Need input with audio/video rendering system

J

Jaz709

n00b
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
42
Hello all, I'm in need of your input on a complete new build. My last system was built around a Q6600 overclocked to 3.6ghz. I was about to do an upgrade with it when someone offered to buy it rather than have me build a new system for them. I decided to take that offer and do a new build for myself. :D

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Audio/Video encoding, backing up dvd's & BD etc..Archiving Vinyl, Photoshop, Premiere, web browsing, maybe gaming?

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
No set budget being I'll be gathering parts here and there so I have time to get what I want.

3) Where do you live?
Canada

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc.
PSU, Motherboard, cpu, Memory, cooling, video card

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
HDD: 2x WD 1TB WD1001FALLS (fairly new removed from last system)

6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
24" NEC LCD2490WUXI (NOT WUXI2)

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I've already started gathering parts as they go on sale.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Plan to overclock this system. More than likely I'll be using raid. Not sure whether I'll be using CF or SLI at this point. Wouldn't mind having it in the event I decide to use it in the future.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit


At this point I have a fair idea of what I want. The main things I need input on are the cpu, memory and video card. Here's what I'm thinking of thus far:

Case: Thermaltake Mozart TX (Have it)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133027&Tpk=mozart tx

PSU: Antec TPQ-1200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16817371032

Motherboard: Asus R3E
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16813131642

CPU: i7 980x
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16819115223

OR

i7 930 (Being I'll be overclocking I will take a 920 providing I can find one)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225&cm_re=i7_930-_-19-115-225-_-Product

Cooler: Hmm Not sure of this one. I read of a lot of coolers blocking the ram slot closest to the cpu. Cold use your input for sure on this one. Also considering going liquid cooling being I have the Mozart TX case. It'll be my first time going liquid but certainly not afraid of trying.

Memory: Corsair DOMINATOR-GT Model CMG6GX3M3A2000C8
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145255&Tpk=CMG6GX3M3A2000C8

OR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226100&cm_re=998776-_-20-226-100-_-Product

DVD: Sony DRU870S (Same as AD7240S)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7118030&cm_re=sony_dvd-_-27-118-030-_-Product

Video Card: EVGA GTX 470
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...550&cm_re=evga_gtx_470-_-14-130-550-_-Product

OR

EVGA GTX 260 ( I see this SC version and reg. version are nearly same in price..had this in my last system)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16814130433

As a rule I'm NOT one to replace my system on a regualr basis. There is no such thing as future proofing, as such, but I figured if I were to pull the plug on the 980x it wold allow me to keep it for some time being not all software will utalize all 6 cores at this time. With this in mind would it still be worth it for audio/video work or should I cheap out and just get a 920 or 930?

Regarding the memory, should I go for the Corsair( same models as shown but with CL7) or opt for the Muskin? One has tighter timings but with the Muskin it'll allow for up to 24 gigs where as the Corsair will only permit 12 gigs. Then again, I can't forsee me using anything more than 12 gigs at this point but with the Corsair it'll limit the amount of ram for future expansion.

I had no problem(s) with the GTX-260 in my last build. I'm just wondering if the GTX-470 would be way overkill in the event I won't be gaming? It'll certainly allow more options being a newer card. HDMI for tv hookup comes to mind. However for video work would I be better off going with the 260 and upgrade to the 470 down the road if required?

It's getting late. Nearly forgot the hard drives. I'll more than likely be using the WD TB drives from my last system. I may just keep them as is being I do have data on them. I've also been toying with the idea of purchasing either their new(er) 1TB or 2TB drives as well. I also have a new Intel 80gb SSD, that was meant to be installed in my old system, but the guy bought it while the drive was being shipped. Anyway, it'll be used for the OS and apps. Thank you in advance for your input.
 
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In regards to the monitor, do you already have it? Or, rather, are you planning on buying it?

If you're only going to use one video card, you can drop down to a good 600 to 750 watt power supply and still have (more than) enough juice for everything. Consider one of the "lighter" Antec TruePower (Quattro or New) PSUs or anything from the Corsair line.

Use the Intel (X-25M?) SSD for your OS drive and frequently-accessed programs and reuse your HDDs for storage. I recommend a RAID 1 for the HDDs, unless you plan on storing a lot of files.

How high were you planning on overclocking your processor? I ask because the parts that you've chosen (specifically, the processor, motherboard, and memory) suggest that you want to go as far as possible. But you could also go pretty far (up to 4GHz) with some good "mid-range" components.

Regarding the Core i7 980X, I simply don't think that it's really necessary. A Core i7 920 or 930 pushed to near (or around) 4GHz will outperform any Intel Socket 775 (or earlier) or AMD-based system with just about any task that you throw at it.
 
