$1,000 photoshop / video editing rig

[mrruggles]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: this week

BUDGET RANGE: $1,000 after rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Photo / video editing, audio, internet / home office - no gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, DVD

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, amazon.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: Looking to minimize power output, but still leave room for upgrades

OVERCLOCKING: No

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

PNY XLR8 VCG98GTEE5XEB GeForce 9800 GT EE 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16814133279
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133279

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817139004
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

2x G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231276
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116754
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119137
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136319
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115215
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

ASUS P7P55D LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131404
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131404

 

[ryanhmusic]

I may seem like an AMD fanboy by saying this but I promise to you that I am not!
An AMD Phenom II 955 BE and ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 CPU/MOBO combo will set you back about: $269.98 before the $10 MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.273337

Your current mobo/cpu is about $350... The performance of the AMD setup is equal to that of your Intel and may actually perform better in some environments... (don't believe me? look at the power of an AMD quad core: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecjhz6nBPAY) <--- LOOK AT EVERYTHING that his computer is doing with no lagg running adobe photoshop/illustrator and many other applications...

For a GPU I'd personally use a HD4870 for around $124.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150441&cm_re=4870-_-14-150-441-_-Product
It's going to be quite a bit more powerful that your slightly outdated 9800gt... (although granted a bit more expensive) <--- use the money you saved on the cpu/mobo to buy this much better card.

PSU: NICE CHOICE!

RAM: why spend $90 per package when you could pay $70 per for the same performance? (i've personally had an amazing experience using OCZ RAM. Fast and their customer service was great too when I had a problem.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227346

Your computer case & HDD choice isn't bad but it's not what I'd do.

For a HDD I'd pick up 2x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098 for 47.99 each and run them in RAID0 which would be MUCH faster than your current hdd setup and it's nice to have fast HDD access read/write when constantly making changes in illustrator/photoshop.

For a case i'd grab anything that has good cooling, looks OK, and has FREE SHIPPING. Shipping a case is like $30 which is one reason they offer HDD's and Cases as combos.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119206
This has free shipping right now and is only $50, not a bad deal for such a nice case.

Total purchase price: $674.99 and you still have quite a bit of cash left over... If I were you I might throw in a boot disk SSD and maybe another 4870 for crossfire... OR just get a bigger/better monitor.

 

[ryanhmusic]

the video i meant to link was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecjhz6nBPAY