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United States2033 Posts
@Coopfreak
You say you're a media professional - is your primary money-making program photoshop? Or other software? It's important to know which programs are most important to you, as this can influence the choice of video card & possibly even CPU.
As for OS: 8 blows chunks. I have a laptop with Windows 8 on it, and unless you want a good month of shitty productivity at best while you figure out the thing, there's no reason to get it over 7. The only benefit I've seen to win 8 for anyone is increased connectivity to windows cloud services & the ability to more easily sync various devices (if you also have a windows-based smartphone and/or laptop/tablet.).
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On February 18 2013 13:44 Coopfreak wrote:+ Show Spoiler +Build request please? I have a diverse list of requirements for this build but I hope you guys can help me (if anyone can it's you guys). Budget: $1500–$2000 (willing—but if I don't need to, great!) Resolution: I currently have a 16:10 ratio monitor at 1680:1050, but I'll be switching to a 24inch 16  monitor and setting it to be as close to that as possible taking into account the ratio difference (1080?). Is this low? Another important note is that I need to run at least 2 monitors off this machine (and with an option to add a third in the future). Use: Build usage – SC2, video editing/encoding photoshop etc, streaming (I'm a media professional so this puppy needs to hum) Upgrade cycle: I'll probably slowly upgrade parts 1 or 2 at a time ongoing every year When: now! Overclocking: Not a priority, but you never know when the urge to dabble may hit. OS: I gotta buy 7 or 8. Advice? SLI or Crossfire: Not planning on it. This will be a Newegg / Fry's build
1080p is the standard resolution these days. Not sure what you mean by setting it to be as close as possible, you want to be using your monitor's native resolution otherwise it's going to look like shit.
Most (all) modern graphics cards suitable for gaming in combination with motherboards will support half a dozen displays.
This is $1068, not including any mail in rebates, taxes, or shipping.
Intel Core i7 3770k @ $320
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501
MSI Radeon HD7770 @ $115
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127687
Asrock Z77 Pro4 & Corsair Vengeance 8gb 1600MHz @ $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157296
You can grab another 8gb for $43 if you use a lot of memory for editing: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233383 If you want matching colours than it's $48.
Fractal Design Define R4 White @ $110 (less expensive at NCIX US and Amazon, also available in Black, with no window, along with other colours)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352025
Rosewill Capstone 450 @ $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182066
Samsung 840 120gb @ $110 (probably can get it cheaper at NCIX US and Amazon, sometimes goes on sale for under $100. The 250gb variant also was on sale a few weeks ago for $150 or something)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147188
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500gb @ $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769
Xigmatek Gaia @ $25
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233082
Windows 8 64-bit @ $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832416550
If you have legacy software or peripherals that don't have drivers for Windows 8 than you can get Windows 7.
You can get a better GPU if you want but Starcraft II isn't GPU intensive or switch to Nvidia if that's what's better for the video software you use.
Not sure what's everyone's problem with Windows 8 is because it's the exact same thing as Windows 7 with improvements and the change from a start menu to a start screen - both of which are shit.
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On February 18 2013 15:03 skyR wrote:
Not sure what's everyone's problem with Windows 8 is because it's the exact same thing as Windows 7 with improvements and the change from a start menu to a start screen - both of which are shit.
These are about my thoughts as well.
As for the build, I'd consider Sandy Bridge-E, meaning specifically i7-3930k and an X79 motherboard. You get more RAM support and hex cores, which could help. Depends on the workflow and programs used. That's a few hundred dollars extra, but it fits under $1500 or so still. edit: "consider" means just that—a i7-3770k may be plenty. It's an option.
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On February 18 2013 15:12 Myrmidon wrote:Show nested quote +On February 18 2013 15:03 skyR wrote:
Not sure what's everyone's problem with Windows 8 is because it's the exact same thing as Windows 7 with improvements and the change from a start menu to a start screen - both of which are shit. These are about my thoughts as well. As for the build, I'd consider Sandy Bridge-E, meaning specifically i7-3930k and an X79 motherboard. You get more RAM support and hex cores, which could help. Depends on the workflow and programs used. That's a few hundred dollars extra, but it fits under $1500 or so still.
My experience with my brother's surface thingie (Win 8 full version, not RT) he got from his school was it's very painful to use, even trying to adjust the position of a window was virtually impossible. Not to mention the desktop isn't anywhere near as accessible, and the bottom bar (which I liked) has been fubar. He's given up trying to use it (has no access to an admin account to remove the metro shit), so he just uses his old laptop instead with 7 on it, that's how hard it is to use.
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Surface Pro? I've get to try RT or Win8 proper on a tablet or even actually anything with a touch screen.
I never use or really get into contact with Metro, and I'd imagine that most desktop users (particularly not new users, not casual users) would do the same. Pretty much all windows and functionality work like they have in the past, in desktop mode. All this is without spending / wasting time bothering with UI tweaks or anything.
