's (http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/Mar-0-2010/CoreComponents/index-landing.html?nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL031910&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL031910-_-EMC-031910-Index-_-E0-_-PromoWord) email ad had a pretty good deal for a complete system... $310 after rebate for a case, motherboard, fast (but only dual-core) processor, 4 gb of RAM, 750g drive, DVD burner, and a decent motherboard with HDMI. Saves about $100 over buying the parts individually.

I don't build as many as I used to so I'm not up on the absolute best choices; what I do lately is look for the stuff on NewEgg that is 1) highly-rated by customers, 2) has lots of reviews (so is a popular choice), and 3) is cheap, like me. :) I tend to go with Athlon processors although I understand that the new Intel i7 is supposed to be good - but still, AMD generally gives you as much or more performance for a good bit less money.

I would consider 4gb the minimum for you since you'll be working with large image files. 8gb wouldn't hurt, but as long as you have four memory slots on the motherboard, you can add the second 4gb if you feel like you need more speed.

If you won't be playing games, you can generally get away with the cheapest video card you can find. Even the cheap ones have half-way decent 3D now, usually enough to run Win7's "Aero" interface smoothly.

Absolutely, positively, Win7 64-bit is the way to go. After using it for a while, XP feels downright primitive (though still very functional.) Home Premium is probably the most sensible version.

You may be able to find some books but the technology changes so quickly that it's hard to keep up. Some of the big sites for PC building include Tom's Hardware, Anandtech, and several others. You can probably find some basic how-tos on eBay, too.

There are no hidden costs as long as you get all the components. Make sure to buy the OEM version of Windows 7; you can legally do that as long as you're buying the hardware to put it on and it's a good bit cheaper than the retail version.

The actual assembly is pretty easy. Install power supply in case if it's not there already... screw motherboard, hard drive, and DVD burner into case. Drop CPU into socket, mount CPU fan (the fan can sometimes be the hardest part of the whole thing!)... Put memory into its slots... connect power to motherboard and the drives... connect the front USB and power/reset/LED connections to motherboards (easy as long as you follow the motherboard's instructions)... install SATA cables to hard drive and DVD... install any add-in cards like video... then boot it up and install Win7 (which is trivial!)

USB3 is starting to appear now, you may want to look for that if you want to keep on the bleeding edge. You could also grab a Bluray reader/DVD burner if you want to watch movies occasionally... or even a Bluray burner, I think they're under $150 now. Not bad, but DVD burners are usually $25 or less! You'll probably want to put in a card reader, too.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

YesDear

03-19-2010, 09:26 PM

Piece of cake Jeff. Since you work with electrical stuff you should have no problem. Just follow the instructions with the motherboard.

I have built my own for the past 10 years. I agree with Groucho that you can get some great combo prices. I will default to others for the current tech specs.

The process is pretty straight forward.

Gdad

03-19-2010, 09:36 PM

Okay I am feeling completely empowered now. :cool2:

Some of the kits on Newegg look pretty good-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.354213

What is an OEM version of Windows?

mrodgers

03-19-2010, 09:46 PM

Why would I build my own. At work we supply packaging material for Dell, and thus we have a fantastic supplier discount. I was just on the site yesterday and looked up a Dell laptop on both the normal site and the site for my discount. You and everyone else can get the laptop I looked at for $1100. Sad for you when my fantastic "discount" can get me the same laptop for...... $1400 :confused3

MarkBarbieri

03-19-2010, 10:15 PM

We build the PCs we use at our house. My wife and 10 year old each built theirs. My 7 year was supposed to, but his attention span wasn't long enough, so I did most of the work.

I can't add much to what has been said. Don't forget to add the standoffs to you case before mounting the MB if they aren't already there. I love the big Lian Li Luminum cases, but the aren't a good value.

Go big on the monitor. I love my 30" for photo work.

photo_chick

03-19-2010, 10:30 PM

I've built 4 of the one's in my house. to me it's a lot like building with Legos but in the end you get something that's a whole lot more fun to play with. My dad had built two of our systems and after he passed away I had to replace a fan, and the next thing I new I was ordering a case then a new motherboard and it snowballed from there.

