New computer. Have I forgotten anything?

[Belmondo]

I actually posted this on the post processing/software board because it has nothing to do with DSLRs. I'm putting a link to it here, though, because you are the guys whose opinions I'm most interested in. Thanks for checking it out.

Thos.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=24986

[hawg]

Isn't there a card/controller that will allow you to run RAID for your harddrives? Or use diffrent buses for each harddrive? You might have already thought of it but I didn't see on the list.

How about dual processors?

Graphics card tailored to Photoshop maybe?

My 2 cents. :D

[cgratti]

Are the HD's SCSI? That would free up alot of memory for the CPU....
15,000 RPM..... if you go SCSI, dont forget the SCSI controller card!

[Scottes]

Sounds like you've got it down, especially from some of the other people's comments. What's really amazing is that you listened to them. Gitzo is wrong about you. :)

So what ya doing about security? Firewall software? Anti-virus? You gonna be a good boy and always update the Microsoft stuff? (As well as your firewall and A/V, of course.)

[vvizard]

Noticed the Parhelia. Isn't that triple-headed? If so, there's three big nice monitors lacking from the list =D

When it comes to Maxtor-disks, I have nothing but good things to say.. Much better experience with them than with more expensive Western Digital disks. (I've had a couple of (new) disks from both within the last year). The cheaper Maxtor 2MB (talking buffer-space, not storage-space) beat the hell out of the more expensive 8MB version from western digital when it came to speed. I sold off my 8MB WD-disk because I was less than satisfied with it's performance actually.

For motherboards I'll just say get the one with most features on it. I always take Asus or MSI because of good experience. A unstable mobo might really screw up the computing experience. But as you say, they're cheap to replace, and as an insurance, take one with a good warranty. They won't affect speed very much, so features, like integrated firewire/bluetooth/highspeed-USB/whatnot is usually what I consider the most when buying them.

Lastly I didn't see any expenses for a Windows-XP (or other bloatware) so I take it you'll just download a free Linux-distro and join the rest of us who at least want a stable computer after getting an unstable economy much thanks to this forum ;)

The computer looks fine Thos. Unless you get some screwed hardware, you'll probably be well satisfied :) Good luck with it

[Belmondo]

Misc. responses to various posters.

Supposedly the MoBo has RAID alrady on it if I ever wish to go that way.

This is what I'm getting (I don't see anything about RAID, but it isn't important at this time I also understand I can add it later if I want. http://www.pcclub.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A4830909

I'm getting XP professional with it.

I already have two monitors: a Sony 18" flat panel, and a Sony 21" CRT (G-500) series.

I'm on cable modem, running through a Linksys Wireless Router, although this PC will not be wireless. I Think the router gives me hardware firewall protection. I also run ZoneAlarm Pro.

That's about it.

Thanks for all the opinions.

[MediaMagic]

It's a fine board, Thos. I think you'll be extremely happy. I only mention the RAID setup to bring up a configuration of which you might not have been aware. We technogeeks tend to always go over the top with performance technology.

The only thing I would say to make sure of is that you have two memory modules. If you already have purchased one 1g module (as opposed to 2 512's), then just add another exact same module in bank two later. That way you'll benefit from the board's excellent memory pipelines. Memory is where your editing action will take place on your photos, so taking advantage of that technology will be of great benefit and it doesn't take any special configuration or knowledge.. you just slap the module in the first slot of the other bank, so that if you are looking at the bank pairs, it looks like this || || four slots. So, put one module in the first slot, and the other in the 3rd slot || ||. Your board's memory slots are color coordinated, notice in the picture from the link that you have one red and one blue in each memory bank. Just match the colors with matching memory, put one module in each red slot. Of course, you can obviously add more memory in the blue slots too if you want. That board can run on one memory module, but it's designed to really "lay rubber" in pairs.

If you already know this, sorry for rehashing.

Take care and enjoy that new setup. It's a great one.

