New Computer.....self built? Mac? Dell?

Raymond Lin

Raymond Lin

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First of all, I haven't bought a new PC in about 8 years and not upgraded the CPU for 4/5 years. Well apart from getting a new GFX (ATI X800 XTPE 4 years ago) and upgraded to a Widescreen TFT around the same time, with a new PSU and more ram. It is still the same as P4 3.2Ghz, 2G DDR RAM (not even DDR2) as before.

It is time to get a new rig now, I am open to anything.

Options:-

1 - Get a iMac 20" or 24". Reason being that these days i don't use CAD (i did when i had the last machine), and these days its all Web, Photoshop and Lightroom. So I thought i would give Mac a chance.

2 - Get something like Dell, just base unit as i already have 2 monitors i can use it with...which also means they are a waste if i get an imac and i think a mac mini is not enough.

3 - Self Built PC....could do but i have no idea how to install the mobo and vaguely knows how to install the CPU and heat sink.

Obviously the imac is the most expensive but i think the price can be justified. A Dell unit often can be a bargain as it comes with an OS pre-installed and legit with warranty on the entire unit. Self built is cheapest and i can use windows 7 for the next 7 months at least.

I want something with at least 4G of ram, Quad Core if possible, low spec GFX would be fine, just enough to run HD res. HD wise, i am just going to get external from now on i think, with 1TB drives like £60, its easy just to fill up, and then back up and put it in the cupboard or something.

I guess the question is, i don't know what spec is good, what can one get for £600 PC wise? I know why imacs are as they spec are fixed on the apple site. But with PC i am very lost, which DDR are good?

Can someone spec me something for say £500 to £600? including case, and PSU.

P.S. I wanna go Intel, not AMD.....bad experience....
 
I went the Dell route last November. Q6600 Core 2 Quad, 4G RAM for under £600. I'd have struggled to build it for much less and it worked out of the box. Glad I did it that way.

Paul
 
If you're not confident about building a PC... probably best to leave that option out. For that budget I'd go for a Dell, they're Studio range would fit the bill nicely. Or pay the premium for the iMac but I think they're due for an update (at least, according to MacRumors). As always with Macs, if you need it urgently then buy it now, otherwise it's probably best to wait until the product line is updated and then grab one.
 
With an iMac you can hook up one of your existing monitors.
 
I was in the same position as you just before Xmas, and ended up buying a Dell Studio Quad, 4Gb Ram, 2x 640Gb HDs NVidia 9800GT 512Mb Graphics with 3 year on site warranty for £750 all in. I thought about a Mac, but they are so expensive in comparison. I wanted 2 HDs for Photoshop and video editing as I now have an AVCHD camcorder which is very processor intensive. So far, I have been very happy with it.
If I came up on the pools (which would be a miracle as I don't do them! :lol:) I would probably invest in a Mac, until then, I'll stick with my Dell.
 
If I was building my own desktop machine I'd build one that could run MAC OSX. All (well, most of) the benefits of OSX without the cost.
 
bradleysmith said:
If I was building my own desktop machine I'd build one that could run MAC OSX. All (well, most of) the benefits of OSX without the cost.
Click to expand...

Its a shame it is illegal to install OSX on a non Apple machine :nono:
 
Raymond Lin said:
3 - Self Built PC....could do but i have no idea how to install the mobo and vaguely knows how to install the CPU and heat sink.
Click to expand...
Definitely this option.

Q6600 CPU
Noctua NH-U12P CPU cooler
4GB + PC6400 DDR2 RAM
Asus P5Q motherboard (Pro/Deluxe/etc)
Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB hard-drive(s)
Optiarc DVD drive(s)
Antec NeoHE PSU

Then all you need is a half-decent case like the Antec P180 or P150 and a cheap graphics card to complete the system. Easily achievable for your suggested budget and relatively future-proofed, especially for your needs.
 
Why is everyone (or most) choosing dell? I use dell computers at work and we have had to replace them every 14-18 months or so for the past 6 years due to malfunctions. perhaps we just purchase the low-spec/cheap models if so I'll keep quiet but from my experience I'd stay well away from them.
 
Craikeybaby said:
Its a shame it is illegal to install OSX on a non Apple machine :nono:
Click to expand...

Indeed that is a shame. However, I base my life on what is morally right or wrong. I do not limit my options based on mere legalities :p
 
If you are happy, self-built is the way to go, as you get exactly what you want. If not, look for the Dell of your choice. With Dell, it's cheaper to do any memory upgrades and extra HDDs yourself though;)

Buying a Mac means you'll also need to buy a beard and one of those corduroy jackets with patches on the elbows...:bonk:
 
Raymond, if memory serves, you're not far from me....I may have that completely wrong.

However, if you're close, I'd be happy to build it for you if you weren't confident - no charge (doesn't take me long).

