Time for a NEW COMPUTER!!! Feedback REQUEST - Urgent

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
M

MonkeyMan806

Distinguished
Jan 16, 2010
63
0
18,640
OK, so I have been dealing with a computer that is just a little too old for my taste (Intel Core 2 2.13GHz E6400 from Alienware – Windows XP 32bit). I will never buy another Alienware as they are first WAY OVER PRICED and two I hate DELL which now owns them (had 2 Dells with nothing but problems, build quality was very low and India Tech Support is Horrible). Well enough of that, the point is I want to build a new computer.

TECH LEVEL: I built a few computers back in the day with help from a friend who worked in the computer industry (A+ cert, coding, motherboard manufacturing - the works – aka he knew his stuff). I’m talking back in the day of PI and PII with my last being a brand new chipset of PIII 500 MHz and I think like 500 MB of RAM- lol. This build will be 100% done by me as I have lost contact with him like 11 years ago.

USES:
I game… and I GAME A LOT. Currently Battlefield 2142, Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Crysis and still playing F.E.A.R. series. I want to play Battlefield 3 and MW3 and Crysis 2 at ultra high settings without any problems.

I am a photographer and therefore use Adobe CS5 Photoshop, Lightroom 3 and a few other add-on programs. It runs ok on my system but with tons of layers and filters applied a single image can slow down my system a lot after post processing about 3 – 5 images (needing a reboot to help it along). Panoramic Images can be a nightmare for my current computer too due to pure file size. Basically it is a total pain in my ass.

I have made (tried to) some movies with Adobe products, Windows Movie Maker and a few others but stopped because my system just can’t handle it that well. This is something that I would like to revisit with a better system.

RECAP OF USE – Heavy Gaming (yes I want amazing graphics / settings), Heavy Photoshop Use and would like to make movies (videos of gaming, high resolution time lapse from photography and videos of family, trips, mini movies, etc). In other words I hate limitations.

CONCERNS FOR MY BUILD: My only real concern is just the new technology I don’t know about. I want to build a system and get the most of my budget which is around $2,000.00 for just the CPU. I don’t want to buy something that people already know the concerns with and know for a fact a different component would be better (performance or money wise). BOTTLE NECKING and STABILITY PROBLEMS are something I fear and want to avoid AT ALL COST.

DECEMBER 1st, 2011 ORDERING or SOONER!!!!
• Corsair Obsidian Series 650D Case – Researched a lot of cases and like this one a lot

• ASUS P8Z68 DELUXE/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

• Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K

• CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9B

• SAPPHIRE 100311-2SR Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

• CORSAIR Professional Series HX850 (CMPSU-850HX) 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

• LITE-ON 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM 8MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner with 3D Playback iHBS212-08 LightScribe Support

• LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support

• Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

• Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

BUILD PLANS: We are talking about plug n’ play building here. I will not OVER CLOCK, I will not want to upgrade parts. I want to build this thing and have it last me around 5 years and then I will do it all over again. This is also why there is a Blu-Ray Burner in there... just taking what I can afford to buy as much time out of this system as possible. Everything will run at stock or however the BIOS functions and sets the components to run… super basic tweaking IF any at all.
I want to install the Windows 7 Home OS on the SSD and keep everything else (games, files, images, photography work, videos, programs, etc) on the mechanical HD.

I will be running eyefinity setup a 3 LCD 24” Monitors.

So there you have it. My late Q4 2011 build plans – gift to myself. I would love to hear feedback from those that know a hell of a lot more then I do. Are these the right parts for my goals and work? Would there be something better that I just don’t know about (i.e. don’t get Sapphire cause XFX is better performance and less money or too little processing power for other components giving bottlenecking or not enough power to do what you want, etc etc etc). Want to pull the trigger on this soon as Battlefield 3 is already out and MW3 is coming very soon. Plus my normal work is becoming very unpleasant and want to increase my work efficiency with post processing.

Thanks again for any help and feedback.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
M

MonkeyMan806

Distinguished
Jan 16, 2010
63
0
18,640
People are viewing but not providing feedback... I know there are a ton of these types of posts out there but I would love to get someone who knows what they are talking about to help me out a little.

