From Mac to Pc

[jsween]

I am switching from Mac to Pc since the new Macpro updates dont have enough of what I want for the price. It is just no longer justifiable for me(perhaps it never was) to spend that kinda cash. I am going to school for an MFA in digital media/film and need a workstation. There will be no gaming done on this machine. I already have a monitor with very nice specs and will get another later when i can afford it but as of this next month have about 2k to put on the fastest rendering machine I can assemble. I will be using CS5 and Avidxpress as well as a lot of Phototshop/lightroom. I do not even know where to start since I want to get an intel i7extreme but that already means I am near my limit when i think about the quadro gpu I want. I don't do a lot of heavy special effects, just indie film artsy stuff but I need the ability to do some when the art needs it. So anyone please give me some advice. I think I need to stick to AMD to stick within budget. would someone please tell me a good setup that is current. I would really like a multi core system with lots of Ram and a solid workstation GPU. eventually I want to upgrade to an ssd for all the operating systems and have at least 2tb of memory and 16gb of ram but for now I can start with simply 1tb HD and 8 gb of Ram. My problem essentially is I do not know what is good as far as AMD and the correlating GPU's? Whatever it is I intend to overclock the GPU!
To whomever responds. Thanks for your time!!! Under 2k would be awesome but I might be able to swing a little higher?

 

[mindless728]

well, instead of getting the i7 extreme (i7-980X), get the i7-930 as it would be $700 cheaper

 

[False_Dmitry_II]

Well, then you'd want the most expensive 6-core AMD has. It should be good for that.

CPU/PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.469009

RAM/mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.453738

Win7/case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437505.11-119-197

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136456

And then whatever graphics card you want. I'd prolly do a fire pro unless you need an nvidia for something specific. I bet you could get the rest of the RAM by buying it twice or getting a nice SSD with TRIM support, like an intel one.

 

[batuchka]

+1 (somewhat) but am suggesting a basic water cooled/aftermkt fan set up 1055T config: workable as is with IGP on mobo, add in discrete if apps take advantage of GPU acceleration?

$721AR

Add this fan @ $7
http://www.ncixus.com/products/22644/D12SL-12/Yate%20Loon/

 

[ram1009]

Since nobody else has bothered to say this: Welcome to the ranks of savvy computer enthusiast.

 

[jsween]

hey thanks, I am gonna spend a few months looking around to figure out what is best for me. I am pretty sure I can build something faster than the basic Macpro for under 2k. This will be a good learning experience!

 

[False_Dmitry_II]

Another alternative would be going dual socket with AMD, but I'm not really sure how much that would run you. I haven't done that before.

 

[Trueno07]

be very very VERY carefull with that CoolIT ECO. Those things don't always get rave reviews from people on Newegg. I would hate for you to switch over to PC, only to have a crappy water cooling kit leak all over your machine. (The Corsair H50 is a good example of how a self contained water cooling kit should work.)

EDIT: That one Batuchka lead you to has been getting great reviews, i was thinking of the other water cooler that CoolIT puts out.

Also, be very very careful when picking a motherboard. make sure that it will support your CPU OUT OF THE BOX. (It's really not a problem with any other CPU i've seen, but I have noticed a lot of people buying a motherboard that's says it's compatible with the X6 processors, then they find that they have to update the Bios for it to work. Which is impossible without a 2nd CPU.)

The easiest way to figure out both of these things is to simply read a lot of user reviews. I find it useful to read motherboard reviews, and search the review for keywords like "X6". (or "Leak" when snooping around the CoolIT system). I've learned a lot of valuable things from doing this.

 

[jsween]

I do not know that I actually want to use a water cooling system.... it seems like a bad idea and I have read more negatives than positives!


edit- that corsair h50 looks awesome, fully enclosed so you don't need to do any upkeep. I will probably go with that!

 

[Trueno07]

I have a Corsair H50, and installed it without any troubles what so ever, I love mine I can't imagine doing cooling any other way (Air Cooling is so... Ugly). It was my first build, so i was nervous, but corsair makes it really really easy. (Except the tubes are really stiff and hard to bend, but if they weren't i would be very concerned.)

Even better, it comes with thermal paste and a fan and everything you could possibly need to get it up and running. I really can't say enough good things about it, it's awesome.

EDIT: Also, if you really get into it, you can add a second fan on the radiator and help it cool a better. I don't have the room in my case, or the real need to go and pick up the screws and fan required, but it's something to mention if you ever find yourself needing serious cooling.

 

[amoghthegamer]

Jsween here is an idea. I have a quad core that I built on a budget, its an i7-920 with 4GB of Ram and a GTX 260, I dont do a lot of gaming or work, just surfing the web but for school, I needed a mac, I then turned my PC into a hackintosh. very easy. Basically all you need it a Mac OS X Upgrade disc($30 @ apple store) and a hdd or a blank partition..... Took me 2 hours to get mac os x snow leopard running 100%

 

[jsween]

was it really that easy.... I have been told it is a bit of a nightmare!!!! I am definitely going for the nvidia quadro fx 1800 and just need a setup with a super fast cpu that is completely compatible. I think I am going to go AMD since it will work for what I need for less money. But I would love to make it a Hackintoch, what do you mean an hdd or blank partition. I would be afraid to have all my stuff messed up because of an update!

 

[mindless728]

its not too bad to go Hackintosh using the hardware that the OSx86 group have tested (mostly intel hardware), though if you go AMD and later want OSX prepare for a nightmare (did it once just to learn how to do it, never again on an AMD system)

 

[False_Dmitry_II]

Well never again unless the rumors that apple will switch to AMD are true.

 

[jsween]

Best answer selected by jsween.