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Non-gaming Machine - Suggestions please

O

ococ

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 20, 2006
Messages
326
Last week one of my memory sticks went bust taking me from 3GB down to 2GB, then last Friday on the Fry's anniversary sale I picked up an Intel 2600K chip for $250 (plus tax) since it sounded like a good deal. So now I need to put something together.

I don't play any games...haven't done so for many years (at least not on a PC). But I do alot of photo editing, with Lightroom, Photoshop, Picasa open at the same time. Often times when working on Photoshop, I've run into OOM errors when trying to save a big TIF panoramic.

I've also run into issues where video fragments don't disappear from the screen when moving windows around. Never really figured out why it happened.

Anyways, help appreciated since I haven't followed computer parts in a good 3 years.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Lightroom RAW conversions, Photoshop, video conversions

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Don't really have a budget but I guess around 1k-ish?

3) Where do you live? - SoCal

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word
RAM, Motherboard, HD/SSD, Video card, DVD

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?
Enermax Liberty ELT400AWT
Lian-Li PC-V600
2x300GB Velociraptors?
1x1TB WD HD
Geforce 7600GS(might replace)
Promise NAS 4TB (not part of the pc of course)

6) Will you be overclocking?
yes, but only what I can do stock fan.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
30" Dell IPS, possibly will add another one

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Ready now...unless there's "something big" within a couple of months". In that case, I'd get my RAM RMA'd and limp along for now.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.

RAID, USB 3.0, SATA 6GB/s, eSATA

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

Running 32bit XP. Will buy a new 64bit Win7 license.

And yes, I have Amazon Prime and live in CA.
 
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$130 - Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 Intel Z68 ATX Motherboard
$60 - Galaxy 43GGS8HX3SPZ GeForce GT 430 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$156 - 4 x Patriot PSD34G13332 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$220 - Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3K5 2.5" 120GB SSD
$61 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$27 - LG GH22NS50 DVD Burner
$54 - Antec Earthwatts Green EA-430D 430W PSU
---
Total: $708 plus tax and shipping

I went with Amazon.com as much as possible since Amazon.com does not charge tax to CA residents.
 
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Thanks so much for the quick response. Couple of questions:

$156 - 4 x Patriot PSD34G13332 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
Curious why you went with Patriot. I think Gskill was just starting up on my last build, but they look pretty popular now. And you recommended it to the other guy who was putting together a Photoshop build.

$60 - Galaxy 43GGS8HX3SPZ GeForce GT 430 1GB PCI-E Video Card
Onboard video not adequate? Not sure how good they are now.

$220 - Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3K5 2.5" 120GB SSD
Does the SSD-like feature in the Z68 chipset allow me to get a smaller SSD? (not sure how that works)

$61 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
This is probably too small for me. I have a NAS, but its too slow to actively work on it. I'd probably get a 2 TB drive.

$54 - Antec Earthwatts Green EA-430D 430W PSU
Can I not re-use my old 400W Enermax?

And how should I re-use (or not) the Raid0 2x300gb velociraptors?
 
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ococ said:
$156 - 4 x Patriot PSD34G13332 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
Curious why you went with Patriot. I think Gskill was just starting up on my last build, but they look pretty popular now. And you recommended it to the other guy who was putting together a Photoshop build.
Click to expand...
The other guy wasn't from California like you were and therefore wasn't gonne be hit by CA taxes if buying from Newegg. Amazon.com did offer G.Skill RAM but at a pretty high premium. Considering that Patriot RAM is still pretty decent, I went with that as the more economical choice.
ococ said:
$60 - Galaxy 43GGS8HX3SPZ GeForce GT 430 1GB PCI-E Video Card
Onboard video not adequate? Not sure how good they are now..
Click to expand...
I included it since you're planning on upgrading to CS5. Some CS5 programs do take advantage of the CUDA features of Nvidia cards.

ococ said:
$220 - Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3K5 2.5" 120GB SSD
Does the SSD-like feature in the Z68 chipset allow me to get a smaller SSD? (not sure how that works)
Click to expand...

