How Obsolete Are You??

[JohnGalt_ny]

or more directly, your computer?

Now, three years into photography as a hobby, I've come to the point where I need to upgrade my home system to more adequately work on RAW and Tiff files. My current system is stable and I like it BUT the CPU just isn't up to heavy photo editing.

Anyway, with WEin7 going RTM in October, it will be time to move so I'm looking at my current stuff and here's what has changed in the 4 years since I bought my non-gaming "state of the art" machine.

CPU = AMD running at 1.6Ghz, single core (OBSOLETE)
1MG in 2 DIMM Slots -- PC 2700 DDR SDRAM 184 pin 333 (OBSOLETE)
30 GB C: Drive --
320 GB E: Drive through IDE interface (IDE OBSOLETE)
AGP slot (OBSOLETE)
3 PCI slots (OBSOLETE)
VIA S3 Unichrome IGP -- OBSOLETE can't display 1680 x 1050
2 front USB 1.0 ports -- OBSOLETE
Power Supply 200w -- Woefully Inadequate now
4 USB 2.0 ports -- Still OK
2 Firewire ports -- still OK ??
120GB and 350 GB WD External Drives -- Still OK

Photoshop 7.0 - Obsolete but I love it and know it well. CS 4 upcoming
Various PS 7 Plugins -- To Be Seen
HP Photosmart 760 Printer - LOVE it but Win 7 ?
Visioneer 3200 Scanner -- Probably out of here.
DPP, EOS Utilities and Zoom Browser -- probably OK
LR2 - OK

Apparently the only thing with more obsolete components than me is my faithful Desktop.

and You all?

[felix.reichardt]

I just built a (1/2) new system so my PC is pretty much state of the art. But agree that most ofyoru stuff is ready for retirement That printer might still work. I have to let my scanner go because Canon does not bother to supply 64 bit drivers for the model i own (i'm on win 7 RC 64 bit)

[JDArt]

Originally Posted by JohnGalt_ny

Apparently the only thing with more obsolete components than me is my faithful Desktop.

I've been running Windows 7 for quite a few months now--the RTM version for a few weeks. If you're looking at new systems, I would consider an i7-based machine with 8 gigs of RAM and an SSD as a boot drive to be cream of the crop. The next step down would be a Core 2 Quad-based system (upper end of the quad range) with 4 GB of RAM (if you plan to run the 32-bit version of Windows 7) but again with an SSD as a boot drive.

I'm completely sold on the value of SSDs over traditional hard drives today. Yes, they're still pricey, but 128 GB or even 80 GB models will suffice as boot drive and application storage. Your data files you can keep on a much larger traditional hard drive. But the speed of the best of today's SSDs is so impressive--not to mention the durability, low heat, and low power consumption--that they're worth the expenditure. Before long, they'll be much cheaper, of course, but before long we'll all be dead, as well.

[Gna]

SSDs are already obsolete too. Braidwood will replace them!

[JDArt]

Originally Posted by Gna

SSDs are already obsolete too. Braidwood will replace them!

That's an exaggeration, at best. What you reference is vaporware--or a vapor product. Not even on the market yet. Plus, given the low capacities discussed, it does not seem to be a serious contendor in the storage space, at least not yet. And I see from the article that an Intel rep agrees. Intel certainly has plenty to lose from any "obsolescence" of SSDs, given that Intel produces some of the most popular models.

From the article:

An Intel spokesman disagreed with Objective Analysis' premise that Braidwood could hurt SSD sales, saying "It's not just the performance, but also the added reliability...[SSDs] can help facilitate versus a hard drive. We see a long life ahead for SSDs, and won't stop inventing a variety of other technologies that make computers faster and/or more energy efficient."

[kewk]

Originally Posted by JDArt

That's an exaggeration, at best. What you reference is vaporware--or a vapor product. Not even on the market yet. Plus, given the low capacities discussed, it does not seem to be a serious contendor in the storage space, at least not yet. And I see from the article that an Intel rep agrees. Intel certainly has plenty to lose from any "obsolescence" of SSDs, given that Intel produces some of the most popular models.

From the article:

An Intel spokesman disagreed with Objective Analysis' premise that Braidwood could hurt SSD sales, saying "It's not just the performance, but also the added reliability...[SSDs] can help facilitate versus a hard drive. We see a long life ahead for SSDs, and won't stop inventing a variety of other technologies that make computers faster and/or more energy efficient."

lol one exaggeration to another. It doesn't help your argument to make new word up either. lol vapor... product? Really? Braidwood most certainly has the capabilities to kill SSD. It is not directly competing with it, as Braidwood is not a stand alone storage device. Braidwood is indirectly competing with SSD because it singles out the most important feature of SSD; quicker boot times.

