[Fl_Gulfer]

I have to disagree with you on the HD speed issue,(please don't take offence) I own a 5400 HD in my Laptop and it takes forever moving files from one drive to another, I move 20gig files between my raptors very fast and have never had a heat problem, but I do have a well ventilated case and a water cooled CPU and Vid Card.
Nowdays you can get external cases for HD's cooled with fans. I'm sure they use more power but it's worth the speed.

But lets just forget about that and concentrate on what exactly he is going to be doing on the PC he wants. If he is doing nothing but photos (storing and Processing) he shouldn't need a killer PC.
If he has a case he can use he can build a pretty good system for about 500 dollars,,,,,, if he is gaming too than thats a different story.

[Michaelina2]

If he has a case he can use he can build a pretty good system for about 500 dollars...

Care to spec it out?

[Fl_Gulfer]

750 watt Power Supply http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CMPSU-750TX-750-Watt-Certified-compatible/dp/B.../ref=pd_cp_e_1 $119.99

CPU Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops $56.99
Mptherboard = Newegg.com - MSI 760GM-E51 AM3 AMD 760G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards $69.99
4gig Ram Newegg.com - Patriot Gamer Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PGS34G1600ELKC - Desktop Memory $114.99

WD Caviar Blue 500 GB Internal hard drive - 300 MBps - 7200 rpm Amazon.com: Western Digital WD5000KSRTL/WD5000AAKS Caviar 500 GB SATA Hard Drive: Electronics $54.00

[Michaelina2]

750 watt Power Supply...

---Snip---

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Anyone else care to chime in??

Cheers...

[rparmar]

750W is likely double what you need, especially for a small system you are not going to expand. I got a 650 W supply, but that is only because I want to always run it under 50% capacity to keep the fan silent. That's not such a concern for most.

When I was pricing, 1TB drives werre much the same price as 500 GB, and 1.5TB were only a little more.

Add in a DVD drive for about $20 and a memory card reader for $5 or $6.

[Fl_Gulfer]

I've seen more PC's die from poor Power Supplys so I added a very good one, and it's better to have more than you need than not enough.
Also it's better to have a few of reliable smaller HD's than one big one. The WD HD I added is very reliable. I don't trust the large drives,,and you'll add to more stuff and can loose it all.

[jeffkrol]

My guess is your hard drive is failing. Just replace that.

Sounds more like motherboard or power supply capacitor rot which seems to still be common.
Most of my HD failures are usually preceeded by "clicking" or other "scarey" noises...
Motherboards, on the other hand, just get "weird".......
Out of all the failed parts I've replaced on dozens of computers most were MB, follwed closely by power supplies. A few HD's also.
Rarely RAM or any other cause.
I think I replaced at least 3 boards on my own box to date.
Capacitor plague - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
As for building your own, currently I recommend "off lease" boxes... just because they are really cheap.........
http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Dell-GX620-Pentium-D-3.4GHz-2G-400GB-De...tml?rcmndsrc=2
New one's aren't that expensive either.
http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Veriton-M421G-EQ630C-Desktop/4369672/product.html
JUST random selections BTW.......

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Last edited by jeffkrol; 02-12-2010 at 04:06 PM.

[Charles Hueter]

750 watt Power Supply Amazon.com: Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750-Watt TX Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply compatible with Intel Core i7 and Core i5: Electronics $119.99

CPU Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops $56.99
Mptherboard = Newegg.com - MSI 760GM-E51 AM3 AMD 760G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards $69.99
4gig Ram Newegg.com - Patriot Gamer Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PGS34G1600ELKC - Desktop Memory $114.99

WD Caviar Blue 500 GB Internal hard drive - 300 MBps - 7200 rpm Amazon.com: Western Digital WD5000KSRTL/WD5000AAKS Caviar 500 GB SATA Hard Drive: Electronics $54.00

Man, the last time I shopped for system components was in 2006. That is the core of nice system at a great price.

I'll make a recommendation to browse the Dell Outlet. They have refurbished systems, systems returned simply because they aren't cosmetically perfect, etc. Decent systems start at $550 though if you look hard enough you can find some good deals. Over the years I purchased a desktop and three laptops from the Outlet and never had a problem.

[reeftool]

I've seen more PC's die from poor Power Supplys so I added a very good one, and it's better to have more than you need than not enough.
Also it's better to have a few of reliable smaller HD's than one big one. The WD HD I added is very reliable. I don't trust the large drives,,and you'll add to more stuff and can loose it all.

Absolutely true about the power supplies. A poor power supply can cause all kinds of strange glitches. However a high wattage supply doesn't mean that it is a "good" supply. I have a desktop running 2 HD's, 2 optical drives, along with the usual USB and Firewire devices with no issues on a 350 watt power supply. It replaced a 400 watt that crapped out in 6 months. There are several hardware sites that test and review power supplys and other hardware and it is well worthwhile to read through them.

It isn't difficult to build a desktop computer. It's mostly a matter of assembling a bunch of parts together and getting them plugged in. The difficult part is choosing the right components. That takes a good bit of research. Some brands of memory just won't work with some motherboards. Many motherboard manufacturers list compatible memory on their websites. I kind of enjoy doing it and I have far less issues getting the hardware to work than figuring out how to use some software programs. I was tinkering with old TV sets and radios when I was a kid. For most people though, buying a computer is the best route. There are some very tempting bargains out there right now for very good prices.

