New computer for photography

[Adam]

Not sure if I am in the right place for this post, but I'll give it a
try anyway...you can always redirect me to a more appropriate ng.

Just getting into photography as a hobby and want to get a new comp to
fit my needs (along with net surfing and email). I will not be building
my own comp, but hope that I can get some advise as to components and
where I could go to have a comp built and/or where I can get one that
will fit my bill.

As I have had a couple of Dell Dimensions, I first went to Dell to see
what kind of tower they could offer me (don't need monitor, keyboard,
mouse, speakers). Although I have been a Dell user, that doesn't mean
I have to stay with Dell.

I looked at Dell's 4600 with the following components:

P4, 2.8GHZ, HT, 800MHz FSB
1GB DDR SDRAM at 400HZ
160GB SATA, 7200 rpm, DIM drive
128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
16x dvd-rom, 4600, DIM decoding software, dvd cyberlinx dvd+r/cdwr combo
drive
v.92/56K pci datafax modem
Integrated intel pro 100M PCI
PLUS the regular software installed: Norton AV, Soundblaster 5.1,
Wordperfect prod pask, v12

So, if you think these kinds of components will do the job for me (if
not please suggest changes), can you suggest either where I can go to
get it built or which other manufacturers I could go to? Of course,
what I"m looking for is to either have this set up made or bought for a
lesser price than Dell (around $1000) and to have good reliability.

Thanks,
Adam

 

[Adam S]

Just getting into photography as a hobby and want to get a new comp to

fit my needs (along with net surfing and email). I will not be building
my own comp, but hope that I can get some advise as to components and
where I could go to have a comp built and/or where I can get one that
will fit my bill.

I looked at Dell's 4600 with the following components:

P4, 2.8GHZ, HT, 800MHz FSB
1GB DDR SDRAM at 400HZ
160GB SATA, 7200 rpm, DIM drive
128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
16x dvd-rom, 4600, DIM decoding software, dvd cyberlinx dvd+r/cdwr combo
drive
v.92/56K pci datafax modem
Integrated intel pro 100M PCI
PLUS the regular software installed: Norton AV, Soundblaster 5.1,
Wordperfect prod pask, v12

So, if you think these kinds of components will do the job for me (if
not please suggest changes), can you suggest either where I can go to
get it built or which other manufacturers I could go to? Of course,
what I"m looking for is to either have this set up made or bought for a
lesser price than Dell (around $1000) and to have good reliability.

Thanks,
Adam

I built a similar system for a mate who wanted it for digital photography a
couple of months ago.

It has:
ASUS A7N8X-X motherboard
AMD XP2800 cpu retail with HSF
ASUS Radeon 9600se 128Mb Graphics card
1GB PC3200 memory (two 512MB sticks)
2x Maxtor 160GB ata133 72000rpm drives (8MB cache on each)
Plextor 708 DVD Burner
Sony CDRW combo
MS Intellimouse optical mouse
Internal 7 in 1 card reader
All in a standard case with 400w PSU

He went AMD route as the equillivant P4 chip was £100 more.

Graphics card is an SE edition but is more than enough for 2D work, (he
never plays games)

Went IDE route over SATA as there was no real increase in speed for the,
admittedly little, extra cost.

The two hard drives are partitioned as below:
Drive 1
C = 20GB for Windows and Photoshop plus all programs
D = 140GB data storage
Drive 2
E = 20GB Scratch drive for Photoshop and temp files
F = 140GB Back up D in case of drive failure

DVD burner is _only_ for burning DVDs all disk reading is done on the Sony
Combo drive, its how he wanted it done, but with two drives he can do disk
copying 'on the fly'.

So far it is running well with no problems. He is very pleased with the
performance at a cost of under £400 (UK)

Adam S

 

[Adam]

I built a similar system for a mate who wanted it for digital photography a
couple of months ago.

