Recently I've been looking into getting myself a new PC, since I've had my old Dell since forever and it's really showing it's age. It's in a pretty bad state, and just doesn't hold up to the kind of things I want to do with it. According to DXDiag, this is what I'm running: Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_qfe.100216-2016) Language: English (Regional Setting: English) System Manufacturer: Dell Inc. System Model: Dell DC051 BIOS: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A02 Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz (2 CPUs) Memory: 1014MB RAM Page File: 1121MB used, 1319MB available Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904) DX Setup Parameters: Not found DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode While I don't know what a lot of that means, I know it's probably not good. I'm looking for something that I can use for modelling and animation, as well as film editing and VFX. So with my birthday coming up I'm looking for a replacement to hopefully last me through the rest of college and with a bit of luck, university. Problem is, I'm not the slightest bit tech-savvy. I've got no idea where to begin, asides from checking out the most popular computer in PCWorld. Which is this: http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/compaq-cq110uk-desktop-pc-11264359-pdt.html Is that good? I have no idea. What about this? http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/hp-pavilion-p6-2002uk-desktop-pc-11875741-pdt.html It's more expensive, and the numbers are bigger. That's all I know. Basically, I need help understanding the specs and choosing a model. While I think I've got a fairly decent idea of what I'm looking for (lots of ram, good CPU, decent graphics card) I'm sure there are loads of guys here more technologically inclined than I am, and I've seen loads of great artists around. So, what would you advise? Any and all help is appreciated. By the way, price range is pretty short. Probably no more than £500. Is that enough to get me decent PC nowadays?
Before you consider anything from PC World, just have a look around to see if you can get it at any other credible shop or internet, you'll find they will be generally cheaper. PCW sucks >
Yep, Amazon are selling the same model for much cheaper. Thought I'd check out what people are getting for PCW though, wasn't thinking of actually making any purchases from them.
Important bits. Usually you would get by with 4GB RAM, but for film editing? I think your looking closer to 6GB or 8GB, which gets expensive really fast. Processor isn't as crucial, heck my i3 is only 3.3Ghz, your current one is probably fine! Operating system...uhh...XP was the best OS ever...
Au contraire. The CPU is just as vital as anything else. For film and photo editing ect/ you're going to want a very good 4/6 core CPU. Otherwise (from my experience) it all goes to pot.
^ aye. For working on sfx and video editing, memory and CPU are the most crucial. I only run on 4gig with a replacement coming in of another 16gig. It really isnt that expensive. It just depends if you want eg 2x4 gig or 1x8 gig, with the latter being a fair bit more expensive. CPU is barely needed when actually working on the project, but rather when you're exporting it as a viewable video file such as .avi. Having a hexacore instead of quad core can mean a lot of difference in time spent exporting (movie quality export took about 10minutes for me and I got one of the best CPUs. For just sfx (after effects) CPU is not excessively used, at any point. When exporting it uses RAM (I believe) when rendering as .avi (with about 10sec of sfx bring about 4gigabytes of space). A fairly decent graphics card is recommended but not necessary. As for buying stuff, I can't really talk about since I'm not in uk, but talk to someone (like myself or a professional) about your needs and what you think will be needed. Then get all the components together and then organize where to obtain the components. It may be different for you, but for me it was cheaper to get parts from all sorts of stores, rather than from one place. ~knowledge based on excessive use of adobe premiere pro and after effects, as well as 3 years worth of building custom desktops
Suddenly CISCO Certified Computer Technician. Right. CPU, you'll run fine on 3 or 4 cores of average clock speed for most photo/video editing. You don't really need to go any further unless you intend to do mass-vector calculations And/or serious gaming. RAM. RAM is dirt cheap at this point. $20 for a 4GB stick of RAM. I'd recommend not really looking at how much RAM a system comes with; Just buy and install more - the process is extremely simple (namely a two-step process). Video Adapter. Don't neglect this. If you plan on photo/video editing or the like, 'tis just as important as if say it were for gaming. Modern technologies like CUDA (on NVidia Video cards) will be a serious aid. All figures such as times/etc. are relative. If you don't wish to overspend but also not do any work, Look for a machine equipeed with 6Gigs of RAM, a quad core CPU, and any non-onboard video solution.
