Which computer do you use?

manaheim · Dec 9, 2013

^ and now that gauntlet has been thrown down.

In the 32 years I have been immersed in computers, I have made one statement over and over again in discussions like this. It totally summarizes the whole thing, but nobody ever really reads it. That doesn't matter though, because no one pays attention to this discussion unless it's statements like "Buy a mac! They just WORK!".

So...

Again...

Amiga rulz.

Stevepwns · Dec 9, 2013

DanielLewis76 said:
Stevepwns, as a matter of interest what is the spec of your bad boy pc

G45 MSI Gigabyte Motherboard
3770k overclocked to 4.8 CPU with Corsair Watercooling
dual ASUS GTX670's overclocked to 1200 each
Intel 530 120gig SSD
Western Digital Balck 1TB storage
16 gigs Corsair Ram
Dual 27" ASUS IPS Panels
HX Corsair 850 PSU

Here is the video I did for my Youtube Channel about a year ago. When I made the video I was using 3 23" Samsung with a 24" Samsung for 3 x 1 set up

SnappingShark · Dec 9, 2013

I've never had issues with a Windows machine because a) I don't install crap on them b) I don't surf crap from them c) I install all my updates on time d) I don't use illegal copies of stuff.
oh and e) I use common sense when opening email - saving me from your friend's email which contains this year's Christmas card virus.

Stevepwns · Dec 9, 2013

manaheim said:
^ and now that gauntlet has been thrown down.

In the 32 years I have been immersed in computers, I have made one statement over and over again in discussions like this. It totally summarizes the whole thing, but nobody ever really reads it. That doesn't matter though, because no one pays attention to this discussion unless it's statements like "Buy a mac! They just WORK!".

So...

Again...

Amiga rulz.

Ive been building custom computers for more than 15 years, and maintaining the majority of the computers I build, I don't have any issues with them crashing. Apple has the same problem PC tend to have, because they use the same hardware. The difference is that Apple loads 'on top' of the Kernel and Windows loads 'into' the kernel. Thats why you get the BSD with Windows. Apples are nice, and thats coming from a PC guy. They just charge way more than they should. The price is not justified. There is nothing special about Apple, there is nothing special about PC. The only difference is price.

shovenose · Dec 9, 2013

Funny thread

My full time job involves computer repair and sales. My second to-the-side job involves custom build PCs for home and business users.

For desktops you're always going to be better off getting a custom built PC or building your own. It's the only way you can be assured you'll get the quality and expandability you want. The only bummer is that Windows 7 (or 8) costs $100 per copy. If you can get by with Linux (Ubuntu, Elementary OS, Linux Mint, or Fedora would be my recommendations - the first three are Debian-based with Fedora is RHEL-based), that's a great way to save.

For laptops, the brands to really avoid are Acer/Gateway/eMachines (all the same company) as well as HP/Compaq and Toshiba.

For laptops you're going to be best off with Asus, Lenovo, Dell, or MSI, in no particular order. My current laptop is an Asus and my previous laptop was a Lenovo. There's no easy and/or cost effective way to build your own custom laptop so you're going to be better off choosing one of those brands.

Of course, you could get a Mac, but Apple's OS sucks (in my opinion, I grew up on a Mac and switched to Windows a while ago and never looked back)... and their hardware, while being similar to Asus and Lenovo in quality, is usually very overpriced. The only place their higher end laptops stand out are the displays. They use really nice, high resolution panels. But my currently laptop, Asus Q501LA from Best Buy (yeah, yeah, don't laugh, still the best place to buy a laptop if you know what you're doing and don't listen to their salespeople), has a great IPS 1920x1080 15.6" FHD display. Oh, and did I mention, Apple products are overpriced??

If you do want a Mac, get a Mac Mini and a good quality IPS display from a reputable brand like Samsung, LG, or Dell (in no particular order)...

