New PC

chris02

chris02

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Chris
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Hi all,

I am a Capture one and DXO user looking to buy a new PC, as the current one is becoming very slow with each update.

My current one has lasted about 7 years and its time is up. I have around £750 to spend and looking for an ideal spec and reliable suppliers.

Ideas please.
 
About 8 months ago I bought an ASUS laptop which suited my requirements with 16gi Memory. I didn't want Windows 11 but I had no choice. I slummed it and bought it from Curry;s simply because asking for a 16 gig memory from other sellers brought about a lot of teeth sucking and head shaking. It is fine. It does the job and and took the PS programme download quite quickly. I paid a bit more than your budget but in the time since it may have come down in price, but it was the cheapest one that had 16 gig memory to run photoshop. It does load up very quickly after switching on

No issues with it so far
 
CCL, PC Specialist, Novatec are pretty good suppliers. You can customise your build. Or get the parts and build it yourself?
 
Thanks both.

I have built in the past, but not up to it now.

I want to go for PC as opposed to a laptop. Have just had a suggested spec:

CPUAMD Ryzen 5 5600X
GPUNVIDIA GTX 1660 Super
RAM16GB DDR4 200MHz
Storage500GB NVMe SSD
MotherboardB550 chipset (for AMD)
PSU550W 80+ Bronze PSU
CaseMid-tower ATX case

Thoughts on spec, changes, improvements please.
 
Hmm sounds a bit low on power tbh.
I would suggest a minimum 650w gold PSU.

Just as a reference. Mine is:-

Rtx 4060 (MSI)
Ryzen 5700x
32gb Corsair vengeance 3200 MHz
Asus Rog strix B550 gaming WiFi
1tb NVMe (system and launching stuff)
4tb HDD (storage, games and pix etc)
Corsair 650w gold PSU

Runs Photoshop, dxo pure raw 3 (used to use C1) all fine.
Plus point is a nice low tdp :)

Seems a fair amount of software is hitting Ai so GPU hungry.

I'm sure others will come along with more specific answers ;)
Good luck (y)

Oh and don't forget a decent cooler ;)
 
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chris02 said:
Thanks both.

I have built in the past, but not up to it now.

I want to go for PC as opposed to a laptop. Have just had a suggested spec:

CPUAMD Ryzen 5 5600X
GPUNVIDIA GTX 1660 Super
RAM16GB DDR4 200MHz
Storage500GB NVMe SSD
MotherboardB550 chipset (for AMD)
PSU550W 80+ Bronze PSU
CaseMid-tower ATX case

Thoughts on spec, changes, improvements please.
Click to expand...
IMO
GTX though will work is a poor choice for longevity (my new build in 2023 I put an RTX 3060 and suspect that will fall behind within 4 years!)

Re: storage 500GB ok for OS and programs but I suggest at least one more SSD or HDD for data only. Again in my build I have 3 HDDs for data and two NVMe SSDs, a 500GB and 1TB
 
chris02 said:
Thanks both.

I have built in the past, but not up to it now.

I want to go for PC as opposed to a laptop. Have just had a suggested spec:

CPUAMD Ryzen 5 5600X
GPUNVIDIA GTX 1660 Super
RAM16GB DDR4 200MHz
Storage500GB NVMe SSD
MotherboardB550 chipset (for AMD)
PSU550W 80+ Bronze PSU
CaseMid-tower ATX case

Thoughts on spec, changes, improvements please.
Click to expand...

I built something like that about 3.5 years ago but with 32gb ram and a 2tb nvme drive for about your budget It was fine then but it's not as zippy as it was at the time. I'll see what's available.
 
