Computer guru's please input

[Soufkackicustom]

Iam trying to get a computer for the wife for her photo editing. So she called my uncle...who is a computer nerd, but it's all kind of Greek to us...so he suggest

Asus cm6870 -us0126 ( what's the diffrence between it and a cm6870-us-3ad??)

2x Sea gate barracuda 7200.14 3tb 3.5" data 6.0gb/s. ( what is this? And is it for the asus or to add to what I got now??)

Zydeco gs105b 5 port gigabit Ethernet switch (what's this for??is it needed)

Engenius eub9706 wireless n adapter ( is this same as above, just wireless?)

Qnap ts-219p11-us. All in one nas for home and sho..cloud ready

Qnap ts-412-us all in 1 nas server with iscsi for soho and home use

The wife talked to him, and has no idea what he was saying. All the list he sent said. The email says option with tha asus you do not need the wireless card, and you only need 1 qnap, I sent both a 2 port and 4 port for future planning.


Can someone translate this into idiot for me into a working computer.

[Amiss]

Iam trying to get a computer for the wife for her photo editing. So she called my uncle...who is a computer nerd, but it's all kind of Greek to us...so he suggest

Asus cm6870 -us0126 ( what's the diffrence between it and a cm6870-us-3ad??)
Probably nothing as far as I can tell?

2x Sea gate barracuda 7200.14 3tb 3.5" data 6.0gb/s. ( what is this? And is it for the asus or to add to what I got now??)
These are hard drives... changes are you do not need 6tb, or anything close to that. Just get a 1 terabyte hard drive, that's 7200rpm and you will be fine.

Zydeco gs105b 5 port gigabit Ethernet switch (what's this for??is it needed)
No. Just use an ethernet cord to the mobo if you have an ethernet port nearby, or get a wifi card.

Engenius eub9706 wireless n adapter ( is this same as above, just wireless?)
This would be a better choice. Just get this.

Qnap ts-219p11-us. All in one nas for home and sho..cloud ready
Qnap ts-412-us all in 1 nas server with iscsi for soho and home use
Not sure why you need those unless you're trying to make a home server?

The wife talked to him, and has no idea what he was saying. All the list he sent said. The email says option with tha asus you do not need the wireless card, and you only need 1 qnap, I sent both a 2 port and 4 port for future planning.


Can someone translate this into idiot for me into a working computer.

Look, what are you trying to do? And what do you want? Do you think you have the basic knowledge to build a computer yourself? Chances are you can get a better computer for less if you can plug in wires and stuff in the right place. Building a computer is like adult legos, it's not too hard if you can follow directions or look online.

I don't know why you'd need all that stuff... You're just editing photos on it?

[dj_ender]

Chances are you can get a better computer for less if you can plug in wires and stuff in the right place. Building a computer is like adult legos, it's not too hard if you can follow directions or look online.

This. Computer assembly is not hard at all, you just have to make sure the CPU will fit in the motherboard and that the RAM is compatible with your motherboard. Next to that, the hardest thing is installing the heatsink, and that's even easy.

[PakaloloHonda]

The computer isn't really the most important thing, really
Finishing software and the monitor you use IS!

Any computer will do .. to be honest.

[dj_ender]

The computer isn't really the most important thing, really
Finishing software and the monitor you use IS!

Any computer will do .. to be honest.

Not true at all. If she plans on doing heavy editing "just any computer" will NOT do. The CPU and RAM has to up to the task of the editing. BUT if she plans on just basic editing, then most computers will be just fine, she just needs plenty of RAM.

[reklipz]

Regardless, there is no need for all of those peripherals really, unless there is something you aren't telling us. Most folks that I know when asked to recommend a computer will do just that, recommend a computer. They won't hassle you with all of the extras unless they truly think there is a reason you need them.

That said, tell us the same thing you told your computer geek guy, and we'll see if what he recommends jives with what we think you might need.

[deevergote]

"Heavy photo editing" has been done effectively over the last decade on machines much less powerful than even lower-end stuff available today.
A mid-range pre-built PC from a reputable company will probably work just fine, and the hassle and confusion of assembling a custom computer can be avoided.

I blew up my last computer trying to play Diablo III, while running about 10 other programs (one of them being Netflix streaming on a second monitor!) I built and rebuilt that computer over the past decade or so. It did what I wanted well enough, though nothing was ever perfect. In the process of shopping for new components, I realized I can just buy a full machine for the same price or less, and everything will work better than one I built myself.
In the end, I snagged a Lenovo computer from Best Buy. The second cheapest one they had. So far, it has handled damn near everything I've thrown at it.

[dj_ender]

My point is that if she's doing heavy editing, she's going to need a powerful program to run it, and that requires a decent CPU and some good RAM. If she's just using MS Paint to edit, then basically any computer on the market will suffice.

[buzz11]

Do you have a budget? That is the main idea. If I were you, I would get a midrange intel PC and upgrade the ram. If you have a monitor already, that's even better. Less hassle and you know everything will be compatible

[deevergote]

A top of the line system 5 years ago is about on par with lower-end stuff today. Photoshop was pretty damn powerful 5 years ago.

A decent mid-range system will run Photoshop well enough for most people. Faster is better, sure... but my little $600 Lenovo would handle what most amateur photo editors could throw at it. Bump it up to the next level, say $800, and it'd be plenty.

Throwing a bunch of super-high-end parts together will end up being very expensive, and more than needed, I'm sure. It's like someone shopping for a car. They want something fast enough that it can get out of its own way... but they don't need a 700hp Ferrari!

Buy midrange, and spend a little extra on a good photo editing program, such as Photoshop (it can be pirated, but buying it outright is always safer... and more honest!) Most premade computers on the market can handle more RAM than they come with... so buying more RAM with it wouldn't hurt.
There's no need to go super high-tech, since it'll be expensive, and it'll be outdated in a week.

[dj_ender]

I'm not saying she should get anything high end, high end stuff is meant for SERIOUS gamers or SERIOUS photo/video editing. Mid-level PC's are generally good for the average consumer, and can do most things well. My argument is that, depending on her needs, not "just any computer" will suffice.

[deevergote]

I'm just saying that "just any computer" today is on par with some higher-end stuff that was on the market just a few short years ago. A few years ago, serious photo editing was done on those systems.

[dj_ender]

[deevergote]

[reklipz]

Guys and gals, until we know in what capacity the OPs wife wishes to edit photos, there is no point in bantering. For your run of the mill mom/pop editing a photo from their point and shoot, I think we can all agree that pretty much any machine on the market at this point in time will suffice.

Otherwise, if the wife in question is a photographer, professional, budding amateur or otherwise, things do start to become a bit more serious. The fact that the uncle recommended nearly 6 TB of storage space means that we very well could have a professional photographer on our hands, and that definitely changes the game. First, I would not want my business that is based on having high quality images laying around on an un-backed up medium; turn that 6 TB into a mirrored fully-redundant RAID 1 (and then some; you need off-site backup as well; this is your life-blood we're talking about here!). Also, any run of the mill monitor is not going to work either. You need an IPS/S-PVA or better panel with high contrast, wide viewing angle, and high resolution in order to match your editing work to print.

Let's all just wait and see what the OP has to say, shall we?