64 bit windows

[jbee]

HI

I am thinking of running a 64 bit version of windows on my next PC to take advantage of it's ability to use more RAM and hopefully run a bit smoother and faster plus I will be running CS5 which can take advantage of it, and as i will probably keep it for a good few years i want to be cutting edge ( NOt Bleeding edge though) when i buy it.

Is anyone out there running 64bit Windows 7 and what issues have you faced - ie. finding printers etc that will work with it. Is it worth the effort or do you wish you had just gone with a 32 bit OS?

cheers - jb

[JM Tran]

hey there, the only downside for me running 64 bit on Mac and Windows is that lack of 3rd party plugins available for CS5, Aperture 3 and LR3 that I am running on the laptop and work comp. Slowly the companies are releasing 64 bit versions of the plugins I require for photo work, but I keep finding myself using Windows XP and CS4 on 32 bit on another comp just to carry out things I need to do.

I reckon another 6 months or so everything will translate into 64 bit anyway.

[Rattus79]

I've (well my missus has) got win 7 64 bit running on a core i5 with 4 gig and a 1 gig vid card.

Problems??
Well, there is a big problem with her Iphone/Ipod.
Once she plugs it in, nothing else works! (USB related)
No Hard Drive, No Scanner, no printer. Yet the mouse works... go figure.

If you reboot they start to work again (at a USB 1.1 standard)

The fix? Shut down, remove battery, restart. Works untill she puts the damn Iphone back in again.

[Kym]

I'm only using Win7/64 now. It is the new SOE here at work.

[maccaroneski]

Got it at home (desktop) and at work (laptop) and have no issues. LR3, PS5, Nik plugins, printers, tablet etc are all fine. No regrets here, obviously. Core i5, 6GB ram on the desktop,

[Cage]

Hi jb,

I'm running the 64bit version of Windows 7.

I'd suggest 6 or better still 8Gb of RAM. I'm running 4Gbs and feel that at times it is not enough.

There was a huge problem initially with system hangs and screen freezes. MS denied a problem with the O/S, however googling 'Windows 7 freezing' got about 16 million hits. My system would freeze 5 or 6 times a day then go a week without a problem. MS troubleshooting forums provided no joy.

However, 6 months ago, miraculously, the problem stopped occurring. Being rather cynical I suspect MS slipped a 'fix' into one of the updates. I did nothing to my set-up.

Anyway all good now for more than 6 months. Most of my programs work without problems. MS do have an Upgrade checker that reads your system and advises you of possible compatibility issues. Windows 7 is now much more stable than Vista ever was.

When I get my GAS under control I'll put another 4gbs of RAM in.

Cheers

Kevin

[jbee]

Hmmm so that's JM and Greg with issues and Kym and Tony with none.
One of the perennial problems with Windows is the way hardware drivers fail to work with system peculiarities, it's so easy to see why some people just go for a Mac. Trouble is I know my way around Windows but not the Mac OS. but I know if i go for the 32bit version, the moment I do 64 bit will become the norm and i will be struggling to upgrade. Why MS did not include a way for 32 bit drivers to run under a 64 bit OS is a mystery, or is it , what do Microsoft really care :)
Do Kym or Tony run Iphones and have any issues, and did you have to hunt around for 64 bit compatible printers and scanners ?
All the computer shops say "oh yes you'll have no problems there" of course.

[jbee]

Hi Kevin

Yes i avoided Vista and still run XP. So yours runs stable now, and that makes 3 with no more issues.
My will be a new system which i have decided will have a quad core I7, 8gb ram, and a good Video card with 1Mb on board, prices are coming in around 2.5K at the moment custom built, i can't be bothered building my own again though.

Cheers

[chris_m]

I've been running Windows 7 on a 2 year old HP notebook for about 1 year now, with no issues at all. Using Office Pro 2007 32 bit. Not worth even looking at 64bit Office yet.
Also have Win 7 running on a MacBook Pro with no issues as well, its a good combination, getting the best of both as required.

[jbee]

Thanks Chris - I had a feeling the 32 bit version would be fine. out of interest what do you prefer the Mac or the PC ?