FWIW and further to my post above

The release notes for PL8 v 8.1 say this about the hardware specs

Release Notes Version 8.1 Microsoft® Windows®

Minimum system configuration:
● Intel® Core™ or AMD Ryzen™ with 4 cores
● 8 GB RAM
● 4 GB available disk space
● 1280 x 768 display
● Microsoft® Windows® 10 version 22H2 or 11 version 22H2 (64-bit)
● For DeepPRIME, DeepPRIME XD and DeepPRIME XD2s:
o Nvidia RTX™ with 4GB of VRAM with latest drivers
o Nvidia GTX™ with 8GB of VRAM with latest drivers
o AMD Radeon RX6000 series with 4GB of VRAM with latest drivers
o Intel ARC with 8GB of VRAM with latest drivers

Recommended system configuration:
● Intel® Core™ processor or AMD Ryzen™ with 8 cores
● 16 GB RAM
● 4 GB available disk space
● 1920 x 1080 display
● Microsoft® Windows® 10 version 22H2 or 11 version 22H2 (64-bit)
● For DeepPRIME, DeepPRIME XD and DeepPRIME XD2s:
o NVIDIA RTX™ 2080, AMD Radeon™ RX 6700 with latest drivers with 8GB of VRAM

My i5 has 14 cores
I installed 32GB of DDR4 RAM
the RTX3060 has 12GB VRAM

I found the whole rig a vast improvement over my old i5 1st Gen with 16GB and the GTX 1050Ti GPU
 
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chris02 said:
Thanks both.

I have built in the past, but not up to it now.

I want to go for PC as opposed to a laptop. Have just had a suggested spec:

CPUAMD Ryzen 5 5600X
GPUNVIDIA GTX 1660 Super
RAM16GB DDR4 200MHz
Storage500GB NVMe SSD
MotherboardB550 chipset (for AMD)
PSU550W 80+ Bronze PSU
CaseMid-tower ATX case

Thoughts on spec, changes, improvements please.
Click to expand...
Have you compared that to AM5 pricing? The Ryzen 5000 processors still offer decent performance but they're the last of the line for the Am4 socket so if you wanted to go to something newer, you'd need a new motherboard and ram.

What sort of price are you looking at for the 1660? It's quite an old card now and you can get a modern RTX 4060 for around £250 which is faster and has more feature support.
 
ancient_mariner said:
If I was on a tight budget and needed a low-cost fast computer right now that I wouldn't want to upgrade then I'd probably buy an M4 Mac Mini with 16GB/256GB. Less than £600 in the right places.

Costco - £560 after the £40 off

£750 from Amazon
Click to expand...
Good point but do not relly sure I want to move to a mac. I have always upgraded components in the past to keep my PC going for as lond as possible.
 
chris02 said:
Good point but do not relly sure I want to move to a mac. I have always upgraded components in the past to keep my PC going for as lond as possible.
Click to expand...

Sure, and that's my preferred approach too, but you didn't want to build this time.
 
You're right, but I can replace bits, apologies did not make myself clear.
 
JohnMcL7 said:
Have you compared that to AM5 pricing? The Ryzen 5000 processors still offer decent performance but they're the last of the line for the Am4 socket so if you wanted to go to something newer, you'd need a new motherboard and ram.

What sort of price are you looking at for the 1660? It's quite an old card now and you can get a modern RTX 4060 for around £250 which is faster and has more feature support.
Click to expand...
Will check on prices for a custom build.
 
chris02 said:
Thanks both.

I have built in the past, but not up to it now.

I want to go for PC as opposed to a laptop. Have just had a suggested spec:

CPUAMD Ryzen 5 5600X
GPUNVIDIA GTX 1660 Super
RAM16GB DDR4 200MHz
Storage500GB NVMe SSD
MotherboardB550 chipset (for AMD)
PSU550W 80+ Bronze PSU
CaseMid-tower ATX case

Thoughts on spec, changes, improvements please.
Click to expand...
The Ryzen 5 was good for its day, but slow now.
500GB storage probably won't last long, 1TB should be the absolute minimum now
 
I had not realised you wanted a desktop rather than a laptop, sorry, My desk top was custom made for me by an engineer when I lived in Yorkshire and it is till going strong. (mostly) It was custom made for me to my specifications and originally had Windows 7 so that will tell you how old it is. It has been progressively upgraded so it is now running windows 10, but I fear that it will be coming to the end of its days because of the shenanigans of PS. I will have to have a new more powerful processor and upgraded graphics card and then windows 11. Two of the PS upgrades recently are not compatible with what I have.