My last build cost $500, but I already had the processor, fans and OS.

Advantages for us...

-we're gamers so we're particular on the video card, memory, etc. And my husband also does 3D work, so that takes something different. I have a hard time finding an affordable system off the shelf that meets what we need.

-My black case with red LED fans (The Cylon as my son calls it) looks way cooler than a beige box.

-Off the shelf systems do not come with purple fans or cases, like my daughters.

Disadvantages.... You are your own tech support, and if it doesn't work there is no one to blame but yourself.

And I second going big on the monitor. At what they cost now, get as large as is appropriate for your space.

Gdad

03-19-2010, 10:31 PM

I have a 24" monitor right now- rather than upgrading I was thinking of getting a second one and running two. Is that complicated?

VVFF

03-19-2010, 10:33 PM

I have a 24" monitor right now- rather than upgrading I was thinking of getting a second one and running two. Is that complicated?

If you can plug in a second cable you can handle it ;)

aka, it's easy

Gdad

03-19-2010, 10:34 PM

If you can plug in a second cable you can handle it ;)

aka, it's easy

I thought I needed another part inside also? I remember trying with my old machine and it was not set up for it.

photo_chick

03-19-2010, 10:52 PM

I thought I needed another part inside also? I remember trying with my old machine and it was not set up for it.

If you are running your video off the motherboard there may not be a second port. You can get an adapter that will work in many of these cases.

If you are using a video card it probably has 2 ports. If one looks different than your monitor cable (usually there is one dsub and one DVI) you can get an adapter.

Master Mason

03-19-2010, 11:21 PM

I used to build my own, it was fun and it was good because I could upgrade compenents whenever I wanted, I knew it inside and out. However I have gone to a laptop as my only computer, so those are more difficult to make yourself obviously. I know I could get better PP with my pictures with a tower and monitor, but the ability to take all my stuff with me currently outweighs that benifit to me.

And an OEM version of windows is the same as a regular version, it just doesn't come with the support. For instance if you get an HP computer it comes with an OEM version that your first line of support is HP, not Microsoft. You lose a little support, but you usually spend about half or less to aquire.

AndrewWG

03-20-2010, 07:09 AM

I built my desktop about 5 years ago (now completely outdated of course) and it was a lot of fun. I learned alot about the components that a computer needs to run and how to fix them if need be. At the time, it was a bit cheaper to build a system that you really wanted versus buying one from a place like Dell. However, nowadays, I think that the prices of systems can be so low and you get all the software with it, that it is probably a lot cheaper to buy a system rather than the parts. I'm sure I will build another one eventually, but only if there is a real good bundle deal that I just can't pass up on NewEgg or on Tiger Direct. Remember that you have to fork over at least the $150 or so for the operating system as well as all the money for the parts.

YesDear

03-20-2010, 07:29 AM

If you are building your first pc I would get a dual head video card. The card may be a little more but you are assured it will work with dual monitors. There are other ways to do it but it takes more tweeking in my opinion. Yes some may have a vga and dvi output. I would find one that has dual dvi.

Evad

03-20-2010, 11:54 AM

Hey Jeff we built one here as well, a very fast gaming comp for my son Michael.
90% of the parts were purchased at tigerdirect. We have a local store near by.

Let us know how it turns out. :thumbsup2

Bstanley

03-22-2010, 08:40 AM

Funny - how many Photoheads are also Computerheads these days...

Chalk up one more on the list of those who have built all of my family's desktops for the last 15 years. It's straight forward if you have any mechanical skills at all - as most everyone has mentioned. If you happen to have any family or friends that work for Microsoft (assuming you are going to install Windows) you might ask them to buy your operating system for you. My sister works for MS and they offer their employees a massive discount on any of their software.

Or you could get adventurous and build a Hackintosh - ie. load Snow Leopard on your new machine and skip sending an extra $1000 to Steve J. :-) You'll need to be a bit more thoughtful in your selection of components though.

