Just Photoshop

Blue_Seas

So I've made about.. 3 of these threads now at this stage, but I need help again (sorry )
I just found out that in about a year or so, I'm probably going to have to get a macbook pro (college) and they want the decent kind, so for my at-home desktop I really need to cut out things so that I can start saving up for that.

I mainly just need this for photoshop work, I can deal with the integrated graphics for any games, I haven't done any hardcore gaming yet so I'm good for now

1. What is your budget? €450 max, doubt that could include shipping though

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Photoshop and digital art work

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? No

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? No

5. Do you need a monitor? No

5a. If yes, what size do you need. N/A

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? N/A

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? Don't think I can afford a wireless card, don't necessarily need it anyway

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? Not any more

8. How can you pay? Bank Transfer/Debit card

9. When are you purchasing? Asap

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? I'm getting HWVS to build it


Here's what I've come up with, not sure if all the parts match up though... I had a 550W PSU because in the future I MIGHT be able to afford a GPU and I'm really not competent with building computers so wouldn't want to do too many upgrades in the future. Also they're a bit out of order because I've been chopping and changing things!

Item|Price
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€36.71
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€56.11
BitFenix Merc Alpha|€31.57
LG GH22NS50/70/90 bare schwarz|€17.79
BitFenix Spectre 120mm Lüfter Blue LED - black|€6.79
LogiLink USB 2.0 all-in-one Card Reader, für 3,5" Einbauchschacht|€3.91
Rechner - Zusammenbau|€20.00
Intel Core i5-3450 Box, LGA1155|€177.37
ASUS P8B75-M LE, Sockel 1155, mATX, DDR3|€65.71
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€434.95

If anyone can think of a way to make that build better or save more money, that'd be great, I'll just go ahead and order it after that

Eboggles

Blue_Seas wrote: »

So I've made about.. 3 of these threads now at this stage, but I need help again (sorry )
I just found out that in about a year or so, I'm probably going to have to get a macbook pro (college) and they want the decent kind, so for my at-home desktop I really need to cut out things so that I can start saving up for that.

I mainly just need this for photoshop work, I can deal with the integrated graphics for any games, I haven't done any hardcore gaming yet so I'm good for now

1. What is your budget? €450 max, doubt that could include shipping though

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Photoshop and digital art work

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? No

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? No

5. Do you need a monitor? No

5a. If yes, what size do you need. N/A

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? N/A

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? Don't think I can afford a wireless card, don't necessarily need it anyway

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? Not any more

8. How can you pay? Bank Transfer/Debit card

9. When are you purchasing? Asap

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? I'm getting HWVS to build it


Here's what I've come up with, not sure if all the parts match up though... I had a 550W PSU because in the future I MIGHT be able to afford a GPU and I'm really not competent with building computers so wouldn't want to do too many upgrades in the future. Also they're a bit out of order because I've been chopping and changing things!

Item|Price
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€36.71
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€56.11
BitFenix Merc Alpha|€31.57
LG GH22NS50/70/90 bare schwarz|€17.79
BitFenix Spectre 120mm Lüfter Blue LED - black|€6.79
LogiLink USB 2.0 all-in-one Card Reader, für 3,5" Einbauchschacht|€3.91
Rechner - Zusammenbau|€20.00
Intel Core i5-3450 Box, LGA1155|€177.37
ASUS P8B75-M LE, Sockel 1155, mATX, DDR3|€65.71
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€434.95

If anyone can think of a way to make that build better or save more money, that'd be great, I'll just go ahead and order it after that

Get a 450 watt PSU, you can still put in a GTX 670/ HD 7870 in there. I'd also get rid of the spectre, no point in a budget build.

Blue_Seas

I was probably only going to ever get the 6870, and it was recommended to get a 550W PSU for that. Does the 7870 need less wattage?

Genghiz Cohen

Why do you need 2 computers?
And why does the laptop have to be a MacBook?

Eboggles

Blue_Seas wrote: »

I was probably only going to ever get the 6870, and it was recommended to get a 550W PSU for that. Does the 7870 need less wattage?

You can run a 6870 on a 375 watt as ShadowHearth has done before. They just recommend high power PSUs as they are taking really poor ones into account.

Blue_Seas

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

Why do you need 2 computers?
And why does the laptop have to be a MacBook?

I want a desktop to do digital work now, and have been needing a new computer for a while, but in a year or so if I get in to my chosen college course I've heard that I have to get a new laptop. They give specs on a site affiliated with the course, and they teach everything on a macbook pro (ease of use so everyone is running the same OS, used in graphic design when we're done with college, knowing how to use a mac OS).

I gawked at the price.. would much prefer to not need to get one, but if it's necessary it's necessary and I don't want my parents to need to pay for all of it.

Thanks Eboggles, I'll maybe get a 450 or 500 so, just to be safe. Not sure if I'll add more hard drives or what in the future.
Is the CPU/mobo combo okay?