It has:
ASUS A7N8X-X motherboard
AMD XP2800 cpu retail with HSF
ASUS Radeon 9600se 128Mb Graphics card
1GB PC3200 memory (two 512MB sticks)
2x Maxtor 160GB ata133 72000rpm drives (8MB cache on each)
Plextor 708 DVD Burner
Sony CDRW combo
MS Intellimouse optical mouse
Internal 7 in 1 card reader
All in a standard case with 400w PSU

He went AMD route as the equillivant P4 chip was £100 more.

Graphics card is an SE edition but is more than enough for 2D work, (he
never plays games)

Went IDE route over SATA as there was no real increase in speed for the,
admittedly little, extra cost.

The two hard drives are partitioned as below:
Drive 1
C = 20GB for Windows and Photoshop plus all programs
D = 140GB data storage
Drive 2
E = 20GB Scratch drive for Photoshop and temp files
F = 140GB Back up D in case of drive failure

DVD burner is _only_ for burning DVDs all disk reading is done on the Sony
Combo drive, its how he wanted it done, but with two drives he can do disk
copying 'on the fly'.

So far it is running well with no problems. He is very pleased with the
performance at a cost of under £400 (UK)

Adam S

Hi. Quite interesting in that your system is, indeed, similar to the
one I've been thinking about. And, in terms of US$, it only comes to
about $750. However, I guess putting in the XP, word processing stuff,
modem/fax, AV, would have cost a bit more. I like the ideas of putting
in an internal card reader and the use of two disk drives. I imagine I
could use a smaller second drive as just a scratch disk. Although,
having a big back up is worthwhile, also.

As I probably would have to have some one put this together for me, what
do you think the extra costs would be?

Adam (aslo Adam S)

 

[Last Boy Scout]

Not sure if I am in the right place for this post, but I'll give it a
try anyway...you can always redirect me to a more appropriate ng.

Just getting into photography as a hobby and want to get a new comp to
fit my needs (along with net surfing and email). I will not be building
my own comp, but hope that I can get some advise as to components and
where I could go to have a comp built and/or where I can get one that
will fit my bill.

As I have had a couple of Dell Dimensions, I first went to Dell to see
what kind of tower they could offer me (don't need monitor, keyboard,
mouse, speakers). Although I have been a Dell user, that doesn't mean
I have to stay with Dell.

I looked at Dell's 4600 with the following components:

P4, 2.8GHZ, HT, 800MHz FSB
1GB DDR SDRAM at 400HZ
160GB SATA, 7200 rpm, DIM drive
128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
16x dvd-rom, 4600, DIM decoding software, dvd cyberlinx dvd+r/cdwr combo
drive
v.92/56K pci datafax modem
Integrated intel pro 100M PCI
PLUS the regular software installed: Norton AV, Soundblaster 5.1,
Wordperfect prod pask, v12

So, if you think these kinds of components will do the job for me (if
not please suggest changes), can you suggest either where I can go to
get it built or which other manufacturers I could go to? Of course,
what I"m looking for is to either have this set up made or bought for a
lesser price than Dell (around $1000) and to have good reliability.

Thanks,
Adam

You dont need a big fancy multimedia computer just to view photos. Any
average business computer is good enough for photographic work. A 2.0Gig
P4 is plenty fast enough. An average quality video card is good enough. I
like the ATI 9600 as a video card it is a good video card that can handle
most video games even though it is an averge video card. Well maybe slight
above average at around $100.00 You probably want around a 80-120 Gig Hard
Drive to store the photos on. You do not need 1 gig of ram unless you plan
on using a high end photo software. I play games on 512megs just fine.

You can get one combo CD/CDRW/DVDRW drive and that will be enough. You dont
have to have a DVD writable drive, but more photos will fit on a DVD.

You can get an internal or external Flash card reader. A 7-in-1 flash
reader will probably do great. Mitsumi is making a floppy drive CF flash
card reader combo for $35.00. If you buy a dell you might get a free
Digital camera or scanner or something with it for free. They run specials
from time to time.

