New $2-3k build for gaming / Adobe CS6

mojoroc

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Jul 4, 2008
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I am looking to build a brand new machine that will handle the following three key purposes very well:
1. Adobe Premiere & AE CS6 (HD movies / clips)
2. Adobe Photoshop CS6
3. Gaming (love the games from Skyrim to GW2 to SWTOR, etc.)

My current machine simply cannot handle 1 at all (especially with HD video editing), overall performance is lagging, and I will instead be donating it to a family member.

I plan to run a 4 drive config (feel free to tell me I am off my rocker if you are an Adobe CS power user):
C: (SSD) OS & Programs
D: (HD) Media & Projects
E: (HD) Pagefile & Media Cache
F: (HD) Preview & Exports



From newegg.com


1x Rosewill THOR V2-White Edition, THOR V2-W Gaming ATX Full Tower Computer Case, support up to E-ATX / XL-ATX, come with Four ... Item #: N82E16811147158Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
$169.99$149.99


3x Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Item #: N82E16822148844Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$539.97$449.97($149.99 each)


1x EVGA 04G-P4-2686-KR GeForce GTX 680 w/ Backplate 4GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card Item #: N82E16814130799Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$529.99


1x CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC ... Item #: N82E16817139010Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$25.00 Instant
$25.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$169.99$144.99


2x Kingston HyperX Blu Red Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model KHX16C10B1RK2/16 Item #: N82E16820104340Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$149.98 ($74.99 each)


1x ASUS Maximus V FORMULA LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard Item #: N82E16813131854Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$289.99$279.99


1x Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K Item #: N82E16819116501Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
$329.99


1x COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel ... Item #: N82E16835103099Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$2.00 Instant
$5.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$36.99$34.99


1x OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-512G.M 2.5" 512GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Item #: N82E16820227820Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
-$50.00 Instant
$419.99$369.99


Subtotal: $2,439.88

Also, if anyone has some suggestion about optimal Win 7 configuration in light of the above, please let me know.
 
Looks like a great build, BUT, ditch that Vertex 4. They are very fast, but have had their share of issues and the company is doing very poorly right now. I would go with Samsung 830 or a Crucial M4. I would also switch to a Seasonic power supply. Although Seasonic does make some of Corsair's power supplies, they don't make that particular model. Get a Seasonic at the same wattage. As far as your graphics card choice, the 5 series is better at rendering in Adobe apps right now. The 6 series is too new and has not been optimized yet. If you can find a 580 gtx, that's what I would go with, unless you don't mind taking the hit in rendering times, then go with the 680. For Windows, go with 7 Pro.
 

mojoroc

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Jul 4, 2008
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I thought Adobe JUST released the support for the 680 (with excellent results too apparently).

Will check into the SSD alternatives - two friends have the Vertex 4 and have been VERY pleased.

I'll look for the Seasonic PSU as well. Thanks for the input!

BTW, I will definitely use W7 Pro x64, but was wondering about the swap/temp file locations for the OS in light of the somewhat unique config above...
 

mastrom101

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Jun 12, 2010
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Opt for a 670 or 7970, you don't need a 680.

Do you really need a 512GB SSD? Just get a 256 GB model.

For the hard drives, is 2TB each necessary? If not, you can get 1 Tb 10K RPM HD's for the same price, and get much better performance.

PSU is overpriced

Maybe go for a better CPU cooler? I would suggest a d-14 or the Phanteks cooler.
 
Case - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/321687-28-corsair-500r-rosewill-thor

HD - Barracuda XT = Great Drive .... Barracuda (no XT) not so much

PSU - Corsair HX series are great PSU's (10.0 jonnyguru ratings across the board except for 1000 & 1050watters) ......if not overclocking ya GPU and CPU, I'd opt for the TX750. If ya are, I'd use the HX850. The Seasonic X series units in this size range garners a 9.5 rating

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=299
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=192

RAM - Might consider something faster for the video editing
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226329&name=Desktop-Memory

If that's ya MoBo / CPU choice, then buy the combo and save $18
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1066876

A $30 cooler on a $2.5k system ? ...... it does not compute. I'd be using a Phanteks or at the very least a Hyper 612 PWM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709001
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103106

SSD - Any of the tier 1 SSD's on THG's list will serve you well.......look for lowest cost per GB

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-recommendation-benchmark,3269-6.html

