$1300 Workstation PC.

[mark_6360]

Approximate Purchase Date: 3 months.

Budget Range: I'd like to keep it around $1300, but that budget can be pushed a little bit.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Video Editing/Graphic Design, Web Page Design, Gaming, Social Networking, Watching videos.

Parts Not Required: Mouse, OS (Windows 7 64bit Home Premium).

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country of Origin: US

Parts Preferences: I'd REALLY like to use an Intel i7 processor and the Antec 900 case.

Overclocking: Maybe. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter first.

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe. Eventually I WILL be going with SLi/Crossfire, but not for the immediate purchase unless it can fit into the budget nicely.

Monitor Resolution: 1600x1200 sounds good, but I'm flexible with this depending on the cost.

Additional Comments: None that I can really think of.



-Already Owned Parts/Selected Parts-
■Logitech G5 Gaming Mouse (I couldn't find a newegg link. Sorry!)
■ Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950
■ ATI 100-505605 FirePro V5800 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 CrossFire Supported Workstation Video Card


The parts above I'm willing to budge on. If there are better parts for my money, I'm more than willing to get those over these. I'm very new to this (hence this post) so I'm really trusting the feedback i get in this forum.


Thanks so much!

 

[batuchka]

If gaming is on the table you may want to hit mainstream class GPUs

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Unless you are doing 3D animation, I'd lean away from a workstation card. However, video editing and Adobe CS5 will certainly benefit from CUDA ....a benefit you'll lose without an nVidia card w/ CUDA support

http://www.elitebastards.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=732&Itemid=29&limitstart=7

i7-950 based system

Goal here was to provide for a system capable of a 4.0 - 4.2 GHz Overclock w/ little effort and provide enough oomph for adding a 2nd card in SLI.

$220 Antec 1200 w/ Antec CP-850 Top notch case and the PSU is incredible. Suitable for twin GFX cards and heavy OC's.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.492315

Alternate ($80 more) would be:

$ 140 HAF 932 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160
$ 160 HX850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

$504 ASUS P6X58D-E w/ Intel i7-950 provides SATA III and USB 3 support
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.495225

or

$485 ASUS P6X58D-E w/ Intel i7-930
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.495222

$180 CAS 6 DDR3-1600 Mushkin Enhanced Redline 6GB (3 x 2GB) Model 998805
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226121

or

$140 CAS 7 DDR3-1600 Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 6GB (3 x 2GB) Model 998679
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226030

$300 ASUS ENGTX470/2DI/1280MD5 w/ CUDA Support ... also comes w/ free Mafia 2 Game
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121372

$79 Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB w/ Nippon Internal card Reader ($69 w/o card reader)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.409854

or

$74 Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB (no card reader)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

$101 Prolimatech Megahalems w/ twin PWM fans and IC Diamond TIM w/ PWM Cable splitter.
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8807/cpu-pro-01/Prolimatech_Megahalems_Rev_B_Intel_CPU_Heatsink_LGA_775_1156_1366_AM2_AM2_AM3_Hot_Item.html
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7038/thr-41/Innovation_Cooling_Diamond_7_Carat_Thermal_Compound_-_15_Grams.html?id=BZWnrfIC
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10026/fan-639/Scythe_Slip_Stream_120mm_x_25mm_PWM_Fan_-_SY1225SL12LM-P.html?tl=g36c365s936
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8418/cab-150/FrozenCPU_PMW_Y_Splitter_Cable.html

$19 Asus DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Total $1,363

Whoops, I see you need a monitor .... I wouldn't invest in anything less than HD resolution though this puts you $210 above ya budget to $1513.

$ 150 ASUS MS236H
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236081

Personally, I'd go with the CAS 6 and spend $1553 but if ya gotta cut $210 ...

A factory OC'd EVGA GTX 460 1 MB will save ya $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130571

A Svythe 2100 CPU Cooler will save ya $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142

Dropping to an Antec 900 would appear to save you money but combining it with an SLI /X-fire capable PSU suitable for OC'ing puts you above the cost of the better case / PSU combo already in the build.

Dropping to the i7-930 would save you $20

CAS 8 / 9 memory just isn't worth the minute savings.

Dropping to 500GB or smaller again just isn't worth the savings.

You could drop down to an 1156 based system but that would put you in the $1100 range.

As time goes on, with what you are doing faster storage options would be on my priority list such as an SSD (or 2) and or faster HD's in RAID 0.

 

[mark_6360]

Unless you are doing 3D animation, I'd lean away from a workstation card. However, video editing and Adobe CS5 will certainly benefit from CUDA ....a benefit you'll lose without an nVidia card w/ CUDA support

http://www.elitebastards.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=732&Itemid=29&limitstart=7

i7-950 based system

Goal here was to provide for a system capable of a 4.0 - 4.2 GHz Overclock w/ little effort and provide enough oomph for adding a 2nd card in SLI.