Well for one thing, the SSD I chose above is for your OS and programs, not the SSD cache. But yes you can go with a fairly small SSD for the SSD cache on the Z68. Speaking of which, I recommend reading this article:
http://hardocp.com/article/2011/05/11/intel_smart_response_technology_srt

But if you want a smaller OS and programs SSD, I recommend this:
$138 - Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1CCA 2.5" 64GB SSD

ococ said:
$61 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
This is probably too small for me. I have a NAS, but its too slow to actively work on it. I'd probably get a 2 TB drive.
Click to expand...
I'll have to come back to you on this since I have to look up/remember which 2TB drive offers similar performance and price to performance ratio.

ococ said:
$54 - Antec Earthwatts Green EA-430D 430W PSU
Can I not re-use my old 400W Enermax?
Click to expand...
I would not recommend it since it's very old and may not have the capability to even provide its rated wattage anymore. Not to mention that it's actually very inefficient.
ococ said:
And how should I re-use (or not) the Raid0 2x300gb velociraptors?
Click to expand...
Re-use the VRpators as Program installation drives if you do go with a smaller SSD as well as scratch drives for the Adobe software.
 
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Thanks for the link on SRT. Pretty interesting stuff, but I checked my programs and only have around 15GB. Assuming Windows 7 with some updates will take 30GB, I should be good with a 64GB SSD for my entire OS/Programs. I'll then use the raided Vraps for scratch and pagefile(?). And then a new 3TB for storage. If I outgrow the 64GB, then I'll use it for SRT and move the OS to the VRAPs.

I also decided go with a few different components. I'm sure its a bit overkill, but I'd rather overbuy then underbuy since I only build systems once every 4-5 years.

CPU: 2600K
Mobo: Asus P8Z68-V Pro
Mem: probably Crucial
SSD: Crucial 64 M4
Video: Onboard for now, but will pickup the card you suggested if it's not good enough, or when I need to add the other monitor
PSU: Will try my current, but if I have issues I'll swap out to the one you suggested
HD: Will wait for a deal here. I still have around 400GB on the Vraps for now to play with

$610 right now, still need RAM and HD, so probably another $250-300....oh and another $30 for the DVD.
 
I STRONGLY recommend you upgrade that PSU to the one suggested.

Also, there is no reason to keep with onboard video. If you ever plan to use multiple monitors you won't be able to. Also, like Danny said, CS5 can take advantage of some of nVidia's features.
 
understood on the onboard video...but I can always add the card later when I need, after I pickup the second monitor....and I need to clean up some space on my desk first :)
 
Again, for emphasis, but the new PSU now. You can easily afford it, especially since you plan on using onboard video for the time being.
 
so if I'm going to be running an SSD, 2 Vraps, a 2TB HDD and possibly another 2TB HDD, DVD and a separate video card...will I need more than the 430 recommended above? Or should I shell out another $20 bucks for a higher rated one?
 
Shell out the extra cash for a larger PSU. I recommend this:
$64 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
 
Actually...its not $5 more, it turns out to be cheaper since it's avail on Amazon Prime.
 
Stick with the Antec NEO ECO 520C. The BP550 is of inferior quality; it's one of the few Antec-branded models that we don't recommend.
 
I agree with tirades on the PSU. The Basiq BP550 is based on a budget Delta platform, which is okay but not as high of a quality as a budget SeaSonic platform such as the one the NEO ECO 520C is based on. In other words, the BP550 does not provide as good of a BFTB (Bang For The Buck) as the NEO ECO 520C.

In addition, the current, 80 Plus certified revision of the BP550 provides a combined +12V capacity of 37A (444W) over its three +12V "rails". The NEO ECO 520C, on the other hand, has a single 40A (480W) +12V rail.
 
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ok, 520C it is..but it's $70 shipped right now. apparently it's been offered in a few shell shockers lately for $40 plus tax and ship. Will my current PSU work at all? I'd like to wait a week or two to see if it's offered on sale again. Yes...it's only $20 but i'm weird that way. If after a month it's not offered at the lower price then I'll pick it up.
 
ococ said:
Will my current PSU work at all?
Click to expand...

