What would you pick?

[Mar-e]

I have been through the pre-built sites and through the part sites and creating a custom pc seems like the better choice... or is it?

Here is what I currently have:

HP Pavilion dv5 Notebook
Intel Core 2 Duo t6400 2.0 ghz
4g ram
285g hard drive

Basic off the shelf "hey I need a laptop" computer.

Here is what I use it for:

Photo editing
Photo storage (I have an external hard drive for space)
Movies
Small amounts of gaming (don't laugh.. like the Sims )


The problem with this laptop is that it locks up constantly while I try to use my photo editing software. It's constantly hot and generally slow.

So if you had to pick parts for my new tower what would they be? I don't need or want to upgrade to something high performance that is super advanced. But I also want to feel like I am getting a faster computer that will last a couple of years and be semi up to date.

Or should I just get an off the shelf pc since I'm not using it for gaming?

 

[Hefemeister]

What is your budget?

Need monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers as well?

 

[Mar-e]

My budget is $1,000 but would love it to be way less. I do have a monitor, speakers, etc but could upgrade if everything is within budget.

Secretly I am in love with the HP TouchSmart All-in-one but they don't seem easily upgradeable..

 

[MindoverMaster]

My i5 system was around $1,000. See my sig.

 

[Mar-e]

It looks good!

I was hoping to double my memory. I just wasn't sure if the quad core and 1g graphics card would be overkill.

 

[Trotter]

Try this on for size. It is tailored toward what you do. A small quad core for multi-tasking and processing, 4GB of RAM, fast 1TB hard drive, decent video card for moderate gaming, compact case, and a really nice monitor for seeing your your photos up close and personal.

1. ASUS M4A78LT-M LE AM3 AMD 780L Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
2. AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX640WFGMBOX
Combo Price: $151.98 w/$10 MIR card

1. Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
2. APEX TX-381-C Black Steel Micro ATX Tower Computer Case
Combo Price: $114.98

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$87.99

Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
$49.99

Newegg.com - XFX HD-567X-ZNF3 Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
$99.99 w/$30 MIR

Newegg.com - Antec Basiq BP430 430W Continuous Power ATX12V Version 2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
$39.95

Newegg.com - ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners
$19.99

Newegg.com - BYTECC 12" SATA II Cable w/Locking Latch Model SATA-112C
$2.39

Newegg.com - ASUS VE276Q Black 27" 1920X1080 2ms Full HD HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor w/Display Port & Speakers 300 cd/m2 100,000 :1 (ASCR)
$299.99 w/$30 promo code EMCZNNT57, ends 1/1

Newegg.com - Nippon Labs 6 ft. High-quality DisplayPort cable for digital monitor Model DP-6-MM
$11.99

Total = $879.24 + $20.62 shipping to ZIP 16801

You can add some speakers and such with the extra.

 

[Mar-e]

wow thanks - I will definitely compare that to an off the shelf model.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Try this on for size. It is tailored toward what you do. A small quad core for multi-tasking and processing, 4GB of RAM, fast 1TB hard drive, decent video card for moderate gaming, compact case, and a really nice monitor for seeing your your photos up close and personal.

1. ASUS M4A78LT-M LE AM3 AMD 780L Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
2. AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX640WFGMBOX
Combo Price: $151.98 w/$10 MIR card

1. Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
2. APEX TX-381-C Black Steel Micro ATX Tower Computer Case
Combo Price: $114.98

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$87.99

Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
$49.99

Newegg.com - XFX HD-567X-ZNF3 Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
$99.99 w/$30 MIR

Newegg.com - Antec Basiq BP430 430W Continuous Power ATX12V Version 2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
$39.95

Newegg.com - ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners
$19.99

Newegg.com - BYTECC 12" SATA II Cable w/Locking Latch Model SATA-112C
$2.39

Newegg.com - ASUS VE276Q Black 27" 1920X1080 2ms Full HD HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor w/Display Port & Speakers 300 cd/m2 100,000 :1 (ASCR)
$299.99 w/$30 promo code EMCZNNT57, ends 1/1

Newegg.com - Nippon Labs 6 ft. High-quality DisplayPort cable for digital monitor Model DP-6-MM
$11.99

Total = $879.24 + $20.62 shipping to ZIP 16801

You can add some speakers and such with the extra.

You could save $18 by going with this hard drive instead.

Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

 

[Mar-e]

Sorry about the double post

 

[Mar-e]

I guess my reply is awaiting moderation.. I think hehe