Just don't want to hear the "why did u do that" crap once I buy all of this and run into a issue because I should have bought something else or my setup idea doesn't work well together

Help a brother out please :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
42,542
815
104,940
A couple of things:

- Drop the Obsidian 650D to a Carbide 400 or 500R, the Obsidian is way overkill for a lot of the things you'll be using it for, and the Carbide has better airflow and better options for liquid cooling setups, that sort of thing.

- Go with the M4 over the Real SSD, the M4 is a much more solid and stable offering from Crucial, and one of the best SSDs on the market.

- The HX Power supply is one of the better PSUs on the market, but in your case I think I would go with a single-rail PSU over a modular one - with the modular PSUs there's more chances for failure and that's not something you want to handle in a CS5 build

- Go with a motherboard that supports 32GB of RAM instead of 16GB which is the standard on most Z68 motherboards right now, check out this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128499 . And go with 2 x 8GB instead of 4 x 4GB - it will run you quite a bit more, but since it looks like money isn't an object here, that will leave you room for future expansion if you need it.

- Get Windows 7 Pro for a CS Build. In most cases you want Home Premium but because of HP's memory limitations I wouldn't recommend it in this case. With CS5 you want as much memory and SSD support as you can get.

- I also noticed no aftermarket cooler on your list, that's something you'll definitely want to add even if you don't plan to overclock. Try the Corsair A70, EVGA M020, or the Noctua NH-U9B. If you want to go all out, definitely go for the D14 or maybe a closed block loop like the Corsair H100.

- For Eyefinity the 6970 and Sapphire are an excellent choice. Be sure to get the Flex model for easier HDMI setup.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
D

deathengine

Distinguished
Oct 31, 2010
182
0
18,710
I have to disagree with one small aspect of g-unit's recommendation.
Given your tech level, i would stay away from any watercooling. Just get a coolermaster hyper 212+ or one of the other aircooled suggestions g-unit gave.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M

MonkeyMan806

Distinguished
Jan 16, 2010
63
0
18,640
g-unit - thanks for taking the time to give me some great feedback... as I said before I am not super up to date on all this stuff so I thought I would respond to a few of your recommendations to see if I am not totally off in my logic.

The cases you recommend seem nice but I still think I like the 650D more... seems to be a nicer case and since it costs more I would hope it would be. No desire to liquid cool either but both sets of cases have liquid cool as an option.

As for the after market CPU cooler I will be adding a Cooler Master v6 GT to it since the 650D has a nice window on the side but to be honest I looked at the reviews on newegg and just picked the one I thought looked the coolest :love: (I admit it isn't a great idea to pick parts of looks but it also had good reviews).

The SSD M4 recommendation is what I'm talking about. I will make the switch and thanks for the idea :bounce:

The motherboard has me a little confussed... you said to get one that supports 32GB but the Asus P8z68 Deluxe / Gen3 does supports 32gb and also had better reviews... well less negative I should say. Would you still recommend the other?

Why Windows 7 Pro for a Creative Suite 5 build? Is there an advantage I don't know about over the Home version?

As for the power supply I thought the more 12v rails the better or is that not what you meant? None-the-less I take it you think the 850watts is enough?

The memory recommendation you made makes sense in terms of leaving room to upgrade but HOLY COW 2 sticks would be really expensive. I would be going from $98.00 to well over 250.00 for the same 16GB. If I did that I would need to scale back in several places to keep it at a $2000.00 build. That would just be too much... and by the time I really need more than 16GB the price of DDR3 will have come down I hope but I think 16GB is still enough or do you not agree?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M

MonkeyMan806

Distinguished
Jan 16, 2010
63
0
18,640


Thanks guys for jumping in... I totally get what you are saying about the 2600 vs 2600k... the only reason I went with the 2600K is that is only costs 20.00 more. My thought process was someday if I wanted to play with over clocking (once the system has served its purpose because I will most likely mess it up) I might have better success with the 2600K... or if I sell it I might get a little more for it down the road.

For 20 bucks would you still recommend the 2600 over the 2600K?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
42,542
815
104,940
Why Windows 7 Pro for a Creative Suite 5 build? Is there an advantage I don't know about over the Home version?
Click to expand...