Another vote for Tigerdirect and Newegg. I just built a new machine a couple of weeks ago and bought parts from both. They offer very competitive prices, lightning fast delivery (especially Newegg) and excellent customer service. I built a Quad-Core (2.5GHz), 8GB RAM, 1 TB HD, ASUS motherboard with all the modern conveniences (7.1 sound, 1 GB ethernet, 10 USB ports, etc), 400 Watt QUIET power supply, Radeon 4670 (QUIET, dual head - 2 monitors) video card - all for $625 give or take a buck or two - including Windows 7 Home Premium (gotta love that 90% discount).

I use a pair of 24" monitors - and getting Windows to recognize them is painless. I love Dual monitors - they vastly improve your efficiency and have a relatively modest price. If the motherboard you buy has built-in video skip installing the dual-head video card until after you install Windows 7. Once Windows is running then install the 'new' video card and I'll bet that the install process for the card will basically take care of identifying and activating the 2 monitor setup for you.

And the best part - when you get done you can dance around the new machine ala Tom Hanks and proclaim you have made a computer!

Zoesmama03

03-22-2010, 10:06 AM

Its fairly easy to do. All of my PCs have been custom built. I've never owned a store bought premade computer. :thumbsup2

The hardest part is plugging all the wires into the motherboard but the plans that come with them tell you where everything needs to go. Some like the drives are easy to figure out but the little pin ones can be tricky but again they come with a diagram or one can be found easily on google to tell you.

I don't know your level of understanding of the parts of a computer but I can say I dont know as much as my brothers do and have built one. The OS is pretty easy to install it does it all you just click.

I think the biggest advantage is you can put exactly the parts you want and chose the case you want. Plus you learn enough over time that you can diagnose and repair your own stuff.

I have heard newegg is great. My brother has used them. Basically we have local shops we compare prices with and usually they are quite cheap when you factor things like shipping. The bigger store is called Fry Electronics.

Gdad

03-22-2010, 02:02 PM

Okay- emboldened by all the good advice I got plus a lot of reading over the weekend I went ahead and ordered some stuff last night. I started off thinking about a kit but could not find one anywhere that was exactly what wanted- (they seem to toss one poorly rated part into each kit for some reason…) So I ended up just kind of picking and choosing the stuff I wanted. Mostly from Tigers Direct but a few things from Newegg also.

-Roomy Mid Tower Case with space to grow and some cool looking red led’s
-1100W Power Supply (way oversized- turns out I’m a sucker for red led’s I guess)
-Intel Core i5 650 & ASUS Motherboard Bundle
-Hitachi 1TB Hard Drive (big enough since I store & backup pictures on external drives)
-4 GB DDR3 SDRAM (enough for now- may add some more later?)
-Cheap DVD Drive, Card Reader & Network Card
-Windows 7 64 Bit Home Edition OEM

Still no video card- I may pick a cheap one up locally between now and when all that stuff shows up later in the week. Not sure I even need one since I’m not really into gaming or anything. Anyway- thanks for the help all. Hopefully I can get it all put together now.

Evad

03-22-2010, 03:57 PM

If anything Jeff don't go cheap on the video card you will regret it later. Right now you may think you don't need it but down the road you will end up wishing you had.

Bstanley

03-22-2010, 04:45 PM

Good on ya' mate!

Not knowing which ASUS motherboard you bought I'm a bit surprised that you needed to buy a separate network card (maybe you're building a server though). Also unless you need a video card because you don't have built-in Intel video - (which would also be a surprise since the i5/Clarksdales that I'm aware of have the video built-in) you can always wait until the system is up and running to pick your video card.

Take your time - use a magnetic screwdriver (those little screws are a pain) - and it'll be a piece of cake, really.

photo_chick

03-22-2010, 05:29 PM

If you work with any type of photo editing program you will see some benefit from a decent video card as opposed the average motherboard to on board video. And the cards that are best for photo and video work are not necessarily the ones that are best for gaming, just as 3D work takes an entirely different type of video card..... this is why we have so many computers in our house. LOL.