I already have Windows 11 in my main laptop and I dislike it with a passion; it is shall we say well in advance of my technological knowledge and some of the terms that they are using could as well be Chinese translated into a Serbo-Croatian using an Arabic alphabet

It is OK if your main job is working with computers but for the home user with no formal training, it is now just being utterly stupid and quite expensive.
 
scan computers are very helpful, We geat all out stuff from them
 
chris02 said:
You're right, but I can replace bits, apologies did not make myself clear.
Click to expand...
Have you thought about a MB, chip and ram kit? Going that route, you may be able to scavenge som parts from what you already have. Such as the case, HDD etc. it all saves a few quid that can go towards something else.
 
chris02 said:
Thanks both.

I have built in the past, but not up to it now.

I want to go for PC as opposed to a laptop. Have just had a suggested spec:

CPUAMD Ryzen 5 5600X
GPUNVIDIA GTX 1660 Super
RAM16GB DDR4 200MHz
Storage500GB NVMe SSD
MotherboardB550 chipset (for AMD)
PSU550W 80+ Bronze PSU
CaseMid-tower ATX case

Thoughts on spec, changes, improvements please.
Click to expand...
in 2020 that would have just got a pass. You are better off with any recent laptop or that m4 mini than this oldie
 
Continuing on from the last post about 4 before this one, I did an update to my PS account today and the result was the update wasn't compatible So I thought then that the update was forcing my hand. The was a link to Adobe, and clicking on this there was an explanation that that was the processor fitted was out of date to work with the up date and gave the technical name for the type of processor that was needed.
I spoke to a friend who does work on computers and was pleased to be told that the processor isn't that expensive (around £90) and will quite happily work with Windows 10 so I may have bought myself some breathing space. We will find out in the morning, (shut on Sunday) when I confirm this with Adobe.
 
Plenty of comments on the web as to how crap Windows 11 is, when I get sorted I may even put Win 10 on it.

Hope you get sorted with Adobe.
 
chris02 said:
Now looking at this from Scan

or maybe the intel version

Thoughts very much appreciated.
Chris
Click to expand...

Not much to choose between them. I'd pick the Intel based on single core performance (which IIRC Lightroom used to use for a lot of things).

As for W11 - performance is very similar to W10, the only negative things being that scroll bars are too narrow, the copy/cut/paste commands are missing from a right click and the windows toolbar can't be made narrow. Apart from that there's nothing to care about either way. I run W10 on this computer (just turned on TPM so it should update to W11 shortly) and W11 on my laptop and work computers.
 
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chris02 said:
Plenty of comments on the web as to how crap Windows 11 is, when I get sorted I may even put Win 10 on it.

Hope you get sorted with Adobe.
Click to expand...
Better buy a Mac. Win 11=win 10 pig with a fresh lipstick
 
chris02 said:
Plenty of comments on the web as to how crap Windows 11 is, when I get sorted I may even put Win 10 on it.

Hope you get sorted with Adobe.
Click to expand...
Adobe is not the problem ultimately. The problem is the processor which was replaced about 3 years ago after the old one failed, As the basics of the computer are the original from eons ago, it is still working even without the later processor I just cannot do the update. There is no panic it is just I cant' update so this will have to be attended to before that stops working entirely.

The version of Windows 10 is the freebie put out about a couple of years after it went live, and I am used to it now although I only use a fraction of the capabilities it is still easier to navigate than Windows 11. Also I do not trust Cloud storage, nor do I like the AI capabilities of the system. Actually if I can live a simple life the happier I am. Windows 11 takes me past that point.
 
chris02 said:
Plenty of comments on the web as to how crap Windows 11 is, when I get sorted I may even put Win 10 on it.

