any computer guru's here?

[kgk]

edit: wrong thread.

 

[fatrip]

here a great comp that will be more than enough for what you are doing and will keep up in the future.

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA Motherboard
Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz
OCZ Reaper Edition 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR GeForce GTX 260
KINGWIN ABT-730MM 730W ATX
Thermalright U120eXtrem1366RT
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD6000HLHX 600GB
Western Digital Caviar Black WD2001FASS 2TB
$1672.00 without rebates.

case really just aesthetics so you could pick and ATX that looks nice to you.

 

[IPT]

Fatrip - that looks like a nice build. Is that CPU cooler really needed? Seems like it is large and I would think that the stock system designed to work woth the CPU would get the job done (if left running stock).

I'd probably ditch the 2TB HD and get this one: Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s. I can keep the working images on the 600GB drive and I have two external 1TB drives to back it all up. I'll use the smaller one for the OS and other program files.

That mobo get ripped apart regarding reliability on the reviews (yet it's listed as "Toms HArdware 2010 recommended buy). Is that common? Is there a more reliable option? The last thing I need to be doing on my first build is trying to trouble shoot where an issue is from a bad mobo!

 

[fatrip]

I would go with something a little larger than the stock cooling system for th cpu just because most of your processes are going to be running the cpu a lot, the cooler the cpu stays the longer it lasts and for how reletivly cheap you can get one I think it is a good investment. You don't need the large one that I pointed out you can get a smaller one. I would stick with raptor 600 for OS and partition for scratch drive it runs at 6.0gb/s faster than the 150 @ 3.0gb/s. If you already ahve the 2 1tb drives than yea I wouldn't go with internal.

As far as hardware You really won't find many things that someone won't complain about. personally, knock on wood, I have never gotten a defective MB. I think somethings have to do with how people are installing them because they are final checked at the factory. Most people, IMO, just sit down at there kitchen table and started taking things out of bags pulling the mb out of the bag and have a small ESD to a component on the board which makes something inoperable. But where I always buy things online, NewEgg, the mb received 70% of the ratings 4 and 5 stars out of 282 reviews.

Personally I think gigabyte makes one of the few top notch MB's on the market. but if you do want to find another giga or asus would be my choice. it would need to have LG1366 socket, FBS w/ QPI 6.4GT/S, SATA 6 gb/s, Intel ICH10R south bridge, and no on board video. Everything else should be the same for a 1366 socket board, only # of slots for different things will vary.

TIP: mother board is the basis for all functions don't skimp...

 

[Recty]

EVGA 012-P3-1472-AR GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) SuperClocked 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ... $359.99

Antec NeoPower 650 Blue 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply $99.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBR x 2 = $197.98 ($98.99 each)

ASUS P7P55 LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard $119.99

Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor $289.99

------------------------------

This build looks pretty good to me. You'd have to add in a hard drive and the optical drive of your choice, be it blue ray or dvd. You already have a case so I didnt add that.

This build comes in at under $1100.

 

[fatrip]

I wouldn't go with the lynnfield core, it doesn't have a tri channel memory controller and will add to memory latency. this makes the bloomfield have more bandwidth. Bloomfield also is fully unlocked as the Lynnfield can only multiply the DRAM frequency. The lynnfield does have a few ups one being 95w which is nice but i don't see it out preforming the bloomfield in processing through memory channels which you'll be doing most with photo editing and such esp since they are the same price.

Also asus p7p55 doesn't have a 6gb/s sata connection so not going to benifit with the Western Digital VelociRaptor WD6000HLHX.

 

[Recty]

He did say he wouldnt be overclocking, so I'm not worried about an unlocked processor.

As I understand it, the Lynnfield's biggest "wow" factor is they can significantly overclock themselves on their own if there isnt much CPU temperature raise. They will dynamically overclock as needed and really pump out some performance.

I could be wrong, I havent kept up super great with technology over the last year but the Lynnfield also has a direct channel to the gpu built in which helps UNLESS you're going with SLI. The Bloomfield chipset helps with multiple GPUs (which he isnt running) and the Lynnfield is better with single graphics card.

Anyway, just my two cents. From the little reading I've done on it, they seem very similar but the Turbo on the Lynnfield seems pretty sweet.

Also, less power/less heat.

 

[IPT]

Recty - suprised you went with the LGa 1156 and the 860. So far the overwhelming feedback I have gotten on numerous threads was for the i7-930 (at first I was leaning to the 860 though). Pretty sure I am going the 930 route, and probably the GIGABYTE GA X58A UD3R LGA mobo. Still fumbliing around about the Video card. I have seent he one you mentioned as highly regarded, but also spindy. Was thinkign about the GTX 260 (top end of what I was looking at), GTS 250 1GB, or the Radeon HD 5750 1GB (at about $140).

Thoughts about these cards, or cards in general? Why I should or shouldn't consider one?

 

[Recty]

You are probably right though about the Bloomfield being slightly better, the more I read supports what you're saying. However, my build is about $250 cheaper, so if $$$ matters to him, the performance difference will be pretty small for the extra $250.

 

[Recty]

Recty - suprised you went with the LGa 1156 and the 860. So far the overwhelming feedback I have gotten on numerous threads was for the i7-930 (at first I was leaning to the 860 though). Pretty sure I am going the 930 route, and probably the GIGABYTE GA X58A UD3R LGA mobo. Still fumbliing around about the Video card. I have seent he one you mentioned as highly regarded, but also spindy. Was thinkign about the GTX 260 (top end of what I was looking at), GTS 250 1GB, or the Radeon HD 5750 1GB (at about $140).

