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need new computer
- Thread starter bigben
- Start date
choucove
New Member
For $1000 you can get a really decent system for design work. However, right now my biggest suggestion for any new design computer is to WAIT!
Intel will be re-releasing the 6 series chipsets and processors soon which from what I have experienced so far is the best bang for your buck. The older Core i5/i7 systems will also be dropping in price most likely, so you could go with a previous generation and save some money.
So far, in all the tests that I've seen, the newly-released Core i7-2600k, which is the processor I bought for testing, meets or exceeds the $1,000 Core i7-980X six-core processor but does so at a fraction of the cost with lower power requirements.
If you can wait a month or so, I seriously recommend you do to take advantage of either the new platform or options for a reduced-price on the current generation of Intel processors. AMD will also be releasing their new platform and the Brazos processors very soon, but less is known yet on their arrival or performance comparisons. I'm also looking forward to what they will bring to the table!
Intel will be re-releasing the 6 series chipsets and processors soon which from what I have experienced so far is the best bang for your buck. The older Core i5/i7 systems will also be dropping in price most likely, so you could go with a previous generation and save some money.
So far, in all the tests that I've seen, the newly-released Core i7-2600k, which is the processor I bought for testing, meets or exceeds the $1,000 Core i7-980X six-core processor but does so at a fraction of the cost with lower power requirements.
If you can wait a month or so, I seriously recommend you do to take advantage of either the new platform or options for a reduced-price on the current generation of Intel processors. AMD will also be releasing their new platform and the Brazos processors very soon, but less is known yet on their arrival or performance comparisons. I'm also looking forward to what they will bring to the table!
jiarby
New Member
The 2600k is a good mid level product, but probably too pricy to see in a $1000 system?
Not too much selection for 1155 mobos yet. PLUS.. the whole Sandy Bridge recall/flaw thing.
I built a i7-920 system last year, and it costs me about $2200+
I am hoping that I can slide a i7-990x into my 1366mobo when the prices come down a pinch. 6 cores. 3.4ghz. 130w Nehalem. If they fall to $500 (now $1k) then I will make my 920 the RIP PC and just swap processors in my design PC.
Not too much selection for 1155 mobos yet. PLUS.. the whole Sandy Bridge recall/flaw thing.
I built a i7-920 system last year, and it costs me about $2200+
I am hoping that I can slide a i7-990x into my 1366mobo when the prices come down a pinch. 6 cores. 3.4ghz. 130w Nehalem. If they fall to $500 (now $1k) then I will make my 920 the RIP PC and just swap processors in my design PC.
Sticky Signs
New Member
Mac mac mac mac
Custom_Grafx
New Member
FrankenSigns.biz
New Member
Yeah. Get a Mac. PC's SUCK.
WildWestDesigns
Active Member
I had a MAC twice. Once when I was a kid back in the 80s and then again a few years back. Unless they really do something with their computers, I won't go back to a MAC again.
FrankenSigns.biz
New Member
WildWestDesigns
Active Member
LOL!!!
I love it when people take things out of context. They = Apple and I'm pretty sure you knew that.
mrfern
New Member
What every you decide to get make sure you get a x64 processor. You can use 16 gig of ram as almost a default now and a solid state drive is amazing.... When you run into software compatibility issues you can run Parallels on MAC or VMWARE on Windows to run a computer emulated computer in your primary computer and you are all set. Once your computer running MAC or Windows current is running you can then run inside the VMWARE instance your legacy stuff and wala... you are able to run the old and new. I get to helping people who want to run old stuff that is no longer supported on the new OS. Really it is the drivers that need but in the end they get to keep using that old program and that is all they really want. I do this and it works like a champ.
www.vmware.com had info on the concept and some nice flash demos. Really good enterprise software at a good price. I think the standard workstation for parallels and vmware are like 50 dollars.
my .02 cents
mrfern
www.vmware.com had info on the concept and some nice flash demos. Really good enterprise software at a good price. I think the standard workstation for parallels and vmware are like 50 dollars.
my .02 cents
mrfern
WildWestDesigns
Active Member
One thing I have heard about parrallels, although I never had an issue, is that software support isn't the best for it. Like I said though, I've run Parrallels without issue and had it running vista for the other software that had to be run on the Windows platform.
I would suggest Parrallels, but I have heard some negative with regard to customer support if there is an issue.
Prairieboy
New Member
Before you jump into a purchase you should question ? What software do you use and are you going to upgrade it.
As well are you planning to use the new computer to design as well as run your printers , cutters etc.... many things to consider.
I have just purchased a new i-7 860 8 gig ram 1 gig video card 1 tb hard drive for around your budget of $ 1000 it has been a killer system so far. It flys through graphics in photshop, illustrator & Flexi, Has more power than I need at this time.
Forget about a mac, PC are the only way for the money
As well are you planning to use the new computer to design as well as run your printers , cutters etc.... many things to consider.
