# My new PC



## Norfolk Lad (Feb 18, 2012)

After a lot of research, I have eventually decided on the spec for my new PC and have ordered it from PC Specialist.  The spec is below.  I thought hard about downgrading the CPU so as to be able to afford a SSD but I am not convinced that a relatively small SSD drive for OS and all programmes is the best way to go.  My local computer shop advised against.  So I've a 500 Gb drive for OS and programmes and another that will hold LR backups and be a scratch disc or for caches.  Then a 2 Tb drive for storage.  I already have a couple of external hard drives for backing up and an Eizo CE24W monitor and an elderly but excellent Canon iP8500 eight ink printer.   JW

*Case
*COOLERMASTER SILEO 500 QUIET MID TOWER CASE
*Processor (CPU)*
Intel® Core™i7-2600 Quad Core (3.40GHz, 8MB Cache) + HD Graphics
*Motherboard*
ASUS® P8Z68-V/GEN3: PCI-E 3.0 READY, SLI, CROSSFIREX***SPECIAL***
*Memory (RAM)*
16GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (4 X 4GB)
*Graphics Card*
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 550 Ti - DVI,HDMI,VGA - 3D Vision Ready
*Memory - 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk*
500GB SEAGATE Barracuda SATA-III 6Gb/s HDD, 32MB Cache (7200rpm)
*2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Hard Disk*
500GB SEAGATE Barracuda SATA-III 6Gb/s HDD, 32MB Cache (7200rpm)
*3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Hard Disk*
2TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD2002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
*1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive*
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
*Memory Card Reader*
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
*Power Supply*
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX650 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE (£69)
*Processor Cooling*
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE INTEL CPU COOLER (£19)
*Sound Card*
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
*Network Facilities*
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
*USB Options*
4 PORT USB 2.0 INTERNAL PCI CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
*Operating System*


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## Kiwigeoff (Feb 19, 2012)

Why waste a fast system with an internal USB2 card reader and USB2 ports???
I'm sure USB2 will be redundant before too long.

Other than that I'd say a speedy system you will enjoy.


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## clee01l (Feb 19, 2012)

Kiwigeoff said:


> Why waste a fast system with an internal USB2 card reader and USB2 ports???
> I'm sure USB2 will be redundant before too long...


I agree.  The *Memory Card Reader (INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT) *is probably all you need to manage any USB legacy devices. Add a USB hub if you have more USB2 devices than ports. I would not waste a PCI slot on USB2.  Also I think DVD/Bluray are also redundant, Most new laptops come without DVD/BluRay capability.  You could probably spend the DVD money you save on something useful.


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## Happy Haggis (Feb 19, 2012)

Looks like a pretty fast system and I'm sure you'll enjoy using it. I had the same dilemma re the SSD, but went the other way.  I opted for an 80Gb SSD for OS and programs and I now have everything on it that I need and there's still around 30Gb space. Apps load so much more quickly. I only use it for photo and video editing so keep it quite lean. Saying that, it's running Photoshop CS5 Extended, Lightroom and Vegas Studio.
Have fun!


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## Norfolk Lad (Feb 19, 2012)

Interesting point Cletus, that demonstrate that I am so out of touch with progress.  I have numerous USB devices attached that I assumed needed USB 2 ports but I see that USB 3 is backward compatible.  I can change that spec.   But what do you use instead to connect - keyboard and mouse, printer,  calibrater,  I even use it for my external HDs because my current PC does not have other options.  

I am also so out of date that I actually play CDs while I work and I copy things onto DVDs for family members, one of whom has a very old PC with not enough disc space to put all the info onto so she uses the DVDs as storage (no external drive).


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## Jim Wilde (Feb 19, 2012)

Geoff, Cletus....going to disagree slightly with you here. Yep, USB2 will eventually be redundant, but not for a while. There are simply too many USB2 devices out there that'll mean that technology will persist for quite a while. On my own PC I may, at any point in time, have 8 or more USB2 devices connected (although 6 is the more normal 'max'), and despite the advent of USB3 and Thunderbolt it'll be a long time (if ever) before I swap out all my existing devices. You've got to ask yourself why top mobo manufacturers like ASUS are still providing far more USB2 ports than USB3 (typically 12 x USB2 and 2 x USB3).

Having said that, I personally would have thought about replacing the additional USB2 PCI card with the optional USB3 card, for a few extra £££, just to give myself more flexibility as and when I do start buying USB3 devices (though with Thunderbolt on the PC horizon it may be that USB3 becomes redundant more quickly than USB2).

