Computers & Electronics

Looking for a new computer

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  • Jun 2nd, 2011 10:56 pm
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Newbie
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Jun 20, 2007
43 posts

Looking for a new computer

I am in the market for a new computer, whats my best route to go build one or buy a package deal.
i going to maily use it for raw photo editing, i also want to beable to stream mkv files to my new lg blue ray player, so i want a good video card, do not play any games so thats not a concern.

i would also like 6 or 8 gb ram with options to up grade when needed. can onyone suggest a good set up im looking to spend between 600 and 800.
thanks for the help.
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Deal Guru
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Mar 13, 2004
13840 posts
5545 upvotes
Ontario
Either you build it or get it custom built with the parts you want. Since you don't play games you can get a cheap fan less video card which will save money & not make any noise. For $800 you can get a good quality system.

something quick so u can get an idea...

CPU:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=57964 ... ture=Intel

MB
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=59321 ... cture=ASUS

Ram:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=58954 ... re=Corsair

HDD:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=50895 ... gital%20WD

Video:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=53615 ... cture=ASUS

PSU:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=60330 ... re=Corsair

CD-rom:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=49597 ... omoid=1343

Case:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=29812 ... omoid=1343

Front Case Fan:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=38379 ... ure=Noctua

$725 before Tax/Shipping.

Also you can price match those parts at ncix and get it for under $700.
Banned
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Feb 15, 2008
26318 posts
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Calgary
If you have to buy all your stuff brand-new, it is almost always cheaper to buy a pre-build like a Dell. A big part of the 'problem' is that Dell can buy MS-Windows for $20 a copy, while Win7 Pro will cost you $120-$130 at NCIX for an OEM copy.

If you're just upgrading an existing system, however, you can usually do fairly well just slapping in a new mobo/CPU/RAM.

For instance, you could get an i5-2500, a motherboard, and 8gb RAM for around $350 these days including onboard video (ie: a H67 chipset) . Another $120 gets you a 128gb SSD (Corsair F120 refurb from NCIX). Throw in a few other miscellaneous components, and a case, and $650-$700 gets you a pretty decent machine, or $800 once you add Windows.
i also want to beable to stream mkv files to my new lg blue ray player
What exactly does this mean? If you want to play mkv files back, you would use a player on the PC, hooked up to your TV or whatever through HDMI. I don't see what your LG blu-ray player has to do with it.
TodayHello wrote: ...The Banks are smarter than you - they have floors full of people whose job it is to read Mark77 posts...
Deal Guru
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Mar 13, 2004
13840 posts
5545 upvotes
Ontario
Yes you could buy it from dell for a bit cheaper however it wont be as good quality as if you build it with good parts. Also the warranty will be longer if you build it. From dell or futureshop etc its 1yr warranty 9unless u pay more which is then out of budget) however if you custom build it with the parts i picked for example a lot of those parts have 3yr,5yr,lifetime warranties.

in the end even if it costs you an extra $100 you will usually get a better quality computer and longer warranty but building it you're self.
Newbie
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Jun 20, 2007
43 posts
the lg blue ray player is network ready you can access files on your computer with it.
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Feb 15, 2008
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natedfree wrote: the lg blue ray player is network ready you can access files on your computer with it.

Oh... Well, practically anything, even a 15-year-old Pentium, can act as fast enough of a 'server' to feed raw .mkv to such a player. Assuming it just pulls files through Windows Networking/CIFS/Samba/etc. Really wouldn't have anything to do with your video card.
TodayHello wrote: ...The Banks are smarter than you - they have floors full of people whose job it is to read Mark77 posts...
Newbie
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Jun 20, 2007
43 posts
now im using a old emachines t5026 its has intel pentium 4 processer 519 512mb ram 500 gb hard drive has on board sound and video,
Member
Apr 16, 2011
379 posts
15 upvotes
Toronto
Do not listen to sickcards post... he doesn't know what he is talking about. The motherboard is not needed for a i5 2400 that is not intended for OC. A H67 Asrock motherboard would be a better choice for the usb3 and upgradable ram. The i5 2400 is a good choice as i7 small increase in performance is not worth the $$ and if you don't intend to overclock. If so, the i5 2500k is your choice with that motherboard sickcar suggested.

The ram, 6gb corsair for $90 is a no. Performance is on par with g.skill and you are paying extra for the brand name. The 8gb g.skill on ncix should be $80.

The power supply is overkill are you kidding me. 600w for a video card that won't use much and a it 2400. a 450W power supply is more than enough. Even with a strong video card, as long as you don't sli/cf 450w will be enough with oc. Go with Antec for the brand, very reliable.

A fanless cheap video card he says? I don't know what he is talking about... you need for streaming and photo editing. the i5 quad core is good for streaming. The video card you should get depends on your left over budget. The 5850 if you can find for under $150 is good, or the gtx 460, or the 5770 should be able to handle it all. For a little bit more powerful, the gtx 560 Ti should be good.

Case is your preference, Cooler master has decent air flow, about $30-40.

Buy from Ncix, custom built is always cheaper than pre-built. Check ncix for their weekly deals.
Newbie
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Jun 20, 2007
43 posts
thanks for the help, ill check out the daily deals at ncix
Banned
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Feb 15, 2008
26318 posts
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terren99, you just recommended a H67 board (I personally prefer Asus, and have a P8H67-m-Evo that works great w/i7-2600!) -- but then recommended a seperate video card. Just make sure you get a H67 board that has the outputs you're looking for. The P8H67-Evo, for instance, has VGA, DisplayPort, HDMI, and DVI. Some only come with VGA + HDMI or VGA + DVI to cut down costs.

I don't see why the original poster couldn't use the embedded video on an H67 just fine, forgoing the expense of a seperate video card altogether. Of course, a video card can always be added in at a later date -- but quite frankly, the Intel embedded is pretty darn good and, for non-gamers, probably is all a person needs. Not to mention its darn energy efficient; a complete i5-2500 system on a H67 board can idle at as little as 29W. Which is really good if you intend to leave the system running for torrents or other stuff.

edit: as for RAM, the $60-$65 Mushkin 2x4gb (8gb) kits are perfectly fine. And SSDs are really, really awesome..
TodayHello wrote: ...The Banks are smarter than you - they have floors full of people whose job it is to read Mark77 posts...
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