Gdad

03-22-2010, 05:29 PM

Not knowing which ASUS motherboard you bought I'm a bit surprised that you needed to buy a separate network card (maybe you're building a server though).

Really? I bought THIS (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=A455-2932) one. I don't see anyplace to plug a cat-5 into my router. I figured I needed one of THESE (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=771339&Sku=T156-2138) also. "PCI Adapter"- I probably called it the wrong thing- I'm not much of a computer guy.

Gdad

03-22-2010, 05:31 PM

If anything Jeff don't go cheap on the video card you will regret it later. Right now you may think you don't need it but down the road you will end up wishing you had.

If you work with any type of photo editing program you will see some benefit from a decent video card as opposed the average motherboard to on board video. And the cards that are best for photo and video work are not necessarily the ones that are best for gaming, just as 3D work takes an entirely different type of video card..... this is why we have so many computers in our house. LOL.

So which ones are good for mainly photography and video?

boBQuincy

03-22-2010, 06:07 PM

So which ones are good for mainly photography and video?

Don't know about video but here is a list of video cards that were tested with Photoshop CS4:
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/405/kb405711.html

blackjackdelta

03-22-2010, 06:10 PM

Go look at the build articles on tomsharware. A wealth of info.

Jack

oregondaddyof2

03-22-2010, 07:21 PM

So which ones are good for mainly photography and video?

I have an Nvidia 9800GTX and it is great with CS3... I am a big gamer too, and it is an amazing card for that also... I am looking at getting the NVidia 260GTX... You really can't go wrong with any of the middle range cards... Like the comment above, check tomshardware.com for more info... That site tests all sorts of different PC components including video cards...

photo_chick

03-22-2010, 08:20 PM

So which ones are good for mainly photography and video?

If you use Photoshop CS4 I'd consider a card with Open GL 3.0. I've read Lightroom 3 may make good use of it as well, but I haven't kept up there. Consider more memory over processing speed if you have to make a choice there. But that's my approach.

Evad

03-22-2010, 08:48 PM

So which ones are good for mainly photography and video?

As mentioned above the Nvidia 9800GTX (http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_9800_gtx_us.html) is an awesome card. My son has the 9600.

You can't go wrong with Nvidia!!

Bstanley

03-22-2010, 09:20 PM

Sorry, I was away from the computer for awhile.

Really? I bought THIS one.

The ASUS P7H55-M Pro is an excellent socket 1156 motherboard, good choice (multiple Video outputs ... very nice). It also includes 1 GB ethernet (covers 10/100MB as well). The RJ-45 connector is normally stacked on top of some USB connectors - yes it's there.

http://public.blu.livefilestore.com/y1p-zYqHxTP36HRkkGUQ9mai_usGIswIyf-H66my55ANVdKtZkMW6Uh6O-Bn8eZzNfR3eTWrrYHU-MQMuafknlWlw/RJ45.jpg

That picture is from the photo gallery, the red circle is the network connector.

You can return the network card and buy some film :-). Also since the motherboard supports multiple monitors all by itself under Windows 7 (you will need to connect the two monitors to two different connectors, VGA and DVI for example) you can experiment with that setup and then decide if you need a higher performance video system or not.

Fun fun fun!

Groucho

03-22-2010, 10:53 PM

So which ones are good for mainly photography and video?
I would not spend much on a video card - in fact, I'd get a basic $30-50 card. The expensive cards can be grouped into two categories - gaming and CAD.

2D matured years ago and hasn't changed much. The stuff CS4 is doing is fairly simple 3D rendering and shouldn't take much guts - and if you believe Google search results, seems to be causing more headaches than anything else and lots of people are having to disable it. At its best, it's just some basic UI tweaks, and if you don't spend much time zooming more than "fit to window" and "100%" then you probably won't even notice them. That being said, it doesn't hurt to make sure that you can support the standards.

