Photo Build

Gilbretto · 28 Aug 2009 at 15:41

Hello,

My dad is currently using a socket A! pc, he's been complaining its been slow so i've finally convinced him its time for a long overdue upgrade.

So, his uses are heavy Photoshop use, publisher, general office tasks and internet.

Same old story, i've been out of the loop in terms of components for a few years so i'm not quite sure whats what, and what he'd need.

He already has a graphics tablet, monitor and printer. Everything else needs replacing.

Budget is as low as possible but not compromising on quality.

I hope you can help with some suggestions.

Thanks,

Gil.

SfnX · 28 Aug 2009 at 16:07

budget?

Gilbretto · 28 Aug 2009 at 16:11

SfnX said:
budget?

Gilbretto said:
Budget is as low as possible but not compromising on quality.

I don't know what components are needed any more, therefore i have no idea about price. Nothing above £500, but literally as low as possible to fit the needs outlined above.

Gilbretto · 28 Aug 2009 at 19:03

I just put this together, i think it looks ok? Is there anything that you would change?

Thanks,

Gil.

Kennysevenfold · 28 Aug 2009 at 19:09

Faster CPU, Larger HDD, more "future proof" with DDR3 and AM3 for another tenner mate

Product Name Qty Price Line Total

Asus M4A785TD-M Evo AMD 785G (Socket AM3) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard £67.99
(£59.12) £67.99
(£59.12)

OCZ Gold 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel (OCZ3G16004GK) £61.99
(£53.90) £61.99
(£53.90)

Samsung SpinPoint F1 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD103UJ) £60.98
(£53.03) £60.98
(£53.03)

AMD Athlon II X2 Dual Core 240 2.8GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £45.99
(£39.99) £45.99
(£39.99)

OCZ StealthXStream 400w Silent Power Supply £30.99
(£26.95) £30.99
(£26.95)

Coolermaster Elite 335 Case - Black (No PSU) £28.99
(£25.21) £28.99
(£25.21)

Scythe Card Reader & Floppy Drive - Black (YD-8V08) £26.44
(£22.99) £26.44
(£22.99)

Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 4.0A - OEM (N48-00022) £18.99
(£16.51) £18.99
(£16.51)

Samsung SH-S223B/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
(£14.77) £16.99
(£14.77)

Logitech Ultra-Flat Keyboard (967653-0120) £13.98
(£12.16) £13.98
(£12.16) Sub Total : £324.63 Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : FREE VAT is being charged at 15% VAT : £50.46 Total : £375.84

Gilbretto · 28 Aug 2009 at 19:43

Thanks! See, this is why i needed your help. I'm out of touch these days

Namak · 28 Aug 2009 at 20:35

If you want to go Intel then your spec isn't bad....

For HDD if you want to go Caviar Black then suggest 640GB or 1TB as those will be 320GB platters. 500Gb and 750Gb will be 250GB platters and a little bit slower.

Also if you can go for a p43 motherboard over a G31. Maybe save some money on the case. Will your dad appreciate a case? The coolermaster elite is also pretty solid.

You can also save £5 or so on the memory if you go for the cheapest corsair 4GB pack. If you are not overclocking you probably won't notice the difference.

AMD will probably be better value at that range but I don;t have the knowledge to recommend.

Gilbretto · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:30

Well if the AMD is using DDR3, faster CPU and cheaper then i guess i'll go down that route.

And thanks for the info about 250/320 platters, i never knew that.

No overclocking will be done.

Thanks again.

mtb_kng · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:36

well i got the stuff in my sig for £190

Namak · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:42

Difference in platters will be fairly minimal but there will be a difference. As a general rule the denser the platter the faster the drive although other things come into play as well. Companies don't tend to advertise the platter density and so it can be a bit hard to work it out what the platter size is but it makes a difference. The denser the platter then the more bytes pass over the head per revolution of the platter so the "faster" it is.

500Gb platters are now available but only in 5400rpm drives in the case of the WD Green and Samsung F1 and the 7200rpm Seagate which has mixed reviews.

BIGBC · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:42

Namak said:
For HDD if you want to go Caviar Black then suggest 640GB or 1TB as those will be 320GB platters. 500Gb and 750Gb will be 250GB platters and a little bit slower.

Do you mind explaining that for me ?
EDIT: nvm, covered it just before i posted.

mtb_kng · 28 Aug 2009 at 22:46

Go with what kennysevenfold said, DDR3 is the way to go.

Moeks · 29 Aug 2009 at 11:22

I concur, the AMD setup using DDR3 is a better choice now, the Intel setup is by no means bad, actually it's quite good, but the AM3 setup is better and has future upgrade potential as-well.

Banano · 29 Aug 2009 at 11:46

I think a video card might be a useful addition

Moeks · 29 Aug 2009 at 12:22

The Asus 785G mATX board listed has onboard video, quite good as far as onboard goes too, it'll be more than good enough for the purpose described.

Kennysevenfold · 29 Aug 2009 at 13:23

Banano said:
I think a video card might be a useful addition

For what he will use the system for the On board ATI Radeon HD 4200 will be more than enough

paininlife · 29 Aug 2009 at 14:59

i wud say spend 27 quid more on CPU and a better cpu lyk this

Gilbretto · 29 Aug 2009 at 20:25

Banano said:
I think a video card might be a useful addition

Thanks, but dont think he'll need one.

paininlife said:
i wud say spend 27 quid more on CPU and a better cpu lyk this

I don't really think he'll need that extra power. It could always be upgraded in the future.

Remember, he's upgrading from a socket A system. A hamster powered computer would seem faster

Moeks · 30 Aug 2009 at 10:55

paininlife said:
i wud say spend 27 quid more on CPU and a better cpu lyk this

If he was more of an enthusiast and perhaps looking to overclock and/or play intense games or use any particulary cache dependant programs, I would be inclined to agree with you. But from what the op said, that is not the case at all, thus it would just be spending money that does not need to be spent.

Those Athlon II's are fast chips, they are only noticeably slower than the Phenom II when in situations where cache is of great benefit, since they lack the level 3 cache of the PII, however, they do have extra level II cache, which in certain situations actually sees them benefit slightly.

It's not as good value as the Phenom II Black Edition if you plan to overclock or you intend too try and unlock the other 2 cores on the PII, thus giving you a quad core for the price of a duel, but if you do not plan to do any of that, then the Athlon II is an excellent choice.