Is this a good system?

[jmiasi]

Please Check this system... need some advice

I'm new here and I need some help. I'm probably no where near as computer savvy as anyone on here (which is why I'm here to begin with) and I need a new computer. I'm a graphic designer and our computer just can't handle the applications that I need to run for my business. I would like to run Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop at the same time, while having Firefox and Thunderbird open too. This is impossible with our computer. So, I'm trying to put together a new computer that will last me and work AWESOME. No bogging down, etc.

How's this (I put it together on www.ibuypower.com):
Case ( [New !!!] Nzxt Lexa Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply )
Case Lighting ( Cold Cathode Neon Light Blue )
Power Supply ( NZXT PRC-550 550W Power Supply )
Processor ( [New !!! 939-pin] AMD® Athlon-64 FX-60 Dual Core CPU w/ Hyper Transport Technology )
Free Software/Game ( Free Game --- Half Life 2 Download Coupon with purchase of any AMD-64 based systems or Mobile Turion notebook )
Processor Cooling ( CoolerMaster Liquid CPU Cooling Fan System Kit + 2 EXTRA CASE FANS )
Motherboard ( Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe nForce4 SLI-x16 Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Dual Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE 1394, Dual PCI-E MB )
Memory ( 2048 MB [1024MB X2] DDR-400 PC3200 Memory Module Corsair XMS PRO w/ Heat Spreader & LED Lights )
Video Card ( [PCI-Express 16x] Nvidia Geforce 7800GT 256MB w/DVI + TV Out Video )
Hard Drive ( [Special !!!] 200 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 8M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
Raid Controller ( None )
Raid Configuration ( None )
CD/DVD Drive ( 16x DVD-ROM Drive Silver )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( [** Special !!! ***] 16X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Silver )
Sound Card ( Creative Lab Sound Blaster Audigy SE )
Speaker System ( None )
Fax Modem ( None )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Floppy Drive ( None )
Monitor ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
Keyboard ( None )
Mouse ( None )
Meter Display ( Thermal Temperature LCD Display Silver )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( None )
Operation System ( MS Windows XP Professional X64 Edition )
Additional Software ( MS Works Suite 2005 [Word, Works, Money, Encarta, Picture It! Premium, Streets and Trips] )
Case Round Cable ( Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower )
IEEE-1394 Fire Wire Card ( IEEE-1394 Firewire PCI Card w/Cable + Software )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
MP3 Player ( None )
TV Tuner ( None )
Video Camera ( None )
Headset ( None )
Power Protection ( ** iBUYPOWER Recommended ** Opti-UPS SS1200-AVR Mighty Voltage Regulator )
Printer ( None )
Printer Cable ( None )
Wireless Network Adapter ( [Special !!!] Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps PCI Adapter )
Warranty ( Warranty Service iBUYPOWER Deluxe Warranty Package(Standard Warranty plus: First Year On-site Service and 24/7 Phone Support) )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) No Rush, Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
Sub Total: $2,868.00

Is this a good system, what should I change or add, etc. and is it a good price?

Thanks so much!!!
Jen

 

[Bobthelost]

Originally posted by: jmiasi
How's this (I put it together on www.ibuypower.com):
Case ( [New !!!] Nzxt Lexa Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply )
Case Lighting ( Cold Cathode Neon Light Blue )

You do like your bling don't you?

Power Supply ( NZXT PRC-550 550W Power Supply )
Processor ( [New !!! 939-pin] AMD® Athlon-64 FX-60 Dual Core CPU w/ Hyper Transport Technology )

Top notch CPU, but i doubt you really need it, you get 92% of the power if you get a 4800X2 at a lot less than 92% of the price.

Processor Cooling ( CoolerMaster Liquid CPU Cooling Fan System Kit + 2 EXTRA CASE FANS )
Motherboard ( Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe nForce4 SLI-x16 Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Dual Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE 1394, Dual PCI-E MB )
Memory ( 2048 MB [1024MB X2] DDR-400 PC3200 Memory Module Corsair XMS PRO w/ Heat Spreader & LED Lights )

Water cooling? If you're overclocking after all, in which case the FX-60 might be an idea.

