Looking for advice on this mobo/CPU combo with video card suggestions

[ZForce915]

ASRock Z68 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge
EVGA GeForce GTX 465 (Fermi) Superclocked 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16
I'll probably take 2 or 4 -4GB SKill Ripjaw X pc1600 sticks of RAM and put those in

I already have a Corsair 650W power supply and the case and other easy to buy stuff. What I'm wondering is what everyone thinks of that mobo/CPU combo and if that video card is good. I'm a graphic designer first, gamer second and I will have this computer encoding video on the fly to my xbox 360. I'm not keen on spending more than $200 on a video card so consider that my cap.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

Overall I dont see any problems and the build looks good. A couple quick note make sure the memory you use is the 1.5v and not the older 1.65v. I would focus on getting 8GB (2 x 4GB) of ram to start with. other then those points you are looking good.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthustiast Team

 

[ZForce915]

Overall I dont see any problems and the build looks good. A couple quick note make sure the memory you use is the 1.5v and not the older 1.65v. I would focus on getting 8GB (2 x 4GB) of ram to start with. other then those points you are looking good.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthustiast Team

Good advice, everything I have looked at is 1.5V but it is something I need to remember when I pull the trigger. So you don't see any need to jump to 16GB of RAM out of the gate?

 

[striker410]

Not a bad build. I would trade out the GTX 465 for a GTX 560 ti. I assume you would like Nvidia for capabilities and optimization of CUDA- what programs do you have?

If you wish to stick with Nvidia, this card falls within your budget after rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162074&cm_re=gtx_560_ti-_-14-162-074-_-Product It's $189 after rebate, which is not bad at all..... The extra CUDA cores and much higher clock speed will help you out.

EDIT: If you use CS5 for video editing, you'll want to step up to the GTX 570, it has features that allow GPU acceleration in CS5.

 

[ZForce915]

Not a bad build. I would trade out the GTX 465 for a GTX 560 ti. I assume you would like Nvidia for capabilities and optimization of CUDA- what programs do you have?

If you wish to stick with Nvidia, this card falls within your budget after rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162074&cm_re=gtx_560_ti-_-14-162-074-_-Product It's $189 after rebate, which is not bad at all..... The extra CUDA cores and much higher clock speed will help you out.

EDIT: If you use CS5 for video editing, you'll want to step up to the GTX 570, it has features that allow GPU acceleration in CS5.

I do use CS5 for editing, but it is mostly photo editing and much less video editing. Those other cards are clearly better but considering the $200 ceiling I put on the card I can't get into the 570s. Maybe I'll see if I can find a 560ti around the same price.

Sidebar, do you think I'll have any issue re-installing CS5 on my new machine? Is Adobe watching that kind of stuff like an OS would?

 

[striker410]

Yeah I understand that. I just figured if you were serious, you'd want to get the most outta it. Anyway, that GTX 560 ti I listed is an excellent card for the price.

I don't know about the CS5 question, but as long as you have a license you should be fine....

 

[JackNaylorPE]

The 560 Ti 900Mhz version is a great buy at $220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130651

Unlock CUDA following instructions here:

http://www.studio1productions.com/Articles/PremiereCS5.htm

Are you aware that the Z68 from AsRock only has a 1 year warranty ?

 

[ZForce915]

The 560 Ti 900Mhz version is a great buy at $220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130651

Unlock CUDA following instructions here:

http://www.studio1productions.com/Articles/PremiereCS5.htm

Are you aware that the Z68 from AsRock only has a 1 year warranty ?

No I wasn't. Does that strike you as unusual? That board got the thumbs up from Tom's Hardware so I figured it to be a safe bet.