Blue_Seas

Sorry for the double post but I could either get this mobo or this one, http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=57463&agid=1603 or http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=46918&agid=1603&lb

I don't really see much of a difference between the two so not sure what would suit best. I'm also dithering between the i5 3450 and the i5 2400 (unless anyone else has a better idea).

So I'm open to any suggestions :P

Eboggles

Blue_Seas wrote: »

Sorry for the double post but I could either get this mobo or this one, http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=57463&agid=1603 or http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=46918&agid=1603&lb

I don't really see much of a difference between the two so not sure what would suit best. I'm also dithering between the i5 3450 and the i5 2400 (unless anyone else has a better idea).

So I'm open to any suggestions :P

Get the U3S3, and get the i5 3450.

Blue_Seas

Thanks. Any particular reason for getting either those and not the other ones?

Also will the mobo be grand for adding a video card and second hard drive at some point?

Eboggles

Blue_Seas wrote: »

Thanks. Any particular reason for getting either those and not the other ones?

Also will the mobo be grand for adding a video card and second hard drive at some point?

The motherboard is just of better quality and cheaper, and the CPU is stronger.

The motherboard can support 1 motherboard and 6 HDDs.

Procrastastudy

I cant believe I'm saying this. I actually feel sick. Why don't you just get a better Mac - they are quite good at image work (for hardware 6 generations behind PCs)

I feel dirty I'm going for a shower.

Blue_Seas

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

I cant believe I'm saying this. I actually feel sick. Why don't you just get a better Mac - they are quite good at image work (for hardware 6 generations behind PCs)

I feel dirty I'm going for a shower.

I would, but I'm a tad impatient :pac: my current setup is a mac mini with bootcamp installed, I mainly used windows, but it had about... 2 GB of Ram and is 5 years old. I realised I needed an upgrade when (after photoshop elements lagging after too many layers, being unable to have a source image open on t'internet with photoshop) I found out that you literally cannot upgrade a mac mini unless you pry it open with a knife...

Just don't have 1500-2000 euro on me at the moment. Have abut 450/500 to spend and that's it will figure out the mac when the time comes.


Thanks, Eboggles. I assume you meant the motherboard can support one GPU and six HDDs? Would it be able to support an SSD?

Eboggles

Blue_Seas wrote: »

I would, but I'm a tad impatient :pac: my current setup is a mac mini with bootcamp installed, I mainly used windows, but it had about... 2 GB of Ram and is 5 years old. I realised I needed an upgrade when (after photoshop elements lagging after too many layers, being unable to have a source image open on t'internet with photoshop) I found out that you literally cannot upgrade a mac mini unless you pry it open with a knife...

Just don't have 1500-2000 euro on me at the moment. Have abut 450/500 to spend and that's it will figure out the mac when the time comes.


Thanks, Eboggles. I assume you meant the motherboard can support one GPU and six HDDs? Would it be able to support an SSD?

I'm a fool, yeah 1 GPU.

It has two SATA3 ports and I would recommend running SSDs from only those two ports, otherwise the speed is somewhat wasted.

Blue_Seas

Is Sata 6 not better for SSDs or am I getting mixed up with something else?

Eboggles

Blue_Seas wrote: »

Is Sata 6 not better for SSDs or am I getting mixed up with something else?

SATA3 = SATA 6GB/S
SATA2 = SATA 3GB/S

I think it was the "3" in SATA3 that threw you off .

Blue_Seas

Yes, that's it exactly, thanks! I had it all sorted out when I was researching SSDs but when I realized I couldn't afford them I stopped

Seems good, all under 450 including shipping, and you say I haven't screwed anything up so I'm hoping it'll work :pac:

Thank god I'm not with Ulster Bank. Here's the final build so, thanks for the help
EDIT: This is good for Photoshop, right? Lots of Ram, 500 Gig harddrive? And I'm keeping the fan purely because.. I want something that lights up :pac:
Item|Price
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€36.71
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€56.11
BitFenix Merc Alpha|€31.57
LG GH22NS50/70/90 bare schwarz|€17.79
BitFenix Spectre 120mm Lüfter Blue LED - black|€6.79
LogiLink USB 2.0 all-in-one Card Reader, für 3,5" Einbauchschacht|€3.91
Rechner - Zusammenbau|€20.00
Intel Core i5-3450 Box, LGA1155|€177.37
ASRock H61M/U3S3 (B3), Sockel 1155, mATX|€56.09
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€425.33

Eboggles

Yeah, you should be grand. A 550 watt though? A bit overkill.

Blue_Seas

Darn I forgot to change that! You're right, I was going to do a 500 or 450 watt. Thanks.

Edit: yeeeeeeahhh saved myself a tenner by going to a 450 watt

Genghiz Cohen

Eboggles wrote: »

SATA3 = SATA 6GB/S
SATA2 = SATA 3GB/S

I think it was the "3" in SATA3 that threw you off .

That's the old convention. All the hip new nerds use SATA 3.0 and 6.0.

A guy at work here (Huge apple fanboi) replaced the RAM in his Mac Mini.maybe spend €30 on some RAM first and see if it improves things.

Also Blue, I'd urge you to try putting it together yourself, it's actually really relaxing.