The main reason for Windows 7 Pro is that Home Premium will only address up to <= 16GB of RAM, and if you're going to be using this for CS5 and video editing, a lot of those programs eat memory and resources like crazy (especially advanced and 3rd party Photoshop, Flash, and Illustrator plug ins), 7 Pro plus the memory configuration I specified earlier will give you plenty of room for expansion should you decide you need it - you can add way more than the 16GB you mentioned earlier.

The motherboard has me a little confussed... you said to get one that supports 32GB but the Asus P8z68 Deluxe / Gen3 does supports 32gb and also had better reviews... well less negative I should say. Would you still recommend the other?
Click to expand...

That's mainly a personal preference thing - I personally have had better luck with Gigabyte over Asus lately but that's just me. The thing about Newegg reviews is that something like 3/4 of the negative reviews generally have to do with bad refunds or user installation errors. If you take your time and install the product according to the guidelines - check your connections and everything - you'll be fine.

As for the after market CPU cooler I will be adding a Cooler Master v6 GT to it since the 650D has a nice window on the side but to be honest I looked at the reviews on newegg and just picked the one I thought looked the coolest :love: (I admit it isn't a great idea to pick parts of looks but it also had good reviews).
Click to expand...

Typically I'd suggest not going with the one that "looks coolest" :lol:, I'd suggest going with the better hardware. Definitely check out some of the ones I've recommended, and make sure to get good thermal compound (Arctic Silver 5 is the defacto standard around here) - that will ensure that your CPU has a long life span.

I'll disagree with 'get a cooler if you arent overclocking'... stock coolers work just fine for stock cooling. Its what they are designed for. If you aren't overclocking, you only need a 2600, not a 2600K, so save a few bucks there.
Click to expand...

Even if you don't it will help keep system temps down dramatically - I'm using a dual fan Hyper 212+ on my i3 workstation and I've definitely noticed a huge drop in system temps from my old build.

For 20 bucks would you still recommend the 2600 over the 2600K?
Click to expand...

2600K is definitely worth the extra $20. With a quick turbo boost enabled in the BIOS (and you can do this in UEFI) you'll be able to tap the true potential of your CPU by pushing it to the max 3.8GHz, even beyond to 4+ GHz, with video editing programs that will be a huge help.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
nordlead

nordlead

Distinguished
Aug 3, 2011
692
0
19,060
I think 4x4GB is fine (and saves a good bit of money). 16GB is a lot now and will probably be above normal 5 years from now. Even so, if you do have to upgrade RAM years from now 8GB sticks may have become so cheap that he can buy 32GB for under $100. Also, since the goal is no upgrades, no reason to waste money now if it'll never happen.

His motherboard supports 32GB already (or at least claims to on newegg). However, I think both of you are going overkill with the motherboard. No reason to spend that much on a non-overclocking, non-sli build. The motherboards chosen are designed to overclock and SLI/Crossfire. Since you don't plan on future upgrades, this motherboard is probably sufficient - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131781 - since it has 2xUSB3.0 for any external HDDs, 2xSata6G (works for your SSD), and everything else you need.

No need for an aftermarket cooler at stock speeds, however if you want a quiter system you can reduce your system noise level with one.

With the money saved on the motherboard, I'd buy a 120/128GB SSD (probably the M4 since it gets great reviews). While I've thought I could get away with a 64GB drive (and I probably can) that doesn't leave a lot of spare disk space for wear leveling.

Since you want the build to last 5 years, it may be worth getting a XFX. It costs a few dollars more, but has a lifetime warranty compared to saphires 2 year warranty. Something to consider since you use this for your business. In my experience graphics cards fail more often than other components mostly due to heat issues. Granted mine lasted 4 & 6 years respectively (bought a SLI setup 6 years ago), but just a thought.

For the PSU, seems like you are spending more than you need for more power than you need. A 650W PSU is sufficient for max load everything (even overclocking). SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold on newegg is cheaper than the Corsair TX850, is more efficient and got an excellent JonnyGuru review (10 for performance and functionality). Obviously you could go a good bit cheaper by removing the "modular" and silver/gold rating (going down to regular/bronze) but figured that isn't exactly the goal.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M

MonkeyMan806

Distinguished
Jan 16, 2010
63
0
18,640
Ijust love this site and forum... I want to thank everyone for all of your help and great ideas / feedback.

