Building a new computer system for image editing

[bowlesbe]

So I'm in the market for a new desktop and I know one thing: I will be getting an Intel 2 duo E6600 and 3G of RAM. The purpose of the computer is most notably image editing.

1) For ultimate data security, would it be better to get 2 separate mirrored 500G hard drives, or one very good hard drive like this one?
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?DriveID=238

2) Where can I find out what things I need to consider in choosing a motherboard? Do you have any personal recommendations? It would be nice to have an option to support HD's, and be energy efficient and well suited to Intels new processors.

3) Where can I find out what things I need to consider in choosing a case? I'm specifically intersted in getting one that will make my computer be as quiet as possible. Hopefully the poewr efficient intel 2 duo will help with this.

4) Video cards - I dont play video games and apparently it image editing doesnt require much video power. So I would want the minimum posssible (ie cheapest yet reliable) that will ensure good image editing and also the ability to support vista.

5) Does it matter what type of RAM to get, other than just to get DDR2? I realize this may sound a bit ignorant -- if you can direct me to a place where I can learn about RAM I would be grateful.

If you can only help with one of these questions I would appreciate your input!

 

[alcattle]

First, if you are thinking about extra RAM, get 4GB. Future proof, and someday every OS will use it. Now, the system does not use it but it also does not harm the RAM.
1. For data security, The quality of the drive makes little difference. A good RAID setup would be the best, with many options depending on the Budget. No matter what you decide, this is the best drive out there and it is a great price
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB
Rated an 87 at PC World.
2. Again depends on your needs, but I am reading No SLI and little overclocking. I like the Gigabyte 965P DS-3
3. The thing to look for is how it looks to you. They all start quiet, and you can make them more so. The PSU is what makes noise, and the case fans.
4. Are you interested in DX-10 and or Vista. You can buy an 8600 for ~$200 that will handle all you needs, for a dx-9 card a 7600 or x1650 would be fine.
5. Again, depends on Overclocking, but for a e6600 I would buy DDR2-800. Stock rig, get value RAM, when O/Cing, the better stuff.

Whoops that was 6

 

[bowlesbe]

Ok, here is the potential set up I just put together. Lets assume the whole purpose is to go FAST for image editing but with no video games. I am interested in mild overclocking. Please let me know if you can recommend different components for a reasonable price. I would also want it to be relatively quiet and durable. Price is an issue, not sure I can go much over what I have here. For RAM, I have 2G for now because I'm not sure, can XP even use 4 well at this point? I'm thinking it might be reasonable just to wait a bit and buy another two later when the prices come down. For harddrives the SAMSUNG one isnt sold by the place im getting it http://www.canadacomputers.com/, but I was told the one below does the job nicely.

One thing I was considering was getting another 10,000RPM harddrive to run the OS on, then using the two 500G hard drives as mirror ones for my photo images.

If you have any recommendations let me know!

Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Socket LGA775, 2.13 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 4MB L2 Cache, 65nm (Retail Box)
Yes
$232.99
$232.99
OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 800MHz 2GB (1GB x 2) kit Vista Upgrade Edition (OCZ2VU8002GK) Canada Computers' Warranty: 1 Year (First 90 Days Direct Replacement)
Manufacturer's Warranty: Limited Lifetime Warranty
Yes
$148.00
$148.00
EVGA e-GeForce 8500GT nVidia GeForce 8500GT Chipset DDR2 256MB PCI Express Graphics Card Canada Computers' Warranty: 1 Year (First 30 Days Direct Replacement)
Manufacturer's Warranty: Limited Lifetime Warranty
Yes
$116.99
$116.99
Seagate (ST3500630AS) Barracuda 7200.10 SATA NCQ 3.0Gb/s 500GB 16MB Cache (OEM) Canada Computers' Warranty: 1 Year (First 30 Days Direct Replacement)
Manufacturer's Warranty: 5 Years
Yes
$163.99
$327.98
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro for Intel Socket 775 Canada Computers' Warranty: 30 Days Instore
Manufacturer's Warranty: 5 Years
Yes
$25.99
$25.99
Antec P180B Black Innovative three-layer side panel case (aluminum, plastic, aluminum) Canada Computers' Warranty: 180 Days
Manufacturer's Warranty: 1 Year Manufacturer

Sales and Warranty Condition: every day lower price
Yes
$146.99
$146.99
Antec SmartPower 2.0 500 Watt ATX12V v2.0 PSU PCI-E Ready Canada Computers' Warranty: 90 Days
Yes

 

[goldragon_70]

Use a mirror set up. I do a good bit of image editing and after the first big crash I had, I always have a secondary back up of images (In some cases more). A mirror would not only do that, but also give you a quick way to restore what is lost.

 

[bowlesbe]

yeah, you mean just have the two drives replicate each other right? I was going to do that withthe two 500G drives

 

[goldragon_70]

When your dealing with images, backing up is your friend. I've had to recover from a few sever system crashes. The first time I lost it all, no back up. After that I've had to slowly pull everything of off cd and dvd, so a mirror set up would be much less of a pain, and the back ups are current.