help me spec out a new pc for myself

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TNM93

Senior member
Aug 13, 2005
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Why am I debating this? Simple, because I can. He asked for recommendations and I'm giving them to him. I suggested that it's possible to save a few bucks and put it to a nice monitor or some other component, and still get decent performance on the apps he's mentioned. I'm being debated at because I am not rushing to say buy dual core. I'm done with this thread. Good luck OP with getting decent advice. God knows, you can put that 7800 GTX to great use in Photoshop. :roll:
 
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t3h l337 n3wb

Platinum Member
Apr 22, 2005
2,698
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76
Opteron 165, no question asked. It's the best dual core for the money. Pair it with a nice, cheap (but reliable) board with integrated video, and then just add RAM, case, PSU, etc.
 
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Mik3y

Banned
Mar 2, 2004
7,089
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0
Originally posted by: TNM93
Why am I debating this? Simple, because I can. He asked for recommendations and I'm giving them to him. I suggested that it's possible to save a few bucks and put it to a nice monitor or some other component, and still get decent performance on the apps he's mentioned. I'm being debated at because I am not rushing to say buy dual core. I'm done with this thread. Good luck OP with getting decent advice. God knows, you can put that 7800 GTX to great use in Photoshop. :roll:
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Geez man. Calm down. No one even recommended for him to get the 7800 GTX unless he was gaming. Obviously, he's not.
 
Hacp

Hacp

Lifer
Jun 8, 2005
13,923
2
81
Originally posted by: t3h l337 n3wb
Opteron 165, no question asked. It's the best dual core for the money. Pair it with a nice, cheap (but reliable) board with integrated video, and then just add RAM, case, PSU, etc.
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Performance at 1.8 GHZ will be lackluster.
 
EightySix Four

EightySix Four

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2004
5,122
52
91
I agree with the newb, opteron all the way, stability, price, speed... Opteron 175 is $525, and considering his stuff is CPU intensive, that'd be the best place to spend the money.

I'd say an Opteron 175, paired with a large amount of ram, a cheap graphics card, a good stable mobo, and some nice monitors.
 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
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Originally posted by: TNM93
Originally posted by: Mik3y
Originally posted by: TNM93
Originally posted by: Mik3y
Originally posted by: TNM93
Originally posted by: armatron
title says it all. Newegg is the preferred place to buy this stuff,
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I would just go with a regular Pentium 4 630 or Athlon 64. Unless you absolutely need dual core, I wouldn't go all extravagant on the CPU for a work computer. However, if you decide to go dual core, the Pentium D provides decent bang for the buck as do the lower end X2's or dual core Opterons.
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dual-core simply is a must in this case. with the type of work being done, he will really need the extra cpu bandwidth, especially since premiere is multi-threaded. and i hardly recommend intel's dual-core. they may have the cheapest dual-core, but its performance makes it still more expensive than amd if you compare benchmarks.
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Not really, it terms of price/performance, Pentium D scores higher than some Athlon X2s. And at this point, dual core over single core isn't that much faster, so it comes down to preference. An Athlon 64 3800 practically runs neck and neck wih dual core in Photoshop and Premiere according to Anand's review. Obviously, dual core is the future, since it has many benefits in multitasking, but if he wanted to save a few bucks and put it towards a better monitor, the performance hit wouldn't be that great, if at all.
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we're not talking about typical speed from single core to dual core. we're talking about the extra bandwidth from the change. more cpu bandwidth means the system can perform better when other apps and programs are bogging down the system. in short, i'm talking about better multitasking. The smartest system build is designed to be at future proof as possible. Why build a computer just for today when you have the potential to make it perform even better later on without upgrading?

According to studies and benchmarks for Intel vs AMD dual core, AMD wins in roughly 28 out of 30. You have to take into consideration the comparison between the certain processors. If you want more proof, check out Anand's review, as well as the CPU/Processors category, which include far more detail in Dual-Cores. Workstation rigs do not matter too much into speed as it does bandwidth. Though he may not see or feel an increase in speed from going to dual core from single core, he surely will see it AND feel it when it multi-tasks.
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" Obviously, dual core is the future, since it has many benefits in multitasking, but if he wanted to save a few bucks and put it towards a better monitor, the performance hit wouldn't be that great, if at all."

Look at Anand's review in Photoshop and Premiere, the A64 3800 is neck and neck with X2. Why migrate until the benefits are greater and save money?

Did you not read that I said dual core offered advantages in multitasking? Nothing is future proof. Processor prices are always going down.
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I use the budget version of Premiere at work (Premiere Elements). The encoding speed almost doubles on an X2, compared to a single-core processor at that speed. So I recommend the dual-core route, and all the moreso if armatron wants to run an encoding job in the background while continuing to work in another app in the foreground. Since time is money, I imagine he will want to do so.

Premiere Elements also has some GPU-powered effects, and I imagine Premiere proper does as well. So don't go assuming it's a total waste to have a halfway-decent GPU either, guys. A passively-cooled 6600 was my pick.
 