David

[Belmondo]

The only thing I would say to make sure of is that you have two memory modules. If you already have purchased one 1g module (as opposed to 2 512's), then just add another exact same module in bank two later. That way you'll benefit from the board's excellent memory pipelines. David

David:
Thanks. I'm getting two 512 meg sticks. It reminds me a little of the old interlaced (or was it interleaved?) memory on my Mac PowerPC a few years ago. There were two banks of SIMM slots, and you had to put the same size (and speed) SIMMs in the corresponding slots in each bank. If you didn't, it slowed everything waaaaaaaay down.

I'm getting anxious now. Actually, the system I have isn't chopped liver. It's an HP system with a 2.66 GHz P4, 1-gig of DDR SDRAM, and a 120GB hard drive, and DVD burner. I will continue to use that for all my business applications, but that's it. I'm going to move everything else over to the new box once I'm satisified it's stable.

Thos.

[MediaMagic]

Oh yeah, I remember well the day of the matching simms.

I even still have a Tandy TRS 80 with a whopping 16k of memory and a cassette "drive".

One thing I think is funny as hell about your system board (mine too) is this: check out that picture in the link again, to the right you see a big orange square, and inside it is a tiny white square. That tiny white square is the cpu slot. That huge orange square is for it's fan. Isn't that hilarious? it's like Abbot and Costello or something. Chip technology getting smaller, and the fans to cool them are getting bigger.

[Avarond]

Heh, I had the Commodore 64 and floppy drive, but my first real computer was a MAC IICI, Ram cost me over $600 dollars for 4-4mb simms, so I had 4 -4's and 4-1mb simms in it. Thats right 8 slots. Also had to add a 24bit video card, sound card, and a "PDS" card that upgraded it to a 68030 50mhz. It originally came with an 80 meg drive which ended up being a spanned 500gb drive at the end. Blazing fast computer at the time and actuallly is still up and running fine after 10 years.

The G4 laptop is too easy to use, they took all the fun out of it. The endless hours of searching what extension was causing the conflict, or why does the Cdrom drive not work after I launch "X" program. The good ole days.

Oh yea this is a photography forum. Sorry about that, had a nostalgic moment.

[Belmondo]

Boy, do the two of you have me on a nostalgia trip right now. I had a TRS-80 for a while....I even bought the custom desk that Tandy sold specifically for that machine. I never did anything with it, even after I bought the optional 5 1/4" floppy drive.

Next, I bought a DEC Rainbow. That was a CP/M machine that had two processors (8086 and 8088), and the only two programs I had were Multiplan and a non-WYSIWYG word processor (actually, text editor).

My first 'real computer' was an original 128K Mac ('Hello'). As soon as it was feasible to do so, I upgraded it to a 512 and used that for a while. I eventually bought a Rodime 20mb external hard drive, and thought I was hot stuff.

When Apple brought out the Mac II (68020) and the LaserWriter, I simply had to have them. A friend of mine at Apple allowed me to use his employee’s discount and I bought them along with a 15” Apple RGB monitor. That machine stayed with me for a long time, and was upgraded and expanded several times. In fact, the next time I bought a new Mac, it was a PowerPC-based 7500, followed by a couple 7300s. I actually installed a G3 card in one of the 7300s, and that was a great little machine. I’ve also owned a bunch of used Macs, incuding an 8500, 9600, a IIci, and a IIcx. I moved to Windows around 4 years ago…..facing retirement and the realities of living on a fixed income, I just felt I would have a better chance of staying current with changing technologies by switching to the Wintel platform. Unfortunately, retirement only lasted about two years, and we’re working harder than ever.

I miss the Macs. I especially miss going to MacWorld Expo every January. I really wish I was working in an OS X environment because at a visceral level, it just seems a better way to do things. (---although, that’s as much the product of being immersed in it since the very beginning.) Unfortunately, it is no longer feasible to switch back, but I keep a couple IMacs just for ‘old-time’s sake.’

Thanks for the reminder.

Thos.

[Bubber Jones]

You haven't lived untill you've programmed in Atari Basic on an Atari 400 :D

[Scottes]

You haven't lived untill you've programmed in Atari Basic on an Atari 400 :D

I used to program Fortran on an TRS80, is that bad enough?