I have just purchased a new i-7 860 8 gig ram 1 gig video card 1 tb hard drive for around your budget of $ 1000 it has been a killer system so far. It flys through graphics in photshop, illustrator & Flexi, Has more power than I need at this time.
Forget about a mac, PC are the only way for the money
mrfern
New Member
I will say only that most of the answers are there you just need to look for them. RTFM is a common error so I read the manuals and supporting documentation before I ever call in. MAC is awesome but very expensive. A good rule of practice I have is my computer for work only does work. Nothing but design and print / cut on those two boxes. This way I never get a virus, pop up or any other thing. I buy DELL's from their clearance center every 2 years and upgrade / replace and it works awesome.
my .02 cents:Big Laugh
choucove
New Member
There are still a lot of options out there for a system within the $1,000 budget range. Trust me, we just built 4 design systems for $1,200 each and they blow away anything comparable from Dell or likewise, you just have to plan which is why you have come here to get information.
I still would highly HIGHLY recommend waiting until the new chipsets from Intel are released as it will offer even more options and will reduce the price of other platforms in the market as well. This can already be seen by last week's price drop of several of the 1366 socket processors by as much as 48%. A Core i7 2600K may be a little out of the price range for a $1,000 budget system, yes, but the Core i5 2500 might still be feasible in this budget once motherboards are released and I guarantee it will outperform other options in the price range.
If you need to order a system today, this is the kind of configuration I would suggest, it is very similar to what we went with at our offices to upgrade just recently and has been a stellar configuration.
Intel Core i5-760 2.8Ghz quad-core socket 1156 processor
ASUS P7P55D LX P55 socket 1156 ATX motherboard
Corsair XMS 8 GB (2 X 4 GB) DDR3 1600 9-9-9-24 memory
Corsair Enthusiast 650 Watt power supply
Western Digital 640 GB 7,200rpm SATA6 64MB Cache hard drive
PNY GeForce GTS 450 1GB PCI-express 2.0 graphics card
Cooler Master Hyper 212 CPU cooler
Cooler Master CM 690 II ATX computer tower
Lite-On DVD-Burner SATA drive
Windows 7 Professional x64 OEM
TOTAL COST WITH SHIPPING: $975
You can also go with an AMD system in this price range that will give you excellent performance!
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T 3.2 Ghz hexa-core socket AM3 processor
ASUS M4A89TD PRO/USB3 SATA6 890FX socket AM3 ATX motherboard
Corsair XMS 8 GB (2 X 4 GB) DDR3 1600 9-9-9-24 memory
Corsair Enthusiast 650 Watt power supply
Western Digital 640 GB 7,200rpm SATA6 64MB Cache hard drive
PNY GeForce GTS 450 1GB PCI-express 2.0 graphics card
Cooler Master Hyper N CPU cooler
Cooler Master CM 690 II ATX computer tower
Lite-On DVD-Burner SATA drive
Windows 7 Professional x64 OEM
TOTAL COST WITH SHIPPING: $1,000
These are some very competent systems with plenty of performance for design needs. A couple things here to point out that are important. Unless you are doing a lot of 3D design such as CAD work, you don't need a powerful graphics card at all. In fact, today's integrated graphics are more powerful than a lot of dedicated graphics cards from a few years back. The most I would recommend on spending for a graphics card would be about $100. The GTS 450 in this configuration is just slightly above that, but I have had good luck with the PNY brand and the 450 is more than enough power for years of design usage. It is the best price-performance ratio for this kind of design work, as if you are spending any more to get a more powerful card, you're only getting gaming performance which in daily design usage you are going to see no benefit compared to the 450 but will have spent a ton more money on it. Next, the Western Digital hard drive I selected is a very fast and high quality hard drive. It has a massive amount of cache memory which can increase the performance of the hard drive, plus it comes with one of the best warranties that I have ever seen on a hard drive, 5 years. I've used this hard drive in a TON of systems lately and have been thoroughly pleased by its performance. When comparing the Intel and AMD system I configured above within the $1,000 budget, I'd tend to lean towards the AMD system as you are getting more cores and faster clock speeds all for about the same price. Benchmark comparisons of the two platforms would say that the Intel platform performs slightly more efficiently clock-for-clock, but when you take into consideration the higher clock speeds and 50% more cores, your modern design software (like Adobe Photoshop and the rest) will have a greater advantage with the combination of more cores and higher clock speed.
That being said, latest testing with the new generation of Intel processors (which have had motherboard recalls due to a transistor design flaw) places the Core i5-2500 (which would be within your $1,000 budget for a system) at out-performing these processors without much problem. Add to that the new chipset advantages (a faster SATA6 interface than the same SATA6 interface on the 890FX chispet from AMD, double the bandwidth throughput on PCI-e connections for faster graphics, network, and hard drive interface speeds, higher efficiency, and support for up to 32GB of DDR3 RAM compared to 16GB with the options above) I'd still have to recommend waiting to see how the cards land in a month when the motherboards are released again by the manufacturers with the fixed chipsets.