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ribbon13

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2005
9,343
0
0
For one, there is no need for him to even consider Intel with his budget. /dicussion about Intel

I suggest aiming for a quiet case/PSU combo, for the ergonomics of your work enviroment. The Antec SLK3000B is a good case for doing that. (review) The Seasonic S12 series is powerful, efficient, quiet, and reliable. Since you don't need SLI or anything like that the S12-430 is the perfect choice. (you can see a review of it's bigger brothers here) For a motherboard You'll want something stable as a rock. The Epox EP-9NPA+Ultra has gotten lots of good reviews, and should serve you well. You definately want a Dual-Core Opteron 165 or better if budget allows. All three applications you listed are SMP-aware. I suggest no overclocking for business use, unless it's very conserative. You'll want 2GB of reliable DDR400 or faster. No need for fancy stuff, but I changed my recommendation because the DDR433 was only $4 more for the same timings. The BenQ is a great performer and good value. I picked the eVGA based on being the cheapest quality card with 2 DVI ports, and it has support for dual-link. The Western Digital seems the best choice for your performance/storage needs. What kind of display needs do you have? Color accuracy or fast motion video? If you want a very nice LCD, as your going to be using this for 2+ years and be doing video/graphic work, I highly suggest the Samsung 214T. It's well worth its cost of $200 more than the 2001FP. You'll want a half-way decent mouse and for that the Logitech MX310 is great value.

Do you need to include OS, or can you transfer your license from your current work computer?
$140 - Microsoft E85-03013

$52 - Antec SLK3000B
$115 - Seasonic S12-430

$104 - Epox EP-9NPA+Ultra
$406 - AMD OSA170CDBOX
$216 - Gigaram DDR433 2x1GB Cas2.5

$44 - BenQ DW1640
$217 - Western Digital WD4000YR

$162 - eVGA 6600GT

$705 - Samsung 214T

$20 - Logitech 930928-0403

140+115+52+104+406+213+44+162+217+705+20 = 2178
 
M

Mik3y

Banned
Mar 2, 2004
7,089
0
0
Originally posted by: ribbon13
*ignores stupid flame war*

The BenQ is a great performer and good value. I picked the eVGA based on being the cheapest quality card with 2 DVI ports, and it has support for dual-link. The Western Digital seems the best choice for your performance/storage needs. If you want a very nice LCD, as your going to be using this for 2+ years and be doing video/graphic work, I highly suggest the Samsung 214T. It's well worth its cost of $200 more than the 2001FP.

$52 - Antec SLK3000B
$115 - Seasonic S12-430

$104 - Epox EP-9NPA+Ultra
$306 - AMD OSA165CDBOX
$213 - Gigaram 2x1GB Cas2.5

$44 - BenQ DW1640
$217 - Western Digital WD4000YR

$162 - eVGA 6600GT

$705 - Samsung 214T


115+52+104+306+213+44+162+217+705 = $1918 so far
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excellent choice, except i would rather go with the passive cooled 6600 like mechbgon said. since he doesnt like widescreen, the 214 is a nice choice.
 
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zixxer

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2001
7,326
0
0
also case has to be very 'office-friendly'... the door on the front stands out a lot
 
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ribbon13

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2005
9,343
0
0
Actually, that is one of the most office friendly cases made. Is there some sort of requirement for it? Or does that one just not meet your tastes? Just need one without the door?

For a work/office PC, all you really need to consider is costs, heat/air flow, and ergonomics. It's good with all three. In an office, especially with cubicles, sound/noise is a big concern, so if you must have an alternative, be sure to get a case with 120mm fans, but it still probably won't be as quiet as the Antec.
 
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zixxer

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2001
7,326
0
0
Originally posted by: ribbon13
Actually, that is one of the most office friendly cases made. Is there some sort of requirement for it? Or does that one just not meet your tastes? Just need one without the door?

For a work/office PC, all you really need to consider is costs, heat/air flow, and ergonomics. It's good with all three. In an office, especially with cubicles, sound/noise is a big concern, so if you must have an alternative, be sure to get a case with 120mm fans, but it still probably won't be as quiet as the Antec.
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not a requirement.. it's just not terribly conventional. if it otherwise is best fit for my needs then i'll stick with it.

also please see updated OP... with hindered budget requirements
 
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ribbon13

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2005
9,343
0
0
yeah, that's the price you pay to be on such a restricted budget.

Can you talk your boss into $100 more for the Opteron 170?
 
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ribbon13

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2005
9,343
0
0
it's not necessary, and you'd have to cut back elsewhere, which you can really do unless you want to get inferior components. Besides, its easy enough to add another 1GB stick later, and you want to avoid 4x512MB cofigs, so getting 2x512MB now would cripple your 2GB upgrade potential. Would it not be wise to ask for a $120 upgrade later when more of your departments needs have been met.
 
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zixxer

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2001
7,326
0
0
Originally posted by: ribbon13
it's not necessary, and you'd have to cut back elsewhere, which you can really do unless you want to get inferior components. Besides, its easy enough to add another 1GB stick later, and you want to avoid 4x512MB cofigs, so getting 2x512MB now would cripple your 2GB upgrade potential. Would it not be wise to ask for a $120 upgrade later when more of your departments needs have been met.
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true... true...
 
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ribbon13

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2005
9,343
0
0
you only need DDR400, but there is no point in not getting the DDR433 trying to save $4
 
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