 

[Al Dykes]

You dont need a big fancy multimedia computer just to view photos. Any
average business computer is good enough for photographic work. A 2.0Gig
P4 is plenty fast enough. An average quality video card is good enough. I
like the ATI 9600 as a video card it is a good video card that can handle
most video games even though it is an averge video card. Well maybe slight
above average at around $100.00 You probably want around a 80-120 Gig Hard
Drive to store the photos on. You do not need 1 gig of ram unless you plan
on using a high end photo software. I play games on 512megs just fine.

You can get one combo CD/CDRW/DVDRW drive and that will be enough. You dont
have to have a DVD writable drive, but more photos will fit on a DVD.

You can get an internal or external Flash card reader. A 7-in-1 flash
reader will probably do great. Mitsumi is making a floppy drive CF flash
card reader combo for $35.00. If you buy a dell you might get a free
Digital camera or scanner or something with it for free. They run specials
from time to time.

If you are starting out with photography a package like Adobe
Photoshop Elements or Ulead will do everything you need and get you
will into the intermediate level. It will run fine in 512MB but can
benefit from a second hard disk and /or 10krpm disks.

Photography doesn't need a 3D card. a 2D Matrox card is fine. Matrox
cards are highly regarded for color quality.

LCD screens that are good enough for color work are still very
expensive, so don't rush out to replace your CRT.

Picking a good color printer is a whole new topic. I've seen great
results from an Epson R200 printer which costs $99. It uses 6
cartridges, and a replacement set costs almost as much as a new
printer, but they don't all run out at once.

Budget enough money for toner and paper while you are learning.
OTOH, pictures on a good CRT do look spectacular and you might
just work for the CRT and web, instead of printing.

I don't know what DIM is (as in "160GB SATA, 7200 rpm, DIM drive")

 

[Louise]

Not sure if I am in the right place for this post, but I'll give it a
try anyway...you can always redirect me to a more appropriate ng.

Just getting into photography as a hobby and want to get a new comp to
fit my needs (along with net surfing and email). I will not be building
my own comp, but hope that I can get some advise as to components and
where I could go to have a comp built and/or where I can get one that
will fit my bill.

As I have had a couple of Dell Dimensions, I first went to Dell to see
what kind of tower they could offer me (don't need monitor, keyboard,
mouse, speakers). Although I have been a Dell user, that doesn't mean
I have to stay with Dell.

I looked at Dell's 4600 with the following components:

P4, 2.8GHZ, HT, 800MHz FSB
1GB DDR SDRAM at 400HZ
160GB SATA, 7200 rpm, DIM drive
128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
16x dvd-rom, 4600, DIM decoding software, dvd cyberlinx dvd+r/cdwr combo
drive
v.92/56K pci datafax modem
Integrated intel pro 100M PCI
PLUS the regular software installed: Norton AV, Soundblaster 5.1,
Wordperfect prod pask, v12

So, if you think these kinds of components will do the job for me (if
not please suggest changes), can you suggest either where I can go to
get it built or which other manufacturers I could go to? Of course,
what I"m looking for is to either have this set up made or bought for a
lesser price than Dell (around $1000) and to have good reliability.

Thanks,
Adam

Although Dell will work well, be aware that they are not what they used
to be. All their tech support for individuals (vs corporations) is now
outsourced and you are forced to plod through endless scripts to get any
help at all, should you need it.

Dell cuts many corners, often including video and sound cards with the
same names, but made especially for Dell and usually not quite as good.

And my last serious issue with recent Dells: they are noisy. I have
set up three Dells for friends in the last 1 1/2 years, the last one
just two weeks ago, all the hard drives emit a high pitched whine. Some
have noisy case/cpu fans and some don't.

I would take a serious look at the Dell newsgroup before deciding on one
of their machines.

BTW, one real advantage to a SATA drive is that the cable is much
thinner, thereby allowing for more air flow through the machine.

Louise

 

[Mac Cool]

And my last serious issue with recent Dells: they are noisy.

Interesting, the very reason I bought a Dell was because they are so quiet
compared to the AMD based systems I have built. I can barely hear mine
run. It is 2 years old.

 

[Dave C.]

Interesting, the very reason I bought a Dell was because they are so quiet
compared to the AMD based systems I have built. I can barely hear mine
run. It is 2 years old.

My wife's XP 2500+ system is nearly silent. I sit maybe two feet from it in
a quiet room, and I can't hear it, unless the optical drives spin up.
There's no magic involved in making a quiet computer system. You just have
to understand that one noisy fan can create more noise (all by itself) than
half a dozen QUIET fans all running at the same time. (The worst offenders
are CPU fans and video card fans because they run at really high RPM). If
you keep that in mind, you can have a super cool system running super quiet.
This has nothing to do with AMD or Intel at all, other than periodically,
one will take the lead as far as hottest processor (one that requires most
cooling) goes. At the moment, I understand that's the Prescott core P4. So
if it's quiet you seek, maybe Athlon64 would be a better starting point, at
the moment. But you should be able to build either AMD or Intel, and build
it quietly. Just pay attention to ALL the fan specs, and don't forget the
motherboard and it's little pesky chipset fan(s). -Dave

 

[Mac Cool]

You just have to understand that one noisy fan can create
more noise (all by itself) than half a dozen QUIET fans all running
at the same time. (The worst offenders are CPU fans and video card
fans because they run at really high RPM).

Yep, the video card fan (Gainward GF3) on my previous system was louder
than all the fans on my Dell put together. Plus I had an uber heat sink &
fan to keep that Thunderbird cool. I eventually installed an evaporative
water cooling system to get rid of the noise. (Water cooling is the bomb)

How important is the case when building a quiet PC? I've used middling
priced cases in the past, not cheap but nothing special.

Mac Cool

 

[Dave C.]

Yep, the video card fan (Gainward GF3) on my previous system was louder
than all the fans on my Dell put together. Plus I had an uber heat sink &
fan to keep that Thunderbird cool. I eventually installed an evaporative
water cooling system to get rid of the noise. (Water cooling is the bomb)

How important is the case when building a quiet PC? I've used middling
priced cases in the past, not cheap but nothing special.

Mac Cool

The case isn't very important at all, unless you care about such things as
hard drive vibration. I've never understood why someone who isn't bothered
by the constant drone of cooling fans really hates to hear the relatively
benign clicking of a hard drive. But other than dampening vibration from
disk drives, the only way to sound proof a case (such as to lessen cooling
fan drone) is to INSULATE it, which makes it harder to cool, which means you
need more airflow, which means you end up with more noise, if you aren't
careful. So it's a wash. If you want to throw more money at a system to
make it cooler, throw the money at a high-quality "silent" design power
supply, a CPU heatsink that will accept a quiet CASE fan and a passively
cooled mid-range video card (they do exist). IMHO -Dave

 

[Adam]

Although Dell will work well, be aware that they are not what they used
to be. All their tech support for individuals (vs corporations) is now
outsourced and you are forced to plod through endless scripts to get any
help at all, should you need it.

Dell cuts many corners, often including video and sound cards with the
same names, but made especially for Dell and usually not quite as good.

And my last serious issue with recent Dells: they are noisy. I have
set up three Dells for friends in the last 1 1/2 years, the last one
just two weeks ago, all the hard drives emit a high pitched whine. Some
have noisy case/cpu fans and some don't.

I would take a serious look at the Dell newsgroup before deciding on one
of their machines.

BTW, one real advantage to a SATA drive is that the cable is much
thinner, thereby allowing for more air flow through the machine.

Louise

Louise,
I understand you Dell concerns. I got two computers from them about 4-5
years ago. The older one runs fairly silently, but the newer one makes
a racket! Also, I know that their tech support now comes with a
language translator, or at least a dialect filter.

Of course, if I could get someone to build what I need with the
components I want, that would be ideal. But then again, there is the
budget. I just need the tower (no keyboard, mouse, etc), but then to
pay for the XP OS, will add significant $. So, I guess I'm sort of trapped.

