Desktop PC

[Sandyn]

we have
2x27" iMacs
1xmini mac
1x mac book air
1x iPad
iphones verson 5,6,8 and 2x10's and a 12 I think, on it's way from my daughter, cast off....
plus a tiny music thingy.....
wouldn't consider anything else unless it's as and a lot cheaper....

There's more Mac's in your house than in Scotland!!!!
We also have the usual iPads, iPhones, I inherit all my Apple stuff from my son. I even have an Apple watch, (only wear as a dress watch) but still not an Apple lover.

 

[Sandyn]

I see you are in Scotland so even more reason for me to suggest 'Kustom' who are in Ayr. I've been using them for some years for most of the components I need to build the specialist PC's I build.

Thanks, Just had a look at their site and the word 'refurbished' got my interest. They have some good value refurbished machines and they give the full spec, including motherboard details, so I'll have to have a good look and get in touch, see what else they have.

 

[Jameshow]

This firm do a range of very affordable ex corporate high quality good spec PCs at very reasonable prices. Here is an example.
Dell OptiPlex 5040 SFF i5-6500 Windows 10 Pro Configurable Desktop PC | eBay

You don't have to have a Microsoft account to run windows 11 and you don't have to have very exotic hardware to run it.

How to Install Windows 11 on Unsupported PCs? | Gear up Windows 11/10

Second dell for a basic pc, perhaps not what the OP is after but useful to someone.

Cheers James

 

[martin.pearson]

Thanks, Until recently, I still had every PC i ever built or owned and all my kids machines Haha, been there, done that. My first was an amiga 128 with a whopping 1/2 meg ram lol I kept a machine running windows 98 until about 18 months ago because of some software that was on it that I couldn't replace.
My first proper PC was a very expensive Compaq machine running windows 95, I got some money when my Grandad passed away & decided to invest in a high end machine to do video editing think it cost about £2500. When I got round to setting it up I discovered it wouldn't do the video editing I wanted it to do so was a complete waste of money lol, after that experience I started to build my own & built them to suit my needs.
Did the same as you & took most of what I had to the dump, sure they must have thought I was a business lol, now I just have what I need, one laptop, one desktop for design work & 2 desktop machines at the workshop, one for each of the 2 CNC machines. One runs windows 7 pro but the other 2 desktops & the laptop run windows 10 pro which is probably how it will stay for a while. Not in any hurry to upgrade to windows 11
Yes I know what DPP4 is just wondered what you were using it for, do you use it just to transfer the raw images from the camera to the PC? I have a canon camera myself. Bought it second hand fairly recently, nothing to fancy but works OK for what I want & I have & use photoshop elements.

 

[Duncan A]

I know someone who replaced a purpose-built graphics editing PC (2nd gen i7, 32GB RAM, up to 10 hard disks/SSD's, 2GB graphics card) with a Mesh PC (Ryzen CPU, 64GB RAM etc) about 9 months ago and he's pretty happy with it and was happy with their service whilst discussing the order with them. He is pretty clued-up on such matters, mind, so knows what he wants.
Duncan

 

[Gerry]

FYI you can upgrade to Windows 11 on just about any pc if you bypass the startup checks.
While running Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10
Download the Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft.
Right click the ISO and extract the file to a location of your choice (I suggest the root of C
Open the folder you have just extracted the files to then open the sources folder.
Delete or rename the file called appraiserres.dll then go back into the Windows 11 folder
Disconnect your machine from the internet either by turning off WiFi, Unplugging the network cable or both
From your windows 11 folder run setup and it will upgrade your windows installation.

Gerry

 

[Krome10]

I now suspect one of the memory modules

Probably too anecdotal, but thought I'd mention that I experienced the same problems over the last couple of weeks, which got worse and ended up with the PC not booting at all. The fans would start up for a second or three, but would never go any further and just power back down.

After an initial period of panic, "arrrgghhh", and "what a terrible time for my PC to die" rants (but let's face it, when IS a good time?!) my hardware muse guided me to the RAM. I took out three of the fours sticks, and so far so good. So I'm almost 100% it's a dodgy module. Will start re-introducing them a stick at a time to see which is the culprit.


An off topic aside - my PC is a self build from 2008/2009 and apart from this module and one of the case fans, it's still going strong. I do believe what I read about in-built obsolescence, but seemingly the parts I chose were built to last!

 

[Sandyn]

Yes I know what DPP4 is just wondered what you were using it for, do you use it just to transfer the raw images from the camera to the PC?

