Best bang for the buck desktop?

Looking to purchase a desktop and the new Dell 24" 4K monitor. Wondering what the best bang for the buck is? So far, I'm leaning towards the Alienware Aurora with an i7 and 32gb RAM which I can pick up for 1899. Is there some better options out there? I don't do gaming, just a lot of photo editing. I have been using my laptop lately which is a nice setup (i7 8gb RAM, 1920x1080 display), but it's just too slow for me and I'll need this laptop for my other job so I'm wanting a desktop. The other option I suppose is the 27" iMac, but I've never had a MAC and don't really want to deal with software. The dell display is also superior IMO. Thoughts or suggestions?

You can buy hardware and hope the Microsoft OS is secure and stable, or you can by a completely functional computer, like a Mac.

Oh and no bloatware to deal with.

ERJL wrote in post #16944235
You can buy hardware and hope the Microsoft OS is secure and stable, or you can by a completely functional computer, like a Mac.

Oh and no bloatware to deal with.

Everyone has their own opinions I suppose and I know a lot of people have switched over to MAC. I would really like the 27" iMac and perhaps it is the best option. Less confusing to order at least! Looking at 3K with i7 32gb RAM 256gb SSD

ERJL wrote in post #16944235
You can buy hardware and hope the Microsoft OS is secure and stable, or you can by a completely functional computer, like a Mac.

Oh and no bloatware to deal with.

Give it a rest.

I build my own desktops because I like controlling what's inside. If I had to buy a desktop for photo editing, I'd probably go with a Dell Precision workstation. They're solid machines designed for people who use computers professionally and have a billion configuration options.

mike_d wrote in post #16944391
Give it a rest.

Ha... no kidding... Only if they knew the truth

I just built a 'mid/high end desktop' for $700. i5-4670K, 32GB, 256GB SSD Primary, two 2TB HDDS, GTX770, higher end sound card (I like my music) etc... The reason why I was able to get the price so low, I was able to shop around, buy from friends, etc..

For $1800 you could build a 'hellofa' computer that would blow the iMac 27" out of the water. Or you could do what I did, and basically build the same computer as that iMac 27" for only $700-800, then you can spend that $1k on a new lens.

... or a PC and add a Linux dual boot option. Safer and cheaper than a Mac.

BobDawg wrote in post #16944501
Ha... no kidding... Only if they knew the truth

I just built a 'mid/high end desktop' for $700. i5-4670K, 32GB, 256GB SSD Primary, two 2TB HDDS, GTX770, higher end sound card (I like my music) etc... The reason why I was able to get the price so low, I was able to shop around, buy from friends, etc..

For $1800 you could build a 'hellofa' computer that would blow the iMac 27" out of the water. Or you could do what I did, and basically build the same computer as that iMac 27" for only $700-800, then you can spend that $1k on a new lens.

Not having to deal with WIndows is worth the $1k!

ShotByTom wrote in post #16944536
Not having to deal with WIndows is worth the $1k!

And I'd pay $1000 to not have to deal with Apple or OSX.

BobDawg wrote in post #16944501
Ha... no kidding... Only if they knew the truth

I just built a 'mid/high end desktop' for $700. i5-4670K, 32GB, 256GB SSD Primary, two 2TB HDDS, GTX770, higher end sound card (I like my music) etc... The reason why I was able to get the price so low, I was able to shop around, buy from friends, etc..

For $1800 you could build a 'hellofa' computer that would blow the iMac 27" out of the water. Or you could do what I did, and basically build the same computer as that iMac 27" for only $700-800, then you can spend that $1k on a new lens.

Sounds like a good deal.....is the i7 worth the cost over the i5?

Guys, please give it a rest. The OP asked for information on PCs and noted they don't want a mac, a mod should delete all inflammatory and mac related posts from the thread and hand out a few three day bans. ERJL, ShotByTom, please go elsewhere, and perhaps you need a voluntary break from the forum.

I had a look at Dell and HP, I found it difficult to configure a desktop PC with an SSD, hard drive, and general decent specs. They want to sell you what they want to sell you and don't seem interested in letting you configure things much.

CyberPower have a good system, very configurable, this one, great components. Swap in an Samsung 840 SSD and a 2TB WD Black drive, change cases and fans etc to your preferences, go to a lower spec video cards (the cheapest nVidia with 1GB or more of RAM), change the motherboard to one with native USB 3.0, maybe add a bit of cooling, you have yourself a better PC cheaper than Dell.

Same thing through newegg would be cheaper, but you'd have to put it together yourself, test it, and warranty is more difficult.

Edit to add - i7 will give you faster batch exports, and maybe slightly faster interactive performance, but near doubles the speed of video encoding. Worth it IMHO only if the extra cost isn't a big deal to you. I got an i7 just because the extra $100 or so didn't much matter to me, 3 years ago, glad I did as the 2600K is still going strong.

Canon_Shoe wrote in post #16944895
Sounds like a good deal.....is the i7 worth the cost over the i5?

Definitely. Lightroom preview rendering and jpg exporting is CPU limited. The faster your CPU, the less time you spend waiting.

Great info guys! Whatever I get, I'm getting the new Dell 4k ultra sharp! Looks so impressive! Trying to find a PC upgradable to 32gb RAM, SSD and windows 7 is kind of a task!

Canon_Shoe wrote in post #16945049
Great info guys! Whatever I get, I'm getting the new Dell 4k ultra sharp! Looks so impressive! Trying to find a PC upgradable to 32gb RAM, SSD and windows 7 is kind of a task!

Win7 is getting harder and harder to get. I've been trying to get some Win7 PCs from Dell Small Business and they're all Win8 PCs that have been downgraded to Win7. No Win7 license key and it comes with a Win8 DVD. If you can't fine a TRUE Win7 PC with a license and DVD, you might want to consider buying your own DVD from Amazon while you still can.

That said, if you get stuck with Win8, there's several things you can do to make it as much like Win7 as possible.