If you custom build your own Desktop PC here are some brands I would recommend:
CPUs: AMD is great for HTPC's but for everything else an Intel 3rd or 4th Gen Core i-series CPU is going to be the best.
Motherboards: All mobo makes have some good and not-so-good boards. Personally I try to use MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock, and ASUS whenever possible (in that order). Avoid Foxconn branded, ECS/Elitegroup, PCChips, and/or Biostar motherboards.
Hard Drives: WD all the way. Best disks right now are WD10EZEX and WD1003FZEX. AVOID the older WD Black drives like WD1002FAEX, they're hot, slow, noisy, and power hungry. 1TB is the best bang for buck in disks right now especially those two aforementioned models. If you can afford an SSD go for Samsung or Intel, or go home.
Disc drives: LiteOn iHAS124-04 is what I've used in absolutely every PC build up until now. 0 Failures or DOA drives. However they now have a new revision that's problematic so unless you get old stock don't use this model anymore. Sad

Power supplies: if you can spend more go for a Seasonic, preferably an 80Plus Gold or Platinum unit. Most people go overkill on wattage - it's pointless to get a 1000W power supply for a single-GPU system. Yes, even with a GTX Titan or Radeon R9 290X. On he more budget end, FSP (also known as SPI) makes some decent units. HEC's Cougar brand has recently made some decent units as well. In Win is another good budget brand. Antec, Corsair, and Cooler Master have quality control problems and are overhyped and overpriced.
RAM: Mushkin, G.Skill, Kingston, or Crucial. Avoid Corsair.
Cases: I personally prefer Silverstone's designs, but this is mostly opinion. Fractal Design makes some sweet stuff too. Again, I find Antec and Cooler Master overpriced and overhyped in this category.
Graphics: Intel HD onboard graphics are making great headways, but still can't compete with dedicated graphics from AMD or nVidia. Both companies make some great cards and some cards that are bad buys. For any computing like Folding@Home or Bitcoin mining get an AMD GPU. For gaming, get an nVidia GeForce GTX series card, or an AMD Radeon R9 290 or 290X (the only AMD GPUs that don't suck, IMO)... Make sure to get a card with a wide memory bus - this is usually more important than video memory amount. 256-bit 1GB is better than 128-bit 2GB. Unless you do multi-monitor gaming 1 or 2GB is usually sufficient.

That's all I have to say for now. I should really get back to work

Hope I helped somebody! Here are the specs on my main desktop:
-Intel i7-4770K CPU
-MSI Z87M-G43 Motherboard
-16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-1600 Mushkin Blackline Enhanced RAM
-1TB WD Black HDD
-In Win 800W Power Supply (overkill but I got a good deal LOL)
-Silverstone PS07B Case
-Geforce GTX670 2GB Graphics
-LiteOn iHAS124-04 DVDRW
-3x 23" Samsung 1080P LCD monitors

JClishe · Dec 9, 2013

Stevepwns said:
The difference is that Apple loads 'on top' of the Kernel and Windows loads 'into' the kernel. Thats why you get the BSD with Windows.

That's a little misleading. A BSOD is a result of Windows deliberately halting itself when it detects unexpected behavior in a component or subsystem (usually a 3rd party driver), in order to protect the system from malicious activity or data loss that could potentially result from said unexpected behavior. It's basically Windows saying "I don't know what you're doing, but whatever it is, you shouldn't be doing it so I'm outta here." It has nothing to do with loading 'on top of' or 'into' the kernel, as you put it; it's something behaving in a way that it shouldn't be.

Although to be fair I'm not completely sure what you're trying to say so I could be misinterpreting it. The Windows kernel is highly protected and nothing loads "into" it, whether your're talking about it's active address space, dll's, or something else.

Smokeyr67 · Dec 10, 2013

Stevepwns said:
DanielLewis76 said:

Stevepwns, as a matter of interest what is the spec of your bad boy pc

Click to expand...