[TOM]

i'm on 64bit with Windows 7 and 8gb ram. the only major issue that I have faced is software for my Canon 8800f. I like Vuescan, but it does not work with 7 and that particular scanner. It works fine with my Nikon Coolscan 5000, just not the Canon. I had to purchase Silverfast just to use with the Canon, and it's CRAP.

[maccaroneski]

I have an iPhone and an iPod - all good. I also have an Epson all in one printer scanner - the 710 maybe? - and that goes without a hitch too.

[etherial]

I have a pretty old desktop PC, it is around 5-6 years old. I threw a bit of RAM at it (4GB in total) and upgraded the hard drives and that is all since new. I have installed W7 64 bit version earlier this year and have not had any problems at all. It has been brilliant!

[chris_m]

I like the build of the MacBook over the offerings from Hp & Dell.
The only drawback is you are missing are few keys from the Mac keyboard. You will need to learn a few alternatives, not to hard, but an issue if others use your notebook.
As long as you read the instructions on loading win7 onto a MacBook you will have no problems. Unlike myself who wasted 3-4 hours rather than looking on the CD that came with MacOS.

[ameerat42]

I've installed Win7/64 on one of the machines, still with only 2GB of RAM, but no issues. With the lack of 3rd party plug-ins I'm wondering if CS5 is not advanced enough to make them less useful than they were in earlier (and my CS2) versions. I'd say go 4 it. Am.

[wmphoto]

My wife and daughter run Win7/64 and had no problems. I still run XP.

[JM Tran]

I've installed Win7/64 on one of the machines, still with only 2GB of RAM, but no issues. With the lack of 3rd party plug-ins I'm wondering if CS5 is not advanced enough to make them less useful than they were in earlier (and my CS2) versions. I'd say go 4 it. Am.

its more so with the slow transition by companies over to 64 bit from 32 bit as small independent groups do not have such large resources as say - Adobe, and as stated by developers of Nik Software plugins and LucisArt and Alien Skin according to press statements on their website - they are developing 64 bit versions of their popular plugins right now. Its not a big problem for me, just waiting a few months longer really.

[thelastname]

Tom have you tried updating your drivers and software?

http://software.canon-europe.com/products/0010501.asp

Only thing that annoyed me with Win7 is the windows search constantly running in the background using the hard drive and causing the computer to run slow. Since I disabled it things are so much better.

[phild]

Another + for 64 Bit win7, running on i7 8Gb Ram, no problems , interesting to see someone has had problems with iPod/Pad, both run with few problems on my machine. I have had the occasional lockup with itunes, but otherwise no problems with the iPad/Pod

[arthurking83]

I'm with TOM, I can't get my old .. actually very very old Canon (N670U) scanner to work with Win7/64bit.

It's a cheapo crappo scanner anyhow, so no real loss, I don't scan all that much, except for the day when my son wanted something scanned of course! :rolleyes:
it'll still work on my old WinXP(32) PC, which I will one day pass on to the kids(if I get off my @$$ and get it running again).. and they also get themselves a scanner to boot).

Been running Win7-64 for about 6 months now.. never had any issues(that I recall) except me stuffing up the system trying to tweak it)

old bluetooth dongles work perfectly, my PDA(Windows Mobile 2003) connects every time now(had issues with WinXP).. all other wireless peripherals and devices work.

I'm more than happy ... although now I've found that damned annoyingly addictive Chess Titans .. and I feel as though I'm going to deck someone soon if I don't break back into the 50% win/loss ratio tonight!

I haven't found any difference whatsoever tho, in going from 4G RAM to 8G RAM .. in any application.
I don't run PS/LR tho, and my preferred editor is still only 32bit only. Even the raw codec for the Nikon NEF format is still only 32bit(but works flawlessly so far) in the 64bit environment.
I have to say too, I have no idea why I installed it too.. just out of curiosity I guess, and windows explorer and other programs I noted, now see the thumbnails properly.

problem with 64bit is that there are still to few apps that have fully converted/updated themselves to run natively, and hence (them)use the full complement of RAM available.
That is, something like CaptureNX2 which is still only 32bit, only utilises 1-1.5Gig of RAM max! I suppose that still leaves me with 6G of RAM for other apps!

