Building a computer for gaming/PhotoShop, need advice!

[piemonster]

Hey!
As the thread title says, I'm going to buy a new computer for gaming and Photoshop, and I'm aiming to get decent performance. I'm hoping you guys can help me improve it, and possibly make it cheaper. I've been reading up on reviews and stuff for the past few days, and I've tried to make informed decisions, but I bet you guys can make even better setups.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Most likely this month.

BUDGET RANGE: With the Newegg prices, it would be 1300$. Not sure if that's right though, as I will be paying in Norwegian kroner.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Games, PhotoShop, watching movies and web surfing.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Would be komplett.no, but I'll link from Newegg.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Norway

PARTS PREFERENCES: Would like to go Intel/nVidia, but I could go any route, doesn't really matter, would like the highest possible performance for an equal amount of money.

OVERCLOCKING: Most probably.

SLI: Yes, unless you can come up with something better, at an equal, or lower price.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200.

My current setup is as follows;

Case: Antec Three Hundred Black Steel 60$

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P LGA 1156 Intel P55 185$

CPU: Intel Core i5-760 Lynnfield 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W 210$

RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) 190$

HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 75$

GPU: 2x GAINWARD GEFORCE GTX 460 - 768 MB. 400$

Optical Drive: Samsung DVDRW burner, SH-S223C 20$

PSU: CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-750HX 750W 140$

Extra fans (for intake in the front of the cabinet): 2x Nexus BASIC D12SL-12 120mm Case Fan 20$

As for overclocking, I was going to overclock the GTX 460's at the very least. Would I have enough cooling to overclock the cpu to about 3.5GHz without buying a CPU cooler? And would it be possible to overclock the ram? Also, would the PSU give enough power for this setup?

 

[xiangjiao]

Looks like a great build. I see many similarities with my own build
To answer your questions:
- I'm not sure you would need to over clock dual 460's though, because they are already very good.
- I would buy a cpu cooler (air is fine) if you plan on oc your cpu to 3.5ghz. They can be <$30 and is worth it even if your stock "can" allow oc to 3.5ghz
- You should be able to oc your ram easily since it is only 1.5v.
- Yes, your psu is fine for this set up.

 

[NeoElemental]

Your PSU is fine for this build. Overclocking the cpu without something aftermarket is silly. Coolermaster 212 is pretty well regarded in terms of bang for buck on the lower end (since you won't be o/cing that much).

The rest of your build looks solid, although if you could spare the $'s, I would step up to SLI 460 1GB and/or 860. I might even recommend going 1 460 1gb and the 860, then getting a second 460 1gb when you can afford it, if you can be that patient.

 

[xiangjiao]

Your PSU is fine for this build. Overclocking the cpu without something aftermarket is silly. Coolermaster 212 is pretty well regarded in terms of bang for buck on the lower end (since you won't be o/cing that much).

The rest of your build looks solid, although if you could spare the $'s, I would step up to SLI 460 1GB and/or 860. I might even recommend going 1 460 1gb and the 860, then getting a second 460 1gb when you can afford it, if you can be that patient.

I don't think the upgrade to 860 will be necessary if he is only using Photoshop + games.

 

[NeoElemental]

Well depends how much photoshop we're talking about. For some reason I thought that was first on the list, ahead of games. If it's not something you do every day, then stick with the 760.

 

[piemonster]

Thanks a lot for your replies.
I don't think I can go much higher in terms of budget, and I don't really want to spend a lot more later either. I did include the CPU cooler you suggested though. As far as Photoshop goes, I intend to use it for painting, which means large brushes at times, but not too much filters or manipulation. How much faster would the computer be with an 860, compared to the 760?

 

[xiangjiao]

Thanks a lot for your replies.
I don't think I can go much higher in terms of budget, and I don't really want to spend a lot more later either. I did include the CPU cooler you suggested though. As far as Photoshop goes, I intend to use it for painting, which means large brushes at times, but not too much filters or manipulation. How much faster would the computer be with an 860, compared to the 760?

I don't think it would be noticeable. If I were to throw out number I would say less than 5% difference.. The 860 shines more in 3d and video rendering, not photoshop brushes.

 

[piemonster]

Okay, most likely I won't be doing much 3d work, so I think I'll stick to my current setup, if it looks okay to you folks.