New desktop - what's important? دھاگا پوسٹ کرنے والے: Christine Schacht
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Hi everybody,
I want to start working as a freelance translator and need a computer. The problem is that I don't really know a lot about them. I have already asked some colleagues on what is important, especially if I want to run software like across and trados, and based on what I know so far I have chosen this computer as my favorite:
Dell Vostro 320 Config DE C 5A, Deutsch Original Windows® 7 Home Premium (32 BIT), memory: 2 GB (2 x 1 GB Dual Rank DIMMs) 800 MHz, hard driv... See more Hi everybody,
I want to start working as a freelance translator and need a computer. The problem is that I don't really know a lot about them. I have already asked some colleagues on what is important, especially if I want to run software like across and trados, and based on what I know so far I have chosen this computer as my favorite:
Dell Vostro 320 Config DE C 5A, Deutsch Original Windows® 7 Home Premium (32 BIT), memory: 2 GB (2 x 1 GB Dual Rank DIMMs) 800 MHz, hard drive: 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with 8MB DataBurst cache, Intel® Pentium® Prozessor E5400 (2.70GHz, 800FSB, 2MB cache), Optisches Laufwerk: 8x DVD+/-RW-Laufwerk.
It comes with monitor, keyboard, mouse and Microsoft Application Software for all together 479 Euro (VAT not included).
Can anybody tell me if this would be an adequate PC for translating or is it too strong/ too weak or too expensive?
Looking forward to your answers, I will be so glad about some advice! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Suggest upgrading RAM and Windows | Mar 11, 2010 |
You will get better performance if you increase the RAM. Upgrading to Windows Professional or even Ultimate will likewise provide benefits. Some power users have switched to 64-bit Windows, but for most translation applications, 32-bit works fine, plus there are fewer software/hardware conflicts.
I don't know what Microsoft Application Software is, but in the US, MS Works is included with Dell purchases. Unfortunately Works doesn't include Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), so ... See more You will get better performance if you increase the RAM. Upgrading to Windows Professional or even Ultimate will likewise provide benefits. Some power users have switched to 64-bit Windows, but for most translation applications, 32-bit works fine, plus there are fewer software/hardware conflicts.
I don't know what Microsoft Application Software is, but in the US, MS Works is included with Dell purchases. Unfortunately Works doesn't include Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), so you will in all likelihood have to purchase MS Office separately. Using open source (no cost) software may be an option (Open Office), but some translators have found that the Open Office suite isn't fully compatible with MS Office applications. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | 800 Mhz RAM = too slow, 2 GB = too little | Mar 11, 2010 |
This seems to be still DDR2 RAM. Go with DDR3 instead, it's faster and you might also wanna pay attention to the memory's timings (the lower the CL value the faster the whole thing). From what I hear the following rule of thumb applies: the faster the RAM the higher the likelihood of instabilities, at least theoretically. But when buying a pre-configured, complete machine this shouldn't be an issue because these are tried and tested, at least the big brand ones such as Dells.
If opt... See more This seems to be still DDR2 RAM. Go with DDR3 instead, it's faster and you might also wanna pay attention to the memory's timings (the lower the CL value the faster the whole thing). From what I hear the following rule of thumb applies: the faster the RAM the higher the likelihood of instabilities, at least theoretically. But when buying a pre-configured, complete machine this shouldn't be an issue because these are tried and tested, at least the big brand ones such as Dells.
If opting for a 32 bit operating system, buy a system including 4 GB RAM. If opting for a 64 bit system, pick more RAM than that, for example 6 GB to keep things affordable, because 64 bit machines can address the excess RAM above 4 GB. Keep in mind: the more memory included in there the better the overall performance.
Go with a S-ATA III hard drive, they're (at least potentially, I think) way faster than S-ATA II ones. 320 GB of storage space will not be enough when professionally using the PC as your main machine. You will be facing huge amounts of data. Pick at least a 640 GB drive.
These are pretty affordable. The drive's read and write speeds should be compared to that of the competion for performance reasons plus its access time should be low. The cache size does play a part, too (because it saves the drive repeat operations, it can quickly retrieve data already put into the cache during the session).
The CPU seems to be fine from what users say about it (haven't come across a test though). Still, you might wanna spend considerably more and pick a Quadcore processor (= 4 CPU cores all rolled in one processor, potentially allowing for more simultaneous operations in some applications already today, with more software to come to support this feature going forward), such as the Intel Core I5-750 (2.66 Ghz), which, again, sadly is not a low-cost CPU as opposed to the one you have in mind. The latter is acclaimed both in terms of absolute speed and the speed/energy consumption ratio. The lower the electricity consumption, the more silent the PC's CPU cooler and I think also its fans (if temp-controlled) will operate; the quieter your office.