C'MON Nikon!!!.. 64bith has been with us for eons now, many pro's are updating/updated to it(whether Win or Mac) and they still sit on their hands and twiddle their thumbs(geez! that must feel nice! :D)
Stoopid idiots!! They only just released an updated Basic free editor viewer for their file type, and couldn't be stuffed to create a 64bit version as well! :rolleyes:

[JM Tran]

hey Arthur is there a limit as to how much 64 bit can use for RAM? I have seen computers for gaming at 24 gigs of RAM and 32 gigs for editing ala Mac Pro full powerhouse set ups etc. But can it fully utilize every single RAM or is there a bottleneck somewhere?

[ricktas]

I have two pc's running win7 64 bit and its the most stable windows OS that I have seen. main PC with 12Gb ram runs like a dream and lappy with 4gb ram works just fine. Only issue I have is PS and most of the NIK software plugins only work in 32 bits. They will run in a 64 bit environment but not make use of the RAM available. I have to run the PS 32 bit version to use them. Hopefully they will continue to release 64 bit versions.

I would not hesitate with win 7 64 bit.

[maccaroneski]

hey Arthur is there a limit as to how much 64 bit can use for RAM? I have seen computers for gaming at 24 gigs of RAM and 32 gigs for editing ala Mac Pro full powerhouse set ups etc. But can it fully utilize every single RAM or is there a bottleneck somewhere?

For wWindows 7:

* Starter: 8GB
* Home Basic: 8GB
* Home Premium: 16GB
* Professional: 192GB
* Enterprise: 192GB
* Ultimate: 192GB

Snow Leopard has a theoretical maximum of 16 exabytes (although obviously you can't fit that on to a regular motherboard), although any one process is limited to addressing 4 GB .

[jbee]

Wow fantastic response and very assuring, my mind is made up thanks to all of your advice here on Win7 64 bit, an I7 processor, 8 Gb of ram, 2Tb fast HDD and a graphics card with at least 1Gb on board that exceeds all the requirements for CS5 plus al the usual IO bits and pieces.
I can't thank you all enough for your thoughts and advice on this.
You know this started out for me in April thinking I would buy a nice camera for my trip to the UK and by the time I get the PC will have cost me around $10k and I am just getting started, thank heavens for a tolerant wife :)

Thanks again everyone for your time and advice.

Cheers John :)

[maccaroneski]

John that's exactly what happened to me, except it was the US, and I'm about $10k in as well :)

There's only one thing that I would change with your proposal - and this is just a thought rather than a strong recommendation - I'd go with 2 x 1TB HDDs. You can use one as backup until you fill the first one (as I currently do) either iniside the main case or in a $30 odd dollar external eStata enclosure), or alternatively do things like put your programs on one, data on the other. Or everything on one and backup and scratch drive on the other It would only cost you 6 or 7 bucks more, and if one fails, you have one left over.

[jbee]

Ahh thanks macca sound advice, puting my eggs in two baskets makes good sense and I will do that & get two 1Tb drives. I had also considered putting in a small solid state drive for the OS to run on, but they are a pricey bit of kit :)
What would be really nice would be a RAID array like Rick has, but there I know I would be really pushing my luck.

[maccaroneski]

I thought the same about SSD - I think though that for me that needs to settle a little in price and in configuration complexity. Maybe after I fill the two drives I have...

[arthurking83]

Hey John.

Don't discount the AMD processors too!(that's what I got).

For not much of a hit in ultimate psuedo technobabble synthetic performance hit, get yerself an AMD x6(6 core) processor. MSY sell them for something like $200-300.. whereas for an equivalent Intel you pay more like $600 or more.

that saving goes towards a U-Beaut screen, more HDD's, or simply in-your-pocket.
People say that you get better performance with Intel processors, but me thinks for 99% of uses, you ain't going to notice it.
Are you really worried about taking 30 seconds longer in converting 1000 raw images to jpgs in a batch lot that takes 30mins anyhow?
$300 more on a 27" screen as opposed to that lowly 24" screen can make a 'longer term difference'.

basically once I started to use AMD(exclusively now), I'd never go back to Intel(except for laptops tho, as they do run cooler). The AMD supplied heatsinks are super efficient, so overheating of upper end AMD processors is something I've never experienced.

ALSO!! I recently posted a thread about fast-ish hdd's somewhere, and how old hdd's really slowed my pretty fast system a little while back.

