Not gaming, but serious work PC - first i7 build

[tokyotech]

My company is allowing me to build a new PC. It's a design and programming job for a video processing website. Of course, I won't be allowed to play games at work, so I only want a low wattage GPU. It's my first i7 build, so I'm asking you guys whether everything will work out.

Uses:
* web design & programming
* Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator
* HD video watching
* Tons of browsers and programs open at once
* lots of I/O - saving files every minute
* will be using free Windows 7 64-bit until it expires.

Questions:
1) will the PSU support all my parts?
2) Is there a disadvantage to the HD 4670 not having a power connector? It shares power with the mobo?
3) If the only power hungry thing in my case is the Core i7, will this case's ventilation be sufficient?
4) I saw DDR3 RAM sold in pairs (2 x 2GB). That's about how much RAM I need, but I've personally chosen (3 x 2GB) because I thought that DDR3 needs to be installed in triplets to work well. Is this true?

Total: $983.91 (after rebates)

$23.99 - LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30

$39.99 - NZXT Alpha Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Open Window

$74.99 - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

$69.99 - HIS Hightech H467QT512P Radeon HD 4670 IceQ Turbo 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported

$89.99 - CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Compatible

$79.99 - OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK

$174.99 - Foxconn FlamingBlade GTI LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

$279.99 - Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920

$149.99 - Acer X213Hbid 21.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor

 

[xthekidx]

Do you want a side window on your case, or did you just chose that one cuz its cheap? If you don't need that side window, I would do this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.198951
That is an excellent combo on a case and PSU that costs the same amount as the PSU you are looking at, but higher quality. The Case is also a bit more modest, which might be appreciated in a professional environment.

Get a motherboard that will allow a full 12gb of ram. Having only 3 dimm slots is silly on an x58 board IMO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131386

You don't need even that video card, its more than you need since you can't play any games. This would be more than enough for you:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125250

Your other selections look good. If you want to overclock, then you will need to buy a separate CPU cooler, like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185093&Tpk=scythe%20mugen%202
If you think you can get a really stable OC, then go for it, as you will see dramatic performance boosts from overclocking. I would say 3.6ghz is a safe bet, and you wouldn't have any issues with that. However it may not be worth the risk since this is a working PC. Up to you.

Everything else looks good to me. The PSU you picked is great, but its pricey for what it offers. I'm sure the case would be fine too, but i would go for the combo I showed you.

 

[barna madau]

I'm a pc building newb, but I picked the Antec 300 for my first build (just finished it less than a week ago), and I have ot say I love that case... Lots of airflow, very cool, and the large slow(ish) spinning fans are very quiet. At first, I thought they were broken. It's a very sleek- clean, stealthy case.

Also, my build is a bit more modest than yours, core 2 duo 3ghz, 4gig ram, but I went full on w/ a 750w power supply. imo- you can't have one that too big- just too small. It's a few extra bucks for piece of mind (I had old store built pc's w/ undersized power supplies- no fun).

I don't know how they work, but logically if you ahve one that you are only runny at 50% vs on at 90%, I would imagine the one at 50% capacity would deliver cleaner power (my rationalization). Plus- if I add a hard drive, or an optical drive, etc- no worries.

I also went overkill on the cpu cooler. I had a hell of a time trying to isntall the oe intel cpu cooler, so I gave up and bought a Zalman 9500. Very quiet, and easy to install. It also helps fill tat cavernous case. Looked kind of silly- empty w/ the intel one in there.

BM

 

[xthekidx]

I don't know how they work, but logically if you ahve one that you are only runny at 50% vs on at 90%, I would imagine the one at 50% capacity would deliver cleaner power (my rationalization). Plus- if I add a hard drive, or an optical drive, etc- no worries.

IMO, when your system is fully loaded it would be ideal to have the PSU running at 50-60% of its maximum load. Running at that load level ensures the highest efficiency of the PSU (least amount of energy lost) and much less ripple in the current, which means more stability and less chance of your hardware being damaged by energy spikes (so yes you are correct in saying "cleaner power"). It also ensures that your PSU will last a long time, PSU's will burn out if they are fully loaded for an extended period of time. If you ran your system at 30% load it would be fine too, but at that point you are kinda wasting money and can get a cheaper PSU. however if you get too low of load percentage, then PSU's tend to start losing efficiency and ripple protection becomes degraded, so a 1000W PSU is not always better than a 650W PSU.

To be honest, that EA650 PSU that comes in that combo I suggested is more than you need, your system probably wouldn't need much more than 250-300W at maximum load, but the price is just too good on it to pass up. Higher wattage PSU's have higher quality parts in them, so if you can find a higher wattage PSU for the same price (assuming its a good manufacturer like Antec or Enermax or Corsair) you should get the higher wattage PSU. $107 for an Antec 300 and Antec EA650 PSU is an AWESOME deal. Its usually more like $140 for the combo, $160 or so if you buy them individually. Newegg must have more than they need and are trying to clear them out.

 

[tokyotech]

xthekidx,

I've noticed that most lower model GPU's like the one you posted only have 1 DVI out. I'll eventually have to use two, so I've chosen Tomshardware's suggested cheapest card.

And I do prefer a side window on the case. It's great for seeing if my fans are working properly on the CPU, GPU, case, etc... I've used the side window on my current build many times to fix bad wiring.

 

[xthekidx]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161262

What is your budget for this build exactly?