Contemplating a new desktop PC

[coffeejo]

Calling the computer geeks / nerds (aka lovely people). I need some advice re: a new PC. My laptop is getting on a bit in technological terms and is struggling to cope with the sheer volume of photo editing that I throw at it these days. It certainly can't run the full blown version of photoshop that I downloaded a while back as a trial.

I'm looking at a desktop tower rather than a laptop - thanks to a lifetime of slouching, I can't use a laptop on my lap but instead have to sit at a desk if I want to be able to move without any pain. I'd also like a bigger, better monitor than the standard laptop screen!

I know I could go to the likes of PC World but I prefer the idea of a self-build, though perhaps not with me doing the building...! I would be happy to invest in something that can be easily upgraded over time (you know, like the broom that's lasted 25 years and has only needed two new handles and three heads).

So where's a good place to go to get one built for me, according to my own specs? And what should those specs be? And as it's been at least fifteen years since I last bought a desktop, who makes good monitors these days?

Several friends have suggested a Mac, but I'm not at all familiar with them (other than the price tag) and have concerns about software compatibility.

A friend has recommended PC Specialist - she says they use them at work (she's a coder or something similar that involves lots of swearing on FB).

(Yes, I know I can hook the laptop up to a monitor but that still leaves me with a laptop that isn't easy to upgrade or repair and - correct me if I'm wrong - is less efficient to run than a tower.)

TIA

 

[Vapin' Joe]

I bought a Dell fourteen months ago. Their website allows you a fair bit of customising from the basic spec and the machine seems well built and reliable (Touch wood). I'd get another one.

 

[Hill Wimp]

@phil_hg_uk should be able to offer some advice, he's the man that knows.

Mind you he's gone sugar free so don't bribe him with cake.

 

[captain nemo1701]

For photo editing, go for something with as much RAM memory on the graphics card as you can afford, also the motherboard internal memory but you can also add RAM yourself later on - it just slots into the motherboard. No special PC knowledge required, it clips in fine. The system will then recognise it. Make sure the PC can be expanded, which is typically the case. It's RAM that does all the work, so the more the merrier.

For a monitor, get a widescreen about 24". I use one at work and they are great, much more natural as we all see in widescreen!.

Try the Mesh PC website as you can customise your order. As with the above post, Dell also worth a look.

Apple Mac ?. Hmm, some swear by them, I did my Photoshop BTEC on one and to be honest, at the risk of incurring the wrath of Mac fans here, I didn't find them any better than a PC. Go for a PC with the most powerful processor in your budget and as much RAM as you can afford.

 

[MrPie]

Serious photo, video & music creation = mac every time as hardware & software performance and stability is outstandingly good.
Run-of-the-mill hum drum web, documents, spreadsheets, etc type work = windows machine.

I run an 8 year old MacbookPro mainly for music creation / home recording studio, but also a wee bit of video editing (home / holiday vids) and it hardly skips a beat if you pardon the pun. Wifie and kids run newer iMacs, which are also great.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I still use a tower computer, one that was configured for gaming, as that also gives a lot of capability used in photography, lots of RAM , but I back up to other media as well, as soon as possible. You don't want to lose your work because your hard drive goes bad. You may wish to invest in a supplementary, external hard drive, which will give you even more RAM as well as the security of having another copy of your work. I also save to DVD. Photography is one of those areas where accessories are almost as important as the computer itself.

 

[mybike]

There's a discussion on here, or text here, of the building of a long term upgradeable PC. It may help. Incidentally you might find using Linux and Gimp for photo editing suits your needs.

 

[accountantpete]

My pc is a self-build which is great for browsing and photo processing - although no good for games and a bit limited for streaming video.

Asus AM1I-A mini ITX mobo and Athlon quad core 2 Ghz 5350 cpu (about £30 each I think) to which I added 4Gb memory and a SSD (essential once you have experienced booting up in 10 seconds). I chucked the mobo in a CoolerMaster case with lots of holes in it so I just have the CPU fan running and with the case about a yard from me I have to strain to hear if it is running.

If you want top picture quality on screen then I'd go for something approaching basic gaming level and install an Nvidia GT640 graphics card which will render great colours on photo's and video.

 

[midlife]

I see Chillblast do towers for Photo-editing as well as games...............we were impressed by their gaming rigs for off the shelf and bought one a few years ago. Scan is a place my lad buys from.

Shaun

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

I'm a Dell fan too, buying them for our offices.
If you have expansion in mind make sure it's available - Dell can reduce RAM slots on smaller cases in the same model range.

 

[Wafer]

Run-of-the-mill hum drum web, documents, spreadsheets, etc type work = windows machine.

Oh the poor underpowered PCs

What sort of budget are you looking at coffeejo?
I'd think anything with a half decent CPU, a decent amount of RAM, enough storage for your needs (which is pretty easy to expand in a tower PC anyway) and an average gfx card would be fine for what your're describing. Both my monitors are getting old now, and can't help much there, but I would think the tower itself shouldn't be particularly expensive. By which I mean the components for a full case should be less than £500, depending on quite what you go for and how long you want it too last.
Upgrading can be tricky, when it comes to it, adding ram is usually easy enough, adding storage is easy, but if the CPU becomes the bottleneck that can often mean need a new motherboard too and then you're talking about rebuilding the system (though ram and stuff can quite often go back in).

 

[MontyVeda]

I've done self builds in the past but my most recent desktop came from CCL (they have an Ebay shop) where you can customise the product to your needs (I saved a few quid buying my OS separately and using the graphics card from my old desktop). I'd recommend getting a Solid State Drive (SSD) to put your operating system and software on... it'll speed up the machine (and photoshop) massively.... think i spent £205 in total (just for the box, no monitor, no keyboard/mouse).

 

[swee'pea99]

As resident ebay bore, dare I suggest a search of 'within 5 miles' of your home postcode, followed by a bit of googling of what comes up. I recently got this

Dell T3500 PC Workstation Xeon E5630 2.53GHz quad core, 12 GB DDR3, 2x250GB Raid 0 HDDs, Windows 7/10

• Intel Xeon E5630 Socket 1366 LGA
• 12 GB of DDR ECC RAM
• Radeon ATI FirePro 2260 Graphics
• 500GB (2 x 250GB) hard disks in Raid 0
• PCI RAID storage controller - up to 8 additional drives

Valid Windows 7 licence but loaded with Windows 10.

...for £99.

Good desktops by the likes of Dell very rarely go wrong - all the technology is so tried & tested - so you really can get a lot for very little, with peace of mind, with not a great deal of effort.

 

[Tigerbiten]

I like Scan -> https://www.scan.co.uk/

Either build your own or buy pre-built.
How much do you want to spend ?? £500 -> +£2000.
Are you going to overclock it ??

 

[drummerbod]

Need to know what you plan to do with it application wise. The only reason for building a PC is if you plan to do something out of the ordinary ie play the latest games at high resolutions, HD video editing etc.

If all you do is use MS Office and browse the internet then a £400 of the shelf box will do and work out cheaper.

I've always built my own PCs but then I do HD video editing and online gaming.