Thoughts about these cards, or cards in general? Why I should or shouldn't consider one?

I have no practical experience with the Bloomfield or the Lynnfield, I was just going off what I read. The Lynnfield seems very good for single GPU computers. After looking more at it, the Bloomfield does seem better, although I'm not sure it will matter for the type of things you're doing... single GPU (and you're even looking at cheap GPUs so you really wont be needing the extra the Bloomfield provides) systems seem to do good with the Lynnfield.

Anyway, I'm basing everything I'm saying off what I've read online, I havent built a computer for two years now.

 

[IPT]

2 years...gasp - that is like a lifetime in computer years!! Kidding, you still know more than me . Heck, until last week I barely even know what a motherboard was.

$$$ always matters, but if there is a darn good reason to pony up some extra cash now I could. Just trying to mostly meet my needs and maintain some roof on the spending. Especially with computers it seems you get a lot of bang for your buck up to a point. Then prices continue to rise steeply and return in real world function really plumets simultaneously.

The nod from the peeps on the Adobe forum was for the ATI chipset Radeon HD 5750 1GB. Anyone have an issue with that recommendation?

 

[Recty]

One thing I've always liked is NVIDIA... I've used ATI and always gone back to NVIDIA. I'd never recommend ATI.

It's kind of like a Ford/Dodge thing though. Some people like Fords, some people like Dodges, both are good trucks.

I like NVIDIA. Their performance is top notch. They always update their drivers and lots of games and applications are optimized for their cards.

 

[IPT]

LOL - I'm a Chevy guy .

One of the main guys on the Adobe forum pointed me here when I asked about cards. Said ATI is quieter and uses less power.... http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-hd-5770,review-31704.html. Am about to read it myself.

 

[Recty]

My thoughts on it are this...

There are three things I will simply NOT skimp on when buying a new PC that I want high performance out of...

CPU
Graphics Card
RAM

The CPU effects everything, literally everything So dont skimp.

The graphics card is going to be doing a lot of work. Supposedly the new version of PS uses the graphics card a lot more too and that helps speed up your workflow. On that alone I wouldnt buy one of the cheaper cards.

RAM is going to facilitate higher speed with everything you're doing, as I think we already discussed in this thread.

Anyway, going with a relatively cheap card is just not a good idea, imo. I know that one you're looking at isnt CHEAP cheap, but it's cheaper than the price point I normally look at for video cards.

At the end of that article he states that the GeForce GTS 250 is the NVIDIA version of the card you're looking at and that it performs better, so that's something to think about.

Anyway, I'm guilty of brand loyalty just like everyone else, so dont let me talk you into buying a NVIDIA card if you really feel ATI is the way to go I just know what has worked for me in the past.

 

[IPT]

I like NVIDEA too. It also seemed to me that the GeForce did well, if not better than than the ATI on most of the tests.

Maybe I could do away with the SATA 6 HD's and get a better video card instaed...or I can just stop the craziness, up the budget and take the plunge. Gonna do a mock build this weekend and price it out. I'll probably end up closer to 2K but so be it.

Then again, a Vid card is always easy to upgrade. Get a satisfactory one now and then in a year I will actually have something to upgrade too instead of having to do an entire build. Also, by then there will likely be even better cards and the killer ones today will be middle of the line. Food for thought.

 

[SkyPapa]

For what it's worth, this is what I built a few months ago and I run LR3 and PSE8.
Seems fast enough for me.
I can also play crysis at 1920x1200 at 45fps.

Processor- i5-750
MB- Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4P P55 RT
Memory- G-skill 2Gx2|GSK F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ R
Graphics- Sapphire Radeon 5850 (previously a nvidia fanboy)
HD- WD black 1 TB.

This was about $800

I used my old case, 750W PS and liquid cooling (not needed, but I had it already).
I also have 2 other WD drives installed.

I don't think you need an i7 IMO, but that's just what it is.

 

[IPT]

why did you end up going with the Radeon this time around SkyPapa?

 

[SkyPapa]

Mainly from the reviews on Tom's Hardware.
It was best in class at the time. I think it still is.
I came from 2 GTX 8800s in sli with amd processors.
A Complete 180 in devices. :hmm2:

Edit;
Graphics cards have come a long way in a couple of years.
The single 5850 is more powerfull than 2 GTX 8800s.
They were top of the line and necessary to play games like crysis.
My 3rd? tier 5850 plays it better than the old top of the line Nvidias. Of course this is true with any electronics device.
Plenty good for PP too, I think.

 

[fatrip]

yea Recty the main reason really I was saying the bloomfield is because it will communicate with the ram faster and since what he was using now LR3 and CS lower than 5 it will be using mostly ram. but the chips are the same price so you could build either one with about the same money. I too have brand loyalty to nvidea as over the years I think there products have out preformed ATI's.

Also on my initial I would revise the ram decision because i didn't notice it was 1333 and not 1600.

 

[IPT]

my understanding is that in order for the system to use a 1600 RAM something else must be in line. Can't remember if it was the CPU, mobo, or what. You can't just slam in some 1600 RAM on any system and get the benifits right?