Video Card ( [PCI-Express 16x] Nvidia Geforce 7800GT 256MB w/DVI + TV Out Video )
Hard Drive ( [Special !!!] 200 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 8M Cache]
Sound Card ( Creative Lab Sound Blaster Audigy SE )
Operation System ( MS Windows XP Professional X64 Edition )
Additional Software ( MS Works Suite 2005 [Word, Works, Money, Encarta, Picture It! Premium, Streets and Trips] )

The HD is crap for that price. As is the sound card, the Graphics card is nice, but overpowered for a work PC.

All in all you're buying the wrong machine if you're using this for work, what are you upgrading from.

 

[Malladine]

Just built an identical rig except for the additional software, power protection and warranty for $2500. So if that stuff is worth $368 then yeah, good deal :thumbsup:

I recommend trying to squeeze raptors into a high end gaming/graphic design rig. If you aren't gaming, you don't need the 7800gt.

 

[Bobthelost]

For hardcore Photoshop and illustrator you want:

4800X2
Mobo = any
4gb RAM (value, add 2 more 2gb sticks yourself)
7300 if you can wait for it to come out, X800 PCIe otherwise.
2x WD4000KD drives in RAID0 configuration with regular backups of files. (maybe RAID5 would be better, read more important than write after all)
500W PSU, quality brand.

The money you're spending on extraneous rubbish is an utter waste for a work PC.

 

[jmiasi]

Thanks for the advice, although I'll admit reading it sounds like a forgien language haha. So, you think the Processor is a little over-doing it? My husband would LOVE it if I cut down on the cost a little. I went to Alienware and scared him with a $7300 configuration. I figured I'd do that and then this wouldn't look so bad

So, I should replace the FX-60 with the 4800X2

I wouldn't know how to add more RAM myself, could I add it to my computer online so I don't have to worry about doing it later?

"7300 if you can wait for it to come out, X800 PCIe otherwise." is this the video card you're referring to?

What sound card should I get?

I should add that I do have an external hard drive, which is why I chose only 1 hard drive for this computer.

"I recommend trying to squeeze raptors into a high end gaming/graphic design rig. If you aren't gaming, you don't need the 7800gt." What are raptors??

Thanks again!!!
Jen

p.s. Is www.ibuypower.com a good place to do this?

 

[Bobthelost]

You're shopping in the wrong places. Alienware and the site you C&P'd from both seem to cater to gamers. You want a Dell or HP or similar system.

Adding RAM is no harder than filling up a petrol tank, it's really, really simple, think grownup lego.

yes the graphics card should be a PCIe X800 ATI card, the 7800 you had is wonderful, i have one, but it's for gaming not photoshop where the CPU and RAM are important.

Raptors are very fast HDs (hard drives), which would speed up how long it takes you to load and process files.

Almost all motherboards come with onboard sound, a sound card gives better quality but it's not really nessisary, a nice optional extra. If you do get one then the cheapest XFI card is a good idea.

Are you in the US or elsewhere? Someone will find you a better site i'm sure.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Welcome to AT.

Is this a gaming computer too?

If not, getting an expensive videocard and soundcard aren't going to do much for you.

A raptor is a kind of harddrive.

Adding ram is pretty darn easy. We could walk you through it if you wanted to do that.

You might want to compare prices at Monarch as an alternative place that lets you customize a system.

 

[Malladine]

Resellerratings has ibuypower listed. I would buy from them.

Raptor is the codename for 10,000rpm hdds by western digital. They are more expensive but definately faster than regular sata drives. Bob is correct in that a raid setup would further improve read and write times (ie faster loading of images and files, faster transition between programs, faster saving). Hopefully they can set that up for you, raid takes some technical knowledge.

Yes, the 7300 and x800 are video cards. I'm not entirely sure how much impact a vid card has with pshop and illustrator but I am sure you won't get full use out of a 7800gt. Those two he mentioned are half the price or less.

You'd be lookin at a $400 savings between the 4800x2 and the fx60. He's probably right that the former will provide adequate performance...

