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Help me build a new system

F

Flork

n00b
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Messages
3
First time poster here. I shall answer the required questions as best I can:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
It's my work machine, so I will be doing a great deal of multi-tasking, including many Office documents, hi-res scanned in images, web pages, and possibly a video playing simultaneously.
I don't game
I will be doing some lightweight video editing and photoshopping
I need to have 4 monitors hooked up simultaneously
I would like it to boot up very fast, so an SSD drive for the OS is a must

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
About $1200

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

Wilmington, NC, USA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
The case
Motherboard
CPU
RAM
Fan
PSU
GPU
SSD
HDD
DVD Burner
(So everything except displays, keyboard, and mouse)

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
no parts to reuse

6) Will you be overclocking?
No

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
4 monitors: 3 are 1920x1080, 1 is 16:10 1680x1050
2 monitors have VGA & DVI ports; 1 has VGA, DVI, & HDMI, 1 only has DisplayPort

I don't want to rule out the possibility of higher resolutions down the road

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Before Christmas

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
USB 3
SATA 6/Gb/s (I think?)
Onboard video (I think, since I have 4 displays?)

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No. I would like Windows 10



I've never built a PC from scratch though I've installed RAM, drives, various PCI cards, and a PSU
The multi-monitor and quick boot time is key
I don't know whether I should get a core i5 or i7. Yes I will be doing the occasional video editing, as well as transcoding audio and video
Although someone recommended a RAID 1 setup, I don't think it's necessary. I'm very good with backing up regularly

Thanks!
 
Tbh I would just get a pre-built dell with an i7. You will easily cover all the basis plus os with change to spare. They go on sale all the time for $700 ish for a non k 6700 or 4790
 
How important is up time on this rig? IE: Should a part fail how will the affect your business for it being down?

If it's crucial for your business to operate then I strongly suggest going with a business class pre-built rig. They generally have superior warranties that can get your system back up and running due to failed hardware by the following business day.
 
Well it's my home computer I use for work. If a part fails of course I'd like a warranty, but if I buy a pre-built system the warranty (unless I pay a few hundred extra bucks) is done after a year. So I'm at the same place regardless if such occurs.

I've been monitoring what's on sale at Best Buy, Office Depot, etc.
The main issues I find are:
-No ability to get my 4 monitor display, so I'd need a new graphics card
-Not enough ram
-1TB hdd, no solid state boot drive

So getting a prebuilt system means spending several hundred bucks on parts.
And isn't there always an issue with Dell towers in terms of expansion? Don't they have a limited # of slots, hdd slots in weird places, etc?
 
You need to contact Dell directly. Don't order one from BB, OD or any other B&M location. I would even avoid buying one from an online retailer. Get it directly at Dell.com. Though I would talk to someone to get the best deal.

Dell's business warranty is different than the warranty you'll get on the individual parts you order. Dell's business normally includes some sort of on-site repair for the same or next business day. Therefore you won't have to wait days/weeks for you to ship the defective part and receive a replacement.

The Business Workstations that include Quadro GPUs can handle up to 6 displays. You'll just need to get adapters for your displays since you already have them.

You can select to get an SSD instead of an HDD when you configure the workstation yourself at Dell.com.

I would imagine you could find something with $1200 that includes a, longer than 1 year onsite warranty that meets your needs. Again, contact Dell directly and tell them what you need.

Feel free to post here what they tell you.
 
Dell.com does not offer much in the way of customization on their website. It was different 7 or 8 years ago, when they offered far more options.
So it seems that phoning them is the way I would have to go? I'd hate to have to build a system over the phone.
 
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