I save RAW and JPG files on the camera. The JPG's are handy for general stuff, but I also save all my RAW files. I just use cut and paste to remove from the camera, then DPP for basic exposure correction (expose to the right), lens correction and cropping. I also use the collection feature for files I want to process further. I then batch convert to TIFF and JPG. So for some images I may have the RAW file, 2 JPGs and a TIFF, but hard disks are cheap. I really like DPP, so hopefully it will run better on a new PC.

 

[Sandyn]

After an initial period of panic, "arrrgghhh", and "what a terrible time for my PC to die" rants (but let's face it, when IS a good time?!) my hardware muse guided me to the RAM. I took out three of the fours sticks, and so far so good. So I'm almost 100% it's a dodgy module. Will start re-introducing them a stick at a time to see which is the culprit.

That sounds very similar to my problem, but I was thrown by previous problems with the BIOS. At the moment, I'm running with only 2 memory modules and don't dare touch anything while it's still running.

 

[JoshD]

Since the fans are often the first thing to fail, and I don't like the noise anyway, I bought fanless for my last upgrade a few months ago. New range of low power AMD processors mean you can still get reasonable number crunching power.
DB1a Fanless Z2

 

[Mal-110]

Have a look at https://www.scan.co.uk they have a really good selection of built computers or parts to build your own. The Today only section usually has a bargain or two.

 

[rafezetter]

Another option - look at the Dell Factory Outlet - if you can be a bit flexible you will find overstock products at a decent saving.

I still make my own, and just had a motherboard failure last weekend - so the whole system had to be stripped down (I used the opportunity to rework some wiring). I purchased a new motherboard and sent the old one back under warranty suggesting they refund the new one. No way - the old one goes back for repair or replacement - in up to four weeks. Imagine a dismantled PC spread across your desk and being unable to use it for up to six weeks (allowing for shipping and fitting times). A whole system with 3-year vendor support would have had no such issues - so there are benefits not building your own.

DO NOT BY FROM DELL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. RETAIL OR FACTORY OUTLET.

They have proven to have some of THE WORST customer support in the business, and if Eriktheviking were still on this forum he would have a few very choice words to say about them and his dealings and personal experience with them while working for HP as an electronics engineer. He is not a fan of them at all for a myriad of reasons.

About the only reason Dell are still in business is because they are a well known name whom are usually used for "standard" office machine in thier millions.

If I were you the first thing I would do is identify WHAT exactly you want to use the machine for, because they are not all built the same way; different use, different spec, and then ask for more recommendations - I've been building PC's for myself and other people for 20 years and to my knowledge I have NEVER had a single failure, not one, and I do tell the people I build them for they can call me for any reason any time - it rarely happens. The machine I'm writing this on I built 7 years ago for less than £1500 and it gets hammered, daily use for many hours 5-6 hours a night and more on weekends; 7 years no failure, and I can still play new AAA games on it today after a recent GPU upgrade, the rest is exactly the same as it was.

How long a PC lasts almost always depends on 3 things, sufficient cooling, it not being full of dust and the parts themselves - seems obvious but you would be amazed at the number of people whom think "it's all the same".

Generic machines will ALWAYS have some cost cutting built in and some brands - like Dell - have even been known to put parts in with a limited life span, the revenue that Dell gets from repairs outside of warrenty is HUGE, that's not a good thing.

At the very least Look for a guy on YT called "Linus Tech tips" he really knows his stuff and has videos on just how bad Dell are, and also on how and whom to buy a prebuilt system from or build your own on a budget with components that WILL LAST.

It actually really annoys me how many people get taken in to buying a crap PC by sales blurb and such by salesmen whom know most people don't have a clue (and quite a few salesmen in places like PC World don't know much more either).

 

[Spectric]

Just been through this process and buy my components through Scan computers in Bolton, been using them since 1988/89 with excellent service. They do pre built systems https://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-hardware/home-office-pcs/1648/2740 or you can go custom.

Totally agree about Dell, people only buy them if they know no better, and you need to know what you will be using it for, if not you could spend too much for something you will never fully ultilise.

Biggest issue these days is avoiding the gaming brigade, disco lights and expensive cosmetics, so list what you want from it.

I use AMD processors and Gigabyte motherboards because they give value for money and durability, if you are not into gaming then you could go down the route of having the Graphics integrated into the CPU which saves on the graphics card but you must get a suitable motherboard, not all provide a graphics port.

My current spec is AMD 5600X with AMD X570 UD motherboard, 500 gig M.2 SSD for the operating system and programs with two western digital black 1 Tbyte hard disk drives for work and data. 16 gig corsair RAM, (2x8gig sticks) , larger CPU cooler and case with three fans to get the air moving and a 750 Watt Corsair PSU. Due to eyesight I also had to get a larger monitor to make life easier, that is a 27 inch iiyama Prolite IPS running 2K, (2560 x 1440).

but I also save all my RAW files.