As far as sound cards go, it depends if you'll be listening to much music on that machine. If you are, the audigy you have listed will be fine, imo. The XFI bob mentioned is newer tech and supposedly better sound. How finnicky are you?

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Bobthelost
You're shopping in the wrong places. Alienware and the site you C&P'd from both seem to cater to gamers. You want a Dell or HP or similar system.

Adding RAM is no harder than filling up a petrol tank, it's really, really simple, think grownup lego.

yes the graphics card should be a PCIe X800 ATI card, the 7800 you had is wonderful, i have one, but it's for gaming not photoshop where the CPU and RAM are important.

Raptors are very fast HDs (hard drives), which would speed up how long it takes you to load and process files.

Almost all motherboards come with onboard sound, a sound card gives better quality but it's not really nessisary, a nice optional extra. If you do get one then the cheapest XFI card is a good idea.

For photoshop, and having a lot apps open, what you need are:

1) 2+GB of RAM (adding it yourself is VERY easy). In fact, if the rest of your current system is OK, you might be able to get by with just a RAM upgrade.

2) A pretty fast CPU, preferably a dual-core.

...

And that's about it. You don't need a fast video card (a RADEON X300 or X1300, or a GF5200/6200 would work fine), onboard sound will work fine, and the price difference with going for Raptor drives is probably not worth it if you're on any sort of budget.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

What is your current computer by the way?

You could probably get away with something in the $1500-$2000 range and still get a decent jump in performance.

 

[jmiasi]

The computer I have now is a Dell Dimension 8200 and I hate it. I've gone through 2 Dells in 3 years. I just feel like I won't get as much if I go through Dell or HP, etc. again which is why I was trying to do this more myself - so I could pick out everything that goes in it.

I guess I had always assumed that gaming and graphics kind of went hand in hand. But they don't? So a gaming computer needs different things than a graphics?

I have A LOT to learn I guess. And to think I'm considered the "computer geek" out of my friends haha, if only they knew I was really clueless!

Jen

 

[jmiasi]

Oh and I'll add that I take high resolution digital pictures and I need to be able to open and edit them in photoshop. Each picture or file can be upwards of 40mb and my Illustrator and Photoshop files can go even higher.

My husband only uses the computer for his iPod, downloading and listening to MP3's.

Jen

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: jmiasi
The computer I have now is a Dell Dimension 8200 and I hate it. I've gone through 2 Dells in 3 years. I just feel like I won't get as much if I go through Dell or HP, etc. again which is why I was trying to do this more myself - so I could pick out everything that goes in it.

I guess I had always assumed that gaming and graphics kind of went hand in hand. But they don't? So a gaming computer needs different things than a graphics?

I have A LOT to learn I guess. And to think I'm considered the "computer geek" out of my friends haha, if only they knew I was really clueless!

Jen

If you were doing 3d rendering or something like that you'd want a powerful videocard. Photoshop and other 2d stuff isn't dependent on your videocard.

Do you have specs on the current computer?

 

[Malladine]

Originally posted by: jmiasi
I guess I had always assumed that gaming and graphics kind of went hand in hand. But they don't? So a gaming computer needs different things than a graphics?

The requirements are a fairly close match except for the video card unless you're talking 3d design, like 3dmax or Maya to name two.

Originally posted by: jmiasi
Oh and I'll add that I take high resolution digital pictures and I need to be able to open and edit them in photoshop. Each picture or file can be upwards of 40mb and my Illustrator and Photoshop files can go even higher.

Jen

Your high end cpu and ram will handle that nicely

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Guide showing pictures of memory installation:

http://www.mechbgon.com/build/moboprep.html

You just have to push out two tabs, make sure the stick is oriented the right way, and then push it in until it clicks in and the tabs can be pushed in.

 

[Bobthelost]

Yes, but don't worry, there's little we like more than spending other people's money

Monarch do computer builds aparently (i'm from over the pond) so they'd be a good place to start. I'm assuming that you have a rather sizeable budget but a very, very good computer could be done for $2000 or less.

Photoshop is numbercrunching, despite what common sense would lead you to belive it doesn't need a very fast graphics card at all, and the benifits are small to none.