Osmosae

What is the college/course that they're telling you to buy a mac computer.

There is no justifiable reason to tell a student to buy a Mac, unless that is their preferred system of choice (which is perfectly fine).

Mac does not improve workflow or creativity, there used to be some differences in operation before Apple went to intel chips, but now they are literally the same thing with a higher price tag.

Teaching is not affected through the choice of OS, as any program i've used has had a default interface for both systems. Keyboard shortcuts are the only thing which may cause headaches, and for that simply substitute the "Apple key" for CTRL on windows and you've gotten passed that issue as well. There are some programs which will only be available to one operating system, but the only program i can think of which mac users say there is no alternative for is coda. And if your coding passed HTML there is better IDE's for that anyways, and if you need a robust IDE for HTML then you need to study more in the first place .....

a5y

Osmosae wrote: »

What is the college/course that they're telling you to buy a mac computer.

There is no justifiable reason to tell a student to buy a Mac, unless that is their preferred system of choice (which is perfectly fine).

Mac does not improve workflow or creativity, there used to be some differences in operation before Apple went to intel chips, but now they are literally the same thing with a higher price tag.

I used a Macbook on a course that used XP PCs. Even though I could get what I needed done with some workarounds and rarely with version exclusive hardware it was a pain in the neck.

Getting good grades and not adding an additional layer of complication to college matters more in hindsight, and if I had to do it again I'd have bought any computer the college recommended/insisted on, even if I hated doing it.

Teaching is not affected through the choice of OS, as any program i've used has had a default interface for both systems. Keyboard shortcuts are the only thing which may cause headaches, and for that simply substitute the "Apple key" for CTRL on windows and you've gotten passed that issue as well. There are some programs which will only be available to one operating system, but the only program i can think of which mac users say there is no alternative for is coda. And if your coding passed HTML there is better IDE's for that anyways, and if you need a robust IDE for HTML then you need to study more in the first place .....

If an employer is doing interviews and you're the one student who doesn't have years of experience using the OS they use, how do you think that affects your chances of getting hired?

Really the best thing to do would find out what employers are using and go with that. That'll be the best option in the long term (though there's nothing to say that they'd be using the same stuff by the time you graduate).

Osmosae

a5y wrote: »

I used a Macbook on a course that used XP PCs. Even though I could get what I needed done with some workarounds and rarely with version exclusive hardware it was a pain in the neck.

Getting good grades and not adding an additional layer of complication to college matters more in hindsight, and if I had to do it again I'd have bought any computer the college recommended/insisted on, even if I hated doing it.

I actually had the exact opposite with a course that wanted macs, but i run windows. I think the only confusion i had throughout the course was that i originally didn't have QuickTime installed so my after effects wouldn't export to .mov files, whereas it's a default overall on Mac, but that was a pretty simple fix.

The differences between Mac and windows are pretty darn minute. If you are having problems and the lecturer of your course can't explain the pc way vs the mac way (which again happens VERY rarely once u realise the keyboard differences) then that lecturer simply isnt good enough. There is no industry u should be in, where your only literate on 1 OS as an educator

I also found no lecturer could give a reason for why Mac, and none knew computer hardware better than myself, so why take some1 elses word and end up paying double the price of what the hardware should be

a5y wrote: »

If an employer is doing interviews and you're the one student who doesn't have years of experience using the OS they use, how do you think that affects your chances of getting hired?

Really the best thing to do would find out what employers are using and go with that. That'll be the best option in the long term (though there's nothing to say that they'd be using the same stuff by the time you graduate).

In my experience it wouldn't affect it at all. Provided u can work Cross platform which is something u should pick up over your time in college. No employer is going to be quizzing u on your literacy in an os, beyond "can you use", other than that it's your portfolio which will get u a job, not your operating system, especially as there is zero difference in the adobe suite.

Trying to predict what type of os your future employers will use is futile unless u have very specific wants on where to work once u graduate. You may be right or may be wrong. Impossible to tell. Other than sound engineering (which is predominantly Mac), it could be anything.

Again there is nothing wrong with using Mac IF THAT'S WHAT U WANT. But i don't agree with just getting it for college. They cost too much for no added benefit (unless I've missed something - which is quite possible )

Blue_Seas

Well this is the course I'm currently going for, and it says to get a mac on the blog
http://ncadviscom.com/year2.html

I was a bit shocked when I read it because I thought I'd be able to use any laptop there and my personal desktop for work at home but evidently not...
They mention getting a PC but I think they really want you to get a mac I'll just suck it up and get one, in the future if I ever need a mac I'll have one, plus I can learn how to use the programs like everyone else is. (/excuses )

I think, to be honest, it's easier to get an early birthday + Christmas present of the mac (jaysus they're expensive) and NOT make things difficult for college where the lecturers will hate the "PC girl" before we even start working with them :pac:


In relation to my current build, I actually had a complete blank and forgot to put in a hard drive. Plus shipping, the whole thing is now 477, so if I should change some stuff (hard drive size/speed, processor etc.) then let me know!