Some really good advice and things I need to check a few things on like Motherboard recommendations made by everyone and PSUs.

I think I will stick with the 2600K for the cost difference and the 16GB 4 x 4GB as well (for now... at least until prices come down).

On another note about the mortherboards... the Deluxe has bluetooth built in... is that something I would be looking for... I am a geek when it comes to smartphone and other device connecting but not sure it is worth the price difference in the Deluxe...

Also have to look up what Wear Leveling is... lol no clue but if it is important and I need more space then I want it...

Thanks again to everyone helping me out... no clue how I am going to pick the best answer
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
42,542
815
104,940


Not really. Bluetooth on PCs and laptops is mainly a way for wireless devices like - keyboards, mice, headphones, that sort of thing - to connect sans adapters, most smart phones - including iPhone - wont recognize the Bluetooth adapter on your motherboard.

Since you want the build to last 5 years, it may be worth getting a XFX. It costs a few dollars more, but has a lifetime warranty compared to saphires 2 year warranty. Something to consider since you use this for your business. In my experience graphics cards fail more often than other components mostly due to heat issues. Granted mine lasted 4 & 6 years respectively (bought a SLI setup 6 years ago), but just a thought.
Click to expand...

Yeah - the double lifetime warranty on XFX pretty much surpasses everything else out there. The only thing I think is semi-comparable is EVGA's 10 year warranty. But in 10 years you won't have that card anyways... :lol:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
nordlead

nordlead

Distinguished
Aug 3, 2011
692
0
19,060


SSDs (and all flash devices) can only perform so many erase/write cycles (say 10k for MLC and 100k for SLC, but not exactly sure on the numbers) before they wear out and break. To prevent this from happening sooner than it should the firmware on the SSD spreads the writes all over the disk (since there is no latency associated with a head seek). If you are writing the entire disk (so all 64GB) at max speed it will take years to wear the drive out. However, if you fill 60GB of it with static files and thrash the last 4GB you could wear out the "small" amount of flash that is being used. I could be wrong but I don't believe that SSDs rotate the static files.

With SSDs they also overprovision the flash (so a 64GB drive might really have 70GB of flash storage) so they can replace worn out sections of the SSD. Larger SSDs typically come with a larger quantity of spare flash.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M

MonkeyMan806

Distinguished
Jan 16, 2010
63
0
18,640


Good point :D
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M

MonkeyMan806

Distinguished
Jan 16, 2010
63
0
18,640


OK, just a recommendation for you. Go to Wikipedia and search Wear leveling. Then find away to remove all of the imformation there and replace it with what your posted here... way easier to understand :D
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Raiddinn

Raiddinn

Splendid
Oct 21, 2011
5,123
0
26,460
I just wanted to chime in and say that I would stick with the 650 case instead of either the 400r or 500r. People complain that the 400r and 500r cases aren't well made and things like the screw holes in the PSU don't line up even with standard PSUs made by the same company.

Also, a HD 6950 is good, but I would have a tough time spending only 1/8 of the budget for a gaming/graphics heavy PC on the GPU.

Unless you intend to crossfire the thing later you might want to push up to an Nvidia GTX 570 or something instead. It would be about 10% stronger by my estimate and could still be SLId later.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
andywork78

andywork78

Distinguished
Oct 31, 2011
296
0
18,810
hi
You pick really great spec ever.
Few thing i like add for compare.
No upgrade +-5years and looking for great pc spec.
Must go with great cooling case and cooling fan.
These units are will help you long run.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133192
i love this case because it's Unique style and color with dust filter + large space.
Too heavy for me to moving but it's good stay in one place.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181017
My brother recommand this cooling unit. Because it has 5 year limited warranty + he said it was not bad install steps + great cooling reviews and test.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121432
I don't have this card but if you looking for best of best and play most of all game in max setting. This is the card you looking for. Not crazy price like 580. Even Tom's review show that 570 doing really great job.