Thanks for your help.

Adam

 

[Adam]

I built a similar system for a mate who wanted it for digital photography a
couple of months ago.

It has:
ASUS A7N8X-X motherboard
AMD XP2800 cpu retail with HSF
ASUS Radeon 9600se 128Mb Graphics card
1GB PC3200 memory (two 512MB sticks)
2x Maxtor 160GB ata133 72000rpm drives (8MB cache on each)
Plextor 708 DVD Burner
Sony CDRW combo
MS Intellimouse optical mouse
Internal 7 in 1 card reader
All in a standard case with 400w PSU

He went AMD route as the equillivant P4 chip was £100 more.

Graphics card is an SE edition but is more than enough for 2D work, (he
never plays games)

Went IDE route over SATA as there was no real increase in speed for the,
admittedly little, extra cost.

The two hard drives are partitioned as below:
Drive 1
C = 20GB for Windows and Photoshop plus all programs
D = 140GB data storage
Drive 2
E = 20GB Scratch drive for Photoshop and temp files
F = 140GB Back up D in case of drive failure

DVD burner is _only_ for burning DVDs all disk reading is done on the Sony
Combo drive, its how he wanted it done, but with two drives he can do disk
copying 'on the fly'.

So far it is running well with no problems. He is very pleased with the
performance at a cost of under £400 (UK)

Adam S

From what you wrote about your components, I guess I'm on the right
track. Your unit seems to have been pretty inexpensive. But I guess if
I add on having to pay someone and having to pay for an XP OS, the cost
will be similar to that from Dell.

Thanks for your help,

Adam

 

[Al Dykes]

Louise,
I understand you Dell concerns. I got two computers from them about 4-5
years ago. The older one runs fairly silently, but the newer one makes
a racket! Also, I know that their tech support now comes with a
language translator, or at least a dialect filter.

Of course, if I could get someone to build what I need with the
components I want, that would be ideal. But then again, there is the
budget. I just need the tower (no keyboard, mouse, etc), but then to
pay for the XP OS, will add significant $. So, I guess I'm sort of trapped.

XP/home will cost you about $90 when purchased with a system.

 

[Adam]

Adam wrote:



You dont need a big fancy multimedia computer just to view photos. Any
average business computer is good enough for photographic work. A 2.0Gig
P4 is plenty fast enough. An average quality video card is good enough. I
like the ATI 9600 as a video card it is a good video card that can handle
most video games even though it is an averge video card. Well maybe slight
above average at around $100.00 You probably want around a 80-120 Gig Hard
Drive to store the photos on. You do not need 1 gig of ram unless you plan
on using a high end photo software. I play games on 512megs just fine.

You can get one combo CD/CDRW/DVDRW drive and that will be enough. You dont
have to have a DVD writable drive, but more photos will fit on a DVD.

You can get an internal or external Flash card reader. A 7-in-1 flash
reader will probably do great. Mitsumi is making a floppy drive CF flash
card reader combo for $35.00. If you buy a dell you might get a free
Digital camera or scanner or something with it for free. They run specials
from time to time.

Thanks for trying to save me money by pointing out what I really don't
need. I figure that the DVD write will be helpful for big storage and I
do plan to get a card reader. The higher RAM can't hurt as I will (try)
to use PhotShop and Elements 2. As for teh video card, who knows, I may
get into games?

Thanks for your help.

Adam

 

[Adam]

If you are starting out with photography a package like Adobe
Photoshop Elements or Ulead will do everything you need and get you
will into the intermediate level. It will run fine in 512MB but can
benefit from a second hard disk and /or 10krpm disks.

Photography doesn't need a 3D card. a 2D Matrox card is fine. Matrox
cards are highly regarded for color quality.

LCD screens that are good enough for color work are still very
expensive, so don't rush out to replace your CRT.

Picking a good color printer is a whole new topic. I've seen great
results from an Epson R200 printer which costs $99. It uses 6
cartridges, and a replacement set costs almost as much as a new
printer, but they don't all run out at once.