I'd go:

4600X2 Photoshop doesn't benifit from the larger cache of the 4800X2 as such the 4600 is just as fast and it's cheaper.
Motherboard with integrated audigy chip (i can't remember who makes them)
4gb of RAM, 4x1gb modules, corsair or cruical value lines are good
X800 graphics card, although you could easily save money on this bit.
500W PSU, Fortron make good quality no frills PSUs.
HDs:
Option 1) WD4000KD, 400gb of HD space, fast but not blindingly so, good value for money
Option 2) WD4000KD x2 in RAID, don't know if they will set it up for you and provide tech support, mabye not a great plan as it's more of a headache if things go wrong
Option 3) Raptor 150 with another HD for datastorage. My favourite option, but a raptor 150 costs around $300 and you only get 150gb of space

 

[jmiasi]

At one point I had a link for a place online that would get all of the computer specs automatically from your system - anyone know what this place is?

Or, how do I get a list of my computer specs?

Thanks,
Jen

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: jmiasi
At one point I had a link for a place online that would get all of the computer specs automatically from your system - anyone know what this place is?

Or, how do I get a list of my computer specs?

Thanks,
Jen

CPU-Z will give info on some of the stuff.

Here, try this.
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1759725&enterthread=y

 

[jmiasi]

These are the motherboard options that www.ibuypower.com give:

Motherboard Help me choose
/ You can't select this item, it IS NOT COMPATIBLE with your CPU.
Asus A8N5X nForce4 Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0 PCI-E Motherboard [- $108]
Asus A8N-E nVidia nForce4-Ultra Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0 PCI-E Motherboard [- $85]
Gigabyte GA-K8NF9 nVidia nForce4 Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394 PCI-E Motherboard [- $111]
MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum nForce4 Ultra Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Dual Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE 1394 PCI-E MB [- $78]
Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe nForce4-SLI Chipset w/LAN, 7.1 Sound, IEEE-1394, USB 2.0 Dual PCI-E Motherboard [- $35]
Asus A8N-SLI Premium nForce4-SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Dual Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE 1394, Dual PCI-E MB [- $17]
Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe nForce4 SLI-x16 Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Dual Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE 1394, Dual PCI-E MB
eVGA nForce-4 SLI Chipset Dual DDR w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, Dual PCI-E MB [- $110]
Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro-SLI nVidia nForce4-SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394 Dual PCI-E MB [- $85]

 

[jmiasi]

This is my computer:

Processor Intel Pentium 4 2519MHz
Display Card NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200
Memory 512MB
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP
Free Disk Space 11.1GB
Display Card Memory 64MB
Display Driver Version 4.2.3.8
DirectX Version 9.0c
Optical Drive CD
Sound Card Creative SB Live! Series

 

[jmiasi]

This just blows me away, it actually said: "Your system is among the top 25% of all systems scanned by the Game Advisor. "

HAHA you wouldn't guess it for how crappy it runs!

Jen

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Upgrading your ram would be a big help for that system.

Would you be able to salvage parts from that system, or do you have other plans for it?

EDIT: when's the last time it was formatted / windows was reinstalled on it?

If it's a couple years old and hasn't had any work done on it, it could be really slowing down just due to the old installation on it.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: jmiasi
This just blows me away, it actually said: "Your system is among the top 25% of all systems scanned by the Game Advisor. "

HAHA you wouldn't guess it for how crappy it runs!

Jen

Honestly, if you put 2GB of RAM into that system (total cost: ~$200), it would run a LOT better. Maybe to the point where you wouldn't need a new system at all.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Matthias99

Originally posted by: jmiasi
This just blows me away, it actually said: "Your system is among the top 25% of all systems scanned by the Game Advisor. "

HAHA you wouldn't guess it for how crappy it runs!

Jen

Honestly, if you put 2GB of RAM into that system (total cost: ~$200), it would run a LOT better. Maybe to the point where you wouldn't need a new system at all.

Yeah.

If you can reformat it and pump up the ram on that it should be able to do what you want it to.

 

[jmiasi]

We just reformatted it 2 months ago. I'd much rather start fresh and have a new computer...

Jen