Even the cheapest video cards have halfway decent 3D performance now, easily enough to meet the needs of Win7 Aero's. As long as you get one with a new enough architecture, you shouldn't need to spend much to get one that supports all the standards. Something like a 9800 would be a total waste for you. Even a $30 Radeon HD 3450 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131119) meets or exceeds the requirements for CS4, and supports HDMI. Historically AMD's Radeon line has had slightly better 2D image quality than nVidia's GeForce (most home theater PC owners would choose Radeons) but the difference is realistically fairly slight, it might even be nonexistent by now. Radeon vs GeForce is kind of like Ford vs Chevy; often a topic of bitter debate. I've used plenty of both and I tend to prefer Radeon but I usually am buying a gaming card and which is the best buy changes regularly, so I go back and forth.

Honestly - I would recommend not buying anything at this point, since the mb you chose has onboard video including HDMI and DVI. Assuming that those are true separate outputs, those should be your first choices when connecting multiple monitors. Going to an separate card will not make your pictures look any better - you might see a slight (slight!) increase in the "Aero desktop" performance and possibly smoother zooming in CS4, assuming your onboard video doesn't meet the specs - which it may already.

Zoesmama03

03-23-2010, 12:43 AM

Still no video card- I may pick a cheap one up locally between now and when all that stuff shows up later in the week. Not sure I even need one since I’m not really into gaming or anything. Anyway- thanks for the help all. Hopefully I can get it all put together now.

Fry.com had some pretty good specials on video cards. I picked up a $70 one for 39.99. Its a GeFoce 210 way better than my previous Geforce 5200(dunno about the aero didn't have 7 on my last system but the zooming in CS3 is much improved). It had a rebate too but I didn't realize it was expiring 2 days later and was busy with plans for spring break and didn't get to it. Well it was $15. I may print it off and sent it anyway. I know that when I was processing rebates in the past for a company they sometimes let them slide for awhile after. I have got rebates from them in past(on a video card to be exact LOL I purchased it for my brother) and they are quick with them. :thumbsup2

It works great with Windows 7. :)

MarkBarbieri

03-23-2010, 11:44 AM

I agree that you should start with the built in video. Don't buy a video card that you don't need. If you start playing games and can't get good video performance, go looking at video cards at that point.

I do, however, disagree with the notion that just any video card will do for video editing. If you do a lot of video editing, it is worthwhile to purchase a good graphics card designed for that purpose. These aren't the typical gaming cards. I'm talking about cards like the NVIDIA FX 1800. With the right software, it will substantially improve your rendering times and allow you to preview more complex filters in real time. I don't have one and my Blu-Ray render times run overnight. I'm thinking about getting one to shorten my cycle times so that I can experiment more.

Bstanley

03-23-2010, 12:58 PM

If you do a lot of video editing, it is worthwhile to purchase a good graphics card designed for that purpose. These aren't the typical gaming cards. I'm talking about cards like the NVIDIA FX 1800. With the right software, it will substantially improve your rendering times

Very true - 10x or maybe a bit faster rendering, but the trick is that the entire pipeline of hardware and software has to be synchronized. The right version/level of Adobe Premiere, a particular set of codecs, the right 3rd party software, and the right $600 to $1800 worth of video hardware (and that 1,000 Watt power supply may come in handy yet).

photo_chick

03-23-2010, 01:19 PM

Keep in mind with a video card that it's not just the chipset either. (since we're getting more specific) The BFG Nvidia 8800 in my husbands "gaming" computer stomps the Biostar Nvidia 9600 in my sons box. Both machines have similar processors (my sons is actually faster) the same amount of memory and similar motherboards. You get better textures, smoother frame rates in demanding games, better particle effects from the older card. But that's comparing a $500 BFG card with lots of extras to a $70 Biostar bought on special to get the job done card.

And video cards do make a difference, especially when you render large videos like Mark pointed out. I put an Nvidia Quadro 4800 in my husbands "work" computer (which has an older CPU/Mobo in it but similar in speed and specs to the other machines we have). He's a game dev and does heavy work with Maya, Photoshop, Zbrush and a lot of video editing in Vegas.