SandForce controller with Toggle DDR NAND (Mushkin Chronos Deluxe, Patriot Wildfire, OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS, OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6G, Corsair Force GS) ..... Samsung 830 SSD 256 GB, Plextor M3 Pro 128 GB/256 GB, OCZ Vertex 4 512/256 GB

GFX - CS6 runs just dandy on the 6xx series. Adobe only "officially" supports those particular cards whereby the manufacturer has paid for the testing and certification process.

http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/tech-specs.html

However, you can unlock CUDA for CS6 quite easily using the procedure here.
http://www.studio1productions.com/Articles/PremiereCS5.htm

Adobe has only “certified” a few video cards from NVIDIA. (See Note 1, About Adobe's Certified Video Cards). According to Adobe, they only certify video cards that have gone through rigorous testing by Adobe, which takes a lot of time. With all of the different video cards using the NVidia chipset and the variations of these video cards from the various manufacturers, it's easy to understand why Adobe doesn't certify more video cards.

If you don't have a certified card or you want to use a non-certified NVidia video card, there is a way to edit a file and add your video card to a list, so Adobe Premiere CS5, CS5.5 and CS6 will allow your video card to run with GPU Acceleration. Some people call this a mod, hacking or unlocking the video cards, whatever you choose to call it, this will not make it "certified" in the eyes of Adobe. But, you will be able to use the GPU Acceleration feature of Adobe Premiere CS6, CS5.5 and Premiere CS5.

There are thousand and thousands of Adobe Premiere CS6, CS5.5 and CS5 users who are using non-certified NVidia video cards without any problems. In fact, we have 8 systems running non-certified video cards without any problems

CUDA capable cards are listed here:

http://developer.nvidia.com/cuda/cuda-gpus

GeForce GTX 690 3.0
GeForce GTX 680 3.0
GeForce GTX 670 3.0
GeForce GTX 660 Ti 3.0
GeForce GTX 660 3.0
GeForce GTX 650 TI 3.0
GeForce GTX 650 3.0
GeForce GTX 560 Ti 2.1
GeForce GTX 550 Ti 2.1
GeForce GTX 460 2.1
GeForce GTS 450 2.1
GeForce GTS 450* 2.1
GeForce GTX 590 2.0
GeForce GTX 580 2.0
GeForce GTX 570 2.0

Note that the 5xx series only support CUDA 2.x
 

mojoroc

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Jul 4, 2008
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Good catch on the combo deal. I have also swapped to that RAM upgrade. Don't plan to OC, so I feel pretty good about the PSU. Swapped to the higher cooler (had picked the first one simply because it got great reviews, and MaxPC seems to think it is stellar as well). Not convinced about eh HD (XTs versus no XT), and will prolly stick with selection.

Think this is taking shape pretty well... total is now at $2538

EDIT: I am waffling a bit on the 750W versus 850W PSU... I don't have any plans to OC, but then I would like to be able to play with it after the system is up and running. Is the 750W really too low to OC the CPU or GPU?
 

mojoroc

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Jul 4, 2008
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Here is the final setup (ordered and should start arriving in 3 days)


3x Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare DriveItem #: N82E16822148844Standard Return Policy
$539.97$449.97($149.99 ea)


1x OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-512G.M 2.5" 512GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)Item #: N82E16820227820Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
$419.99$369.99


1x CORSAIR HX Series HX850 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC ...Item #: N82E16817139011Standard Return Policy
$189.99$174.99


1x Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model 994072Item #: N82E16820226329Memory Standard Return Policy
$209.99


1x EVGA 04G-P4-2686-KR GeForce GTX 680 w/ Backplate 4GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video CardItem #: N82E16814130799VGA Standard Return Policy
$529.99


1x Rosewill THOR V2-White Edition, THOR V2-W Gaming ATX Full Tower Computer Case, support up to E-ATX / XL-ATX, come with Four ...Item #: N82E16811147158Standard Return Policy
$169.99$149.99


1x Phanteks PH-TC14PE 140mm UFB (Updraft Floating Balance) CPU CoolerItem #: N82E16835709001Computer Cables and Accessories Extended Return Policy
$96.99$91.99


1x LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA BDXL Blu-Ray Burner with SW, 3D Play Back - BH14NS40Item #: N82E16827136249Standard Return Policy
$102.99


1x Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770KItem #: N82E16819116501CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
$329.99


1x ASUS Maximus V FORMULA LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel MotherboardItem #: N82E16813131854Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
$289.99$279.99


1x DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #1066876 -$18.00


Subtotal $2,671.88
Tax $0.00
Newegg 3 Day $20.09