I'd imagine it would be significantly different if you weren't using the same keyboard shortcuts and programs for everything that you used to use.
edit: some things, like if accessing Control Panel-like system configs through the menu, are a bit different in terms of where stuff is—through command line or regedit or whatever, should be the same. That's not as much a matter of better or worse, but different. (and different requires relearning for somebody who knows the old) I mean, I wouldn't upgrade, but I wouldn't be scared off for a new system. I don't really know much about UI design though, nor have I really studied both comparatively as more than just a user, so maybe you could make an argument for some stuff being worse, even on desktop.
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I'm at a film production company, and do mostly vid editing, but have to use photoshop sometimes. Thanks for all the amazing info!
Just to be clear, a machine like you recommend could stream 720 and play SC2 simultaneously no problem? The no problem is important, cause I don't want to be walking a thin line you know...
Microsoft.....When can we get Win 9?
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SkyR's build looks good, as usual.
For OP's purposes, I'd also strongly recommend 2 of these right now at a great price if you want 2 monitors as well for right at 1500:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824260055
Great color for your photoshop and color matching on your video editing, particularly if you're the kind of guy that regularly wades beyond the software's native functions. Also nice adjustability on stand. I'm basically 100% sure these will sell out at 220, so take advantage.
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United States2033 Posts
On February 18 2013 15:28 Myrmidon wrote:
Surface Pro? I've get to try RT or Win8 proper on a tablet or even actually anything with a touch screen.
I never use or really get into contact with Metro, and I'd imagine that most desktop users (particularly not new users, not casual users) would do the same. Pretty much all windows and functionality work like they have in the past, in desktop mode. All this is without spending / wasting time bothering with UI tweaks or anything.
I'd imagine it would be significantly different if you weren't using the same keyboard shortcuts and programs for everything that you used to use.
edit: some things, like if accessing Control Panel-like system configs through the menu, are a bit different in terms of where stuff is—through command line or regedit or whatever, should be the same. That's not as much a matter of better or worse, but different. (and different requires relearning for somebody who knows the old) I mean, I wouldn't upgrade, but I wouldn't be scared off for a new system. I don't really know much about UI design though, nor have I really studied both comparatively as more than just a user, so maybe you could make an argument for some stuff being worse, even on desktop.
Yeah, desktop works ok, but the issue I have is that you still have to use the metro UI for some things, which is a pain in the ass. Also, basically all Microsoft programs from Media player to Word are tied into the metro system (the laptop I have has Office 2013 - might be as much a cause of my distaste as win 8 itself).
I mean it's not like it's unusable - I'm still very grateful to have a good laptop for super-cheap - but the little things just get to me. Why should I need to move my mouse up into the corner of a screen (extra pain on a trackpad) and then to a totally different part of the screen just to access the metro UI to shut the computer down? Compared to relatively easily accessing the start menu with an easy keyboard shortcut or clicking on a (single!) button. Yes it only takes 3-4 seconds the windows 8 way vs maybe a second the windows 7 way. But that shit gets to me.
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Oh, well I have Office 2010 and don't use any other MS software other than the OS and system utils and... Defender? I think that's it. If I had programs in Metro, I would be annoyed.
For shutting down, I always hit a shortcut for terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T to open MSYS from MinGW, though normal cmd.exe is okay too; Windows key -> type cmd -> hit enter works fast), then type "shutdown -P" -> Enter. Or for Win8, you can just Windows key+I -> hold onto down -> hit right -> select Power. Similar thing for a lot of tasks.
To be honest, I've probably already forgotten about most adjustments made, though I don't think there were a lot.
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United States2033 Posts
Yes, I should really just take the time to learn all the keyboard shortcuts. But it irks me to have to spend some hours doing so since win 8's UI is so counter-intuitive. I might just format C: and put windows 7 & office 2010 on there anyway. The only reason I haven't is that I'd lose (legal) copies of a fair amount of software I wouldn't have otherwise. Not that I ever use those programs...
That said, from other people's experiences win 8 really does seem to be fairly handy for unifying calendar/task managing programs across multiple mobile devices.
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I think the time it takes to format and install all kinds of programs and drivers and change all kinds of settings (okay, config files) would be a whole lot longer than the time it takes to adapt and learn the shortcuts.
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United States2033 Posts
That kind of stuff doesn't stick in my head very well. My desktop still has win7 & I don't feel like pirating win8 (actually, come to think of it, I don't know how pirateable it is, considering how tied it is to online microsoft accounts). Since I'm on my desktop 80% of the time I'm on a computer, I'd prefer to just keep myself in the win7 zone.
Edit: so basically, thanks for the advice, and I don't much recommend Office 2013. Like Win8 my standard advice is: don't bother unless you have a specific known reason for using the newer version.
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On February 18 2013 15:58 MisterFred wrote:Show nested quote +On February 18 2013 15:28 Myrmidon wrote:
Surface Pro? I've get to try RT or Win8 proper on a tablet or even actually anything with a touch screen.
I never use or really get into contact with Metro, and I'd imagine that most desktop users (particularly not new users, not casual users) would do the same. Pretty much all windows and functionality work like they have in the past, in desktop mode. All this is without spending / wasting time bothering with UI tweaks or anything.