Hope you get sorted with Adobe.
Click to expand...
Everyone has their own perspective but I personally think Windows 11 is a really very good operating system and the best Windows have released IMO. Other than configuring where the taskbar is, and configuring the start menu, I have used most of the defaults and found it really good. I wouldn't personally install W10 as it will go out out of support this October (see: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/end-of-support) and then you are more vulnerable to issues

I am used to switching between operating systems as I also have Linux Mint on another laptop and I update that every 18 months-ish to the latest version so I guess I am quite comfortable with things looking a bit different and adapting. But I suspect that if you install Windows 11 then after a while it will all become second nature.

I totally appreciate some others may have had bad experiences etc. But just talking from my own, I think it's a really good O/S
 
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inquisitive_chap said:
Everyone has their own perspective but I personally think Windows 11 is a really very good operating system and the best Windows have released IMO. Other than configuring where the taskbar is, and configuring the start menu, I have used most of the defaults and found it really good. I wouldn't personally install W10 as it will go out out of support this October (see: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/end-of-support) and then you are more vulnerable to issues

I am used to switching between operating systems as I also have Linux Mint on another laptop and I update that every 18 months-ish to the latest version so I guess I am quite comfortable with things looking a bit different and adapting. But I suspect that if you install Windows 11 then after a while it will all become second nature.

I totally appreciate some others may have had bad experiences etc. But just talking from my own, I think it's a really good O/S
Click to expand...
The problem with W11 is it very complicated (to me) and there are no easily understood instructions where I would be able to understand. Firstly they use a language which is totally alien to UK English, and what I understand in words to me in English, with computer speak it can be something else. I am not computer or electronics savvy. But I can dismantle a internal combustion engine and re assemble it correctly so long as I have the correct torque settings which are readily available. Those who understand computers may not be able to check the engine oil, never mind do what I have described. (I am not a trained mechanic either) So why can those who make computers get together to make things easier for the like of us.

I would think with a Windows system I do not use 90% of what it is capable of. I use mine for Photoshop, E Mails, Searching for a particular supplier. Looking at maps and booking hotels. I do not use it for anything financial, (banking) or gaming, (Likewise with my phone) so there you are W11 is wasted on me, I have had to endure W11 with my laptop replacement for around 8 months now, and it is totally wasted on me and furthermore I don't need cloud storage. What is to stop Microsoft accessing it? They will have a hard task accessing my external HD where I store all my documents! Nor do I need/like the drift towards that abomination - AI.

So what if they are stopping support or updates on W10. I survived a good few years before I was forced to upgrade from W7 after it caught fire. The latest upgrade required me to accept the latest Adobe update was been identified (by them) and I know the specification and the price. Once it is fitted I can ignore it. Most of my work is done off-line anyway.
 
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Hi Rodinal

I am embarassed to say I can't even change a tyre on a car, never mind the oil. If you ever have any questions about Windows 11 that I could help with (I am not an expert but I do use computers a fair bit) then do ask and if I cna help I will

The issue about being out of support is more that i) your computer could become more vulnerable to latest security threats; ii) at some stage some producers of other software (e.g. Adobe) could stop supporting windows 10 and so their products will not work with it (although I suspect that point may be some way off)

It may be that people are perfectly happy to accept these issues to stay with an operating system they prefer of course
 
ancient_mariner said:
Not much to choose between them. I'd pick the Intel based on single core performance (which IIRC Lightroom used to use for a lot of things).

As for W11 - performance is very similar to W10, the only negative things being that scroll bars are too narrow, the copy/cut/paste commands are missing from a right click and the windows toolbar can't be made narrow. Apart from that there's nothing to care about either way. I run W10 on this computer (just turned on TPM so it should update to W11 shortly) and W11 on my laptop and work computers.
Click to expand...
Cut/Copy/Paste (plus Rename and Share) are present on the right click menu on all Win 11 machines I've used - they've simply now provided as a row of icons at the bottom, rather than in the descending list - to a day or 2 to get used the the change, now I find it easier than earlier versions.