Budget enough money for toner and paper while you are learning.
OTOH, pictures on a good CRT do look spectacular and you might
just work for the CRT and web, instead of printing.

I don't know what DIM is (as in "160GB SATA, 7200 rpm, DIM drive")

I'm only replacing my tower, but will have added XP. You've hit on a
little debate within my mind. That is, although I'm presently opting
for a 160 G hard drive, I'm now beginning to consider two hard drives.
Would two 80's do the trick?

Adam

 

[Al Dykes]

I'm only replacing my tower, but will have added XP. You've hit on a
little debate within my mind. That is, although I'm presently opting
for a 160 G hard drive, I'm now beginning to consider two hard drives.
Would two 80's do the trick?

Stay with the 160GB disk. size never hurts. When you've started
to use your photo software you'll decide if you need more speed,
space, or backup.

You could add a 35GB 10k rpm EIDE disk for about $120. Make it your
system disk. In your Photoshop software make it the workfile disk.
This will be a really big boost in performance. Later you can add a
second 160GB SATA drive for backup of your first big drive
for your catalog of photography. Backup to CDRs is possible
but lots of people just buy a second disk. People should do both.

 

[Scott Kinard]

Not sure if I am in the right place for this post, but I'll give it a
try anyway...you can always redirect me to a more appropriate ng.

Just getting into photography as a hobby and want to get a new comp to
fit my needs (along with net surfing and email). I will not be building
my own comp, but hope that I can get some advise as to components and
where I could go to have a comp built and/or where I can get one that
will fit my bill.

As I have had a couple of Dell Dimensions, I first went to Dell to see
what kind of tower they could offer me (don't need monitor, keyboard,
mouse, speakers). Although I have been a Dell user, that doesn't mean
I have to stay with Dell.

I looked at Dell's 4600 with the following components:

P4, 2.8GHZ, HT, 800MHz FSB
1GB DDR SDRAM at 400HZ
160GB SATA, 7200 rpm, DIM drive
128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
16x dvd-rom, 4600, DIM decoding software, dvd cyberlinx dvd+r/cdwr combo
drive
v.92/56K pci datafax modem
Integrated intel pro 100M PCI
PLUS the regular software installed: Norton AV, Soundblaster 5.1,
Wordperfect prod pask, v12

So, if you think these kinds of components will do the job for me (if
not please suggest changes), can you suggest either where I can go to
get it built or which other manufacturers I could go to? Of course,
what I"m looking for is to either have this set up made or bought for a
lesser price than Dell (around $1000) and to have good reliability.

Thanks,
Adam

Here is what to keep in mind:
Consider this: Rather than spending a whole pile of $$ for WindowsXP, good
image software like Photoshop, and then having to deal with all the
associated headaches and whatnot that come with that route, think about
installing Linux as your OS and using software like The Gimp (as good as or
better than Photoshop). Apps to download images from your camera to the
computer, like digicam, gphoto, etc. are also available --- and it will cost
you $0.

Now you can use the $$ you would have spent on XP and Windows software and
apply it towards better hardware:

(1) Horsepower - by definition manipulating image info requires a lot of
CPU time to accomplish. If you are gonna do video a dual-processor system
would be ideal, otherwise a CPU in the 2Ghz range would be sufficient.
(2) Memory - the more you can get the better off you will be. 512MB at a
minimum, 1GB or more ideal
(3) Speed - the faster your CPU and memory can move image data thru the
system the better... motherboard should be 266Mhz FSB or more and UDMA 100
(4) Storage - you will need lots of it: Consider using two hard drives, one
say 80GB for OS and software, another say 120MB or larger for storing your
images.
You can also then put the system swap file/partition on the 2nd HD and
speed up things a little as well
(5) Video - While you may not need 3D graphics hardware to remove the "red
eye" from a pic, don't use that as an excuse not to have it. Go for broke
and get a nice 256MB 8X AGP card, (nVidia)..... and then get another 64MB or
larger PCI video card as well. Hook them up to two 19" or better monitors
and you can take advantage of the benefits of a dual monitor display

 

[Adam]

Here is what to keep in mind:
Consider this: Rather than spending a whole pile of $$ for WindowsXP, good
image software like Photoshop, and then having to deal with all the
associated headaches and whatnot that come with that route, think about
installing Linux as your OS and using software like The Gimp (as good as or
better than Photoshop). Apps to download images from your camera to the
computer, like digicam, gphoto, etc. are also available --- and it will cost
you $0.