It is a phenomenal difference over the Nvidia 9600 in my son's box (that I use from time to time and have some of the same software on), which was built for gaming. Render times are super fast on the Quadro, and Photoshop effects and filters do render better. Not just faster, but actually better results in the fine details... but it's a high end, professional card. Though the Quadro blows for gaming. Totally and utterly blows.

My point... I think video cards are a lot like lenses. There are some better suited to certain tasks than others. A cheap one can get the job done, and many people will be satisfied with that. But some people want more. Will an L series lens do better? Almost certainly. Do we all need an L series lens to be satisfied? No.

MarkBarbieri

03-23-2010, 08:04 PM

What software do you put on a new PC?

Daemon Tools (mount ISO files on virtual drives)
UltraEdit for editing text files
Photoshop & Lightroom
Microsoft Office
DVD Shrink, AnyDVD (only for non-US computers, of course), and Handbrake for DVD/Blu-ray handling
Premiere Pro, Soundbooth, After Effects, Encore, and Encoder for AV work
Firefox w/ Ad-Block
Avast anti-virus (it's free)

oregondaddyof2

03-23-2010, 11:05 PM

I would have to suggest superantispyware (http://www.superantispyware.com)... it is a free spyware blocker that works well... I was suggested that by my local computer shop... I have used it for years and never had any issues....

I second the suggestion by Mark for Avast... I have also used that without any issues, and it runs great in the background of your system... it does not tie up any resources like Norton or McAfee do... i get Norton Utilities for free through my cable internet provider... I tried it for a day, and took it off cause it slowed my computer way down... I am a big gamer, and my system wqould lag badly, but it runs smooth with Avast...

People may think, how good can it be for free? Avast is a virus software built for big businesses, so they offer it to residential customers for free... It is awesome!! :thumbsup2

Gdad

03-24-2010, 08:42 AM

Thanks so much for the good advice all. UPS says everything will be delivered tomorrow so everyone please be ready to answer even more questions... :rolleyes:

You can return the network card and buy some film :-).

Okay that made me laugh- thanks. ;)

My point... I think video cards are a lot like lenses. There are some better suited to certain tasks than others. A cheap one can get the job done, and many people will be satisfied with that. But some people want more. Will an L series lens do better? Almost certainly. Do we all need an L series lens to be satisfied? No.

Yeah I think I know how people who are buying their first dslr and ask "What lens?" feel now. Lots of good input most of which I kind of understand- but for now I think I will just wait and see how the machine works first. My 'old' computer is a lot slower and never had a video card at all- and I only found it mildly annoying some of the time (usually with Lightroom.) I'm sure I'll upgrade the ram and add the video card in a few months though.

What software do you put on a new PC?

That is a good question which I have been thinking about a lot. One nice thing abut this process should be it does not show up preloaded with a bunch of junk from Dell like my last couple of machines have. Definetly MS Office and Firefox. For photography I will have Lightroom, maybe finally upgrade from CS3 to CS4 and some scanner software. For video I am just scratching the surface and don't really have anything yet- I'll probably just pick up something inexpensive like Premiere Elements 8?

Thanks for the tip on Avast- I actually loaded that on my other machine this morning and uninstalled Norton which has been harassing me for being expired for the last few weeks.

Bstanley

03-24-2010, 10:02 AM

UPS says everything will be delivered tomorrow so everyone please be ready to answer even more questions.

Woohoo!

By the way - the internets can be your friend. I imagine if you do a search for "Build your own PC" you will get a bunch of hits with lots of pictures (be aware that not all will match your 'modern' components).

MarkBarbieri

03-24-2010, 12:21 PM

I'd hold off on upgrading the CS4 just now.

http://cs5launch.adobe.com/?PID=3154956

Gdad

03-24-2010, 05:36 PM

I'd hold off on upgrading the CS4 just now.

http://cs5launch.adobe.com/?PID=3154956

Thanks- yeah- I saw that earlier today and thought the same thing. Adobe usually seems to be okay with upgrading and skipping a version.