First thing's first: I'd upgrade to Windows 7 for a new PC. I'd aim for 6-8 gigs of RAM. In this case, my uncle swears solely by Kingston HyperX. SSD hard drives are great, but rather pricey if you're trying to capitalize on space. I have 2 of them striped for gaming purposes. Samsung is solid for drives. Try to aim for 7200 RPM if you've got spending money. Processor: AMD's got some great ones. I recommend a quad core. Mine is quite dated, by there's great quads for cheap. I'd shoot for 3.0 ghz clock if you're a gamer. For graphics, I swear by ATI, so I don't really follow Nvidia. The Radeon 6950 Sapphire TOXIC Edition got great views, but it's a couple hundred. You can go lower and still get great bang for your buck. ASUS motherboards are solid, but I couldn't tell you what to get off hand. Just find a motherboard that has all of the features you want (and also make sure it has enough slots/room for everything). As per with building new computers, it's best to research the parts for reviews, issues, compatibility, and what not. www.NewEgg.com
Epic thread revival! I've been doing a bit of snooping on the interwebs and I think I've found a PC that fits the bill: http://h41306.www4.hp.com/itemDetails?SID=1128870eaa57101f457aa7ce6d2392f3750:1223&sku=QD512EA From what I can tell, everything looks fine. Decent specs, good price tonly 4G of ram, but I think I'm right in saying there's room for up to 8. I'll propbably head down to Maplins and pick up some more, it seems to be going cheap. Apparently I've also got .99 g of ram in my PC at the moment, so I can strip that out and install it, right? What do you guys think? Is this the right choice? Thanks in advance, I really appreciate it.
Good specs, aye. Only problem is that there's only a built in Intel GPU, but you can easily buy a great one and shove it in your PC. Also, 4GB of RAM is more than enough.
I've never heard of that motherboard. And yes, the Intel gpu chip will handle 3d applications and games poorly even at lowest settings. I'd look into a computer with an actual video card.
Hmm I would be of help but seeing as I'm not in the same country as you I won't be mush help. (The pc parts sold there would probably be different.) But My upgrade do the required that you stated very well and If I convert the currency i would say it cost me about 350 Pounds. But like I said that probably means nothing as the pc parts sold here are most likely different.
I'm not an expert when it comes to computers but I know some stuff. I'd say most of the computer is good enough but the graphics card needs replacing. If I'm correct then you can just get any PCI express x16 graphics card and put it in. I'd ask wait for answers from other with more experience than me though.
Had a look for a PC with a better graphics card, found this: http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/hp-pa...-aoc-20-led-backlit-monitor-12192789-pdt.html While that definitely looks better and the price seems fine when you consider the monitor, I need to know whether this will run Adobe products like Premire and AE smoothly. Seems to be some requirements on the Adobe page that I'm not sure it fills.
That is still a graphics chip. It's better than the Intel ones, but I still think you're not going to like the performance, especially since you want a computer for video editing and animation. Also, this processor is much slower than the Intel i3 the previous one has. How much are you willing to spend? Realistically speaking, a decent video editing/animation computer will put you above £500. I would take a look at some of these. I personally love HP and have had good experiences with their computers in the past. Feel free to use the "Refine your Search" thing on the side to help narrow down one you like: http://h40059.www4.hp.com/uk/homedesktops/index.php
The chipset supports 6 PCI-E cards, if I remember correctly. So, essentially, a ton of GPUs can fit in there. It isn't too difficult, either. Just take off the side of the PC and plug the card in.
...The maximum amount of PCIe slots a motherboard can have is 4. Maybe you are confusing PCI with PCIe, as they are different. Some motherboards have 4 PCIe slots and 2 PCI slots, but video cards can only be placed into a PCIe slot.