However, good luck to you with new build this year. And have nice day~
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
42,542
815
104,940


And if you're getting some power hungry graphics cards, you might want to bump that PSU to a 750 or 850 watt, at least.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
42,542
815
104,940


I was thinking future-proof if he wanted to do SLI, in which case you would need more than a 650.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835181017
My brother recommand this cooling unit. Because it has 5 year limited warranty + he said it was not bad install steps + great cooling reviews and test.
Click to expand...

The H100 is a good idea no question but I think he said no liquid cooling. I'd be more tempted to recommend a Noctua D14 or EVGA's cooler.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

Titan
BANNED
Oct 30, 2004
32,255
14
99,960
RAM - Get the low profile version. The only cooling effect of these big toothy RAM coolers is that they "look cool". While they served a purpose (when they were effective) w/ DDR2, they are absolutely useless on DDR3.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=773&Itemid=67&limit=1&limitstart=1
At more than 2" tall in certain areas the Corsair Vengeance could pose a problem for users like me who use large coolers such as the Scythe Mugen 2. I was able to use the Corsair Vengeance only after I mounted the fan on my cooler on the backside. Size is definitely a concern with heat spreaders of this size and therefore I encourage users to check that they will have enough space under their heatsinks before purchasing the Corsair Vengeance kit.
Click to expand...

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=773&Itemid=67&limit=1&limitstart=6
The problem I have with the Corsair Vengeance is the same I have with many kits of RAM on the market. Companies insist on putting large coolers on their RAM and it limits the choice in CPU heatsinks that can be used within users system. DDR3 does not require these elaborate coolers with its lower voltages which translate to lower temperatures then RAM saw during the DDR, and DDR2 era. Corsair is correcting this with low profile versions of its Vengeance line but ultimately I would like to see the average size of coolers drop instead of having to look for specific low profile versions of a memory line.
Click to expand...

Save $3 also on the low profile version of the Vengeance http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233198

2. GFX - You did say CS5 was one of your priorities....for most peeps, that puts a definite nix on ATI .... no CUDA.

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

3. The HX850 gets 10.0 performance rating from jonnyguru .... enuff said. Mulki-rail / single rail, modular / hybrid modular are meaningless "buzz words".

4. An aftermarket cooler will serve no purpose whatsoever if you are not overclocking. The Cooler Master v6 GT will however make you office sound like an airport. See it compared with the Silver Arrow here:

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=674&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=4

5. Again, the presence of an aftermarket cooler, precludes consideration of a 2600 ... the 2600k and yes, if as you say you want to keep this 5 years, the only way I see that happening is with OC'ing .... even if ya don't need to do it now, why kill the option for $20 ?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Raiddinn

Raiddinn

Splendid
Oct 21, 2011
5,123
0
26,460
CS5 - If I am not mistaken, only one version (Premiere Pro) of CS5 has anything to do with CUDA. Also, correct me if I am wrong, but isn't that only for making things easier, not for making things doable at all?

If the OP wants to use Premiere Pro and wants to do physics calculations and such then I could see this mattering a great deal, but afaik this isn't like 99% of CS5 stuff, but instead 1% of CS5 stuff.

I would err on the side of not blocking out the possibility, but I don't know that I would want to block off half of the video cards on the market because of a bunch of maybes.

I don't use CS5 so YMMV.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
dish_moose

dish_moose

Splendid
Jul 7, 2010
2,952
0
21,460
"My thought process was someday if I wanted to play with over clocking (once the system has served its purpose because I will most likely mess it up) "
Even if you use a utility that comes with the mobo it will give you a significant OC - When processing large RAW pictures you will like the extra speed!!! I would also go for a mobo with good quality/rep(I am a Gigabyte fan) without all the bells and whistles. I got an Asus mobo once that had dual ethernet, remote control, wifi... never used any of it.
-Bruce
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
G

GGTY

Distinguished
Oct 11, 2011
41
0
18,530


I'd like to know what resolution(s) you want to play at, and if you want to do Eyefinity
(I don't have experience with multi-monitor gameplay, so someone else has to comment on that...)

Also, what kind of FPS are you expecting with ultra high settings?
Are you talking about maxing out everything? Or just enough that it looks and plays well?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom