Hello everyone,
I am a long time reader/researcher here, but a first time poster. I am looking to build a new system in about 2 weeks and have been researching components for a couple of months in preparation for this. Of course, as is always with technology, a couple of months in computer terms is tantamount to several years in any other field.
A background for the purpose of my new machine:
■I will be running (initially) Adobe CS3 Master collection (Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, Premiere Pro)
■I plan on dealing with some fairly large graphic files (15-20MB .jpeg's and in a year or so, with a new camera, raw files)
■I plan on capturing/editing/rendering HDTV video files
■Probably the most intensive game I will play will be Guild Wars 2 (when it is released) and from what I can tell, the specs for a system to play that game will be slightly higher than moderate (and I can live with little or no AA and a moderate resolution)
■Stability is more of a concern to me than price, but I'd rather not "overkill" (eg spending $250-$300 on a motherboard that can achieve a 450-500 FSB with rock solid stability is OK; spending $1,200 on a CPU or GPU is beyond my realm of sensibility)
I have been looking at the Q6600 for awhile, but with the introduction of the E8400, I have been having second thoughts. I plan on overclocking and I'm wondering what my best choice is for my purpose - the Q6600 @ ~3.2-3.4 or the E8400 @ 3.8 to 4.0.
I am not a fan boy of either ATI or Nvidia (so either suggestion will be OK), but I have been looking rather hard @ the 8800GTS (320-640) not sure what my purposes will need, but $250 or so for a GPU is OK (do not want, nor do I believe I will need, SLI or Crossfire).
I have been looking at the PC Power & Cooling S75QB EPS12V 750W Power Supply. I think 750W and a 60A +12V single rail should suit my power needs (may be overkill though).
Basically, I'm looking for any suggestions for rock solid performance without unnecessary overkill for my intentions. I'm having the most problem, I believe, with finding a suitable MB that will handle the OC'd FSB with strong stability. I've been looking at the DFI LP UT P35 T2R, but any suggestions would be welcome. This will be my third build (my last being based on an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ which is still running great without a hitch - I just need more power for what I'm doing now).
If anyone needs more info, please do not hesitate to ask, and let me go ahead and thank you in advance for any suggestions or comments - they are all much appreciated!
Jon
*EDIT*
I forgot to include that I will be using 8GB of RAM and am trying to choose between Vista 64 and XP 64. I have been leaning towards XP because of issues I have read with Vista, but any insight from people that have either would be greatly appreciated.
I am a long time reader/researcher here, but a first time poster. I am looking to build a new system in about 2 weeks and have been researching components for a couple of months in preparation for this. Of course, as is always with technology, a couple of months in computer terms is tantamount to several years in any other field.
A background for the purpose of my new machine:
■I will be running (initially) Adobe CS3 Master collection (Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, Premiere Pro)
■I plan on dealing with some fairly large graphic files (15-20MB .jpeg's and in a year or so, with a new camera, raw files)
■I plan on capturing/editing/rendering HDTV video files
■Probably the most intensive game I will play will be Guild Wars 2 (when it is released) and from what I can tell, the specs for a system to play that game will be slightly higher than moderate (and I can live with little or no AA and a moderate resolution)
■Stability is more of a concern to me than price, but I'd rather not "overkill" (eg spending $250-$300 on a motherboard that can achieve a 450-500 FSB with rock solid stability is OK; spending $1,200 on a CPU or GPU is beyond my realm of sensibility)
I have been looking at the Q6600 for awhile, but with the introduction of the E8400, I have been having second thoughts. I plan on overclocking and I'm wondering what my best choice is for my purpose - the Q6600 @ ~3.2-3.4 or the E8400 @ 3.8 to 4.0.
I am not a fan boy of either ATI or Nvidia (so either suggestion will be OK), but I have been looking rather hard @ the 8800GTS (320-640) not sure what my purposes will need, but $250 or so for a GPU is OK (do not want, nor do I believe I will need, SLI or Crossfire).
I have been looking at the PC Power & Cooling S75QB EPS12V 750W Power Supply. I think 750W and a 60A +12V single rail should suit my power needs (may be overkill though).
Basically, I'm looking for any suggestions for rock solid performance without unnecessary overkill for my intentions. I'm having the most problem, I believe, with finding a suitable MB that will handle the OC'd FSB with strong stability. I've been looking at the DFI LP UT P35 T2R, but any suggestions would be welcome. This will be my third build (my last being based on an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ which is still running great without a hitch - I just need more power for what I'm doing now).
If anyone needs more info, please do not hesitate to ask, and let me go ahead and thank you in advance for any suggestions or comments - they are all much appreciated!
Jon
*EDIT*
I forgot to include that I will be using 8GB of RAM and am trying to choose between Vista 64 and XP 64. I have been leaning towards XP because of issues I have read with Vista, but any insight from people that have either would be greatly appreciated.