Now you can use the $$ you would have spent on XP and Windows software and
apply it towards better hardware:

(1) Horsepower - by definition manipulating image info requires a lot of
CPU time to accomplish. If you are gonna do video a dual-processor system
would be ideal, otherwise a CPU in the 2Ghz range would be sufficient.
(2) Memory - the more you can get the better off you will be. 512MB at a
minimum, 1GB or more ideal
(3) Speed - the faster your CPU and memory can move image data thru the
system the better... motherboard should be 266Mhz FSB or more and UDMA 100
(4) Storage - you will need lots of it: Consider using two hard drives, one
say 80GB for OS and software, another say 120MB or larger for storing your
images.
You can also then put the system swap file/partition on the 2nd HD and
speed up things a little as well
(5) Video - While you may not need 3D graphics hardware to remove the "red
eye" from a pic, don't use that as an excuse not to have it. Go for broke
and get a nice 256MB 8X AGP card, (nVidia)..... and then get another 64MB or
larger PCI video card as well. Hook them up to two 19" or better monitors
and you can take advantage of the benefits of a dual monitor display

I understand your sound advise. Actually, I think that the system I'm
planning on getting will fulfill most of what you suggest. See my
original post. If i stick with photography as an enthusiasts hobby, I
can always tweak upwards.

 

[gothika]

Not sure if I am in the right place for this post, but I'll give it a
try anyway...you can always redirect me to a more appropriate ng.

Just getting into photography as a hobby and want to get a new comp to
fit my needs (along with net surfing and email). I will not be building
my own comp, but hope that I can get some advise as to components and
where I could go to have a comp built and/or where I can get one that
will fit my bill.

As I have had a couple of Dell Dimensions, I first went to Dell to see
what kind of tower they could offer me (don't need monitor, keyboard,
mouse, speakers). Although I have been a Dell user, that doesn't mean
I have to stay with Dell.

I looked at Dell's 4600 with the following components:

P4, 2.8GHZ, HT, 800MHz FSB
1GB DDR SDRAM at 400HZ
160GB SATA, 7200 rpm, DIM drive
128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
16x dvd-rom, 4600, DIM decoding software, dvd cyberlinx dvd+r/cdwr combo
drive
v.92/56K pci datafax modem
Integrated intel pro 100M PCI
PLUS the regular software installed: Norton AV, Soundblaster 5.1,
Wordperfect prod pask, v12

So, if you think these kinds of components will do the job for me (if
not please suggest changes), can you suggest either where I can go to
get it built or which other manufacturers I could go to? Of course,
what I"m looking for is to either have this set up made or bought for a
lesser price than Dell (around $1000) and to have good reliability.

Thanks,
Adam

You didn't say exactly what type of photography work you'll be doing
on this system.(photo-retouching etc...)
Or what volume of work vs. time requirements.
If you're just going to do straight scanning/image capture and the
basics then just about any system like a PII 550 to a Athalon 1gig
will do the job just fine.(I do much of my photo work on just such
machines and I'm a professional.)
P4's are a bit overkill for still work unless you're on a tight time
table and doing large volumes of work.
As for XP that definetely not the ideal OS.
I use 98se on most of my still photography machines as it'll allow the
most backwards compatibilty with earlier scanning/capture hardware.
(My best scanners are scsi interface drum units that simply won't work
with the latest OS's)
Something 2000/XP don't allow.
I have two basic image editing programs that I use, JASC's PaintShop
Pro and Photoshop as well as 3 other minor little programs that are
task specific.
ScanPrep Pro for most of my scanners.(though most scanners do have
decent programs.)
As for video cards, there you can save as you don't really need high
speed rendering or 3d.
Any good 2d with 64mb will do.
512mb Ram is plenty.
Other than an optical mouse and a decent digital tablet there's not
much else you need in the way of specialized peripherals.
Make sure your monitor will support 32bit color for critical
work.(most do these days.)
If you're going to do video work you'll need a bit more.
High speed 7400 RPM HD's.
Firewire/usb2.0 for dv capture.
At least 1.2gig cpu's(2.4 better and P4 best.)
At least a gig of ram.
128mb video card.