$220 Antec 1200 w/ Antec CP-850 Top notch case and the PSU is incredible. Suitable for twin GFX cards and heavy OC's.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.492315

Alternate ($80 more) would be:

$ 140 HAF 932 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160
$ 160 HX850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

$504 ASUS P6X58D-E w/ Intel i7-950 provides SATA III and USB 3 support
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.495225

or

$485 ASUS P6X58D-E w/ Intel i7-930
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.495222

$180 CAS 6 DDR3-1600 Mushkin Enhanced Redline 6GB (3 x 2GB) Model 998805
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226121

or

$140 CAS 7 DDR3-1600 Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 6GB (3 x 2GB) Model 998679
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226030

$300 ASUS ENGTX470/2DI/1280MD5 w/ CUDA Support ... also comes w/ free Mafia 2 Game
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121372

$79 Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB w/ Nippon Internal card Reader ($69 w/o card reader)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.409854

or

$74 Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB (no card reader)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

$101 Prolimatech Megahalems w/ twin PWM fans and IC Diamond TIM w/ PWM Cable splitter.
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8807/cpu-pro-01/Prolimatech_Megahalems_Rev_B_Intel_CPU_Heatsink_LGA_775_1156_1366_AM2_AM2_AM3_Hot_Item.html
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7038/thr-41/Innovation_Cooling_Diamond_7_Carat_Thermal_Compound_-_15_Grams.html?id=BZWnrfIC
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10026/fan-639/Scythe_Slip_Stream_120mm_x_25mm_PWM_Fan_-_SY1225SL12LM-P.html?tl=g36c365s936
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8418/cab-150/FrozenCPU_PMW_Y_Splitter_Cable.html

$19 Asus DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Total $1,363

Whoops, I see you need a monitor .... I wouldn't invest in anything less than HD resolution though this puts you $210 above ya budget to $1513.

$ 150 ASUS MS236H
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236081

Personally, I'd go with the CAS 6 and spend $1553 but if ya gotta cut $210 ...

A factory OC'd EVGA GTX 460 1 MB will save ya $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130571

A Svythe 2100 CPU Cooler will save ya $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142

Dropping to an Antec 900 would appear to save you money but combining it with an SLI /X-fire capable PSU suitable for OC'ing puts you above the cost of the better case / PSU combo already in the build.

Dropping to the i7-930 would save you $20

CAS 8 / 9 memory just isn't worth the minute savings.

Dropping to 500GB or smaller again just isn't worth the savings.

You could drop down to an 1156 based system but that would put you in the $1100 range.

As time goes on, with what you are doing faster storage options would be on my priority list such as an SSD (or 2) and or faster HD's in RAID 0.

Do you think that Windows 7 64bit Home Premium is okay or do I need Ultimate/Professional?

Honestly, if it's just 210 dollars over my budget I'm willing to lean that much and meet that. Of course if you're totally thinking it's going to be worth that 210 dollars over.

Another thing I'm wondering is, will SLi be completely necessary in the future? I am planning on going SLi the next paycheck after the build.

So the build you listed above will get all the things done well? Also the programs I'm using for video production will be Adobe After Effects CS4 and Adobe Premiere CS4. Will it run those programs with ease?

 

[sp12]

For overclocking the CPU there's no way I'd be getting such high-voltage ram. You'll see fractions of a percent increase in performance for ram past 1600/Cas8. G.skill PI series (1.5 volt version) would be my choice for triple channel.

CUDA isn't applicable to CS4, so you could go for an ATI card.

As a personal owner of an Antec 900 and CP850, I can say avoid both. There are much better purchases to be had for the price (HAF 922/XFX black edition PSU).

If this is anything beyond a hobby you need an IPS monitor, not some cheap TN setup.

 

[batuchka]

I wouldn't CF/SLI now that HD6K and Fermi's successor Kepler is very very near Why end up stuck with not one but two obsolete GPUs?

 

[mark_6360]

For overclocking the CPU there's no way I'd be getting such high-voltage ram. You'll see fractions of a percent increase in performance for ram past 1600/Cas8. G.skill PI series (1.5 volt version) would be my choice for triple channel.

CUDA isn't applicable to CS4, so you could go for an ATI card.

As a personal owner of an Antec 900 and CP850, I can say avoid both. There are much better purchases to be had for the price (HAF 922/XFX black edition PSU).

If this is anything beyond a hobby you need an IPS monitor, not some cheap TN setup.

Do you have any ATI cards in mind?

So the Antec 1200 would be a bad idea in your opinion? Why avoid both of those? And what other purchases would be better for the moneY?

