Upgrading computer

[karenoliver]

I wonder if someone can help. I want to upgrade my computer and buy a new motherboard, cpu and graphics cards. I want a setup that is going to be photography, graphic and video orientated. I am not bothered about gaming on it. I don't want a new computer and will fit these myself.

My current motherboard has faulty ethernet connections - it won't run my router anymore and I think I have had some voltage issues. I usually work with very large raw files and photoshop. I am starting a film course in college September as well so video capability is important.

Thanks!

Karen

[KeithT]

I have just had mine built about 4 months ago. Here is what I had put into it and it works fine for me. I chose to go 32 bit by the way as I am also not into gaming and the extra RAM above max of 4 would not make much difference to my amateur photographic workflow.

If you are getting into video you will certainly need 64 bit and as much RAM as you can afford. But here is my configuration anyway:

PC case: ANTEC Three Hundred midi.
Processor: Intel(R) TM i3 CPU (I don't use the built in graphics as it takes up too much RAM.
Graphics card: Radeon HD5450
Installed RAM: 4 gig (3.50 useable)
H/D WD 500 gig.
DVD RW AD5240S ATA Device
OS: Windows 7 pro

Total cost including pro build was a few quid short of £700

Camera 5dMKII
Photoshop CS4

External hd's are both WD 1 500 gig and the other 325 gig and I will be adding a 1TB external hd very soon to compensate for the higher mp's of my new 5dMKII.

My screen I have had for two years and is an HP w2207 wide screen monitor which is superb for photo editing.

This all works well for my type of photography but would probably be too slow for gaming. Hope it helps.

[amk1977]

Hi Karen,

It might be an idea to post your current specs as some components may be compatible with the new gear. Also, what is your budget for the new computer?

Depending on the age of your old one, you may require a new PSU and RAM compatible with the new motherboard. Also the top end GFX cards over the past couple of years have become massive in comparison, so there is a possibility that you will require a new case too.

[karenoliver]

Here is a screenshot of my specs:

http://www.photoradar.com/photos/116...enoliver/specs

Karen

[karenoliver]

And my problem in case someone knows how to fix it. I stopped being able to access the net with my router. Eventually the router died and I asssumed it was a router fault. Anyway, I borrowed my mum & dads router and my computer could not access the net with it. So, my husband hooked it up to his laptop and at the moment I am connecting to the net wirelessly via him.

This is when it gets confusing: If he plugs the router into downstairs socket I can connect via him. If he plugs into the upstairs socket ( where my router was before) I cannot. Yet, if he connects my mum and dads router to it he can get the net on his laptop. I use the router on same socket nothing.
It cant be the socket because he can connect via it with his laptop? Is it some sort of software conflict or hardware?

Karen

[amk1977]

Hi Karen,

It could be the ethernet driver has been uninstalled/corrupted or disabled in some manner. If you have your motherboard drivers CD, try reinstalling the ethernet driver, as this may fix the problem.

The other thing it could be is a software firewall, which is restricting access to the internet. Equally, if your TCP/IP configuration settings are manually configured, you may have an incorrect IP or DNS address. I'm on Vista not Windows 7, so aren't familiar with it but, if I was a betting man, I'd put my money on one of those being the problem.

[karenoliver]

Thanks, amk for the advice will have a look later on. Keith, hope you like your mk2, how are you getting on with it?

Karen

[amk1977]

Hi Karen,

No problem. I looked at your specs and to be honest, they really aren't that bad. If you didn't want to spend a fortune, you could get a 64bit operating system and add another 4gb of RAM. That is probably the major bottle neck in the system. I noticed a big performance increase after adding another 4gb of RAM. Also, you could over clock your Q6600, if it hasn't already been done. I have an Intel Core 2 Duo E8600, which is 3.3Ghz stock. I've over clocked it to 4.33Ghz, so its a fairly rapid machine, although a couple of years old now. The other thing I would recommend getting is a 10'000 RPM hardrive for the operating system to run on. The increase from 7200 RPM is noticeable in loading times. Your 8800 gtx is still a decent card too.

[karenoliver]

Thanks for that,
I might go for the 64bit OS but won't that mean some of my software will need changing? I do have a faster HD as an external drive so might swap it about.

Thanks again for your help

Karen

[KeithT]

Hi Karen. It may not be necessary to change all your hardware, but yes software might need changing. I'm not sure if you can get software upgrades from the manufacturer reasonably, but it is always worth asking them about this. Most hardware that uses USB connection will work, especially external harddrives, but as I say, it is always best to check with the manufacturer before making your final decision. You will need 64 bit with a minimum of 8 gig of RAM I would say if you intend doing a lot of video editing. You may also benefit from a really fast processor too. I had considered all this when I upgraded and was tempted to go for an Apple iMac, but just couldn't justify the cost at the time. If you are going to change all your software anyway an iMac might be a good move forward for you.