G45 MSI Gigabyte Motherboard
3770k overclocked to 4.8 CPU with Corsair Watercooling
dual ASUS GTX670's overclocked to 1200 each
Intel 530 120gig SSD
Western Digital Balck 1TB storage
16 gigs Corsair Ram
Dual 27" ASUS IPS Panels
HX Corsair 850 PSU

Here is the video I did for my Youtube Channel about a year ago. When I made the video I was using 3 23" Samsung with a 24" Samsung for 3 x 1 set up

Danb bear the same as mine except I have an ASUS Rampage IV extreme motherboard, 32Gb Ram, thermaltake water cooling and only one 27inch monitor

Jad · Dec 22, 2013

My suggestion is buy the best you can afford and work with it. I prefer the Mac mini for all of my PS and Lightroom work. It is small is size and very fast.

robbins.photo · Dec 22, 2013

manaheim said:
^ and now that gauntlet has been thrown down.

In the 32 years I have been immersed in computers, I have made one statement over and over again in discussions like this. It totally summarizes the whole thing, but nobody ever really reads it. That doesn't matter though, because no one pays attention to this discussion unless it's statements like "Buy a mac! They just WORK!".

So...

Again...

Amiga rulz.

Umm.. sorry, could you go over that middle part again? I sort of nodded off there for a bit...

nomiko · Dec 23, 2013

shovenose said:
Funny thread
My full time job involves computer repair and sales. My second to-the-side job involves custom build PCs for home and business users.

For desktops you're always going to be better off getting a custom built PC or building your own. It's the only way you can be assured you'll get the quality and expandability you want. The only bummer is that Windows 7 (or 8) costs $100 per copy. If you can get by with Linux (Ubuntu, Elementary OS, Linux Mint, or Fedora would be my recommendations - the first three are Debian-based with Fedora is RHEL-based), that's a great way to save.

For laptops, the brands to really avoid are Acer/Gateway/eMachines (all the same company) as well as HP/Compaq and Toshiba.

For laptops you're going to be best off with Asus, Lenovo, Dell, or MSI, in no particular order. My current laptop is an Asus and my previous laptop was a Lenovo. There's no easy and/or cost effective way to build your own custom laptop so you're going to be better off choosing one of those brands.

Of course, you could get a Mac, but Apple's OS sucks (in my opinion, I grew up on a Mac and switched to Windows a while ago and never looked back)... and their hardware, while being similar to Asus and Lenovo in quality, is usually very overpriced. The only place their higher end laptops stand out are the displays. They use really nice, high resolution panels. But my currently laptop, Asus Q501LA from Best Buy (yeah, yeah, don't laugh, still the best place to buy a laptop if you know what you're doing and don't listen to their salespeople), has a great IPS 1920x1080 15.6" FHD display. Oh, and did I mention, Apple products are overpriced??

If you do want a Mac, get a Mac Mini and a good quality IPS display from a reputable brand like Samsung, LG, or Dell (in no particular order)...

If you custom build your own Desktop PC here are some brands I would recommend:
CPUs: AMD is great for HTPC's but for everything else an Intel 3rd or 4th Gen Core i-series CPU is going to be the best.
Motherboards: All mobo makes have some good and not-so-good boards. Personally I try to use MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock, and ASUS whenever possible (in that order). Avoid Foxconn branded, ECS/Elitegroup, PCChips, and/or Biostar motherboards.
Hard Drives: WD all the way. Best disks right now are WD10EZEX and WD1003FZEX. AVOID the older WD Black drives like WD1002FAEX, they're hot, slow, noisy, and power hungry. 1TB is the best bang for buck in disks right now especially those two aforementioned models. If you can afford an SSD go for Samsung or Intel, or go home.
Disc drives: LiteOn iHAS124-04 is what I've used in absolutely every PC build up until now. 0 Failures or DOA drives. However they now have a new revision that's problematic so unless you get old stock don't use this model anymore. Sad
Power supplies: if you can spend more go for a Seasonic, preferably an 80Plus Gold or Platinum unit. Most people go overkill on wattage - it's pointless to get a 1000W power supply for a single-GPU system. Yes, even with a GTX Titan or Radeon R9 290X. On he more budget end, FSP (also known as SPI) makes some decent units. HEC's Cougar brand has recently made some decent units as well. In Win is another good budget brand. Antec, Corsair, and Cooler Master have quality control problems and are overhyped and overpriced.
RAM: Mushkin, G.Skill, Kingston, or Crucial. Avoid Corsair.
Cases: I personally prefer Silverstone's designs, but this is mostly opinion. Fractal Design makes some sweet stuff too. Again, I find Antec and Cooler Master overpriced and overhyped in this category.
Graphics: Intel HD onboard graphics are making great headways, but still can't compete with dedicated graphics from AMD or nVidia. Both companies make some great cards and some cards that are bad buys. For any computing like Folding@Home or Bitcoin mining get an AMD GPU. For gaming, get an nVidia GeForce GTX series card, or an AMD Radeon R9 290 or 290X (the only AMD GPUs that don't suck, IMO)... Make sure to get a card with a wide memory bus - this is usually more important than video memory amount. 256-bit 1GB is better than 128-bit 2GB. Unless you do multi-monitor gaming 1 or 2GB is usually sufficient.

