The last time that I bought a new computer, was back in late 2003, just before my daughter was born.
I remember say to my wife at the time, I had to purchase the computer because there was no telling the next time that I would be able to purchase a new one.
This time, instead of paying extra for a mainstream computer, I decided to go to a local computer builder, and have a custom unit built for me.
I ended up with a Pentium 4 on an Intel motherboard, 4GBs RAM and a 100GB HD for around $1000.
At the time, it was a very speedy machine, but after many years of service, and countless upgrades, the machine started to show its age when trying to run Windows XP, Office 2007 and Photoshop CS3.
So the hunt started for an upgrade, and I was able to finally scavenge a base Intel Core 2 6400 box, which I am still using to write this entry.
My biggest issue with this current machine, is that I am running into some compatibility issues with Camera Raw 7 after upgrading to Lightroom 5 and trying to move files into Photoshop CS5.
There is also the occasion, when working on larger 1+GB TIFF/PSD files, I simply run out of memory.
Then, about 2 weeks ago, after a tough budget negotiation, I was given the green light for a new machine!
Yeah!
Now the question was what to get!
I knew what I wanted a machine that could run Photoshop & Lightroom as the main applications, which meant as much CPU and RAM that I could get!
Like any computer geek, I fantasy configured systems on the major computer websites, and knew that they were way overpriced for what I wanted.
I wanted a custom-built machine, but how? Another Local vendor? or via the Internet…
Or myself, which I had never done before, even though I have fixed hundred of computers over the years!
I started to look at several ‘You Built It’ websites to get a very rough idea of price and configuration, and was quickly overwhelmed with the various configuration options!
It was time for a spreadsheet.
I listed the major components I wanted, and then I started to visited 5 different sites (ComputerLX.com, Magicmicro.com, NewEgg.com, TigerDirect.com, Amazon.com), collecting prices and reviews.
Even for a seasoned computer person, the various chip sets and sockets available made my head spin! I spent countless hours reading the forums on Tom’s Hardware so that I could make as intelligent decisions as possible!
At some point, I came to the realization, that I was going to be building this machine myself, and I started to venture into YouTube land to learn more about the basics of my new DYI project.
Finally, after many hours of research and internal debate, I finally placed my order:
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Stuff starts to arrive Wednesday!
I can’t wait!
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