What Do You Think of This Build?

Hello Everyone,

Here is a build I'm considering based upon price & availability. This isn't a top of the line computer by a longshot, but it's definitely a worthy opponent for someone with my needs.

What I'd like to do with this build? HD Video Encode/Decode, Next-Gen Gaming with medium framrates, and semi-professional audio development ie. Pro Tools, Cubase 4, VST, etc.


Here it goes...

Case: Antec 1200
PSU: Antec Quattro 850
HD: Samsung SpinPoint F1 HE103UJ 1TB Hard Drive & 300 GB WD Velociraptor
I haven't decided on the RAID config yet - any suggestions?
GPU: Sapphire ATI Radeon 4890 OC (2) in Crossfire
A/V Encode/Decode: Blackmagic Intensity Pro
CPU: Intel Q9400 2.66Ghz *I would go with the 9550, but I already own the 9400*
OS: Win 7 Ultimate x64
RAM: G Skills Trident DDR2 1200 (2x2GB)
Mainboard: ASUS Maximus II Formula


This is all theoretical and has much left to interpretation as there are many components missing from the list. If anyone has some recommendations and/or suggestions - please let me know. I am not a very experienced hardware guru by any means and would like any professional input available. Thanks in advance.

Cheers.

The build is good, you did your homework. You sure you want that raptor though, its not much more than a big price tag compared to the single platter drives like the Spinpoint f3. Also, switch that f1 to a f3 if its possible where you are buying, as the f3 is a bit faster. You sure you want 2 4890s over a single 5850 or x-fire 5770s? The mobo you picked is a bit overkill if you do not plan on overclocking. This one is a tad faster in x-fire, cheaper, and runs DDR3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131600

This is exactly why I came here! I will definitely accept the advice on the GPU and the Velociraptor. For the GPU, I do want to consider future capabilities and it's true, the HD 4890's wouldn't be the best option for that. I am looking to overclock the Q9400. I would love to get an i5 or an i7, but my budget is VERY limited. As a matter of fact, this build won't be for another couple of months - and we all know that things could be MUCH different by then. If anything, this is just a training exercise before I go for my A+ cert. I've talked to some people about the Blackmagic Intensity Pro and everyone loved it. Supposedly you have to have a really fast comp to use it, but somebody tested that and it isn't necessarily true. I've thought about RAID 0, but what have you guys heard of RAID 5? Isn't it the best of both worlds? You do have to have 3 HD's for that I've read - but it's safe.

Regarding the RAID, it really depends on what you're going to be doing.

At work we do mostly standard definition work so we don't need a RAID at all - the existing SpinPoint F1s are more than fast enough to keep up with the videos' data rate. However, we do have 1 machine with a pair of drives in RAID 0 for working with native 1080p footage to make sure we can play back and edit smoothly.

We're branching into Canon 5D footage next year (smexy!!) and not only do we need a ***-hot system for it but we're having to RAID 0 4 SpinPoint F3s just to deliver enough read performance to work smoothly!

So yeah, it all depends on what you want to do with your data.