I'd imagine it would be significantly different if you weren't using the same keyboard shortcuts and programs for everything that you used to use.
edit: some things, like if accessing Control Panel-like system configs through the menu, are a bit different in terms of where stuff is—through command line or regedit or whatever, should be the same. That's not as much a matter of better or worse, but different. (and different requires relearning for somebody who knows the old) I mean, I wouldn't upgrade, but I wouldn't be scared off for a new system. I don't really know much about UI design though, nor have I really studied both comparatively as more than just a user, so maybe you could make an argument for some stuff being worse, even on desktop. Yeah, desktop works ok, but the issue I have is that you still have to use the metro UI for some things, which is a pain in the ass. Also, basically all Microsoft programs from Media player to Word are tied into the metro system (the laptop I have has Office 2013 - might be as much a cause of my distaste as win 8 itself). I mean it's not like it's unusable - I'm still very grateful to have a good laptop for super-cheap - but the little things just get to me. Why should I need to move my mouse up into the corner of a screen (extra pain on a trackpad) and then to a totally different part of the screen just to access the metro UI to shut the computer down? Compared to relatively easily accessing the start menu with an easy keyboard shortcut or clicking on a (single!) button. Yes it only takes 3-4 seconds the windows 8 way vs maybe a second the windows 7 way. But that shit gets to me.
What do you need metro UI for? Not being sarcastic or anything... I've been using W8 since it was in consumer preview and literally never use metro. Except for the weather I guess, but that's just because I hit the windows key to glance at it (which is something I find useful).
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@Myrmidon
If I did go with the i7-3930k and an X79 everything else could still stay the same correct?
Could you please specify which X79 are you referring to? I see several on newegg.
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You don't need to access metro to shut down. Shut down is associated with Charm which is Windows + C or you can do it the hard way and move your mouse to the right corners. You can also do Windows + D > Alt + F4 > Enter .
You only need to use metro to use some absurd program, hit Windows and type in the program. Same way you do it in Windows 7. All regularly used programs should be pinned to the taskbar.
You can use Rainmeter for weather. Tons of Chrome apps for weather as well.
Windows 8 has a pixel barrier for the corners which is going to annoy you if you have multiple screens. But this can be painlessly changed in the registry.
Biggest problem with Windows 8 is driver support for legacy peripherals. My printer works in Windows 7 but not 8, what the fuck?
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My biggest issue with windows 8 was the search function. I used it a lot in windows 7, and they totally ruined it...
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I am looking to build a new air cooled pc. I have had my liquid cooled heavy pc for 4 years now. And it is still kicking ass. (it has Corsair 800D case. WAY too heavy) But I need a smaller one and that weighs less so I can transport it easier. I do not need a cube pc. I was thinking mid tower.
- Only aimed for gaming.
- I play SC2 at low graphics. But I just want high framerate at 1920x1080.
- light weight
- as cheap as possible (this will be my 2nd pc)
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Hi there tech support gurus,
I am looking to build an as cheap as possible system that will last me around 3 years, money is no real issue but I don't want to spend more than 1000 euros, including an OS. I usually buy a new PC at a 3-4 year interval, and want my PC to last that time. The only real use for the PC is gaming (currently SC2, shogun, borderlands 2, XCOM, I generally buy a few new games a year), and so far I've never ever used a resolution above 1280x1024 and am not looking to do so either. I am from the Netherlands and I am capable of finding the cheapest possible parts myself through tweakers.net (a dutch website). I am planning on building the system in the near future (let's say within a month). I do not plan on overclocking and it will be my first build.
I've been looking around for a week or so, comparing various builds on retail sites combined with reviews, and this is what I have come up with so far:
- CPU: Intel Core i5 3570K Boxed (using the box CPU cooler)
- Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77-DS3H
- Video card: MSI N660Ti PE 2GD5/OC
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance CML8GX3M2A1600C9 Low Profile
- HD: Western Digital Black WD1002FAEX, 1TB
- SSD: Samsung 840 series SSD 120GB
- PSU: Seasonic M12II 620W
- Case: BitFenix Shinobi
- DVD drive: Samsung SH-222BB Black
- Obligatory win 7 copy
(This runs at 950 euros approximately)
What I am looking for from you guys is the following:
- Am I going wrong anywhere with this build? Are there things that are not compatible or anything?
- Will this build last me 3 years? Is it good enough, is it too much? Can I cut costs anywhere?
- Are there 'poor quality' items on it that could be replaced with better ones at a marginal cost?
I would like to stay with an intel CPU and a nvidia gfx card, but using AMD stuff is not a dealbreaker.
Thanks in advance if anyone feels like responding  .
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Hey so i received my 256gb SSD today, and i was wondering if anyone can give me some guidance in how to install it, what cables do i need, where i need to plug it into, etc?
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On February 18 2013 21:11 Shauni wrote:
My biggest issue with windows 8 was the search function. I used it a lot in windows 7, and they totally ruined it...
All you have to do is install the Windows 8 Start Menu and you don't ever see the Start Screen unless you want to. I use it to quickly look at the weather otherwise it's gone. I have to admit their messenger sucks as well, but it's been a month and I really never interacted with the Windows 8 tiles in the last 3 weeks. Really no issues on my end, but legacy support maybe if you're really unlucky.
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EPT