With the new components, not for long: Not only is that PSU a low-wattage model, it is also an old model. And even good PSUs degrade in performance after about three to four years. As a result, you might end up with no working system at all for several weeks to several months.
 
ococ said:
understood on the onboard video...but I can always add the card later when I need, after I pickup the second monitor....and I need to clean up some space on my desk first :)
Click to expand...
Onboard video uses system RAM for video bandwidth.

All video activities will be sharing that bus with system functions, CS4, work etc.

Any addon card, even some crap obsolete PCI peice of crap would alleviate those system resources.
 
well luckily I have my old obsolete piece of crap geforce 7600gs. will keep an eye out for cards on the deal forum
 
Danny Bui said:
$156 - 4 x Patriot PSD34G13332 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
Click to expand...

Looks like NewEgg has this for the same price (plus tax) and there's a $10 MIR.

But the MIR says: 3) Complete all information requested on this form accurately and legibly. Limit (1) one rebate per product per address,
except where prohibited by law.

Will they not accept all 4 sticks? $113 for 16GB would be nice.
 
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AFAIK the onboard video doesn't support dual-link DVI, so you will not get your full resolution from it, so either stick your 7600 in there or get a new card that supports CUDA acceleration.
 
dotCapone said:
AFAIK the onboard video doesn't support dual-link DVI, so you will not get your full resolution from it, so either stick your 7600 in there or get a new card that supports CUDA acceleration.
Click to expand...
Good catch

Onboard Graphics Integrated in the Chipset:

1 x D-Sub port
1 x DVI-D port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920x1200
* The DVI-D port does not support D-Sub connection by adapter.
1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920x1200
Click to expand...
http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3856#sp
 
Onboard Graphics Integrated in the Chipset:

1 x D-Sub port
1 x DVI-D port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920x1200
* The DVI-D port does not support D-Sub connection by adapter.
1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920x1200
Click to expand...

That just means that the DVI-to-VGA adapter will not work at all with the Gigabyte's DVI out since the adapter requires a DVI-I output which the board does not have. It has nothing to do whatsoever with single- or dual-link DVI-D compatibility. There is still a D-Sub port on the board for legacy analog VGA monitor compatibility.

But since the maximum resolution of the DVI-D out on that board is only 1920x1200, the circuitry will treat all dual-link DVI-D cables as if they were single-link cables.
 
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What Gigabyte DVI out are you referring to? I ended up going with the Asus board.
 
I got a reply back from NewEgg saying that based on the wording from the vendor, only the first chip would qualify for rebate. So with that, Amazon would be cheaper and less hassle.
 
ococ said:
I got a reply back from NewEgg saying that based on the wording from the vendor, only the first chip would qualify for rebate. So with that, Amazon would be cheaper and less hassle.
Click to expand...

and less taxes.
 
yup, Amazon would be $140, New Egg would be $142.6 (after tax and MIR)
 
Question on the SSD. I ended up going with a Crucial M4 6GB/s 64GB drive for $129 from Amazon. But NewEgg has a Kingston V+100 96GB drive for $99 plus tax after MIR, but I think it's not 6GB/s.

Should i cancel my Amazon order and go with the Kingston? This will be used for my OS and Apps, not for SRT. And as I mentioned previously, I'm pretty sure I can fit the OS and Apps onto 64GB.
 
Thanks for the link. I looked at the M4 6GB/s against the V+100. Looks like the Crucial beats it in every test, which you'd expect for the money. It's fine...order already shipped.
 
You don't need to up the PSU at all with that video card. Even the 430W PSU mentioned earlier would be enough for that video card.

However it's a bit moot anyway since that's an AMD card. Since you're not gaming, it's pretty much a waste of money. Even then, due to your Adobe software usage, you should be looking at Nvidia cards anyway since some Adobe apps do take advantage of Nvidia's CUDA features.
 
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