[Bubber Jones]

Touche my friend...

[Avarond]

You guys have me beat on the old computers. I was really Hi-Tech with that Commodore 64, I even had what looked like a Wacom Tablet for it. And didnt complain at all that it took 20 minutes to load a program.

[Avarond]

You guys have me beat on the old computers. I was really Hi-Tech with that Commodore 64, I even had what looked like a Wacom Tablet for it. And didnt complain at all that it took 20 minutes to load a program.

[Sketcher]

Hey Thos,

Did you get your new toy yet!? Good decisions on gear & config. The diff between HD's and Mem Brand at this point are IMO an excersize in splitting hairs.

I'm glad you posted it over here in EOS because I've become so obsessed with camera gear that I've forgotten my other technology obsession; that of PC hardware. Now, rather than just mope around in a 1DMKII induced stupor I'm actually considering refreshing my workstations next year instead.

You'll have to post pics of the new addition to your family! :lol:

[Belmondo]

It's funny, Jeff, I'm like an expectant father. This is the first computer I've actually had built to my specifications, and I'm really getting anxious to see how it's all going to work together. Even my wife has noticed that the 'air of expectation' is quite a bit higher than usual.

I don't expect the new computer to improve my photography...nothing appears able to do that. I'm still struggling there. It should give me the ability to do my post processing a lot more efficiently, and allow me to spend less time doing my collor correction by trial and error.

Thos.

[PacAce]

You guys have me beat on the old computers. I was really Hi-Tech with that Commodore 64, I even had what looked like a Wacom Tablet for it. And didnt complain at all that it took 20 minutes to load a program.

You mean the Koala? :) I still have mine sitting in a closet someplace alone with the C-64, the tape drive and the hard drive. The 1702 monitor is still in use attached to my VCR in my study.

You didn't by chance program the C-64 in machine code did you? I did, using the BASIC POKE and PEEK instructions to load the code into memory. That was before I bought the Assembler for it. Man, those were the good old days. 8)

I meant to say floppy drive, not hard drive. :oops:

[PacAce]

...I miss the Macs. I especially miss going to MacWorld Expo every January. I really wish I was working in an OS X environment because at a visceral level, it just seems a better way to do things. (---although, that’s as much the product of being immersed in it since the very beginning.) Unfortunately, it is no longer feasible to switch back, but I keep a couple IMacs just for ‘old-time’s sake.’

Thanks for the reminder.

Thos.

Hey, Thos. I still have my father's Apple IIe in the garage or basement with 2 floppies and a black and yellow monitor. And it still works. You wanna buy it off of me. I'm sure you'd do a lot better on your color correction with this monitor since it only has two colors you have to worry about. :mrgreen: :lol:

[Scottes]

I'm sure you'd do a lot better on your color correction with this monitor since it only has two colors you have to worry about.

ROFLMAO

[Belmondo]

Hey, Thos. I still have my father's Apple IIe in the garage or basement with 2 floppies and a black and yellow monitor. And it still works. You wanna buy it off of me. I'm sure you'd do a lot better on your color correction with this monitor since it only has two colors you have to worry about. :mrgreen: :lol:

At least I'll get black and yellow right. That's better than I have been doing.

I wonder if anyone still has a PC Jr.? Way ahead of its time....

How long was it before we saw another wireless keyboard? :lol:

[PacAce]

I wonder if anyone still has a PC Jr.? Way ahead of its time....

How long was it before we saw another wireless keyboard? :lol:

Wireless! :shock: Now you tell me. I kept returning the suckers because every one of them had the chords missing off the keyboards. :cry:

[samdring]

I wonder if anyone still has a PC Jr.? Way ahead of its time....

How long was it before we saw another wireless keyboard? :lol:

Wireless! the chords missing off the keyboards. :cry:

Argh never mind - 'twas only an f'ing minor issue

[Tom W]

This keyboard has chords: :D

http://www.cleverjoe.com/synths/kawai_mp9500.jpg