New Build Adobe CS 5 Photoshop

[nyc363]

Hi,

I am looking to build a new maching that will be used almost exclusively for photo editing, primarily Adobe CS5 as well as various plugs in from NIK and Topaz. Here is what I have put together:

1. Case: Antec Performance One Series P183 V3 Black $109.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129174

2. PSU: Antec TruePower New TP-550 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 $89 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371020

3. MB: GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 $149 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128512 or MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130574 $159

4. CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K $214 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

5. Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $89 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231315

6. O/S HD: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB $109 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697

7. Data HD 3 X HITACHI Deskstar 7K3000 HDS723020BLA642 (0f12115) 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145473 3X$149

8. DVD Burner: LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106335 $25.99

9. O/S = Windows 7 64 Home Premium $99 / or Windows 7 64 Professional $139.

10. GPU: SAPPHIRE 100289VGAL Radeon HD 5670 1GB DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 $70 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102930

A few thoughts:

1. Would like a MB that will allow me to connect 8 devices via internal SATA. I would like the system to be able to handle as many internal HD as possible.
2. Would like the machine to be quiet which is why I picked the Antec Case and the PWM power supply.
3. Will most likely not overclock.
4. May spend the extra $30 on the Windows Prof so that in the future, if economical I can bump the memory up to 32 gb.
5. Excluding the 3 data Hard drives, I am at about $1,000 for the system which is about what I would like to spend.
Thank you in advance for your advice and suggestions!!!!

 

[g-unit1111]

1. Even the highest end motherboards out there right now like the Gigabyte Z68-UD7 and the EVGA FTW series only support at max 4 x 3GB/s SATAII ports, 2xSATAIII 6GB/s, and 2xSATAIII 6GB/s for RAID 0 adapters. If you run out of ports though you can always buy PCI-E adapter cards and add more.

2. Antec cases are noisy as anything!! I had the Antec 900 and with all fans going you could hear it across the house. I'd go with something that has minimum fans like Cooler Master and Corsair offer. Most power supplies - the quietest ones on the market are usually the higher rated 80+Silver and 80+ Gold - they're also the most energy efficient. If you're going to be powering lots of devices then you should look into getting a PSU with better efficiency.

3. Then you don't need the i5-2500K. You can get the i5-2400 and save $50, which I would recommend investing in a better video card. The 5670 is like the bottom of the barrel for video cards - it's meant for home theater setups to play video and web surf on, that's it. If you're going to be doing some heavy duty Photoshop, and even play light games, you're better off investing the difference in a better GPU like the 6770 or 6790. You also might want to look into getting a professional card like the ATI Fire GL 5500 series.

4. Yes - Windows 7 Home Premium only has the bare minimum, and its' maximum memory limitation is set at 16GB. Windows 7 Pro and Windows 7 Ultimate will be able to handle up to 192GB, but even 1 x 8GB 1333MHz memory chip right now will cost you pretty steep - it's $339 a pair on Newegg right now.

5. Try this configuration, it's a little over your budget but it will give you some ideas:

Case: Corsair Carbide 400R - it's big, quiet, has plenty of HD bays and plenty of room for future expansion
PSU: Corsair Builder Series CX600 - has everything you need to power plenty of drives
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68-UD7 - one of the few motherboards on the market to move beyond 16GB RAM
CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 - $189.99 - it's a quad core SB but if you don't need the OC capabilities of the i5-2500K then this is it.
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 - $25.99
RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz - $99.99
HD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB - $109.99
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon Flex HD 6790 - a much better choice than a low profile card and enough to be able to power up to three monitors for heavy PS use.
Optical: Lite-On DVD Burner - $19.99
OS: Windows 7 Professional - $139.99

Total: $1255.90

 

[nyc363]

g-unit1111 - thank you for the reply.

For the M/Bs that show: 4 x 3GB/s SATAII ports, 2xSATAIII 6GB/s, and 2xSATAIII 6GB/s for RAID 0 adapters. Does that mean I can connect 8 devices to the 8 SATA ports? Or does any of those ports have to be used for a RAID configuration.

Thanks

Jeff

 

[g-unit1111]

Pretty much either / or, they're ports that are designated as a RAID but you don't necessarily have to use them that way. Like I said if you run out of ports you can always add more with PCI-e adapters.