The great big fat hunt for a new machine

[Visionary]

Hi, guys,
I wonder if you could help me out here, I´ve decided that I need a new machine, I can´r rely anymore on that piece of junk I have at home, not when computers are the cornerstone of my freelance life.

Unfortunatelly, I´ve been out of the loop for far too long and don´t know what´s out there anymore.

Here´s my present machine:
Asus P4P800
Intel P4 2,4GHz 478 pins
Radeon 9550
1 Gb RAM DDR
RICOH DVD burner/player

I know I´d like one with at least 2Gb RAM, two 200Gb hardrives, a TV capture card, a DVD recorder/player.... all in all, a machine designed for intensive(!) Photoshop and Vue d´Esprit 4 use but also some ocasional Half Life 2ing around once every blue moon.
I want a good, solid but also cheap.silicon servant.

People say my present ASUS P4P800 is a good board and I thought of build the new one around it but I need a machine that I won´t have trouble finding spare parts for in 3 years, if things go sour.

What components would you suggest?

[Cricket]

What's wrong with the computer now? It's not a old or slow machine.

I would just upgrade around the core parts.

But if you've decided to build a new computer then would you stick with Intel or would a Athlon 64 system be okay?

:) Cricket

[Visionary]

I´m working in Photoshop 24/7.
I can´t rely on only one computer and the one I have, although still relativelly young, has been having glitches for years now, locking up when it feels like (up to 5 times a day....... in the cold weather....), corrupting files and whatnot.

I´ve taken it to the store several times, replaced most of the parts, fans, cards, RAM sticks, ran countless antivirus and adaware checks, reinstalled the OS.... nothing.
I can´t afford to be working in Photoshop for 20 minutes and when I wanna save, the beast decides to lock.

I wanna stick with Intel since I hear it´s very good with graphics rendering, but I´m not after a machine able to plot a hiperspace route to M31, I just want something good and cheap (below 3,0Ghz is enough for me).

[Hi Ho]

What is the brand and wattage of the power supply? The symptoms you describe are commonly caused by a poor quality power supply.

[Visionary]

Well, to be honest, I have no idea.

I used to think I can hold my own when it comes to computers (whenever someone needs a graphic card changed or Ram stick installed, I´m the elected handyman), but after a couple hours strolling through these forums I now realise I´m an Absolute Beginner.

[Hi Ho]

Take the side panel off of the case and look at the label on the power supply. You are not alone in not knowing what PSU you have. The PSU is probably the most overlooked and most important part of a PC. Poor quality units that come with most cases output unstable voltages and can cause unstable operation from lockups, to random reboots, to parts failure.

[Visionary]

It says Premier (is that the manufacturer?) Model:LC-B300ATX and the max output is 280W.

[Hi Ho]

I've never heard of it. That is most likely a no-name brand. 280w is cutting it close to begin with and if it's a low quality unit it probably isn't supplying 280w of power anyway. Take a look at the Power Supply Reference Guide (http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=131195) and the Power Supply FAQ (http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=101151).

I would recommend trying a new power supply before you go building a new system that you don't need. Here are some good units that would work well:

Thermaltake 420w (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153006)
Fortron Source 400w (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104936)
Sparkle 400w (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103407)

Any of those would work. Personally I would go with the Thermaltake 420w because it is the cheapest and is also a rebadged Enlight which is very good. Your current configuration could easily be powered by a good quality 350w PSU but with the 400w+ units costing little more it makes sense to get a higher power unit to allow for upgrades.

[Visionary]

Thanks, Hi Ho, I really appreciate your assistance on this matter :)

I´ve just ordered this THERMALTAKE Silent PurePower TT-420AD PSU you recommended and despite what you said about me not needing a new system, I´m planning on building my new machine around it.
I now have the PSU, so I only need...

a case (with loads of rooms where my brand new PSU fits like a glove)
a mobo (Asus, of course)
a processor (nothing fancy, I can live with a 2.8 or 3,0 GHz)
a graphics card (nVidia) 256Mb
2 200GB hardrives (Seagate?)
2GB Ram
A DVD burner/player
a TV capture card

[glc]

LC means it's a L&C, which is a Deer. El crapola.

I'd personally keep the P4P800 and build it up some more. You can still get 3.2C Northwood processors, the board will handle 4 gigs of ram, plenty of big fast hard drives, and a top end AGP video card. You really aren't going to get better performance without building a multiprocessor high end workstation.

I'm almost willing to bet that a new power supply is going to cure your lockups. Yours is a known unreliable unit.

[Visionary]

My problem with the P4P800 is that it´s for a 478 pins processor and the guy at the store said they´ll become extinct soon and I´d have trouble finding parts in the future

[Hi Ho]

You might as well get the most out of your current board. Upgrade to the fastest CPU you can afford for your board. Upgrade your RAM and video card if you want. You will have a PC just as good as any you could build for a lot less money. In the future, when/if you want an even faster CPU you can buy a new motherboard.

[glc]

Classic Pentiums have been extinct for years now but you can still find parts for them. The guy at the store is just trying to sell you a whole new rig. I'm still building new machines with P4P800's and Socket 478 Northwoods for customers. I'm recommending the Northwood over the Prescott due to heat issues.

[Cricket]

Are you still gonna replace that Premiere PSU? You should.

Since it sounds like you're going to build a second computer, what kind of budget are you working with?

You use PhotoShop alot? My suggestion is to get the fastest CPU you can afford. Photo work takes mucho processing cycles and having a really fast CPU will help there.

:) Cricket

[Visionary]

Thanks a lot, guys.
I did order the new PSU and plan on installing it on my old machine but the plans for a new one are still a go.

I´m gonna follow your advice and stick with the ASUS P4P800 since I hear it can handle processors up to 3.2GHz and, hey, after 2 years I´m actually getting quite familiarised with the model.
I was aiming for a budget bellow the $750 range, but I´m not sure if that´s viable.
I do use Photoshop an awfull lot for work and the guy at the store told me that for that app, RAM (not processor power) is the key aspect.

[Cricket]

I do use Photoshop an awfull lot for work and the guy at the store told me that for that app, RAM (not processor power) is the key aspect.That's true, but the rendering portion takes up lots of processor cycles.

:) Cricket

[glc]

Stick a 3.2 Northwood and 2 gigs of ram in that P4P800 and it will not let you down.

Processor is around $270 and 2 gigs of ram is about $160 at Newegg. Add a radeon 9800 Pro to help with the gaming, that's another $130, total upgrade cost $560.

[Visionary]

Thanks, you guys are really great; I´m starting to assemble the components for my next machine:

- ASUS P4P800
- intel Pentium4 3.2GHz Northwood Socket 478 pin Processor
- PSU THERMALTAKE Silent PurePower TT-420AD
- radeon 9800 Pro

- Case
- 2 Hardrives 200 Gb
- 2GB Ram DDR
- DVD burner/player
- TV capture card

[Hi Ho]

The case is personal preference. Look through the selection on Newegg and find one you like. My favorites are CoolerMaster, Thermaltake (some models), Silverstone, Lian-Li, Antec, and Enlight.

Hard Drives
Two of THESE (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148066) would work fine. They are very good and quiet drives with a nice 5 year warranty.

RAM
THIS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820144322) Geil RAM would work fine.

DVD Burner
THIS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152040) NEC drive is very good.

TV Tuner
HERE (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814160022) is a good inexpensive one.

[David M]

High end but really nice looking cases are Silverstone and Lian-Li