[Edited at 2010-03-11 21:43 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Echoing Sebastian's comments | Mar 11, 2010 |
Sebastian's suggestions were right on the nose. I'd like to stress the processor issue: the Pentium E5400 is already quite outdated, and you'd be getting a much more "future-proof" machine if you chose one with a processor from the new Core (i3/i5/i7) series. Even a Core i3 processor (or an older Core 2 Duo) would give you performance far superior to that of the E5400 for only a few euros more.
By the way, I can't speak for the German market, but here in Brazil it is *much* cheaper ... See more Sebastian's suggestions were right on the nose. I'd like to stress the processor issue: the Pentium E5400 is already quite outdated, and you'd be getting a much more "future-proof" machine if you chose one with a processor from the new Core (i3/i5/i7) series. Even a Core i3 processor (or an older Core 2 Duo) would give you performance far superior to that of the E5400 for only a few euros more.
By the way, I can't speak for the German market, but here in Brazil it is *much* cheaper to build your own machine or have someone do it for you rather than buying from a major manufacturer. I intend to upgrade one of my desktops next week, and am planning to get what I consider a very simple configuration (based on a Core i3 540, 4 GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 500 GB, 7200RPM hard drive) for about 400 Euro. Of course, I'm assembling everything myself, which is not for everyone, but maybe it's something to consider in your neck of the woods as well.
Also: get a good keyboard and a big monitor Once you start spending upwards of 12 hours a day with your new best friend, you'll realize the importance of both! I also use a two-monitor setup quite frequently, but then again I don't know how useful others would consider this...
[Edited at 2010-03-11 23:50 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| Less is more? | Mar 12, 2010 |
Most of the answers seem to suggest that more and faster is always better.
That is not necessarily true.
A 32 bit OS isn't even able to address 4GB of RAM. So why would you buy it?
As for the processor: It is usually cheaper to not buy the state-of-the art model, but some medium priced one and upgrade in time. Sure, more processing power "doesn't hurt", but if you are not using it, it just costs you money.
And othing people easily forget: The more p... See more Most of the answers seem to suggest that more and faster is always better.
That is not necessarily true.
A 32 bit OS isn't even able to address 4GB of RAM. So why would you buy it?
As for the processor: It is usually cheaper to not buy the state-of-the art model, but some medium priced one and upgrade in time. Sure, more processing power "doesn't hurt", but if you are not using it, it just costs you money.
And othing people easily forget: The more power you have inside your computer the warmer it gets, especially interesting in your office in summer. Similarly you need more cooling power and the noise of fans can get on your nerves when you sit next to it all day. I know I love my new nearly noiseless PC.
In general it sure is nice to get help here for every possible topic but in this regard I would still trust a specialist. I know I did (but I am lucky to know one) and he had lots of interesting stuff to say. These threads pop up every now and then, usually with similar suggestions. They are helpful, sure, I am just saying that there is probably more to it. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Neil Coffey 
برطانیہ
Local time: 00:23
انگریزیسےفرانسیسی
+ ...
| Get a machine with a "sensible" spec but not OTT | Mar 12, 2010 |
As both a programmer and translator, I would personally say get yourself a "mid range" PC with at least the following:
- Windows 7
- Dual core (yes, the Intel "i" series cores are good)
- 2GB RAM (the more the merrier)
- A graphics card with dedicated graphics memory (probably the case with just about all desktops -- but just in case, avoid ones that only talk about "shared graphics memory")
- a 7200 RPM hard drive
Things that are easy for a non-special... See more As both a programmer and translator, I would personally say get yourself a "mid range" PC with at least the following:
- Windows 7
- Dual core (yes, the Intel "i" series cores are good)
- 2GB RAM (the more the merrier)
- A graphics card with dedicated graphics memory (probably the case with just about all desktops -- but just in case, avoid ones that only talk about "shared graphics memory")
- a 7200 RPM hard drive
Things that are easy for a non-specialist to upgrade later:
- monitor, keyboard, mouse
- hard drive (you can plug in a portable USB/firewire one)
For anybody who knows about computer hardware, installing more RAM later is cheap and trivial, but it depends a bit on if you know somebody who'll be able to do it. If not, make sure you have at least 4GB, and as somebody has mentioned, ideally a bit more if you get 64-bit Windows. If you do know somebody who can help you upgrade when the time comes, RAM is genearlly cheap so you don't need to be too paranoid.