The internal card reader costs £3, so why not? Yes it would be better if it was USB3 but that comes back to the fact that ASUS (who seem to be PC Specialist's preferred mobo supplier) are still only putting USB2 ports mid-board.

And CD/DVD also redundant? Not for me, and I suspect not for most people. I have two in my system, one permanently set to Region1 so I can watch all those US-bought DVDs which we've accumulated over the years. At the give-away pricing from the PC sellers (about £10 for a 24x Dual Layer DVD writer) again why not? I still have hundreds of music CDs that I haven't yet ripped, never mind all the DVDs.....

I don't know what the marketplace is like in the States, Cletus, but you'd be hard pressed to find an off-the-shelf notebook in the UK that *doesn't* have a DVD drive, even at the bottom end of the market. Netbooks, sure....but not notebooks.


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## Norfolk Lad (Feb 19, 2012)

Haggis,
Looking at my present C drive which only holds OS and programmes, it has just over 80 Gb used already.  I am thinking that this purchase may have to last many years and I'd want at least 120 Gb to give a reasonable margin for expansion.  Can't afford the extra cost.


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## Jim Wilde (Feb 19, 2012)

Norfolk Lad said:


> Interesting point Cletus, that demonstrate that I am so out of touch with progress.  I have numerous USB devices attached that I assumed needed USB 2 ports but I see that USB 3 is backward compatible.  I can change that spec.   But what do you use instead to connect - keyboard and mouse, printer,  calibrater,  I even use it for my external HDs because my current PC does not have other options.



As I mentioned in my other post, personally I wouldn't have bothered with the 4 Port USB2 Internal PCI Card, instead I would have gone for the 2 Port USB3 Internal PCI Card. On the motherboard back panel you're getting 2 x USB3 ports and 4 x USB2 ports, you're also getting 3 x USB2 ports front-mounted on the case (including the one as part of the internal card reader). Assuming 7 x external USB2 ports is enough, I'd look to get a couple more USB3 ports just in case....but even then that might be more than you'll need for a while, and who knows what impact Thunderbolt is going to have.


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## Norfolk Lad (Feb 19, 2012)

Jim,  my thinking exactly.  I have deleted the USB2 card but will wait and see.  It is pretty easy to buy and fit a USB3 card if I need extra USBs.  
I've never heard of Thunderbolt.
JW


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## Jim Wilde (Feb 19, 2012)

If you're interested, have a read of this article which explains Thunderbolt. It's already available in Apple-land, and is iminent in the PC-world, so the next 12 months or so should prove interesting for technology watchers....

The slowest part of my current import workflow is the "Make Second Copy" feature which I use, but the destination is a USB2 connected external hard drive. If time was of the essence I'd certainly be looking to change this, either by using an eSata drive (though they're fast disappearing) or a USB3 drive (but would need that USB3 PCI Card to do that). But I can afford to wait and see what develops Thunderbolt-wise....


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## Norfolk Lad (Feb 19, 2012)

I can wait too...


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## clee01l (Feb 19, 2012)

Norfolk Lad said:


> ...  But what do you use instead to connect - keyboard and mouse, printer,  calibrater,  I even use it for my external HDs because my current PC does not have other options.
> 
> I am also so out of date that I actually play CDs while I work and I copy things onto DVDs for family members, one of whom has a very old PC with not enough disc space to put all the info onto so she uses the DVDs as storage (no external drive).


On my Win7 PC I have one USB port connected to a 10 port USB hub (which IIRC was less than $20USD). Over the years I have salvaged a variety of old PATA & SATA HDDs out of obsolete equipment.  Those that don't fit inside or in a NAS, I connect vis USB2. Because the HDs are old, I don't assigne critical data to them unless that is also a redundant backup  I have three NAS file servers, one of which is DLNA compatible.  My music is stored on the DLNA NAS and can be accessed by my GoogleTV or any other network connected device.  I use iTunes to distribute the Music and video to iOS devices and my AppleTV.  All of the communal data storage is on one of te NAS devices available to everyone on my home network. So, in place of CDs, I use a NAS, also DropBox and iCloud for sharing.  I still have a portable (USB connected ) CD/DVD device that I use  if I need to transfer music or data to a permanent location. (One of the uses are Audiobooks that I check out from the Library and transfer to iTunes so that I can listen to the book on my iPhone). 

