Looking for input for my 1000-1300$ build

[Wayland]

Hi,

I'm currently building a new system for my wife (and partly for myself… hehe) and after gathering approximately what I want I’m now looking for some input.


Here is what we want to do with the system:
• Adobe CS 4 (my wife is a professional media designer)
• 3D modeling (Blender)
• Gaming (things like Aion at 1680x1050)
• Heavy, parallelized calculations including running OpenCL tasks on the GPU
• Normal system use with synchronous use of a virtual machine


And here is what else we would like to see from our system:
• Stability / Reliability ( ECC RAM)
• Good price-performance ratio
• It should be on the silent side
• Overclocking it a bit isn’t out of question
• Reasonable energy efficiency


Here is what we currently have (prices from geizhals.eu, purchasing from Germany):
• CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 620 (~75€ / 102$)
• Graphics card: Sapphire Radeon HD 5750 512MB (~95€ / 129$)
• Motherboard: ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO (~75€ / 102$)
• RAM: Kingston ValueRAM 4GB Kit PC3-10667E ECC CL9 (~100€ / 136$)
• HDD : Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.C 1000GB (~65€ / 89$)
• PSU: Arctic Cooling Fusion 550R (~45€ / 61$)
• Case: Antec Nine Hundred Two (~90€ / 123$)
• CPU cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev. 2 (~15€ / 20$)
• Monitor: Benq G2200W (~130€ / 177$)
• External HDD : SimpleTech SimpleDrive Rev. 3 1000GB (~70€ / 95$)

Total sum: 760€ / 1035$


My wife would be willing to spend 1000€ / 1362$ maximum on the hardware (there is a 100€ / 136$ margin I guess). So I want to ask if and in what order I should invest into the following upgrades:
• CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 (C3) Black Edition (~130€ / 177$)
• Graphics card: Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 (~250€ / 340$)
• RAM: 2x Kingston ValueRAM 4GB Kit PC3-10667E ECC CL9 (~200€ / 272$)


Is my base system any good? Is any of the upgrades really worth its money? I’m especially unsure about the motherboard (is it alright?) and the case. I’ve read mixed reviews / comments about the nine hundred two. But in a comparison on silentpcreview.com the Antec 183 doesn’t seem to be much quieter.

Any input is greatly appreciated!

 

[blackjellognomes]

• Stability / Reliability ( ECC RAM)
• Good price-performance ratio

A bit contradictory here, no? Non-ECC RAM has been getting much more reliable as of late, so there isn't much reason to get ECC RAM these days.

A 5770 is great for 1680x1050. A 5850 would be overkill, especially if you aren't doing heavy gaming.
Getting a 955 would be a good investment though; the extra cache should be worth the extra 55€ for a professional media designer.
The Samsung Spinpoint F3 and, to a lesser extent, the Seagate 7200.12 series are better HDDs than the most recent offerings from Hitachi. I don't know how their availability is in Germany, but switch it out if you find one for about the same price.
Interesting choice in PSU. It looks like it's manufactured by Seasonic, so it should be fine.

Otherwise, the parts you picked out look good. The mobo and case are great choices.

 

[Wayland]

Hey!

Thanks for your fast reply!

• Stability / Reliability ( ECC RAM)
• Good price-performance ratio

A bit contradictory here, no? Non-ECC RAM has been getting much more reliable as of late, so there isn't much reason to get ECC RAM these days.

According to a recent joint study conducted by Google and the University of Toronto ECC RAM may be well worth its money. And it isn't that much more expensive IMO.

A 5770 is great for 1680x1050. A 5850 would be overkill, especially if you aren't doing heavy gaming.

Really a 5770? Or did you mean to write 5750? Because I've read in an Anandtech review that the 5770 is not a good deal.

Thanks for the other hints and reassurances!

 

[blackjellognomes]

If you think ECC RAM is worth it, go for it.
However, a 5750 may struggle at your res when gaming. Would you mind finding the link to that review? As far as I know, the 5770 is probably the most popular mainstream gaming card right now due to its value. The performance difference between the two cards is definitely worth the ~$20.

 

[Wayland]

Here is the review and here the conclusion. I just checked the prices, it's about 24% more expensive here (99€ vs. 123€).

 

[blackjellognomes]

That article was written the same day the 5770 was released, if my memory serves me correctly. Most articles about the 5770 released in October of last year had similar conclusions, including Tom's. Their views may have been due to immature drivers, pricing at that time, overhyping prior to release, etc. The reasons are numerous. Regardless, most, if not all, of the sites have since have a change of heart:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-5770-overclocking,2473-3.html?xtmc=hd_5770&xtcr=1

ATI has outdone itself. The Radeon HD 5770 is really a fully-featured card, combining 1GB of fast GDDR5 memory, a much lower power consumption, low noise levels, an optimized driver with a real 2D mode as well as good overclocking capabilities, a well-balanced fan speed profile, HDMI and DisplayPort connectivity in conjunction with DVI, and DirectX 11 support.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-graphics-card,2544-3.html?xtmc=hd_5770&xtcr=12

Indeed, while the Radeon HD 5770 doesn't run away with any performance crowns in this category, it does look good from a longevity/value standpoint.

http://www.elitebastards.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=887&catid=13&Itemid=27&limitstart=11

In short then, if you're looking for a new graphics board to usher you into the DirectX 11 era without either overly skimping on performance or breaking the bank, then either of these offerings, and in particular Sapphire's Radeon HD 5770, would be very much worthy of your consideration.

Even if you don't believe the 5770 offers better value, there isn't reason to think the opposite. Most reviews show the HD 5750 performing about 20% worse than the 5770,

The HD 5750 was roughly 18% slower than the 5770 in our tests, which is just about the same kind of price reduction you get ($130).

and thus should cost 20% less. But don't be misled; that doesn't mean the 5750 is cheaper than it should be. In other words, the 5770 performs 25% better than the 5750, or that it should cost 25% more.

Lastly, even if the HD 5750 actually does edge out the 5770 in terms of value (which I think I've shown, it does not), if it struggles at your res, wouldn't you regret forgoing the performance for 24€? Take some time to think on it. And remember, most of the people on these forums are here to help, not to screw you over.

 

[Wayland]

Hey,

thanks for the detailed information. I really appreciate it. And I don't think anyone wants to screw me over, I just like to see the reasoning people have for their advices. I want to make an educated decision after all. I guess it's really going to be the 5770 then! Thanks again!