If you save the RAW files from your camera, ie Nikon Neff files they are camera specific and not future proof, I used to use 14 bit uncompressed .Neff and the first part of my workflow was to convert to Adobe DNG, an open source format which is not camera make or model specific and so future proof.

 

[Sandyn]

At the very least Look for a guy on YT called "Linus Tech tips" he really knows his stuff and has videos on just how bad Dell are, and also on how and whom to buy a prebuilt system from or build your own on a budget with components that WILL LAST.

Thanks for the good info. I have built a few PC's as well, but was back in the 90's when I worked at IBM and was able to get lots of equipment at really cheap prices. All the stuff which went through testing was sold off really cheap in the staff shop, was great. I also used to spec my own machines and build from components, but these days, I just want to buy a system. I just can't be bothered working on card now either!!
I don't buy blind, I usually do a bit of research on the components (skinflint is good) and make sure they are OK. I also have a look at test scores where supplied. I don't play games, but my minimum spec is an i7/Ryzen 7, good motherboard, 16Gb memory, 512Gb SSD/ fast hard drive and a reputable graphics card with a few Gb memory. That will handle anything I will do. I don't bother with overclocking and I'm not into running the kit at the extremes of performance. The prices range from about £800 to £1500 for similar specs. I don't have to work to a budget, but I always look for most bang for my pension, lol
For desktops, I prefer to stay away from the PC 'manufacturers' like H.P, Lenovo and Dell, because they often use proprietary hardware/software/drivers which can be a pain in the bum. I prefer just to use box builders who use the same components I could buy. nothing proprietary.

 

[Sandyn]

If you save the RAW files from your camera, ie Nikon Neff files they are camera specific and not future proof, I used to use 14 bit uncompressed . Neff and the first part of my workflow was to convert to Adobe DNG, an open source format which is not camera make or model specific and so future proof.

Thanks, I guess I can convert to DNG format at any time, so my RAW files are future proofed in that way. A job for a rainy year!! I did download, the latest version of the converter, but it wouldn't run under Win 7, lol I'll have a look again when I get my new machine. What you say does make a lot of sense. Canon didn't keep full compatibility from CRW to CR2 files, so it would be better to store them in an open source format.

 

[martin.pearson]

I haven't had any problems opening raw files from my Canon camera in Photoshop, not had the camera long & was bought second hand so that might be the reason why. Maybe it doesn't work with all RAW canon files. I am using photoshop elements 2021, I have the full CS suite but its an older version & won't run on Windows 10, as I don't do much signwork anymore & I don't like subscription software it seemed the best thing to do was buy a version of photoshop I could own & use offline with my non internet computer, not as powerful as the full version of photoshop but does all I now need it to do.

Funny someone should mention them being full of dust, Ive sorted computers for people over the years that you could have grown potatoes in lol

 

[Spectric]

I think Adobe may use this issue to their advantage, if the camera OEM's kept the same format then even with the newest camera you could use an old version of Lightroom, but because the camera sensors change and so the RAW file format is different then you need the latest version of ACR to work with them which is itself tied to the later products. I still think that Rawshooter pro was a great product until Adobe swallowed it up to release Lightroom.

 

[martin.pearson]

I think Adobe may use this issue to their advantage, if the camera OEM's kept the same format then even with the newest camera you could use an old version of Lightroom, but because the camera sensors change and so the RAW file format is different then you need the latest version of ACR to work with them which is itself tied to the later products. I still think that Rawshooter pro was a great product until Adobe swallowed it up to release Lightroom.

To be honest I thought all raw files were the same from all manufacturers but then I am not a photographer & when I was using a camera quite a bit it was film that needed to be developed lol. If there isn't a standard & raw files from different manufacturers are different then that's where the problems begin as the software you are using has to have the right import filters to be able to import the file in the first place. I worked as a signmaker at one time & problems when importing Customers artwork were normally down to someone like Adobe changing the file structure of their latest software & the program you were using to import still hadn't updated to the latest adobe import filters. Quite often had to ask a Customer if they could save the file as an older version of illustrator.

 

[Spectric]

Commonality and standards, oh how nice that would be.

 

[starlingwood]

I've just speced up a build with PC specialist and can say that the customer sales support is very good. I kept changing my mind and they were patient with me and knowledgeable. Just got to wait 3-4 weeks now for it to arrive.

I've gone for a intel i9 with 14 cores 3.4Ghz 128GB 3200Mhz RAM, 8Gb Nvidia GPU and a M.2 Samsung 890 evo SSD with something like 3500mb/s read write speed.. I use a software for work that works the PC like a horse.