I have a myriad of different hard drives to play with, and I recently found a test report that finished favourably for the Samsung 1Tb F3 hard drive in their performance tests.
So I got two. The specific model number is HD-103SJ, as there is a much less speedy HD-103SI also available too. For $70 you really can't go wrong, and they're quieter than the WD equivalents too(mainly in head rattle when reading furiously)
By far the biggest boost in performance on the PC has been in getting speedier hdd's.
From what I've read(so far.. or a month or two back) the 2Tb drives are generally slower... except maybe the WD black/caviar series.

I'd go even beyond what Tony recommended and get 3 1Tb drives.. and have it setup as: One drive for OS and programs, one for images/data and one specifically for cache(and temporary storage of other stuff).
(that's what I do)

My preferred program for editing my raw images is notorious for speed issues, and coming from an old AMDXP3200 processor system running WinXP, this new box is explosive by comparison. Where it used to take approximately 20seconds or so to fully render a 20mb raw file on the old system, the new box renders the same image in a second or less now. I also had a few self inflicted PC issues, where I somehow managed to kill hard drive speed with a system tweak. I then replaced these older drives with the new Samsung F3's and things are back to their explosive self again. I remember when using Light Room 3 way back(even on this new PC) it never felt as quick in editing raw images as CaptureNX was.. and when I found the setting to set cache to my dedicated cache drive, it started to drive a little faster(but crashed on batch editing 150images to jpg files, and it was only the trial version.. so it got executed in the re-install I had to do).

Again, as Tony said.. get an external eSATA drive(or try a USB3 version). The difference in transfer speed between eSATA and USB2 is incredible. When you get to the stage where you've filled 1Tb drives with images(as I find myself doing) drive speed and hence transfer speeds are the most important issue to deal with.
My motherboard has native USB3 support, but I haven't tried one yet.. and I want to pension off the uber slow USB2 drive one day soon.. but it's not an issue yet, it's a backup drive for my main backup drive, the eSATA drive.

[Cheach]

hey Arthur is there a limit as to how much 64 bit can use for RAM? I have seen computers for gaming at 24 gigs of RAM and 32 gigs for editing ala Mac Pro full powerhouse set ups etc. But can it fully utilize every single RAM or is there a bottleneck somewhere?

Current 64bit physical memory limit is 4PB (petabytes).

[Cheach]

I like the build of the MacBook over the offerings from Hp & Dell.
The only drawback is you are missing are few keys from the Mac keyboard. You will need to learn a few alternatives, not to hard, but an issue if others use your notebook.
As long as you read the instructions on loading win7 onto a MacBook you will have no problems. Unlike myself who wasted 3-4 hours rather than looking on the CD that came with MacOS.

Loading Win7 on a Mac is really a waste. You are swapping to an inferior OS. (no I am not a Mac fanboi :D).

I have the best of both world. Run VMs on the Mac and load Win7 and XP as virtual machines when I need to run apps that are only available on Windows and no Mac equivalent.

Cheers
Rob

[maccaroneski]

My motherboard has native USB3 support, but I haven't tried one yet.. and I want to pension off the uber slow USB2 drive one day soon.. but it's not an issue yet, it's a backup drive for my main backup drive, the eSATA drive.

Mine too - but there still seems to be precious little that you can do with it...

[jbee]

Just looked at an online dealer who I always use to buy components from and speced this up - seems damn good value. I might change the case as the one i picked is a bit showy :) and possibly the mouse and KB but the rest looks good to me.

If you see anything wrong with this idea let me know


System assembly $55

INTEL i7-930 - INTEL CORE i7 PROCESSOR, 2.8GHz/4.8GT QPT/8MB CACHE/LGA1366 $406.56

ASRock X58 EXTREME, iX58,6*DDR3,3*PICE16,6*SATA,RAID,1394 $214.83

Corsair HX3X12G1600C9 12GB (6x XMS3 2GB) PC-12800 (1600MHz) XMS DDR3 For X58 MB/i7 Core $355.4

2 x Samsung Spinpoint, 1000GB SATA II 3.5" 32MB Cache, 7200rpm, HD103SJ $140.8

Gigabyte ATI HD 5850 PCI-E 2.0 1GB 256-bit GDDR5, 725/4000MHz, Dual DVI/ HDMI/ Display Port, DX $308.02