[rparmar]

However a high wattage supply doesn't mean that it is a "good" supply. I have a desktop running 2 HD's, 2 optical drives, along with the usual USB and Firewire devices with no issues on a 350 watt power supply.

This is exactly what I was going to say. The excellent makes of PSUs have models covering a pretty wide range of power output.

On the HD question I see no evidence that larger drives are inherently less reliable. It is certainly true that if one fails you lose more data, but if you have that much data you have that problem no matter what! Having three smaller drives just increases the chance of getting a dud.

Back up. Back up. Back up. Preferably that many times, with at least one set off-site.

[RioRico]

Prologue (1) I ain't a comp-u-dummy. I started playing with digital electronics around 1965. I soldered together my first micro (Heathkit H8 system) in 1980. I've been a CP/M guru and DOS guru (altho *nix and Windoze internals humble me). As a software engineer on IBM-370 and other systems, I wrote business apps, languages, OS's, access methods, robotics controls, VR's, etc. I still have a pin saying TSO MADE LINDA LOVELACE GAG.

Prologue (2) I like laptops. Since I got my first Toshiba P1200 in the early '90s, I haven't had to obsess over swapping cards, rewriting BIOS's, tuning power supplies, adding ports, translating monitors, etc. I can concentrate on actually using the machines, not just optimizing them endlessly. Also, they're LOTS easier to travel with. I never want to leave a machine behind again.

Problem (1) Early 2004, I bought a Toshiba media machine, a superlaptop with 17" display , dual 3Ghz Pentiums, lotsa RAM, etc. I happily processed images and sounds at great speed for years... until it started shutting down. Maybe the MB warps and memory cards unseat from their slots, I dunno. Local shops can't fix it. I'm like totally bummed.

Problem (2) Early 2009, I ordered what I thought would be a good replacement, a hot gaming superlaptop, an Alienware Area51 with multiple cores, lotsa RAM, fast 2GB RAID, big screen, etc. Salesgoon assured me it would outperform the Toshiba. WRONG. When the Toshiba ran, it still did image processing 3x faster. I bitched. I got no response. One of the Area51 RAID drives failed immediately. Alienware customer service ignored me. I thought, THIS SUCKS, so I sent it back, and paid a 15% restock fee. Now, 15% of US$4000 is US$600, which was awfully painful. Alienware (owned by Dell) sucks. Damn them to digital hell.

QUANDRY: I still need a good portable media-processing machine. After 6 years, is nothing any faster than that old Toshiba? How can I tell? In 2004 I could compare CPUs, could fairly easily tell if something would actually run faster than something else. THE METRICS WERE TRANSPARENT. This no longer seems true. How can I compare n-cores. n-Ghz, throughput for specific tasks, etc? WHAT ARE THE METRICS? How can I measure performance? I don't care about idiot-proof GUi's etc. I want something that crunches audiovisual data with brutal efficiency at a Moore's Law pace (ie, 12x faster than 2004). Where do I turn?

[Michaelina2]

Problem (1) Early 2004, I bought a Toshiba media machine, a superlaptop with 17" display , dual 3Ghz Pentiums, lotsa RAM, etc. I happily processed images and sounds at great speed for years... until it started shutting down. Maybe the MB warps and memory cards unseat from their slots, I dunno. Local shops can't fix it. I'm like totally bummed.

Where do I turn?

I've used my Toshiba laptop in a similar way since about 2006. After owning it about a year, it would randomly stop on me, too. I was ready to replace it until I discovered the culprit was dust accumulating in the machine. The dust clogged the cooling system causing it to over heat and turn off. I now keep a can of compressed air nearby. Every 3 months or so, I turn the machine off then blast the dust out. Be sure to use compressed air that's dry. Blasting your machine with moist air will ruin it.

No problems since.

Give a try...

[RioRico]

I was ready to replace it until I discovered the culprit was dust accumulating in the machine.

I wish it was so simple. I vacuum the screens every couple days. I have my machine shimmed-up for better airflow, have tried a two-fan base for more air. No luck. I'd put it on a block of ice if that would help.

(Back in the day, I engineered at a non-commercial radio station using a cast-off 50 kw WATER-COOLED transmitter. Every so often, the exhaust pump failed. Water level would rise in the tranny's tank, heading for hot contacts. Volunteers would frantically bail the rising deadly liquid, hoping to head off the explosion. Somehow, we survived.)

[Michaelina2]

I vacuum the screens every couple days.

...the obvious choice, vacuuming, will not work. In fact, it could make you think the "cleaning" did something when it did not. You continue to run the clogged machine and its over-heating only gets worse.

To clear the dust from the tiny heat-sink fins and airways, extra-high pressure from canned dry air is needed.

Try it...

BTW: I can remember when transistors were considered a "WOW" innovation and am a Heathkit, Tandy/C/PM (Z-C/PM), 35mm SP/Spotmatic (1964-95) graduate, too.

Cheers...

[wlachan]

I too have found vacuum didn't work for notebook heatsink. The trick is to burst the vent backward with compressed air, then you may vacuum the rest out from the intake vent. Another possible reason for poor heat dispersion is that the heatsink compound was poorly applied in the factory. Some people redo it even with their new notebooks.