Jim(TNG), Here is a link to HP's current lineup. Out of the 5 categories, only the "High Performance" laptop has a built in CD/DVD R/W device
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/store_access.do?template_type=landing&landing=notebooks

Over on the OSX side of the fence, the MBA though small but hardly in the Netbook category has never had a DVD slot.  When  OSX Lion was released, Upgrades were available via online or USB stick. Future  OS releases from Apple will only be available online.   With the advent of App Stores, the need for CD/DVD delivery is superseded. Even Microsoft Windows8 will have an App Store.


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## Jim Wilde (Feb 19, 2012)

clee01l said:


> Jim(TNG), Here is a link to HP's current lineup. Out of the 5 categories, only the "High Performance" laptop has a built in CD/DVD R/W device
> http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/store_access.do?template_type=landing&landing=notebooks
> 
> Over on the OSX side of the fence, the MBA though small but hardly in the Netbook category has never had a DVD slot.  When  OSX Lion was released, Upgrades were available via online or USB stick. Future  OS releases from Apple will only be available online.   With the advent of App Stores, the need for CD/DVD delivery is superseded. Even Microsoft Windows8 will have an App Store.



Cletus, I don't disagree that more and more software will not be delivered via CD/DVD, but I really don't think that's the point. Disregarding netbooks (a dying technology, being killed by the tablet?) and ultrabooks (the MBA was the start of the latter category) most notebooks that are available for sale in this country (and if I follow your link, most of the HP line in the Everyday, High Performance, and Envy ranges in the States) include a DVD drive of some form. One of my big gripes about current laptop design is the tendency towards the 'glossy' screen, which is done AFAIK to enhance the user experience when watching movies (yes even 3D), primarily from the inbuilt DVD drive (streaming/downloads still has progress to make). So at the moment we're going to have to agree to disagree about "DVD/Bluray being redundant".


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## clee01l (Feb 19, 2012)

TNG said:


> ... So at the moment we're going to have to agree to disagree about "DVD/Bluray being redundant".


So in reality, my comment about the demise of the built in DVD/Bluray is either premature or prescient. I'll accept that statement.  Also something can be said with some merit that desktops are also obsolete. And companies like Netflix are struggling to survive in the current streaming environment.


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## Jim Wilde (Feb 19, 2012)

I don't know about the desktop being obsolete, though it's certainly on the 'endangered species' list!


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## Happy Haggis (Feb 20, 2012)

Norfolk Lad said:


> Haggis,
> Looking at my present C drive which only holds OS and programmes, it has just over 80 Gb used already.  I am thinking that this purchase may have to last many years and I'd want at least 120 Gb to give a reasonable margin for expansion.  Can't afford the extra cost.


I'm lucky that I still have an older machine that I can use for non photo/video work. In your case, I'd have done the same. It's not as if you will be short of storage space, is it? 
BTW Thanks for the comment in my guestbook. Much appreciate you taking the time.


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## Norfolk Lad (Feb 20, 2012)

I did not realise I would open such a wide ranging discussion with the spec for a PC.  I don't have any idea how long PCs will be with us, with or without DVD players.  I have to confirm to Cletus what Jim says.  Nearly all PCs and laptops sold in the UK incorporate a DVD writer/player.  

I bought my first laptop 6 months or so ago to take on a trip and use to back up photos because my old Epson  P2000 (I think that's what it was called - the original model) would not display RAWs  from the Canon 7D (indeed it would only show thumbnails for the 40D I had before) and there was no available software update.  And it was cheaper and more versatile to get a laptop than buying the latest Epson device.  It can also run LR and Photoshop.  But it has a glossy screen and it is difficult to view pictures accurately because it is very sensitive to angle of view.  Tablets do not appeal to me.  They are not powerful enough and don't have enough storage unless you want to have to carry around an external HD with them.  Plus I have to take quite enough tablets these days to keep me alive!

I don't know enough about cloud computing and I discovered DropBox only yesterday in connection with trying to pass some pictures to a friend.  But you will still need some form of computer to connect.


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## clee01l (Feb 20, 2012)

Norfolk Lad said:


> I...I don't know enough about cloud computing and I discovered DropBox only yesterday in connection with trying to pass some pictures to a friend.  But you will still need some form of computer to connect.


My iPhone & iPad fill that role nicely. :razz:  (Neither of which have a DVD player).


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