That's all I have to say for now. I should really get back to work Hope I helped somebody! Here are the specs on my main desktop:
-Intel i7-4770K CPU
-MSI Z87M-G43 Motherboard
-16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-1600 Mushkin Blackline Enhanced RAM
-1TB WD Black HDD
-In Win 800W Power Supply (overkill but I got a good deal LOL)
-Silverstone PS07B Case
-Geforce GTX670 2GB Graphics
-LiteOn iHAS124-04 DVDRW
-3x 23" Samsung 1080P LCD monitors

There are some really useful advise in your post, for the noobs

And that's a great built system you have

Sent from my HUAWEI MT1-U06 using Tapatalk

Newtricks · Dec 23, 2013

8086... no wait, these days it's an HP 550 desktop, not that expensive and works great. Shop around for an inexpensive desktop and spend your money on a top rate monitor.

astroNikon · Dec 23, 2013

Newtricks said:
8086... no wait, these days it's an HP 550 desktop, not that expensive and works great. Shop around for an inexpensive desktop and spend your money on a top rate monitor.

My Nec V20 processor computer with turbo is laying around somewhere.

I loved my mac mini when I first got it about 5 years ago. Then I tried to upgrade the OS (had to pay for it) and while I was updating the builtin software it stated I needed to pay for more software updates - not everything was a free upgrade as part of the OS. I uninstalled the OS upgrade as the $$ kept adding up. I don't recall the specifics anymore. Now it's mostly for browsing and netflix (though only an older version of Firefox works for netflix). So I'm a bit disappointed and I've been an apple person since my Apple //e. I have a iMac G4 too which is on the old processor platform and that is only good for playing DVDs and a cute-looking conversation piece.

So I stick to Windows PCs which I've been using since version 2.1. 8.1 is "okay" though I just got a touchscreen and it is better than on a non-touchscreen when certain things just seem easier.

To me the Mac is a luxury workhorse and a PC is a daily low cost workhorse. I'm using my Office 2003 on my 8.1. I wonder if my office 1997 still works too? And there's always OpenOffice (free).

But for a "one off" computer, I recommend to just buy one as you may end up spending more money than you initially planned if you haven't done it before and are only thinking of one computer.

I just picked up a Dell laptop for $448 with a touchscreen. It's not top of the line, gaming system but it just works and gets the job done. I have all of my Lightroom work on an external 3tb drive and it all works better than my photography.

weeds2nicaragua · Dec 25, 2013

Mac mini (with 16gb of ram). All photo / video work, as well as finances are done on the mac.
All communication, orders, etc. Are on ipad. I don't have a use for a laptop anymore.
On a budget? Build a PC install UBUNTU OS with Gimp 2.8 for your photography needs.
A friend of mine does more with Gimp than I could ever dream about doing on PS.

Sent from my iPad using PhotoForum