LG BluRay Burner, BH10LS30, 10xBD-R Read/Write, 16xDVD+-R Read/Write, SATA, LightScribe, Retail $145.2

GMC ATX Middle-Tower Case, R4 Bulldozer, Black, without PSU $68.2

700 watt ATX power supply Enermax, MODU87+ 700W CrossFireX™, 87 PLUS, EMG700AWT $198

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Value - Retail, 7.1 channel, 100dB SNR, 24-bit Advanced HD2 Effects $38.72

LG W2353V-PF BLK Glossy 23" Widescreen LCD -16:9 (1920x1080), 2ms, HDMI, DVI, 50000:1 Contrast, Ful $208.67

LOGITECH CORDLESS DESKTOP EX90, USB/BLACK/WINDOWS XP - RETAIL $30.8

MICROSOFT MS W/L MOBILE MSE 6000 BLUETRACK MHC-00005 $49.38

Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-BIT, GLC-00736, OEM 1PK - Must be purchased with hardware $218.21

Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010, ENG MICROCASE Product Key Card, No Media $228.94

Subtotal: $2,666.73


Cheers - JB

[maccaroneski]

A few comments, if you wanted to drop the price a little (although the specs you have represent a kick-ar$e system)

Do you really need W7 Ultimate? You can get a family home pack (3 licenses) for less than the Ultimate cost.

12GB Ram might be a little overkill - I have 6, and that runs just nicely. it is not a big matter to later go and get more and install it yourself if need be.

The quoted price for the chip seems a little exxey.

The graphics card seems a little on the overkill side as well unless you are a gamer.

Unless you plan on storing alot of stuff optically, or watching blu-ray movies on your PC, you could probably drop the blu-ray burner in favour of a conventional one and save $100.

You seem to have 2 mice - the logitaech cordless desktop includes a mouse, and you have the microsoft bluetrack as a separate item.

I don't think that you need the sound card as the motherboard already has 7.1 integrated audio.

All together that would knock 6 or 7 hundred dollars off the price.

[jbee]

A few comments, if you wanted to drop the price a little (although the specs you have represent a kick-ar$e system)

Do you really need W7 Ultimate? You can get a family home pack (3 licenses) for less than the Ultimate cost.

12GB Ram might be a little overkill - I have 6, and that runs just nicely. it is not a big matter to later go and get more and install it yourself if need be.

The quoted price for the chip seems a little exxey.

The graphics card seems a little on the overkill side as well unless you are a gamer.

Unless you plan on storing alot of stuff optically, or watching blu-ray movies on your PC, you could probably drop the blu-ray burner in favour of a conventional one and save $100.

You seem to have 2 mice - the logitaech cordless desktop includes a mouse, and you have the microsoft bluetrack as a separate item.

I don't think that you need the sound card as the motherboard already has 7.1 integrated audio.

All together that would knock 6 or 7 hundred dollars off the price.

Thanks for those observations, I also went back and looked again - dropped the Ram to 8Gb. I am not a gamer but wanted to make sure the graphics card could handle all aspects of photo and video editing i may ever need. I did pick a cheap sound card but did not check if the MB onboard sound would do :o i will definitely drop that then as the only sound i need is for comedy emails people send me and Itunes, I wll also look at backing off the W7 64bit version as you suggest to save a few bucks.
I have also found on the site an LG ultrathin 23" LED backlit monitor for less than $30 more :) so i think i will go for that.
I too was unsure about the Blue Ray burner but Blue ray seems to be the coming thing so i thought for an extra $100 i might as well be ready for it. Never had anything to do with Blue ray before but i assume i can burn Photo Archive backups to it and fit around 4 DVD's worth on each disc ?
Will go back to the site tonight I think with your suggestions and pare it down a bit more before putting in my order.
Thanks for taking such a good look at the specs for me, an extra brain and pair of eyes is always a valued contribution. When i bought my last house I took a mate along and told him, "don't tell me what you like, tell me whats wrong and rip off my rose coloured glasses before i spend any money" :)

[maccaroneski]

You're most welcome. One clarification - stay with W7 64bit, but just have a look at the differences between Ultimate and Home and see which one you need. 64 bit is the way to go, and it is available in several different flavours.

With the price of HDD space so cheap these days, I don't know too many people backing up to optical media such as blu-ray.

