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CS4 Lightroom system

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Hi guys,

Building a PC for photo editing & image management (CS4 + Lightroom) and I need to decide between getting:

1. OCZ 60GB Vertus Turbo SSD as an OS/boot drive
- or -
2. +4GB of RAM (for a total of 8) and +1 WD Caviar Black 1TB hard drive


The rest of the system:
  • AMD Phenom II X4 Processor 965 Black Edition
  • Gigabyte MA790GPT-UD3H AMD790GX AM3 DDR3
  • 2x2GB = 4GB DDR3-1600 RAM by G.SKILL
  • WD Caviar Black 1TB SATA2 7200RPM
  • 2 x Powercolor Radeon HD 4650 video cards
  • Coolermaster cm 690 case
  • Corsair 650W power supply

    APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This week
    SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Photoshop CS4, Lightroom, otherwise general use
    PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, DVD, card reader
    PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: ncix.com
    COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada
    PARTS PREFERENCES: None
    OVERCLOCKING: No
    SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No
    NOTES:
  • Migrating x2 250GB Seagate Barracuda's from another PC
  • x2 4650's so I can calibrate monitors separately
  • I currently have an APVe but no Windows 7 drivers are planned - are you running an APVe successfully under Windows 7? Please let me know if you are

    Would welcome any comments or changes you would make (and why). Thanks everyone,
    VC

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    Get the additional RAM and the traditional drive.

    An SSD will significantly shorten your boot and load times, but if you're going to primarily be using this for photo editing, you'll find the additional RAM much more handy. The SSD won't matter when you're actually doing work.

    The graphics cards are somewhat dated, have you looked at anything newer? You don't need top-of-the-line for photo editing, but the 5xxx series is supposed to run quieter and use less energy.

    ok, so im not gonna show you a build, cuz i have to understand your thinking. buy a i5 750 over a 965:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

    buy the samsung f3 i TB over that:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

    buy this case/psu combo:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

    much better, and 110$, so probs much cheaper. buy this ram instead:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

    there is a 1600 MHz version, but u can oc that ram to 1800+.

    if im stupid, and u already have the parts, sorry, and get the f3 anyway, raid it in 0+1 or 1+0, 1, or 0, 5 something along those lines, and yeah, for ur uses, i would get 8 gigs. also, the 2 x 4650s confuses me, but idk

    Unless you're editing massive files (more generally audio & video), a RAID setup isn't going to help you that much (and it could be more trouble than it's worth). I'd recommend against it, and if you decide you need something along those lines, you can generally add that sort of thing later.

    Other than that, I'd agree with ares1214's suggestions.
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    Hey guys,

    The x2 graphics cards:
    I want to be able to calibrate the monitors separately... issues with single cards with dual outputs not having dual LUTs. But CS4 doesn't really need a heavy lifter graphics wise, hence I just cheaped out - so long as its 128MB+, OpenGL2 and Shader Model 3.

    So you're recommending the i5 over the AMD? Any suggestions as to which motherboard you would pair with it?

    Thanks for the advice!
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