How much memory for new base unit?

[beanzontoast]

I'm going for a custom built base unit (probably an i5 processor) to replace my existing one and in an effort to future-proof it a bit, I'm wondering what the likely trend in the amount of memory regarded as basic / desirable will be over, say, the next 3 years.

At present, most 'off-the-shelf' units I've looked at seem to have about 2gb in, which is 1gb less than my present setup. I'm not a game player but I do a fair bit of video rendering and graphics work and will be running both Win 7 and linux on it. Is 4gb enough memory to go for in the new base unit or is it worthwhile going for 8gb from the outset? Is it worth paying extra for 1666Mhz memory over 1333Mhz?

Any thoughts / opinions welcome.

 

[Carwash]

Is it worth paying extra for 1666Mhz memory over 1333Mhz?

Ideally you'd be aiming for 1337Mhz.

 

[beanzontoast]

Ideally you'd be aiming for 1337Mhz.

Me puzzled... how do you mean? (Too early in the morning for me if I'm missing something obvious!)...

 

[Shaun]

Windows 32bit can't address more than 4GB so if you want more go for the 64bit version of the OS but make sure your existing software will work in 64bit W7 and 64bit drivers are available for your components and peripherals.

Same precaution with 64bit *nix too.

Are you going for HDMI on your video card?

Maybe a dual-screen setup too - would help no end with your video editing.

Cheers,
Shaun

 

[beanzontoast]

Shaun - going to 64bit is in the spec I have in mind - I'm intending to require them to let me have all the Win/linux system drivers for the assembled components on disc for future reinstalls if needed. Software-wise, I've started checking what will work. I have a Canon printer and a Canon scanner - both relatively new - which I haven't looked for 64bit drivers for as yet (they may even be on the install discs) but I can always keep them running with the existing 32bit base if needed, same with my camera.

I'm going to discuss the video card with them to make it as future-proof as possible too. Had thought about HDMI - funnily enough, the 2-screen option isn't that critical as the non-linear video editors I use are all-in-one jobbies where it's practical and useful to see the project on one screen and only one prog needs to be running - but a bigger monitor would be useful. The dead pixel issue always worries me though. I got bitten by one I bought from Ebuyer a few years back. Only one stuck pixel, not enough to reject it, but so annoying!

 

[Carwash]

Me puzzled... how do you mean? (Too early in the morning for me if I'm missing something obvious!)...

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/leet#Etymology_4

 

[ian turner]

2GB as a minimum these days.
4GB as a minimum if you're speccing it yourself with 64 bit necessary. If your software doesn't like 64 bit then junk it as 64 bit should now be the de facto standard. Folks who whine that their 10 year old software doesn't like 64bit OS and since it does what they need shouldn't need to be replaced should be shot as they are holding back the species from evolving
Forget future proofing.Best form of future proofing is £10 a month into a savings account as an estimate of devaluation of your system so you can a new one. This is a market where the aim is to make your kit obsolete as soon as possible. Graphics cards can be replaced though it's probably a good idea to get a good quality PSU with a reasonable amount of oomph, high amp outputs on the 12v rails and decent safety factors so you don't have to replace it at the same time as the PSU.
The best and most overlooked form of future proofing is an external backup system. That proofs you against a future where your disk drive dies or your PSU does and takes the drive with it.
Hmm you may think your canon printer may be fairly recent but Canon may think otherwise as printer manufacturers have a bad habit of not supplying drivers for printers more than a year old when a new OS comes out.

 

[beanzontoast]

http://en.wiktionary...eet#Etymology_4

 

[beanzontoast]

The best and most overlooked form of future proofing is an external backup system. That proofs you against a future where your disk drive dies or your PSU does and takes the drive with it.
Hmm you may think your canon printer may be fairly recent but Canon may think otherwise as printer manufacturers have a bad habit of not supplying drivers for printers more than a year old when a new OS comes out.

Got the backup sorted via a 1tb external drive. It's been used 'in anger' a couple of times and I'd never be without it now. There's a 64bit version of the software (Macrium Reflect) available, so that's positive.

+1 on the difficulty finding drivers sometimes.The current scanner I have replaced one that died - that one was itself running on a third-party driver that took me ages to find.

 

[twowheelsgood]

It's most effective for any PC "not" to spend the money until you actually need something rather than attempting to "future proof" anything. Because when you come to buy what you need in the future everything *will* be cheaper and *will" be better.

For the price differential of a basic machine vs. what is deemed to be "future proof", it's often cheaper to throw the machine in the bin in 2-3 years and start again (which of course you won't). The problem also for most consumers is that if you don't play games and don't do much video encoding then you don't really even need a new PC these days.

I'd grab whatever promotional offer Dell/HP are doing currently and add in any "upgrades" you think necessary. Make sure the mainboard can handle a 16x PCIe graphics card and has a spare pair of memory slots. You should find a core i-something pretty cheap now. Memory per GB is usually actually cheaper in smaller capacity modules anyway (with the caveat that they take up another slot).

I used to build and upgrade PCs every few months back in the days when an extra 50Mz meant somehting. My current machine is a core duo which is basically the same as I built it 3+ years ago. The reason being it does more than I actually need anyway. The only thing the taxes it is if I encode video, but then overnight is fine anyway. My next upgrade will be when the replacement to core i3/5/7 comes out which is said to be up to 40% more efficient clock-for-clock. It's also have native USB3. I reckon around this time next year. So getting on for 5 years from a PC without it feeling slow or obselete, which is very impressive!

I do fine with 2GB and Win 7 also manages memory pretty well. I've had no driver issues with 64bit WIn 7, except a really old wireless adapter which was replaced for a tenner. On my second HTPC it didn't have any drivers for the wireless card either. I plugged in the ethnet cable and Windows found and installed them without any effort on my behalf.
As for back-up storage, one tip. Use the 2.5" portable drives and not the larger, cheaper 3.5" drives. The reason: 2.5" are designed for notebooks and are usually more robust, this is an issue of course with portable external drives. They also work from the USB power too.

 

[beanzontoast]

My next upgrade will be when the replacement to core i3/5/7 comes out which is said to be up to 40% more efficient clock-for-clock. It's also have native USB3. I reckon around this time next year. So getting on for 5 years from a PC without it feeling slow or obselete, which is very impressive!

Any good sources of info on this? If there's a processor coming within a year that will really make a difference I wouldn't rule out putting the new base off for a while.