What's Your Computer Build?

PM01 wrote in post #13869539
160mm you can get used for mid 20 grand when they're available. Wait list is at least 10 years back for one of the 7.5 scopes, or you can go with a TEC160FL which has a shorter wait time. They're not making the 160FL now since one of the glass types is not available. Might change in the future though. AP900 you can get almost off the shelf.

On AMart the 160s go for around $12k, been on the wait list for the 140 for many years, of course I know I'll never get called for it brand new.

gooeydruid wrote in post #13871687
On AMart the 160s go for around $12k, been on the wait list for the 140 for many years, of course I know I'll never get called for it brand new.

Last one went for mid 20s on auction. Now getting back to computer builds...

Winwin wrote in post #13871361
3x Seagate 7200.12 500GB HDDs in Raid 0

Zoinks. Someone's a high-roller

pulled the trigger yesterday morning and was able to stay under $500.00 after mail in rebate.
following build:

Mobo: Asus M4a88t-m Amd 880g
Cpu: Amd Phenom II X6 core 1045 Thuban 2.7 Ghz
Ram: 2x Patriot Gamer 2 ddr3 4gb
PS: Diablotek 600w atx
SDD: Ocz Agility 3 60gb
HDD: Seagate 2tb
Vidc: Zotac Geforce gt 529 1gb
Case: Msi Raptor Atx Mid Tower (built in card reader)
PCI: Sebrent 2.4 Ghz Wireless pci

I've thought about this X6 1045. I have an Asus MB that I can flash to update to AM3 and might look to reuse that MB as a cost effective upgrade. Love to hear your thoughts, especially if using with LR3. Did you find any reviews before pulling the trigger?

thrash_273 wrote in post #13872791
pulled the trigger yesterday morning and was able to stay under $500.00 after mail in rebate.
following build:

Mobo: Asus M4a88t-m Amd 880g
Cpu: Amd Phenom II X6 core 1045 Thuban 2.7 Ghz
Ram: 2x Patriot Gamer 2 ddr3 4gb
PS: Diablotek 600w atx
SDD: Ocz Agility 3 60gb
HDD: Seagate 2tb
Vidc: Zotac Geforce gt 529 1gb
Case: Msi Raptor Atx Mid Tower (built in card reader)
PCI: Sebrent 2.4 Ghz Wireless pci

JoeyC wrote in post #13873294
I've thought about this X6 1045. I have an Asus MB that I can flash to update to AM3 and might look to reuse that MB as a cost effective upgrade. Love to hear your thoughts, especially if using with LR3. Did you find any reviews before pulling the trigger?

I'm running a 1055T in my desktop, OC'ed easily to 3.5ghz on a free mobo I got with a promotion from Microcenter.
In artificial tests it is 2x as fast in CS5 as the i5-2540m in my Thinkpad. In real world usage, LR3 is so much smoother. Very quick preview renders during scrolling, the develop tools are much faster, pretty satisfied with it. I got the x6 processor and a mobo for $140 at Microcenter.

Thanks for the real world feedback. Yes, I see my Microcenter has the x6 1045T for $130 right now. Might be a nice, inexpensive upgrade and buy me some time. I have a PC sitting unused with an Asus M378A-EM and 7750BE Kuma. The 7750 is a bit dated at this point, but the board can be flashed for use with an AM3 CPU. Might buy me some more time before really needing to spend. I figure 6 cores and 8GB ram, OS on an SSD and 7200rpm drives, it should be sufficient for a little while. My main use is LR3, some light photoshop use.

Good way to spend $130?

I waaaay overbought this last purchase with an i7 chip (7 processors) and 12GB RAM. None of which is necessary or even useful for photo editing. It had been a while since my last computer purchase so I really overdid it. I could've spend 1/2 and still had overkill for what I do. What I don't regret is the 24-in widescreen monitor.

Panoz wrote in post #13874044
I waaaay overbought this last purchase with an i7 chip (7 processors) and 12GB RAM. None of which is necessary or even useful for photo editing. It had been a while since my last computer purchase so I really overdid it. I could've spend 1/2 and still had overkill for what I do. What I don't regret is the 24-in widescreen monitor.

i don't see that as over spending....i see that as thinking for longevity, means you don't have to worry about having to upgrade near to the extreme in the future, prolonging the usefullness of your computer

Upgraded my home PC and used the existing equipment to upgrade my home server as well. All told, I only came out of pocket about $270 since I recycled as much as possible (denoted by *) and used a $400 Amazon gift card to buy the new components (CPU, RAM, Mobo, GFX Card) for the desktop. Here are the build outs.

Desktop

Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5 2500k 3.3Ghz
Kingston 8GB of DDR3 RAM (Still have room for another 8GBs)
ASRock P67 Pro3 Motherboard
EVGA Nvidia GeForce GTX GTX 660
*750GB Western Digital HD
*500GB Hitachi HD
*Antec 500w PSU
*Coolermaster CM Stacker Case

Server

*Intel Core2Quad Q6600 @ 2.4 Ghz
*ASUS P5Q Pro Motherboard
*8GB DDR2 RAM
*Nvidia Geforce 6800 GS
*1x 150GB Velociraptor 15k RPM HD
*5x 1TB Western Digital Green HD in RAID 5
1x 2TB Western Digital Green HD
*Corsair TX850w PSU
Diablotek EVO Mid Tower ATX case

I've included the link to the Diablotek computer case because I was blown away by the build quality, versatility, and feature set. At the time, I was searching for a mid tower case that could accommodate plenty of hard drives while providing proper cooling in an enclosure that did not weight a ton completely empty. This case is not only light but it has a total of 7 dedicated 3.5 inch drive bays (five include drive rails) and also includes four 120mm case fans. For $42 US, this is by far the best case I've used in this price point. My only complaint is that I have nowhere to hide all of the excess PSU cables due to the case's form factor. However, that is mostly my fault since I re-used a PSU with excessive power options instead of a modular PSU.

Just picked up Dell XPS 15z, i7, 8gb of memory. So far so good. Display as a bit too sharp i think.

Erik_L wrote in post #13872409
Zoinks. Someone's a high-roller

They're back under $100/ea now.

Panoz wrote in post #13874044
I waaaay overbought this last purchase with an i7 chip (7 processors) and 12GB RAM. None of which is necessary or even useful for photo editing. It had been a while since my last computer purchase so I really overdid it. I could've spend 1/2 and still had overkill for what I do. What I don't regret is the 24-in widescreen monitor.

My best purchase for my PC so far is my Dell 24" Ultrasharp 8-bit display and a X-rite calibrator. Now that I have that setup, all the other displays I use (the ones at my school, my Thinkpad, my wife's laptop) look horrible.

i haven't spent more then $100 on my 3 computers and they are all currently at core 2 duo's....and that $100 was for a 1TB hard drive for the one i also didn't pay anything for the computers either lol

Just an FYI if you have not ordered. Newegg has 15% off all Corsair PSUs. Code: EMCNHJN69 (exp 2/16) Plus they have a $20 rebate

sapearl wrote in post #13834466
Yes, in the scheme of things $20 is nothing over the life of the machine and a very small portion of the total cost. I have definately decided to go with something in Corsair's Professional series.

But I am a little confused on one of their specs. The fan size of the Corsair 850AX Pro shows as 120mm, while the lower cost 850 HX and TX850 both sport 140mm fans. I assume all the fans are dual ball bearing although that wasn't clean on the 850AX