New computer for processing big files

[mark_poseley]

<p>David, if no one mentioned this, the Microsoft Win 7 upgrade advisor will do a credible job of seeing what hardware / software you installed have that may not work under a Win 7 system.</p>

<p><a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/upgradeadvisor">http://windows.microsoft.com/upgradeadvisor</a></p>

<p>Here is a link to a list of updated 64 bit drivers:</p>

<p><a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/64-bit-support">http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/64-bit-support</a></p>

<p>I use Win 7 64 bit w/ 8 GB of RAM. It is a severe improvement over XP and Vista imho...</p>

[wmervine]

<p>Building your own pc can be a rewarding experience, but can be frustrating at the same time. Before I got into photography last year my hobby was building custom computers.<br>

A few points to consider:<br>

Don't skimp on parts. If things go wrong it pays to use well known brand name components. For motherboards this could be Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte, MSI, Intel, Etc.<br>

Get a good quality power supply. This is what drives the whole pc. Rather buy a good model that is rated for more than you need. Corsair is often the most recommended, but other good brands like Seasonic, Antec, Thermaltake, etc will work fine. Remember, if this fails, it has the potential to damage the rest of the components.<br>

Take your time building it. Rush jobs can lead to mistakes.<br>

A good case will be a real Godsend. Not only will it help with the cooling, which is vital to the health of your pc, but assembling a pc in a badly designed case is painful most often.<br>

Use matched sets of Ram. Mixing and matching is asking for trouble, and at best will compromise the performance of the pc. Also check on the warranty on the ram. Some manufacturers offer longer warrantees which is always a good thing.<br>

Keep your cabling neat. For your pc to remain healthy for a long period of time, you need to make sure there is good airflow through the case to keep temperatures reasonable. Neat cabling will help. A few cables ties or those plastic coated wire ties that come wrapped around cables can do wonders.<br>

Also, dust is one of the main long term killers of pcs. Cleaning out your pc once or twice a year is a really good idea. A vacuum cleaner can damage fans by spinning them up too fast, so a can of compressed air and a clean paint brush work well.<br>

Use a screwdriver with a magnetic tip, or put some blutack on the tip to hold the screw. Most times you cannot get your fingers into the spaces to hold the screws.<br>

This guide to building a pc might be of help. It is a bit old but the principles are pretty mucht he same.<br>

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/other/144<br>

And enjoy. It can be really rewarding to see something you put together work.</p>

[robert_wong]

<p>With regards to Nikon Coolscan 9000, there is a workaround for Win 7 64 bit.<br>

I believe it was Windowsevenforums.com. Google it.<br>

It does work on my Win 7 professional 64 bit PC<br>

I also second building your own PC. It is not hard and very rewarding (when you get it running). The main consideration is taking your time and viewing You Tube tutorials.<br>

Email me if you want any recommendations.<br>

Bob</p>

[david_simonds]

<p>Gentlemen, I am grateful for your kind advise. Like most of the uninitiated who have always bought built boxes, it never even occurred to me to build my own. Rather like that famous line, "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." But after pricing out a Dell box with components that can be bought at Newegg for hundreds less, it is pretty obvious how they make their money.<br>

I am going to work on a component inventory over the next few days. I have solicited the help of my 20 year old son who is a game artist, but has never built a box. What a nice, 21st century father-son experience. A digital Norman Rockwell moment.<br>

Given the size of the files I generally work with (500mg+) I like the idea of having an SSD for the OS and Photoshop scratch, with a large internal just for storage. I assume that I can configure Windows 7 to this drive and then identify the SSD as the scratch file in Photoshop?<br>

Wayne, thanks for the step by step link, and Bob, I will check out you Tube tutorials and appreciate the invite.<br>

David</p>

[robert lee]

<blockquote>

<p>Like most of the uninitiated who have always bought built boxes, it never even occurred to me to build my own.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>If you're simply looking to having a good Photoshop box don't DIY. It's not worth the time and frustration. </p>

<p>If shaving some dollars is important:</p>

<ol>

<li>Wait for the "right" refurb to come up on the Dell site.</li>

<li>Ordering new means being mindful of what you're bundling in. Don't go above the bare minimum on their disk and RAM; these are the components you buy aftermarket from Amazon. Stuff like this is where Dell/HP/Lenovo makes their margin.</li>

</ol>

<p>And yes, I've built plenty of systems from deeply embedded industrial x86 boxes to assembling the computer I'm typing this on. This route makes sense only if you're after something specialized. Trust me: you can't out do a Dell appliance PC just like us mortals can't out Honda on a Civic.</p>

[danielleetaylor]

<p>Vertex 2 SSDs go for about $200 for 120 GB, and $400 for 240 GB. If you can afford it by all means get a SSD for your OS, apps, and scratch disk. Heck, I would even keep work images on the SSD then copy them to a HD when finished, just to save time on the saves. The performance impact is huge.</p>

<p>Having moved to a SSD I get annoyed when I have to work on a computer with a HD. It's night and day.</p>

[gooseberry]

<p>...or you could build yourself a <a href="http://lifehacker.com/#!5351485/how-to-build-a-hackintosh-with-snow-leopard-start-to-finish">Hackintosh</a> / <a href="http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page">OSx86</a><br>

Haven't taken the plunge myself yet, so no first-hand experience, but do a google search and you'll find heaps of advice, e.g., this <a href="http://myhackpro.blogspot.com/">blog</a>.</p>

[gooseberry]

<p>...and as for a vendor, apart from already-mentioned <em>newegg</em>, as per the <a href="http://macperformanceguide.com/RecommendedVendor.html">diglloyd</a>'s recommendation, <a href="http://otherworldcomputing.com/"><em>Other World Computing</em></a><em></em> or <a href="http://eshop.macsales.com/"><strong>OWC</strong></a> seems like a trustworthy choice.</p>

[Mifar]

<p>As a computer building novice myself, i found the folks <a href="http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f255/">here</a> a valuable resource. You can tell them what you want, how much you want to spend, where you want to shop; and they will give you a list of compatible and high quality parts. Also help with actual building, if you run into any snags.</p>

[pierre_desjardins2]

<p>I've been using PC's since 1989 and in the end I was using a Dell workstation but have the same problem you have. So a friend suggested I get a MacPro 8core. I could still run my PC apps in VMWare Fusion but, with 10Go RAM and five four hard drives, this machine has changed my life. It took a year to get used to it but now, I'm happy as a clam.<br>

Hope this helps.</p>

[steve_johnston4]

<p>Very interesting thanks.</p>