I still would highly HIGHLY recommend waiting until the new chipsets from Intel are released as it will offer even more options and will reduce the price of other platforms in the market as well. This can already be seen by last week's price drop of several of the 1366 socket processors by as much as 48%. A Core i7 2600K may be a little out of the price range for a $1,000 budget system, yes, but the Core i5 2500 might still be feasible in this budget once motherboards are released and I guarantee it will outperform other options in the price range.
If you need to order a system today, this is the kind of configuration I would suggest, it is very similar to what we went with at our offices to upgrade just recently and has been a stellar configuration.
Intel Core i5-760 2.8Ghz quad-core socket 1156 processor
ASUS P7P55D LX P55 socket 1156 ATX motherboard
Corsair XMS 8 GB (2 X 4 GB) DDR3 1600 9-9-9-24 memory
Corsair Enthusiast 650 Watt power supply
Western Digital 640 GB 7,200rpm SATA6 64MB Cache hard drive
PNY GeForce GTS 450 1GB PCI-express 2.0 graphics card
Cooler Master Hyper 212 CPU cooler
Cooler Master CM 690 II ATX computer tower
Lite-On DVD-Burner SATA drive
Windows 7 Professional x64 OEM
TOTAL COST WITH SHIPPING: $975
You can also go with an AMD system in this price range that will give you excellent performance!
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T 3.2 Ghz hexa-core socket AM3 processor
ASUS M4A89TD PRO/USB3 SATA6 890FX socket AM3 ATX motherboard
Corsair XMS 8 GB (2 X 4 GB) DDR3 1600 9-9-9-24 memory
Corsair Enthusiast 650 Watt power supply
Western Digital 640 GB 7,200rpm SATA6 64MB Cache hard drive
PNY GeForce GTS 450 1GB PCI-express 2.0 graphics card
Cooler Master Hyper N CPU cooler
Cooler Master CM 690 II ATX computer tower
Lite-On DVD-Burner SATA drive
Windows 7 Professional x64 OEM
TOTAL COST WITH SHIPPING: $1,000
These are some very competent systems with plenty of performance for design needs. A couple things here to point out that are important. Unless you are doing a lot of 3D design such as CAD work, you don't need a powerful graphics card at all. In fact, today's integrated graphics are more powerful than a lot of dedicated graphics cards from a few years back. The most I would recommend on spending for a graphics card would be about $100. The GTS 450 in this configuration is just slightly above that, but I have had good luck with the PNY brand and the 450 is more than enough power for years of design usage. It is the best price-performance ratio for this kind of design work, as if you are spending any more to get a more powerful card, you're only getting gaming performance which in daily design usage you are going to see no benefit compared to the 450 but will have spent a ton more money on it. Next, the Western Digital hard drive I selected is a very fast and high quality hard drive. It has a massive amount of cache memory which can increase the performance of the hard drive, plus it comes with one of the best warranties that I have ever seen on a hard drive, 5 years. I've used this hard drive in a TON of systems lately and have been thoroughly pleased by its performance. When comparing the Intel and AMD system I configured above within the $1,000 budget, I'd tend to lean towards the AMD system as you are getting more cores and faster clock speeds all for about the same price. Benchmark comparisons of the two platforms would say that the Intel platform performs slightly more efficiently clock-for-clock, but when you take into consideration the higher clock speeds and 50% more cores, your modern design software (like Adobe Photoshop and the rest) will have a greater advantage with the combination of more cores and higher clock speed.
That being said, latest testing with the new generation of Intel processors (which have had motherboard recalls due to a transistor design flaw) places the Core i5-2500 (which would be within your $1,000 budget for a system) at out-performing these processors without much problem. Add to that the new chipset advantages (a faster SATA6 interface than the same SATA6 interface on the 890FX chispet from AMD, double the bandwidth throughput on PCI-e connections for faster graphics, network, and hard drive interface speeds, higher efficiency, and support for up to 32GB of DDR3 RAM compared to 16GB with the options above) I'd still have to recommend waiting to see how the cards land in a month when the motherboards are released again by the manufacturers with the fixed chipsets.
signmeup
New Member
My design computer cost $345 bux three years ago. It does what I need it to. Maybe the OP does stuff like me. He may not need the power some of you guys do. If I'm getting by with what I have, a thousand dollar computer would give me a pretty serious upgrade don't ya think?
Maybe he should tell us what he's doing with said computer.
Maybe he should tell us what he's doing with said computer.
Yep, what Signmeup said.
I design everything in Corel and Xara, so I don't need a huge video card to help with Photoshop files. For now, an intergrated video works fine for me. I bought a machine that gave me decent processor and ram speed.
I bought an AMD Phenom quad core 2.8 with 8 gigs of ram for $460... plenty fast for my needs!
I design everything in Corel and Xara, so I don't need a huge video card to help with Photoshop files. For now, an intergrated video works fine for me. I bought a machine that gave me decent processor and ram speed.
I bought an AMD Phenom quad core 2.8 with 8 gigs of ram for $460... plenty fast for my needs!