I would say go for a 64-bit system if you can, just from the point of view of not deliberately buying old architecture. The reason for *not* getting 64-bit Windows is simply that there are one or two compatibility issues with *some* software. Programs where you have "plugins", e.g. music software, are particularly susceptible to this problem (the plugins and main program must generally be of the same architecture, so you could get the 64-bit version of the main software then find a 64-bit version of a plugin isn't available or vice versa). But for most mainstream software there isn't so much of an issue.
I would personally say that arguments about 320 GB vs 640 GB hard drives are spurious-- either is an enormous drive for most people, and you can buy an additional plug-in USB drive of colossal capacity for next to nothing when the time comes. (Or ideally, have one anyway for backup.)
Sebastian's comments are completely true in principle if you're looking to really get a top-of-the-range machine, e.g. for gaming. However, for editing Word documents, I don't think most people will notice a tangible difference between, say, DDR2 and DDR3 memory or SATA II and SATA III. Or put another way, you'll get more performance increase per dollar by buying a book telling you how to tune your computer (e.g. from the O'Reilly Windows Annoyances series) than from investing in the fastest possible components.
On the other hand, I wouldn't deliberately buy a lower-spec machine just for concerns about heat/power consumption. High-end processors generally consume a lot of power *if* you're using them at full capacity. But when you're just running Word/having it sit idle, they generally run in lower-capacity states where they don't burn so much power.
[Edited at 2010-03-12 04:18 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | two monitors | Mar 12, 2010 |
Consider a possibility to work using two monitors.
It helps a lot.
As far as the operating system is concerned, I could easily manage my translations using a PC with Windows 2000 only.
Still successfully working on XP (dd. 2002).
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Thanks a lot for your answers, this will really help me make a decision!
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| some thoughts | Mar 12, 2010 |
When I purchased a new computer two years ago, I went with the best/fastest options available at the time (it was a "gaming" computer, 17" laptop for desktop replacement), and I spent over 1500 €. I have always been really happy with the performance of that computer, even with numerous memory-hogging applications open, it was never slow.
Sadly, the screen just died recently, and while I am having it repaired (under warranty!), I regret that I spent so much, as the life expectatio... See more When I purchased a new computer two years ago, I went with the best/fastest options available at the time (it was a "gaming" computer, 17" laptop for desktop replacement), and I spent over 1500 €. I have always been really happy with the performance of that computer, even with numerous memory-hogging applications open, it was never slow.
Sadly, the screen just died recently, and while I am having it repaired (under warranty!), I regret that I spent so much, as the life expectation of a computer usually doesn't exceed a few years.
Right now I'm working on a borrowed 500€ laptop until I get mine back, this one has more basic features, but in fact, I hardly notice any difference in speed. Next time I purchase a new computer, I will definitely spend less. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | What Neil said | Mar 12, 2010 |
I'd agree with what Neil said, basically.
Before I buy new kit, I usually buy a couple of magazines - it can help to read this kind of thing sprawled on the sofa or in the bath - and they often have advice for the novice buyer.
Sergei Tumanov wrote:
Consider a possibility to work using two monitors.
It helps a lot.
Still successfully working on XP (dd. 2002).
As far as this goes, I admit my experience is zero. But I have read plenty about why people decide to use 2 monitors, and for many, it seems much of the issue is managing the sheer number of windows they have open at once. Indeed, I used to feel I was a borderline 2-monitors case myself.
But Windows 7 is really good in this respect. Really, really good. So go with one monitor for now, and see how you feel. IMHO, of course
| | | | | Backing Neil | Mar 12, 2010 |
2 GB of RAM and some middle of the line Core 2 Duo is more than enough for most translators.
You could pay 500 euros more and get a computer that does much better in benchmark tests... which would translate into saving a couple of seconds (or a couple of hundredths of a second) on certain tasks. It's just not worth it for most people.
Getting a good keyboard and two monitors will probably make a much greater difference for a lot less money.
If you use gigan... See more 2 GB of RAM and some middle of the line Core 2 Duo is more than enough for most translators.
You could pay 500 euros more and get a computer that does much better in benchmark tests... which would translate into saving a couple of seconds (or a couple of hundredths of a second) on certain tasks. It's just not worth it for most people.
Getting a good keyboard and two monitors will probably make a much greater difference for a lot less money.
If you use gigantic TMs in xbench and keep a dozen browser tabs and 5 or 6 other windows open at a time and you feel that a minor speed bump is worth a couple of hundred euroes, get 3GB of memory and a non-low-voltage faster Core 2 duo or even core i5 or i7... but I repeat, the difference is not going to be dramatic for translation tasks. ▲ Collapse
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