System for Digital Art and Design

Hey all, another newbie to building a new computer here. I want to upgrade from my 15" laptop so I decided to look into desktops. I ran into the Dell Studio XPS and wondered if I could build something similar for less money.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: As soon as I can. One question. If I buy parts to build my own computer, is there any discount for me when Windows 7 comes out? I do like the fact that Microsoft is bringing back the upgrade program but Dell hasn't said a word yet so I'm holding off on buying from them.

BUDGET RANGE: Around $1,000. (Not including the monitor at this point) I think I can go cheaper though.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Photoshop, Painter, general browsing, listening to music, other future design apps (Illustrator)

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: I have about $150 in credit from Best Buy which I will get a keyboard, mouse, and speakers from. (Was thinking Logitech Illuminated keyboard, MX Revolution, Logitech - Z-2300)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: i just looked at Newegg.com, I have no preference.

PARTS PREFERENCES: Never built a computer before so I don't have a preference.

OVERCLOCKING: No - I don't feel like it's needed for the work I'll be doing.

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No - same as above.

MONITOR: I'm split on this, I have two options - hook up the computer to my JVC 42" LCD tv or get a nice 20 - 24" monitor. I'm leaning towards the monitor though, I don' know about the quality the tv would display. I've been deciding between these two: Dell S2209W 22-Inch LCD and Dell 2408WFP UltraSharp 24-inch.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I just need a computer powerful enough to run design apps flawlessly which shouldn't take too much. I want a fast computer that will last me for years to come. For this build I'd like a simple black case, I don't want anything fancy. I like simple, minimal design.

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Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Case 500W

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

GIGABYTE GV-R435OC-512I Radeon HD 4350 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor

Koutech IO-RCM620 USB 2.0 3.5" Card Reader

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

LITE-ON Black SATA DVD Burner

Again, I am completely new to this so if I did anything wrong, after laughing please tell me what is bad with the above setup.

If color accuracy is important then use a LCD monitor, not a HDTV. Also the Dell S2209W uses a TN panel which notorious for poor color accuracy.

There's the Dell 2209WA monitor which uses an e-IPS panel that can truly produce 16.7m colors, if you want to keep costs down.

Yeah, I remember reading that somewhere a long time ago. No, I don't think I NEED 6GB, but with Ram being so cheap these days, why not? And yeah, I'll be using the Windows 7 RC in 64-bit until it gets released. I tried looking up the Spider Express. Is that a calibration tool for monitors?

Thanks for the advice! I searched for the S2209WA and found many great things about it and also some bad points about black levels. But for the price and mostly positive reviews it seems like a worthy buy. I'll forget about hooking up my tv to my computer.

I found two Microcenters somewhat nearby. I might stop in if I get the chance. Thanks for the other two suggestions.

That DVD burner you have lised is an IDE...get a SATA drive...Thinner cable - less clutter...
But the case and PSU is very good...But the case has only 3 3.5" internal bay...So it can't take more than 3 harddrives...
If you want more bays, then for$10 more, you can go for this...It has 5 bays...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811112200

^ Good...
And yes that DVD is better...

Alright, here's the final build. I just got two questions. Should I buy two hard drives and use one for a scratch disc? Or just go with one drive at 7,200rpm or one at 10,000? Also, I think I might upgrade from a 4350 to a 4670.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102818

Now that I think about it, I might go back to some games that I wasn't able to play before. And it's not that much more for the upgrade. So right now it's:

Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811112199
Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128375
Graphics Card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102818
Card Reader - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820162016
RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231247
2 Hard Drives - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136319
DVD Burner - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151171

I'll be getting the Core i7 920 from Microcenter.

Total - $945.91

I'll see if I can find the Dell for a lower price than $270. Maybe I can negotiate with a Dell representative. Thanks a lot for all the help guys, I really appreciate it.

Is there really no need to go from GDDR3 to GDDR4? I actually had the HIS in the first place but swapped it with the Sapphire.

Oh, and one last thing. Since the hard drives and burners are OEM, doesn't that mean I have to buy separate cables too? Should I get three of these, two for the hard drive, one for the burner?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6812119229