For the price of Braidwood and 3 1TB drives you get 1 80GB SSD drive. I think it is pretty obvious, given the choice, what the majority of computer user's would choose.

[CanadianRocky]

Originally Posted by JohnGalt_ny

or more directly, your computer?

Now, three years into photography as a hobby, I've come to the point where I need to upgrade my home system to more adequately work on RAW and Tiff files. My current system is stable and I like it BUT the CPU just isn't up to heavy photo editing.

Anyway, with WEin7 going RTM in October, it will be time to move so I'm looking at my current stuff and here's what has changed in the 4 years since I bought my non-gaming "state of the art" machine.
.........................

Apparently the only thing with more obsolete components than me is my faithful Desktop.

and You all?

I am in the same position as you. EVERYTHING is obsolete, except for my new Canon 9500 printer, 24 in monitor and CS 4.

I am going to take my current computer to work as a backup for the front office (where it will be fine) and replace it with the following,

Lots of CPU, as much RAM as i can shoehorn into where it does not become redundant and two physical drives. One of the drives will be partitioned so it will be the boot drive with all of the applications, a second partition for a very sizable scratch disc for Photoshop and and a third partition for my DATA. The second hard drive will be set up to mirror the first, in case of a hard disc crash.

I will also make sure it has a video card to handle the chores such as three 24 in monitors.

There will be a few other tweaks to this, but that is the core of what I am doing.

I dont use wireless for anything. My mouse, my keyboard and my Internet at home and at work are all connected by wire. Wireless is to unstable for me.

And, I know perfectly well, that I will be happy with it for about 1 year, then content with it for 2 years, then hate it for 1 year...... then do it all over again.... just like I have since 1995 when I choose not to to become a crack addict and became a computer junkie instead. This will be the fifth time I have bought state of the art, used it for 3 to 5 years, then bought state of the art, used it for 3 to 5 years......

[JohnGalt_ny]

Originally Posted by CanadianRocky

I am in the same position as you. EVERYTHING is obsolete, except for my new Canon 9500 printer, 24 in monitor and CS 4.

I am going to take my current computer to work as a backup for the front office (where it will be fine) and replace it with the following,

Lots of CPU, as much RAM as i can shoehorn into where it does not become redundant and two physical drives. One of the drives will be partitioned so it will be the boot drive with all of the applications, a second partition for a very sizable scratch disc for Photoshop and and a third partition for my DATA. The second hard drive will be set up to mirror the first, in case of a hard disc crash.

I will also make sure it has a video card to handle the chores such as three 24 in monitors.

There will be a few other tweaks to this, but that is the core of what I am doing.

I dont use wireless for anything. My mouse, my keyboard and my Internet at home and at work are all connected by wire. Wireless is to unstable for me.

And, I know perfectly well, that I will be happy with it for about 1 year, then content with it for 2 years, then hate it for 1 year...... then do it all over again.... just like I have since 1995 when I choose not to to become a crack addict and became a computer junkie instead. This will be the fifth time I have bought state of the art, used it for 3 to 5 years, then bought state of the art, used it for 3 to 5 years......

Thus is the fate of we who deal with computers.

[felix.reichardt]

JD ... how many read/write cycles does SSD memory have before becoming unreliable. I thought that was the biggest issue for that type of memory?

[Mike66]

Originally Posted by kewk

lol one exaggeration to another. It doesn't help your argument to make new word up either. lol vapor... product?

Vaporware (hardware or software) has been around for a long time. I first heard the term in the early 80's while waiting for the IBM compatible Osborne portable computer to replace my Osborne CPM machine.

[JDArt]

Originally Posted by felix.reichardt

JD ... how many read/write cycles does SSD memory have before becoming unreliable. I thought that was the biggest issue for that type of memory?

I don't think so, Felix. The MTBF ratings of the latest drives are in the range of 1,200,000 hours. That's 136 years! Needless to say, if I had a server full of SSDs rather than spinning magnetic platters, I'd feel that my data was a lot more secure.

[felix.reichardt]

Originally Posted by JDArt

I don't think so, Felix. The MTBF ratings of the latest drives are in the range of 1,200,000 hours. That's 136 years! Needless to say, if I had a server full of SSDs rather than spinning magnetic platters, I'd feel that my data was a lot more secure.

Really, Ok - then I need to check again. Which drive would you recommend?

