[Solved] X6 build for graphics editing/design

Hey, I'm currently getting plans together for my first build. I make my living on the computer (web designer/developer) so I want something that really satisfies my graphic design and programming needs - with super-fast processing.

I'm into the hexacore and want a beefy video card to support the applications I run (usually 4+ Adobe programs simultaneously).

Here's my list o' parts:

Gigabyte AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Motherboard $108
Amd Phenom II X6 1090t 3.2ghz Processor $266
Gskill 8gb Ddr3 4x2gb Pc31600 RAM $199
Seagate Barracuda 750gb Sata 7200rpm 32mb $58
Gigabyte Ati Radeon Hd 5870 1gb Ddr5 Dual Dvi Hdmi $363
Corsair TX Series CMPSU-950TX 950W $122
Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro CPU Fan For AMD CPU $30
Sony Optiarc Black 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner $21
Sony Blu-Ray Burner/Reader & DVD Combo $183
Xion AXP100-001BK Vantage ATX $55
Asus LED Ultra-slim monitor $189
TOTAL $1594


I'd like to stick in this price range, but if there are options that will drastically improve performance, I'm all ears. Thanks for your time!

Links would be nice, but the PSU/Vidcard seem bad for the price. Monitor is cheapo TN so it's not really suitable for production tasks.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127500

More than 150$ less, but with ~85%+ of the performance.

Realistically, I wouldn't be spending much at all on current gen 5XXX series cards. The 6XXX are coming shortly. The 'best' option IMO would be one 5850 now and another in a month or two when the 6Ks launch and the 5K's prices drop.

And even then, the money would be much better spent getting you a non-crap monitor.

Still need links for everything else.

1. Yeah, IPS based LCDs are damn expensive. That ViewSonic isn;t the best and as long as you can live with the shortcomings you should be OK.
See here for review: http://www.maximumpc.com/article/r [...] c_vp2365wb
http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monito [...] eviewPage1
Sadly, AnadTech haven't done a review on it yet.
Imo, if you can't afford a true IPS LCD, then get a pretty good TN based LCD to hold you until you can get money for an IPS LCD. IPS LCDs are getting a cheaper these days. Another option is you could try and track down a older IPS model via Ebay,etc for quite a bit less money.

2. Yeah. It depends on what you do. For any 3D app (Maya,3DS,etc) that makes extensive use of OpenGL the workstation card will make a noticeable difference. If not, I recommend you get a good gaming card with good OpenGL performance, for example, the GTX460.

3. Good.

4. Imo, looks should make up only 40% of the decision on the case. You should also look at air flow & internal size (esp. if planing to SLI/CrossFire). Airflow & size> looks in by book.

Follow up on my first build - pretty sweet! Everything's running great - I'm flying way faster than before and happy with it so far.

The case looks awesome, one downside is slightly small so I have to choose between 2 graphics cards OR 2 hard drives, can't have 2 of each. But when/if I get to that point I'll upgrade the case anyhow.

CPU's at 26 C idol and I haven't seen it reach more than 34 C with load (using HWMonitor). So the case has great airflow and the Coolermaster was definitely a good choice.

But the monitor was defective with horizontal refresh lines. I bought it from a local store so easy return. For now I'm using the monitor I bought for $100 a couple years ago. It's not top of the line, but it works just fine and worth holding on to cause apparently I can't get a reliable monitor for under $400 these days!!

So I'm going to ditch the bluray burner to open up my budget for a better monitor which I hope to find soon. I really liked what I saw with the IPS monitors, won't be going with Viewsonic tho

I'm hooked now and there will certainly be many more builds to come. Thanks guys for your help!

Glad everything is running well.

Btw, I did find this 23" IPS LCD: http://accessories.dell.com/sna/pr [...] u=320-9270

It's a bit more expensive (but still withing $400 budget) and no (reliable) reviews yet, but do keep an eye out for that LCD. I know Dell has a habit of doing some pretty good sales during Black Friday on LCDs (esp. new models).