On my video machines I use the Promise 133 ATA cards and dual 80gig
7400 HD's and they work fine for all my video needs.
They have 1gig of ram each as well.
I have one that's a 1.2gig T-bird another thats a 2.4 gig.
While they aren't the fastest for sure they do produce at a profitable
rate.

 

[Adam]

You didn't say exactly what type of photography work you'll be doing
on this system.(photo-retouching etc...)
Or what volume of work vs. time requirements.
If you're just going to do straight scanning/image capture and the
basics then just about any system like a PII 550 to a Athalon 1gig
will do the job just fine.(I do much of my photo work on just such
machines and I'm a professional.)
P4's are a bit overkill for still work unless you're on a tight time
table and doing large volumes of work.
As for XP that definetely not the ideal OS.
I use 98se on most of my still photography machines as it'll allow the
most backwards compatibilty with earlier scanning/capture hardware.
(My best scanners are scsi interface drum units that simply won't work
with the latest OS's)
Something 2000/XP don't allow.
I have two basic image editing programs that I use, JASC's PaintShop
Pro and Photoshop as well as 3 other minor little programs that are
task specific.
ScanPrep Pro for most of my scanners.(though most scanners do have
decent programs.)
As for video cards, there you can save as you don't really need high
speed rendering or 3d.
Any good 2d with 64mb will do.
512mb Ram is plenty.
Other than an optical mouse and a decent digital tablet there's not
much else you need in the way of specialized peripherals.
Make sure your monitor will support 32bit color for critical
work.(most do these days.)
If you're going to do video work you'll need a bit more.
High speed 7400 RPM HD's.
Firewire/usb2.0 for dv capture.
At least 1.2gig cpu's(2.4 better and P4 best.)
At least a gig of ram.
128mb video card.

On my video machines I use the Promise 133 ATA cards and dual 80gig
7400 HD's and they work fine for all my video needs.
They have 1gig of ram each as well.
I have one that's a 1.2gig T-bird another thats a 2.4 gig.
While they aren't the fastest for sure they do produce at a profitable
rate.

Thanks for your input. Right now, I'm just delving (or is it diving)
into photography. Got an A1 and hope to learn how to use its bells and
whistles and how to take decent shots. And, of course, at the same time
I'm learning how to use Elements 2 (also have a copy of PS 5) along with
some peripheral programs in order to become proficient with PP. All
this is a pretty steep learning curve and I hope I can maintain my
enthusiasm so that I can develop some skills in these areas. I figure
if I can stay with it, maybe in a few years I see some enthusiastic
hobbist type results. Being retired and very physically active, I know
that there will come a time when I will have to cut back, and it is my
thought that photography can take up the slack.

My present 4 year old computer (see my original post) is slow and has a
small storage capacity, so I figure that it is time to spend a few bucks
and get a new rig. I know that I may be going for a bit of overkill in
some areas, but I might as well not hold back too much as who knows when
I may be interested in something that will require the extra bits and
pieces (like I may get into gaming, for example). Anyway, for about
$1000 (from Dell), I can have all that I want (and maybe more than I need).

As I've been checking around for estimates of what the unit will cost,
I'm starting to think that I just may be able to build it myself. I'd
probably only save a $200-300, but that's more money in my pocket to get
more toys. But, then again, if a reliable builder came along, I might
go with them.