As of right now it's just a hobby. I'm only a sophomore in high school and over the years I'll add stuff to the system and probably upgrade.

 

[mark_6360]

I wouldn't CF/SLI now that HD6K and Fermi's successor Kepler is very very near Why end up stuck with not one but two obsolete GPUs?

How near is "very very near"?



Also, sorry fo the double post D: I just didn't see a multi-quote option.

 

[batuchka]

October 19th according to latest reports
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20101001PD208.html

AMD has decided to announce its latest generation Radeon HD 6000-series GPU globally on October 19.

 

[mark_6360]

Is Radeon good for this use or is it better for gaming?

 

[blackhawk1928]

Nvidia and ATI have two main ranges of cards, home use/gaming cards grade and then the busniss/workstation grade cards. For nvidia, the geforce are the gaming cards and the Quadro's and tesla's are for busniss, for ATI, the radeon are gaming and the firegl are workstation.

 

[mark_6360]

Nvidia and ATI have two main ranges of cards, home use/gaming cards grade and then the busniss/workstation grade cards. For nvidia, the geforce are the gaming cards and the Quadro's and tesla's are for busniss, for ATI, the radeon are gaming and the firegl are workstation.

So I should probably go with ATI firegl is what I'm thinking... Any other thoughts?

 

[sp12]

I would only suggest a firegl if you do extensive 3D modelling. For photoshop/2D an inexpensive/integrated GPU will be fine.

 

[Shadow703793]

+1. If you are not doing any serious CAD/3D rendering/animation then go with a gaming card. If you ARE using CS5 (esp. Premere with lot of filters) then get a GTX470. You SHOULD be able to hack in a GTX460 for Premere CS5, but I don't have any confirmation on this. If you just use Photoshop CS5, the GTX460 will work fine.

 

[blackhawk1928]

I would go with a workstation card if you do 3D rendering/Cad or extensive use of photo editing and vector graphics. The workstation cards are a hell of a lot more expensive.

 

[Shadow703793]

^ The Quaddros, yes, they are more expensive than the gaming counter parts. However, the ATI FireGLs are not that much more expensive than their gaming counter parts.

 

[mark_6360]

+1. If you are not doing any serious CAD/3D rendering/animation then go with a gaming card. If you ARE using CS5 (esp. Premere with lot of filters) then get a GTX470. You SHOULD be able to hack in a GTX460 for Premere CS5, but I don't have any confirmation on this. If you just use Photoshop CS5, the GTX460 will work fine.

Here are the programs I'm using:
Photoshop CS4
Premiere CS4
Adobe After Effects CS4

Doesn't After Effects count as 3D rendering?

I would go with a workstation card if you do 3D rendering/Cad or extensive use of photo editing and vector graphics. The workstation cards are a hell of a lot more expensive.

I noticed that the workstation cards are more expensive, but with ATI they seem to be reasonable. I mean would a gaming card go welll with After Effects?

^ The Quaddros, yes, they are more expensive than the gaming counter parts. However, the ATI FireGLs are not that much more expensive than their gaming counter parts.

I did notice that the Quaddros are incredibly expensive compared to the FireGLs. I think I am going to go with a FireGL with CrossFire.

 

[Shadow703793]

Doesn't After Effects count as 3D rendering?

Not really. With 3D rendering, I (and most others) think of 3DS Max, Maya,etc.

I mean would a gaming card go welll with After Effects?

Yes, you should be fine.

I did notice that the Quaddros are incredibly expensive compared to the FireGLs.

One word: drivers
ATI drivers are notorious for having bugs,etc and hence why nVidia dominates the workstation GPUs. I do not believe that you will benefit from CrossFire however.

 

[mark_6360]

Doesn't After Effects count as 3D rendering?

Not really. With 3D rendering, I (and most others) think of 3DS Max, Maya,etc.

I mean would a gaming card go welll with After Effects?

Yes, you should be fine.

I did notice that the Quaddros are incredibly expensive compared to the FireGLs.

One word: drivers
ATI drivers are notorious for having bugs,etc and hence why nVidia dominates the workstation GPUs. I do not believe that you will benefit from CrossFire however.

I think I'll go with an NVIDIA Gaming card in SLi. The heaviest thing i'm doing is After Effects.

Thanks so much all of you

 

[Shadow703793]

^ You will NOT need to SLI unless gaming.

 

[mark_6360]

Wow, I read that in your last post about crossfire. I really didn't mean to put that in there lol.

But what NVIDIA Gaming Card should i go with? GTX460?

 

[Shadow703793]

^ That's what I'd go with given it's price vs performance right now.

 

[mark_6360]

Awesome! Thanks so much Shadow