[JDArt]

Originally Posted by felix.reichardt

Really, Ok - then I need to check again. Which drive would you recommend?

I've used three so far: this, this, and this. The latter two get ratings of over 7.1 in Windows 7. Intel sent me a copy of the first drive late last year, and it's been running 24/7 since then. Not even warm to the touch, and obviously no sound from it whatsoever. I back it up to a server running traditional magnetic platter drives, but honestly I figure there's a greater chance of my backup drives dying than this one.

[CanadianRocky]

Originally Posted by JDArt

I don't think so, Felix. The MTBF ratings of the latest drives are in the range of 1,200,000 hours. That's 136 years! Needless to say, if I had a server full of SSDs rather than spinning magnetic platters, I'd feel that my data was a lot more secure.

I dont feel secure with my data unless it is backed up and in another location than my computers.

My work backups are at home, and my home backups are at work.

[CanadianRocky]

Originally Posted by Mike66

Vaporware (hardware or software) has been around for a long time. I first heard the term in the early 80's while waiting for the IBM compatible Osborne portable computer to replace my Osborne CPM machine.

It was also a marketing tool. Hardware developers used the introduction of new software (sometimes not even started yet) to stir up interest in their computers.

[Dirk]

pretty modern:

Intel Core 2Duo Extrem 8400 (2x 3 ghz)
4048 DDR 2 dual channel fsb 800 (pc6400) ram
c:\ 500gb (free apporx 398 GB free of 465GB)
D:\252 gb free from 298 gb
N:\ (backup drive) (144 gb from 188GB)
geforce 86oo GT 512mb (to max 768 mb )
soundblaster audigy 2 hi tech soundcard
19"widescreen tft
self build dec 2008

OS vista SP2 (home edition)

woudn't call it obstolete..

[CanadianRocky]

Originally Posted by Dirk

pretty modern:

Intel Core 2Duo Extrem 8400 (2x 3 ghz)
4048 DDR 2 dual channel fsb 800 (pc6400) ram
c:\ 500gb (free apporx 398 GB free of 465GB)
D:\252 gb free from 298 gb
N:\ (backup drive) (144 gb from 188GB)
geforce 86oo GT 512mb (to max 768 mb )
soundblaster audigy 2 hi tech soundcard
19"widescreen tft
self build dec 2008

OS vista SP2 (home edition)

woudn't call it obstolete..

How many monitors can you run with that video card?

[Dirk]

Originally Posted by CanadianRocky

How many monitors can you run with that video card?

Two Why ??

[Battou]

Originally Posted by JohnGalt_ny

or more directly, your computer?

Now, three years into photography as a hobby, I've come to the point where I need to upgrade my home system to more adequately work on RAW and Tiff files. My current system is stable and I like it BUT the CPU just isn't up to heavy photo editing.

Anyway, with WEin7 going RTM in October, it will be time to move so I'm looking at my current stuff and here's what has changed in the 4 years since I bought my non-gaming "state of the art" machine.

CPU = AMD running at 1.6Ghz, single core (OBSOLETE)
1MG in 2 DIMM Slots -- PC 2700 DDR SDRAM 184 pin 333 (OBSOLETE)
30 GB C: Drive --
320 GB E: Drive through IDE interface (IDE OBSOLETE)
AGP slot (OBSOLETE)
3 PCI slots (OBSOLETE)
VIA S3 Unichrome IGP -- OBSOLETE can't display 1680 x 1050
2 front USB 1.0 ports -- OBSOLETE
Power Supply 200w -- Woefully Inadequate now
4 USB 2.0 ports -- Still OK
2 Firewire ports -- still OK ??
120GB and 350 GB WD External Drives -- Still OK

Photoshop 7.0 - Obsolete but I love it and know it well. CS 4 upcoming
Various PS 7 Plugins -- To Be Seen
HP Photosmart 760 Printer - LOVE it but Win 7 ?
Visioneer 3200 Scanner -- Probably out of here.
DPP, EOS Utilities and Zoom Browser -- probably OK
LR2 - OK

Apparently the only thing with more obsolete components than me is my faithful Desktop.

and You all?

You call that obsolete......


I'm not on my computer right now but I'll try to get you the information from mine, But for now I'll say this.....You try working with Windows ME, Microsoft Photodraw and Canon Canoscan FS 2710.

The only thing more obsolete than my computer is my camera body.

[CanadianRocky]

Originally Posted by Dirk

Two Why ??

I am going to upgrade and will have to decide which video card to get. I want to run 3 - 24 inch monitors.