[peterb666]

My Toshiba Laptop which I bought about 3 months ago had the option of Windows 7 32 bit and 64 bit. As the machine came with 4GB of RAM it made sense to use the 64bit version so I took that option. Only problem was Windows 7 32 bit version would not get though the first Windows update immediately after installation. I tried reinstalling 3 times and that was with no add-ins of extra equipment.

Over to the 32 bit version and no problems what so ever.

Cheers

PeterB666

[arthurking83]

I'd go with Win7 Pro(sorry.. make that I went with Win7 Pro!! :p) .. I found a few of the extra admin features I use all the time(I think $150 or so for the OEM version)

Macca's idea of forgetting the BlueRay burner makes sense, intially at least, unless you think you may ultimately want to burn to BR discs that is.

I got a seriously cheapo graphics card(I'm not a gamer either) and it runs both of my two screens, a 24"@ 1920x1080 and a 17"@ 1280x1024 at the same time with ease.
I watch the odd video every now and then too(not much tho).
They say men can't multitask.. but give' 'em two screens and watch them fly, I say! :th3: I'll have three or four apps running concurrently and continuously(or so it seems). made so much easier with dual screens tho.

Mine cost about $70 and is a Asus 1Gb ENGT 220(low end in the Nvidia lineup).. you don't need that much graphics power for photos and videos.

if you drop a few hundred here and there(easily done with your specs) you could easily set yourself up with two screens too.

If you go with the LG W2353 screen(I have the W2442, 24" as my main screen!!) plan to get yourself a calibrator too!

You may seriously need it. The difference between the default setup of the LG screen and how it subsequently looks when calibrated to match the older 17" screen is startling!
I stupidly purchased a Syder3 Elite.. for the software, but it turns out that the software is barely acceptable. I subsequently got BasicColor display which calibrates them a lot better.
The Sypder software does a much less efficient job of calibrating the two screens properly. It seemed to do one or the other ok, but setting the correct Gamma was an exercise in frustration.
Once I learned a little about BasicColor4.. I was sold on it.
The beauty of the basicColor software is that it will calibrate with just about any hardware calibration device.. Spyder's, Huey's and so forth. And I think you can purchase the BasicColor software with a hardware device, so saving a few dollars in going the integrated route.

Also, I'm not massively into Office type applications, so I never thought to bundle a cheaper Office suite into my purchase, but I do need access to various Office file formats and be able to create them for others to use too.
I tried out OpenOffice, and was very impressed at how well it handled MS Office files(so far), I resent various edits of Office file formats to my sis(who uses Office 2010) to confirm OO's ability to handle MS's file formats and she was happy with them.
My only issue with not having MS Office is that I can't sync entirely with my old PDA(WM2K3), and I haven't found any way to sync the PDA to OO. It syncs perfectly with the PC and I can access all files on the PDA, but I continuously get an error message that no associated email program is available(for the PDA to sync too). I don't use the PDA for emails tho.. the error message is just annoying.

Finally. make sure that the case is user friendly. Antec!! :th3: :th3: .. I got a cheaper but very cool looking case with huge 40cm side fan(for super cooling on the cheap :p)... and it blows a gale onto the hardware.. keeping it very cool(in my about to get super heated study(I have no ventilation :()
Problem is that the case was designed by monkeys on hallucinogenics!! adding hard drives is a pain in not only the bum, but on the fingers as well. Coming from a series of Antecs, who's hard drive bay designs were a pleasure to use, this Aero Cool case is a pile of junk. I now have all hdd bays filled. Not all drives are connected, but I don't want to go through the ordeal of adding a hdd to this case again.
(actually it's nto that bad as a case.. pumps a lot of air through itself, and once setup, is more than acceptable(9/10 in fact).. just adding hdd's is so painful, even when empty!
I should have spent the extra $100 on the Antec!(live and learn, I guess).
I'm not saying that you will be looking to add any more hdds into any PC case, but if the need ever arose, and the case was badly designed.. you'll regret it(then).

anyhow.. just a few other thoughts to share.. before you totally commit. :)
Just remember as you take more and more photos, and start filling the hdd's with 1Tb of images in 2 or 3 years... that Antec case will be an extra $100 that you'll be happy to have wasted away ;)

[Cheach]

Concur with King Arthur and Maccas.

