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Building a PC, help with specifications please


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Hi, id like to buy a new pc built to my owm spec, my budget is £1500 / $1900/ aus$2700, give or take a bit either way.

I'd like a super fast pc that can run bridge, Photoshop, I usually have chrome running with about 30 tabs open, maybe ms office spreadsheet or similar open. I will also be using video editing software (not chosen yet but the video files are obviously enormous). 

 

I like to multitask, photography isn't my main business but it's my pc priority. I'd like a PC that won't be obsolete any time soon and can be upgraded with more ram and anything computer-y in the future. I don't do any gaming and I don't care what it looks like.

Would you be able to point me in the right direction for the best spec to meet my needs? I currently have an 8yr old 1tb i7 Samsung with only 6gb ram that can't be upgraded beyond 8gb so is sadly going to laptop heaven soon. Thank you for any pointers, I'm very greedy for up to date technology and will increase my budget or wait for new releases/ price drops if it's worth it, I'm hoping if you're in Aus like Damien there's not too much difference in it products. 

 

Thank you very much for your time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Editing Video is a whole other world. If you are really serious about editing video, then you are looking at getting a iMac Pro. The reason is that software developers will often update and enhance their programs to work on a Mac, since the hardware choices are smaller. Give this video a watch to see what I mean. That guy spent $10,000+ on the fastest Windows computer that money could buy and still ended up with going with a iMac Pro. Now, if you are just starting out and playing around with things to learn, that's another story.

You are really looking for a Gaming Computer. Not because you play games but you will need the performance boost that comes with a gaming computer.

Here is my recommendations:

  • Intel i7 or i9 CPU
  • Asus / MSI / Gigabyte Motherboard that has at least 6 SATA Ports for Hard Drives on it and supports RAID0, RAID1 & RAID10. Also having lots of USB 3.0 ports would be nice to have.
  • 1TB Main SSD or M.2 Drive
  • 32GB RAM to start out with and upgrading to 64GB of RAM will be in your future.
  • Windows 10 Pro
  • Two additional Hard Drives configured as a RAID0 (This will be used for your video editing software's cache only, and NOT used for any file storage.) I recommend getting a couple of fast 7200 RPM Hard Drives, maybe a couple of Western Digital Caviar Black 4TB drives.
  • A large HD, probably around 12TB to store your data files
  • Video Card with it's own separate and dedicated video RAM. Probably around 8GB of video memory.
  • Blue Ray DVD Drive.
  • A high-end case with easy access to hard drives will be a must. Cooling will also be a concern and you could end up with a water-cooled system.
  • 800 Watt Power Supply.

Guess what? I've blown your budget. LOL!! I tried putting one of these systems together and stopped when I got to $3,000 US. So back to reality. Do you really want to build your own computer or would you settle for a high-end store-bought / Dell computer?

 

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I would settle for a store PC as I'm no techy. I just want the best I can really, I don't mind going a little over budget but I think £3000 would be pushing reality, is there a store option do you think that would suit me? 

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wow thanks, that video is a real eye opener! I didn't want to move to Apple if possible, I will be taking some video with my camera and my drone - both large raw files so I'm worried. 

I could stretch to $3000 USD, that's £2300 GBP. I think that would be the limit, I'd rather pay than 'buy cheap, buy twice' 

I must say I'm a bit disappointed with Adobe after watching that video, I use most of the suite. I will take your advice here completely, your reputation precedes you very much. 

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You can get a very nice Windows Pre-Configured PC for US $3000. It’s just “editing video” is what throws a wrench into the mix. 

So let’s talk video. WHAT are you editing? 30 second YouTube Clips? Whole Weddings and Lifestyle sessions? Have you edited before? 

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Well, in Adobe’s defense, most of the Art / Video world is using Macs. Combine that with the limited hardware choices, Adobe only has to worry about 6 or so video card / hardware combinations across the Macintosh Line vs hundreds of video card / hardware combinations with Windows. Say what you will about Apple, limiting your products to a certain amount has some advantages. Apple bows to no one. Windows on the other hand has to make all sorts of manufacturers happy. 

Of course Adobe still screws up with Macs is too. LOL! They only get updates quicker, that doesn’t mean they don’t have problems. LOL. 

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My video I think will be limited to short clips of drone footage and short educational videos (My day job is lecturer and riding instructor). No movies or weddings and the reason I'm not already doing any video is I simply can't do anything with these huge files on my current system. I often make small compilations for clients and end up using my phone which is crazy given the equipment I have. 

 

So yes I can compromise the video as I doubt I'll ever be income dependent on it or ever win film maker of the week. So long as I can open and edit a video file without my system crashing in protest. 

 

 

 

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Ok, then that brings things down to a lower price-point. I will do some thinking and searching and get back to you, though my above recommendations still stand. Even though you aren’t playing games, a mid-range Gaming Setup will meet your requirements. The only difference is you don’t need any of the fancy show-off LED case / wire stuff. Horsepower from a Gaming System...yes. Bling...No. 

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Check out this thread:

We configured a Dell XPS 8930 and bumped up a few things. Since you are doing video, you will need a bit more, like 32GB or RAM and more HD. 

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