First off, for the cost of that dominator memory you could get 12gb of G.Skill DDR3-2000.
That Antec 1200w psu is insane overkill unless you are going to quad xfire 2 5970's with an insanely heavy overclock.
Motherboard is massive overkill.
As for GPU, stick with a single 5870, xfx preferably.
I would stick with the i7 930 for now, when there is another release of a 6c/12t processor or possibly when that one drops in price then I can see it being better price/performance.

From what I can tell it seems like you are looking for the most expensive parts on newegg, but expensive doesn't always get you more performance than a much cheaper build.

Also, theres no way you are going to drop all this money on a system and not atleast have 1 or 2 intel x25m (like suggested above) SSD's.

Build suggestion:
i7 930 + Gigabyte X58A-UD3R
6GB G.Skill DDR3-1600
XFX 5870
Corsair/Antec PSU 650-750w
WD Black 1TB (FAEX)
Intel X25-M 160GB SSD

As for cooling you could look into full water cooling or you could even just grab a corsair h50 and call it a day.

Hope this helps!
 
Shadowssong, the OP has an 80GB SSD; that bit of info was buried within the last paragraph of the OP. I agree with your overall suggestion about obtaining cheaper parts, but I want to hear why Jaz709, the OP, chose the parts that he chose.
 
I agree with both posts above. Save your money and get an i7-930: hold off on excessive amounts of RAM (you can upgrade later if you find you need it): definitely get a ssd: downsize the psu.

Also, if your 260 is performing fine, why replace it? Don't upgrade components until you need to - otherwise you're wasting money (that 470, for example, will only get cheaper).
 
Sorry for some confusion. I posted this about 3:00 or so this morning. :(

Thank you for your input thus far. Just to update and answer a few questions I used Newegg just to reference the part specs etc. I'm not loyal to any one particular company. I usually use Google to seek out the better prices here in Canada. My choice of those parts were mainly going by ratings and looking for stability. Again, I'm not one to upgrade on a regualr basis so i want something I can trust to last for some time. Then again, maybe if i were to sell things sooner I wouldn't loose as much. lol

Here's what I have to date. My Nec 2490WUXI is under a year old. I purchased the unit because of it being easy on the eyes and the polarizing filter. Found out the hard way that IPS panels are the only thing I can use without getting headaches.

My Mozart TX case I purchased shortly after the sale of my other system. At the time I liked the look of it and from what i read it would be a great case for venturing into water cooling. The price was slightly above what i would have paid for the Antec 1200.

The 2x Sony DRU-870S AKA AD7240S I picked up for $30/ea. rather tahn the $65 CDN retail. Thought that was a good buy for its price.

My X25-m 80 gig is new being I didn't get to use it before the old system was sold. I'm undecided at this point whether I'll use it single for use of trim or add another down the raod and put them in raid-0.

Unfortunately I no longer have the GTX-260. It went with the system. What I should have asked in my original post is shoud I save some money here and obtain another for nearly 1/2 the price of a GTX 470 or the 5870?

It appears to me I under estimated the power of the 930. That's what prompted me to seek advice here to begin with. :D Again, thank you for all the help and look forwared to further comments.
 
Jaz709 said:
Unfortunately I no longer have the GTX-260. It went with the system. What I should have asked in my original post is shoud I save some money here and obtain another for nearly 1/2 the price of a GTX 470 or the 5870
Click to expand...

No, don't get another - at the moment, you can do much better for the same amount. But unless I'm understanding you wrong, you won't need an expensive video card for what you're doing. What exactly do you mean by "maybe gaming"? Like, playing old games? The latest and greatest? Both? I ask because gpus are expensive and you don't want to buy what you won't use.
 
cbliss1000 said:
No, don't get another - at the moment, you can do much better for the same amount. But unless I'm understanding you wrong, you won't need an expensive video card for what you're doing. What exactly do you mean by "maybe gaming"? Like, playing old games? The latest and greatest? Both? I ask because gpus are expensive and you don't want to buy what you won't use.
Click to expand...

photoshop supports CUDA.
 
Unless you're going to overclock at speeds beyond 4GHz, go with the board, processor, and memory that Shadowssong recommended. You should also get a good 600-750 watt PSU as well, especially since you've given no indication as to whether or not you're going with a multi-GPU setup.

I figured you went with Nvidia for the CUDA support. You could go with the GTX 260 (again) unless you plan on playing games as well.
 
CUDA schmuda.

If you want another 260, check the f/s forums here - you can get them for 130ish,
 
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