Gdad

03-24-2010, 05:55 PM

Another (silly) question: Do I need to buy a separate CPU heatsink/fan? I was at CompUSA today and talked to two different sales people about one and came away quite confused. (One person told me I needed one to keep the air from getting 'old' in the case and the other person recommended a model based solely on what the last person they had helped purchased- without knowing anything about my computer. :confused: )

boBQuincy

03-24-2010, 07:01 PM

Another (silly) question: Do I need to buy a separate CPU heatsink/fan?

Yes/no/maybe. I buy 3rd party fans & heatsinks because they are larger, cool better, and are quieter. The factory fans work ok but are built to satisfy a price point and could be better. I like quiet PCs and can run the 3rd party fans slower while still getting better cooling.
Same with the power supply, we get what we pay for (if we are lucky). ;)

Bstanley

03-25-2010, 07:27 AM

Do I need to buy a separate CPU heatsink/fan?

Depends on whether you already bought one ;-)

If you bought an 'OEM' packaged processor you will need to buy a heatsink/cooler/fan - basically 'OEM' means that the seller bought cases of processors designed for companies that are building thousands of machines a day - they take one of the processors out of the case, wrap it in an anti-static bag and sell it to you at a GREAT price. I don't think either Newegg or Tigerdirect sell OEM style.

If you bought a 'Retail' packaged processor it will come with the Intel (stock) heatsink and fan. High probability that this is what you will get - an Intel 'pretty' box.

I like quiet PCs

Yeah, what he said.

Stock fans are often small fans with small impellers running at annoyingly high rpms - this is especially true with video cards (hint, hint) - but can be true with other components as well. If the fan in your case or any of the fans that your various components use is annoying they can be replaced - no worries.

Gdad

03-25-2010, 11:32 AM

I was poking around youtube last night and the first couple videos I found on that i5 processor were both talking about the lousy factory heat sink- so I went back to CompUSA armed with my own information this morning and picked one up. Seems like a minimal added investment to make sure everything works well into the future.

Gdad

03-25-2010, 01:38 PM

...and here we go...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2781/4463090002_a87035694e_b.jpg

photo_chick

03-25-2010, 02:01 PM

That case is what The Cylon is in.

If fan noise bothers you (it irks the heck out of me) you might want to pick up some dampers for the case fans because it makes a huge difference on that one... especially on the fans for the side panel. They can be easily added later if you want to build first and see if it is bothersome to you.

The Intel stock heat sinks, IMO, tend to have very loud fans and I don't like the thermal compound they put on them. The right thermal compound, applied correctly, goes a long way to improving how well your processor cools.

Gdad

03-25-2010, 05:31 PM

Eh- just a few wires to figure out now. :confused:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4463572268_39e0ddea37_b.jpg

oregondaddyof2

03-25-2010, 08:27 PM

Did you get it put all together?

YesDear

03-25-2010, 08:41 PM

Eh- just a few wires to figure out now. :confused:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4463572268_39e0ddea37_b.jpg

Just so you know, that looks about normal!

Groucho

03-25-2010, 08:57 PM

Heheh, welcome to the fun. :) If you want to be really fancy, you can use small zipties to keep all the cables together and out of the way. It even helps airflow a little bit.

I do, however, disagree with the notion that just any video card will do for video editing.
I may have missed something, but I didn't think that video editing was on the list. A video card with onboard processing for 264 encoding or Bluray decoding (that part is pretty standard now) or whatnot won't make a difference when editing still photos. If video editing is on the list, then yeah.

I second the suggestion by Mark for Avast... I have also used that without any issues, and it runs great in the background of your system... it does not tie up any resources like Norton or McAfee do... i get Norton Utilities for free through my cable internet provider... I tried it for a day, and took it off cause it slowed my computer way down... I am a big gamer, and my system wqould lag badly, but it runs smooth with Avast...
Norton Antivirus 2009 & 2010 are dramatically smaller than previous versions and are about as lightweight as anything out there - in fact, I'm pretty sure that 2009 easily beat anything else available. 2004-2008 are a bit bloated, but Norton listened to the complaints.

