Computer Specs

[Bubby Grub]

Hi Guys,
Here is a list of new Computer Specs I am thinking about, any comments on any part of it, would be most appreciated.
I have been advised to stick with Win7 64bit Home Edition which I already have, can you guys see any reason to ugrade
to Win8.
Thanks for any thoughts
Bubby Grub
PS I am running PE, AE and CS6 Photoshop, and do have pro

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

Just a couple of minor points to trim a few dollars off the cost, or use the savings made to upgrade RAM to 16GB.

If you are not going to overclock the new PC the i7 3770 is slightly cheaper than the i7 3770K. If your SSD is going to be a system drive only, then a 128GB will more than likely suffice. Swap one of the BD devices for a plain DVD writer.

EDIT: There are rumours (nothing more) that Microsoft may be about to back pedal on Win 8 and introduce a 'toggle' so that one can switch to the classic interface rather than have the tiled interface. If that is true then it does make Win 8 a more attractive option for non-touch based systems. Unless and until Microsoft make that announcement, I would stick with Win 7.

[Dave McElderry]

+1 to those who recommend Win 7 over Win 8. It'll be supported for a good many years yet.

[Gerlinde]

I went through the same decision making process just a couple of month ago. I build my own desktop and also bought a new laptop ( see my signature). I would like to respectfully disagree with with Dave and John. Stick with the 240gb SSD drive. Even if you use it for Windows and programs only, it fills up rather quickly. I redirect my User files to one of my two 1TB drives, but most programs insist of having the Application Data on the C: drive.
As for Windows 7 or 8 I did go with 8 and I am really happy with my decision. I feel Windows 8 is more efficient and it is not so hard to learn the new interface. You have a desktop tile on your opening screen which takes you right to where you want to be.
One thing I agree with tho, go for more RAM if you can, maybe you can drop one of the blue ray drives in favor of more RAM. You can also consider to scale back on the video card.

[Dave McElderry]

Regarding Windows 8, I do believe that it's a good, stable and solid OS under the hood. However, so is Win 7. Win 8 does have some nice new welcome features. My primary objection is the interface, including the lack of a start button as an easy way to access all the items that we're used to. Sure, all those things are accessible through other means, but what's the point? Change for change's sake, and a feeble attempt to make the OS look match mobile devices. I should note that there are several utilities which restore the Win 7 interface to Win 8. I personally chose one that I thought worked best. It cost me all of $3.00.

So, my emotional reaction to what I believe were poor decisions on Microsoft's choice of interface aside, I defer to Gerlinde's recommendation. I guess we move ahead or get left behind.

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

I would like to respectfully disagree with with Dave and John. Stick with the 240gb SSD drive. Even if you use it for Windows and programs only, it fills up rather quickly. I redirect my User files to one of my two 1TB drives, but most programs insist of having the Application Data on the C: drive.

I have to say that my experience is different to Gelinde's, but if budget isn't too much of an issue then go with the 256GB SSD.

My initial set up was with a WD 150GB Raptor as my C: drive which I replaced two or three months ago with a 120GB Samsung SSD. My system shows a constant 72GB used for the opsys, programs and any necessary Windows etc. work files, leaving 50GB or so as free space. These proportions never vary by anything significant. That's why I suggested a smaller SSD and using the cash saved on upping the RAM from 8GB to 16GB. Obviously different folk's mileage will vary.

I will stick with my preference for Win 7 though!!

[Bob]

As John says, "different folk's mileage will vary". What size SSD you need will depend on how you use the system drive and what you have installed. If you don't install a lot of applications and keep your personal files (pictures, documents, music, etc.) off that drive, you can probably get by with a much smaller SSD. But, 240GB will give you more breathing room. You don't want to fill up the drive. How much space is being used on your current system drive?

For my system, I would need the 240GB SSD. I keep my personal files off of the system drive, but I have a lot of software and much of that insists on using the system drive. Microsoft's own software does the same. I find my system drive usage hovers around 200GB used space at a minimum right after doing a disk cleanup. After a week of use, depending on what I did that week, it can climb up to around 225GB.

[Gerlinde]

Dave, the magic word here is - Keyboard Shortcuts! The Windows key + Q takes you right into the search bar of all your Apps and Win Key + I into the Control Panel.

John, regarding the size of the SSD, I agree with you if money is a factor. In my case, the 256gb drive was only about $40 more than the 120gb drive. And I am glad I opted for the bigger drive. It shows already 138gb used, although a big part is for Page file and Hyper.sys file (?). But still, I have 90gb worth of program and Windows files alone.

[Dave McElderry]

Dave, the magic word here is - Keyboard Shortcuts! The Windows key + Q takes you right into the search bar of all your Apps and Win Key + I into the Control Panel.

Yeah, there are pages of them. The number of key presses or taps are no more efficient than Win 7 that I've seen, and I'm already pretty darned good at getting around the Win 7 interface with a mouse. I think it's going to get down to personal preference, but I do admit that Uncle Bill will determine the face of the personal computer, so we'll go with the flow.

[Bubby Grub]

Hi All,

Thanks so much for all the feed back, actually there was a mistake by the techs, it was supposed to be 16gb of ram, I will take that up with them on Friday, as
Thursday over here is a Public Holiday "Anzac Day", otherwise by all thoughts everything else is fine, yes I will stick with the bigger SSD, figure I will be a lot safer that way.
Between Win 7 and Win 8, thank you for the thoughts, I had heard if you didn't know the key board short cuts, things were a hassle, I guess it will come down to in the end
whether I feel it is necessary to spend the extra dollars on 8 or stick with 7, but I do agree we will all have to go with the flow as Dave said.
Thanks again BG

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

If you don't install a lot of applications and keep your personal files....off that drive, you can probably get by with a much smaller SSD.....

Bob, that is exactly my situation, not a lot of installed software and all personal stuff on a conventional HDD or on the NAS.

John, regarding the size of the SSD, I agree with you if money is a factor......

Gerlinde, my Scrooge like suggestion was because, here in the good ol' UK, doubling the SSD size costs about 80% more. I fully agree with you that if a larger SSD is available at a none too significant price hike then go for it.

It would be nice if we had US prices here in the UK. Seems to be that anything that is sold in the US for (say) US$100 suddenly becomes UK£100 when it crosses the Atlantic and it isn't just sales taxes and duties that cause that price increase here.

[Gerlinde]

...here in the good ol' UK, doubling the SSD size costs about 80% more

John, that is a good reason to stick with the smaller drive!

I have a lot of programs because I'm never happy with just one option for the task at hand....