Some 3rd party apps which added entries to the right click menu found themselves relegates to the 'Show more options' second menu, but after an update (to the relevant app) were back on the main section.
 
inquisitive_chap said:
Hi Rodinal

I am embarassed to say I can't even change a tyre on a car, never mind the oil. If you ever have any questions about Windows 11 that I could help with (I am not an expert but I do use computers a fair bit) then do ask and if I cna help I will

The issue about being out of support is more that i) your computer could become more vulnerable to latest security threats; ii) at some stage some producers of other software (e.g. Adobe) could stop supporting windows 10 and so their products will not work with it (although I suspect that point may be some way off)

It may be that people are perfectly happy to accept these issues to stay with an operating system they prefer of course
Click to expand...
Windows XP was my very 1st operating system not long after the millennium and it is still being used by some professional bodies, so W10 if it follows the same route it will probably see me out.
I need an up to date system for PS so I can work with PS with their never ending updates plus also my E Mail. I can happily carry on with my tower unit which was custom made for me in or around 2004 and progressively updated/upgraded until now we are where we are. However I have found out that even with the modem disconnected from the computer I can still use PS. PS has come on leaps and bounds since PS6 which was on a disc and what is offered now exceeds what I will use so upgrades are a long down the list

Importantly, I do NOT do any banking transactions via the internet so my finances unlikely to be affected. You may think I am an accident waiting to happen with the internet but I am naturally very very cautious and never share anything sensitive.
 
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Yes. Your only issue would be if Photoshop 'auto-updated' when connected to the net and was then not able to work on W10 and you couldn't roll back. I think the chances of this happening very suddenly are very low. There would likely be emails and advance warnings etc for 6 months to 12 months plus and you would have time to consider what you would like to do I suspect,
 
Rodinal said:
Windows XP was my very 1st operating system not long after the millennium and it is still being used by some professional bodies, so W10 if it follows the same route it will probably see me out.
....
Click to expand...
The only reason XP is still in use by some companies is they have old software they rely on which is not compatible with newer OS - and they don't have anyone (IE are not prepared to pay the diminishing number of people who have the relevant skills) with the software knowledge and experience to either update their propriety software, or migrate to a more modern equivalent.
 
There's nothing wrong with running an unsupported os on an isolated machine, but otherwise you are giving every hacker and criminal an open invitation to make use of your computer. I still have a Windows XP box here, but would never connect it to the internet.

As LLP said, 11 is the same pig with different makeup as 10, at the moment, but that's going to change eventually.
 
Faldrax said:
The only reason XP is still in use by some companies is they have old software they rely on which is not compatible with newer OS - and they don't have anyone (IE are not prepared to pay the diminishing number of people who have the relevant skills) with the software knowledge and experience to either update their propriety software, or migrate to a more modern equivalent.
Click to expand...
Exactly and beyond security issues there's practical problems with software companies who will start dropping support for older operating systems. It won't happen the moment the operating system reaches end of life but it does happen gradually and increasingly becomes an annoyance.
 
Faldrax said:
The only reason XP is still in use by some companies is they have old software they rely on which is not compatible with newer OS - and they don't have anyone (IE are not prepared to pay the diminishing number of people who have the relevant skills) with the software knowledge and experience to either update their propriety software, or migrate to a more modern equivalent.
Click to expand...
I still use a laptop which has XP2 installed and is not linked in to the internet. It is permanently hooked up to my Nikon Scanner and the scans are transferred to a USB stick to be worked on with PS. It is slow so it could probably do with another stick of RAM, but I doubt if it that type are available any more. It isn't used a great deal but just keeps soldiering on. As I said reliable - very.
 
Rodinal said:
I still use a laptop which has XP2 installed and is not linked in to the internet. It is permanently hooked up to my Nikon Scanner and the scans are transferred to a USB stick to be worked on with PS. It is slow so it could probably do with another stick of RAM, but I doubt if it that type are available any more. It isn't used a great deal but just keeps soldiering on. As I said reliable - very.
Click to expand...
May be worth checking ebay for ram.
 
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