For free stuff, I tend to use AVG... nothing against Avast, just that AVG has been the main one I've used. The only thing I don't like is that, by default, it "certified" your email - puts a "scanned by" tag on the bottom - but that is easily disabled in the Advanced settings.

I do not like the "security suite" programs - I am not a fan of software firewalls. Maybe if you're using a laptop and hopping on to various public wifi networks, but for a home desktop, your cable/DSL router prevents anything coming it that you didn't ask for.

Gdad

03-25-2010, 08:58 PM

Whew! I think it's working!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2520/4463960930_dd5712a1c1_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4060/4463960098_f02bbd7bd9_b.jpg

oregondaddyof2

03-25-2010, 09:02 PM

Congrats!! Glad to see you are up and running... Now for the most important part, enjoying it!

YEKCIM

03-25-2010, 09:37 PM

Like everything else, you made this look easy! Congrats on the successful initial boot. Looks as if you are off to the races.

~Ed

photo_chick

03-25-2010, 11:00 PM

WOOOO! Have fun installing everything!:cool1:

MarkBarbieri

03-28-2010, 07:49 PM

OK, I'm inspired. I'm going to update my PC. I'm going to keep my case, power supply, and Blu ray burner. I'm ordering a new MB, CPU, memory, video card, and an SSD for a boot drive. I'll use hand-me-down drives for main storage. I'll be using Windows 7 from my MSDN subscription. Am I missing anything else?

Oop...CPU fan.

Anything else?

MarkBarbieri

04-04-2010, 06:14 PM

I'm done with my rebuild. Here are a few pictures from the process for anyone curious about what is involved:

Here is a shot of the case after I stripped out the old stuff. The powersupply is usually at the top of a case, but mine has it at the bottom. I didn't upgrade the powersupply. I also left the DVD burner and Blu-ray burner and a device that lets you hot swap SATA hard drives. They are in the drive bays on the upper right.
http://photos.barbierifamily.org/photos/827685077_4ztkN-L.jpg

The case is a freakishly large one. I tend to get in and out of my PC a lot and it is easier to work inside a large case.

Here is the motherboard that I used.
http://photos.barbierifamily.org/photos/827685209_jmhrS-L.jpg

Here is the motherboard installed in the case. It attached with 9 little screws. I new that it was going to be a good build when I dropped one of the screws form a height of about 5 inches and it landed in the screw hole.
http://photos.barbierifamily.org/photos/827685416_Qsqex-L.jpg

Here's it is after I took the motherboard back out (oops) and installed the CPU cooler.
http://photos.barbierifamily.org/photos/827685531_FtqnB-L.jpg

Here it is after I put in the memory sticks and the video card.
http://photos.barbierifamily.org/photos/827685639_pFcV5-L.jpg

Here it is with the drives mounted and connected. You can see the SSD dangling. I forgot that I needed a 2.5" to 3.5" mounting tray.
http://photos.barbierifamily.org/photos/827685745_2cwPr-L.jpg

Here it is with everything in place and ready for the cover to go on.
http://photos.barbierifamily.org/photos/827685828_phdNC-L.jpg

In the background on the right you can see a floor standing fan. My kids are using that with a dimmer switch to "walk" their Pokewalkers. They're getting about 50,000 steps a day. It's fun to watch young hackers in action.

The PC actually worked perfectly the first time I tried to power it up. That may be a first for me. I usually always seem to screw something minor up.

The biggest nuisance was re-installing and re-activating everything. I screwed up my Adobe activations, so I had to call them. I also lost my brushes and some actions.

The computer is mucho faster. I tested Lghtroom on and off of the SSD. It's noticeably more responsive on the SSD, but not by anything like enough to justify buying an SSD just for that. The big difference is in video handling. It can handle AVCHD files on the timeline without breaking a sweat. It can also render Full HD H.264 files in near real-time, which is a huge change. In the past, rendering a 45 show was an overnight affair.