Cheers,
James
 
Moos3h said:
Raymond, if memory serves, you're not far from me....I may have that completely wrong.

However, if you're close, I'd be happy to build it for you if you weren't confident - no charge (doesn't take me long).

Cheers,
James
Click to expand...

I live in Hereford, work in Worcester.

Where are you based? :)
 
Hi,

I bought an iMac as it was an obvious choice for me(intergration of components and superior operating system) swung it for me, I've had no troubles in using PS3 or lightroom or any other image editing programs on my Mac at all, in fact they seem to run quicker that what the same programs do on my similier speced friends PC machine does even though his has more ram and a faster processor!!!

I'd always stick with using a Mac for my type of work, sure they are dearer(not by a huge amount though) but worth it in the long run..besides you'll always get a decent amount of money back when the time comes to sell your Mac to upgrade to another one unlike the boring beige/black PC boxes which are worth b****r all after a few months usage as they have saturated the market and everyone has one.

Michael.
 
I used a company, PC Specialist, where you can spec what you want, they build and ship to you. The following cost me about £700 last summer, no monitor.

Dual Core E8400 3 Ghz processor
8gb Ram
Vista 64
512 graphics card
Uprated power supply
Uprated chip cooling
160, 400 and 640 GB hard drives
Lightscribe DVD rewrite drive

Had 2 problems but sorted out no problems, contact them by email and they get back to you in a day, I had the heatsink come adrift (fixed myself) and the DVD die, new one nextday shipped to me as I was quite happy to install myself.

I've just gone though the spec and with a 500gb HD instead of 400 it currently is £750 or £850 with a 3 Ghz quad core

Neil
 
I would suggest to go for a self built. I’ve done it myself two times now. It can be quite scary though. It happened to me the first time, when my mobo was faulty and I did not know that it was. So had to take it to local pc shop.

Plus of self built is that you can put whatever you want in it.
Minus – if there is a problem you have to fix it yourself, but could be good for the future though when you want to upgrade something and you won’t have to use anyone to do it.
 
dmitri said:
I would suggest to go for a self built. I’ve done it myself two times now. It can be quite scary though. It happened to me the first time, when my mobo was faulty and I did not know that it was.
Click to expand...

I was the same when I built my first PC, Overclockers had sent me a faulty mobo and the thing wouldn't even POST. I was bricking myself because I thought I'd done something wrong!

I could probably build another in next to no time now :)
 
Prometheus said:
Why is everyone (or most) choosing dell? I use dell computers at work and we have had to replace them every 14-18 months or so for the past 6 years due to malfunctions. perhaps we just purchase the low-spec/cheap models if so I'll keep quiet but from my experience I'd stay well away from them.
Click to expand...

That's strange. I've had completely the opposite experience with their machines both at work and home.
 
KayJay said:
That's strange. I've had completely the opposite experience with their machines both at work and home.
Click to expand...

Yeah me too - I think that a lot of people forget the "numbers" thing, so out of 200 laptops one might have an issue and you'll hear about it, but the other 199 which last for 5 years are fine.... In my book thats pretty good going.

The other thing that can affect it is having an IT dept (at work obviously) who do not really know what they are doing... (no offence anyone:D)
 
I'd also chose a self built system.

Couple of years ago I bought

Q6600 with Arctic Freezer 7 Pro
Asus Maximus Formula Motherboard
2GB PC6400 ULL
750GB Samsung Spinpoint
500GB Seagate Barracuda
8800GTS 320MB
Antec Ninehundred Gamers Case
22" Samsung 226BW

This system willl still last a few more years, it's great. With Windows based systems it does 'slow down' after a while, but as long as you give it some maintenance and care it'll be back to top performance (not that it runs poor afterwards). With the addition of a 22" monitor, it makes working so much easier... I'm considering getting a second so make my graphic design and photography easier..

You need to be careful when you buy pre-built systems because you can often be let down by the motherboard... it'll be an 'alright' one, but really you need a GOOD motherboard...
 
I built one once and NEVER EVER AGAIN!!!! It took me and a Microsoft qualified engineer mate 2 days to get the thing up and running, What a nightmare it was, The motherboard was a non intelligent Asus piece of tat and everything we did took forever. My mate builds loads of PC's and he had enough after a day and couldn't believe how difficult this one was!

Anyhoo from then on i bought from Dell as they work out the box which does wonders for my blood pressure!!:D My current PC was built by Millennium Music for me using a quiet case and super quiet CPU cooling plus quiet graphics card. I hate noisy PC's so this was worth doing.

My Next pooter will hopefully be an iMac as i have never seen such a quality screen plus almost everyone who has tried one has bought one and says that they have made the right choice. OK they are more expensive and you can build a cheap PC but you will be using Cheap components.

I think a MAC would still be more expensive but if you build a quality PC then the difference will be minimal.
 
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