Windows 7 pro x64
Don't skimp too much on the case. get a decent case and it will give you better cooling etc. Antec is a very good case. i got one and can't fault it :o
On board sound card is more than enough if you are not a gamer.
If you want good video card for apps rather than games, i would go with nVidia Quotro range.
Personally I would go with Seagate HDD.

Have looked at www.msy.com.au ? they generally have very good prices.

Cheers
Rob

[jbee]

Thanks once again for the comprehensive assistance from you all in reviewing the specs and suggesting changes. I have the price down to $2240.00 now including monitor an LG 23" LED.
I down speced the graphics card to a Gigabyte ATA HD 5750, cut windows back to W7 Pro. 64bit and changed the case to an Antec Dark Fleet DF30 with a 600W PWS. The case looks realy well made from the specs and has plenty of easily accessable bays, i really liked the Antec server case too, but it was just way too deep at 26", but boy does it look like it would be easy to work on.
I kept the Blue ray burner, just in case I ever need one and because i like the LightScribe feature, it will save me looking for a printer with a CD tray.
That price still includes the same version of Office, but i plan to shop around for that tommorow and cut that price back too, so i should come in at less than $2K including frieght :)
Thanks in large part to you all reviewing the specs and pointing out where i have gone over the top.

A HUGE THANK YOU :th3:

[tcdev]

Why MS did not include a way for 32 bit drivers to run under a 64 bit OS is a mystery
Windows device drivers - by definition - for the most part run "unhindered" by the operating system and are at the mercy of the architecture of the underlying hardware. So there's no easy way Microsoft can "include a way" for 32-bit drivers to run on a 64-bit processor. The 32-bit code simply doesn't "expect" to be running on a 64-bit processor and (sometimes) breaks. There's not a lot anyone can do with a 64-bit-unfriendly 32-bit driver. For once, you can't blame Microsoft...

[jbee]

A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed my specs and post. I got my new PC on Friday and spent about 5 hours on Sunday transfreing everything to it and getting my software installed, the only issue i had was with the belkin wireless dongle and that was cured with a quick 64 bit driver download from my laptop.
It's an awsome bit of kit and the advice and opinions I got was a great help.

A special thanks to arthurking83 & maccaroneski for comprehesvily rewiewing the components i selected, it is always great to have second opinions on stuff like this no matter how much you think you know - The Antec Darkfleet DF 30 case for instance is a work of art, with no sharp edges, superb internal access without even removing the sides, filters on the fans, a hot swap drive bay etc etc. I have worked on some really bad cases in the past as i work in IT support and i wish other case manufacturers took a look at this one.

Thanks agian - boy does CS5 fly now :th3::efelant:

[arthurking83]

..... The Antec Darkfleet DF 30 case for instance is a work of art, with no sharp edges, superb internal access without even removing the sides, filters on the fans, a hot swap drive bay etc etc. I have worked on some really bad cases in the past as i work in IT support and i wish other case manufacturers took a look at this one.

...

OK, OK!! settle!.. No need to rub salt into my wounds! :p.. My stupid AeroCool case is mow stuffed to the brim with hard drives(and that includes one spare) so that I never have to delve into it's recesses for a long time. if I ever do tho, it'll be to rip everything out and place it (much more easily) into a new Antec case.. maybe even a Lian Li case(who knows??) but Antec make great value for money cases.

[nissanman]

I am currently running 64 Bit Windows 7 along with CS5 64bit with Lightroom 3 64bit. No problems.

To be honest you wont have any problems, Windows 7 is fine with all x86 (32bit software)

As for a build of PC, the more cores you have the better you will be able to process videos and images.

Honestly, you wont need more RAM then 4gb. Look at speed of your ram more so.

Ive run a Q6600 (quad core clocked to 2.9ghz) 4gb of 800mhz ram with a 4670HD GPU with CS5 LR3 etc and it is perfectly quick. Fast loading, fast encoding, fast exporting.


My brother runs the 1090T black AMD 6 core cpu. For the money it is the best bargain CPU ive used and seen. It is very eaily clocked (if wanted later) and for the price nothing can touch it. (again, for the price) Real world youll find again 4-6gb RAM is fine. Anything above this is overkill and useless.

$2,600 for that machine is silly.

If you want performance, Ditch that Overkill of RAM, downgrade that GPU and buy 1 SSD (Solid state drive) you will load anything in a near instant. Dont believe me, google them, youtube etc.

[nissanman]

A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed my specs and post. I got my new PC on Friday and spent about 5 hours on Sunday transfreing everything to it and getting my software installed, the only issue i had was with the belkin wireless dongle and that was cured with a quick 64 bit driver download from my laptop.
It's an awsome bit of kit and the advice and opinions I got was a great help.

A special thanks to arthurking83 & maccaroneski for comprehesvily rewiewing the components i selected, it is always great to have second opinions on stuff like this no matter how much you think you know - The Antec Darkfleet DF 30 case for instance is a work of art, with no sharp edges, superb internal access without even removing the sides, filters on the fans, a hot swap drive bay etc etc. I have worked on some really bad cases in the past as i work in IT support and i wish other case manufacturers took a look at this one.

Thanks agian - boy does CS5 fly now :th3::efelant:

Great work, i should have read that before i posted :)

What system did you end up with?

Cheers,
J

[Cadnium]

Hey mate,

one small issue with Windows 7 64bit (and other versions?) is that explorer cannot display thumbnails of RAW images. You can buy a seperate package to do it (which i did) if you want.

Other than that, it works a dream.

In regards to RAM, make sure you get good stuff and consider the CPU/MOBO before working out how much you want. Some can do triple channel and others double channel. I have a dual channel board with 2 x 2GB (4GB total) and find it perfect. If your board can do triple channel, 3 x 2GB is probably a better option than 8GB.

[arthurking83]

Hey mate,

one small issue with Windows 7 64bit (and other versions?) is that explorer cannot display thumbnails of RAW images. You can buy a seperate package to do it (which i did) if you want......

which raw file type?

if any non Nikon type, then I can't help due to a lack of experience and knowledge. BUT! if you are referring to Nikon's NEF or NRW raw file types, the 32bit codec works well even in 64bit Windows(7). I've yet to see any problems with the 32bit codec on Win7 x64 after 6months and many thousands of NEF files.

[Tannin]

There was a huge problem initially with system hangs and screen freezes. MS denied a problem with the O/S, however googling 'Windows 7 freezing' got about 16 million hits. My system would freeze 5 or 6 times a day then go a week without a problem. MS troubleshooting forums provided no joy.

This sort of trouble is almost never a Windows issue. 99 times out of 100 it is either bad hardware (by far the most common cause), spyware infection, or (least often of the three) a bad device driver. Yours appears to have been (1) or (2). Win7 had a few issues with graphics drivers early on. That's a possibility.

[Cadnium]

Must be only Canon *.crw files then. Perhaps Nikon works?!? CRW's definately didn't work for me in Windows 7 64bit, but you could get a 32bit codec from windows site if you have that version. The 32bit wouldnt work for me.

[MajickStudio]

Hi ,
Tom - I have the same setup - PC, 64 bit OS, Win7, 8GB RAM & I did have a few issues with the Canon 8800f with the new drivers released for Win 7 but they did update them soon after the initial release - I'd try downloading the latest drivers & it should be fine.

Other than a few hiccups just as Win 7 was released with drivers etc. most manufacturers & 3rd parties have caught up now - no regrets or major issues (IMO Vista was appalling) Oh, BTW I have a Sony VAIO & it's brilliant - it was the best value : processing power ratio I found at the time, & most importantly IMO with a lower level of issues reported overall, than some brands - about 1yr ago

Goodluck

[Philr]

I run Win 7 on 64bit and don't really have too many issues with it for what I do. With 8gb ram its good to be able to take full advantage of it!!

[brindyman]

I've (well my missus has) got win 7 64 bit running on a core i5 with 4 gig and a 1 gig vid card.

Problems??
Well, there is a big problem with her Iphone/Ipod.
Once she plugs it in, nothing else works! (USB related)
No Hard Drive, No Scanner, no printer. Yet the mouse works... go figure.

If you reboot they start to work again (at a USB 1.1 standard)

The fix? Shut down, remove battery, restart. Works untill she puts the damn Iphone back in again.

make sure chipset drivers are up to date and bios update as well as this could be a firmware bug that was resolved in a later release of the firmware.

if your not sure how get someone that knows what they are doing (not what they think they know what they are doing :D)