Pulling trigger TODAY (2 final contenders)

J

JYeager11

Gawd
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
563
Okay, those of you following my adventures know that I was here during the holidays looking for advice regarding my first new rig in 7 years (I'm currently running on an Opteron 180 after upgrading the CPU along the way).

Since then, unforeseen personal emergencies delayed the purchase. In fact, I can't even afford to do this *now*, but my system literally started falling apart over the weekend and I don't want to push my luck any further. So while budget wasn't a big issue 3 months ago, it is now.

I will be using the rig for HD Photoshopping (4GB+ PSD files), HD video playback, and 24-bit music editing. For those who aren't familiar with DAW (music) editing, that's likely what's really going to push the rig to its limits, because there's really no limit to how many simultaneous wavs and real-time FX plugins you can ask your machine to handle. The more it can take, the more you throw at it.

I don't game. I don't overclock.

Given my situation, I liked this deal :

http://www2.dell.com/ca/en/home/des...&~oid=ca~en~70702~studio-xps-9000-en-feat_3~~

Intel® Core™ i7-920 processor(8MB L3 Cache, 2.66GHz)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Blu-ray Disc (BD) Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
12GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs
1TB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
ATI Radeon™ HD 5770 1GB GDDR5
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Power: 475 Watts
1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis

From $1,938
You Save $440
Now $1,498 (before taxes)

I already have a specialized audio card, and was going to add a second 1TB HD myself after delivery.
Click to expand...

My biggest concern with regards to the above is that the 475W PSU.

Alternatively, a friend put this hypothetical custom build together for me :
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Edition 64BIT Dvd Oem
•Limit 5 per customer.
•Usually Ships in 1 to 2 Business days.
Yes $145.87 $145.87

Western Digital WD1001FALS Caviar Black 1TB SATA2 7200RPM 4.2MS 32MB 3.5IN Dual Proc Hard Drive OEM
•Limit 5 per customer.
•Usually Ships in 1 to 2 Business days.
Yes $98.88 $98.88

XFX Radeon HD 5850 XXX Edition 755MHZ 1GB GDDR5 4.5GHZ 2XDVI HDMI Display Port PCI-E Video Card
•Usually Ships in 1 to 2 Business days.
Yes $334.80 $334.80

LG BH10LS30 Bluray Writer 10X BD-R 16X DVD-RW Lightscribe SATA Retail Box
•Limit 2 per customer.
•Usually Ships in 1 to 2 Business days.
Yes $169.88 $169.88

ASUS P6T X58 ATX LGA1366 DDR3 3PCI-E16 PCI-E1 2PCI CrossFire SLI SATA2 GBLAN Motherboard
•Usually Ships in 1 to 2 Business days.
Yes $253.80 $253.80

Antec Truepower New 750W Modular Power Supply ATX Active PFC 80 Plus SLI Ready Blue 120MM PWM Fan
•Usually Ships in 1 to 2 Business days.
Yes $125.01 $125.01

Antec P183 ATX Tower Case Black 11 Drive Bay 4X5.25 1X3.5 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Sound
•Usually Ships in 1 to 2 Business days.
Yes $146.65 $146.65

2 X OCZ XTC Platinum OCZ3P1333LV6GK DDR3-1333 6GB 3X2GB CL7-7-7-20 Triple Channel Memory Kit
•Usually Ships in 1 to 2 Business days.
•$20.00 CAD Mail in Rebate for this item - click here
Yes $168.71 $337.42

Intel Core i7 920 D0 Stepping Quad Core Processor LGA1366 2.66GHZ Bloomfield 8MB LGA1366 -SLBEJ-
•Usually Ships in 1 to 2 Business days.
Yes $324.32 $324.32

Payment Detail
Shipping & handling $0.00
Insurance $29.05
Sub Total $1,936.63
GST(5%) $98.28
No PST - Outside BC residents $0.00
Total $2,063.96
Click to expand...

Now, I *liked* the idea of going with a Dell because it ships without conflicts, I don't overclock, and while I've built my own rigs before, I hate the process and am not very good at it. My friend, however, offered to assemble this one if I go with it.

He put in a 5850 instead of a 5770, but I'm not gaming so I'm wondering if that should be a selling point or not. He also made the Windows Pro instead of Home, and made sure the Blu-Ray player could write BD, not just CD+DVD like the Dell (this *could* be useful for backup purposes, I'll grant him).

I was supposed to pull the trigger Monday on the Dell, but this friend told me to hold off while he went off and put this hypothetical custom build together. Now I have to choose.

Is it a no-brainer? Your advice is welcome.

(PS: The one or two of you that keep polluting my threads with insults can skip this one. Seriously, Spring is right around the corner. The sun is out, the birds are chirping. If you don't like a thread or its author, DON'T CLICK ON IT.)
 
If you're not gaming, I don't see why you need a 300 dollar videocard. I don't know if vidcards affect performance on photoshop, but I wonder why a simple vidcard for 50 bucks that can do HD playback wouldn't suffice?

In that regards, I also wonder about the mobo. Why Crossfire? That's a 250 dollar mobo that I just don't know why you need (but maybe you do?). Could you even combine the two into a mobo with built in video?

That's what I would question. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable in what you are doing will come in and answer these questions.
 
Stick with the hd5770 and drop the blu-ray burner, stay with dvdrw for now.
 
you dont need 12 gigs of ram, 6 is fine

also try and get the 5850, it will stay current longer if you do any gaming at all.

stay with win home, you do not need win pro unless there is a feature you absolutly must have (you dont)
 
For Photoshop and DAW, it sounds like 12GB of RAM is an easy choice. Stick with it.

I agree that you do not need an HD5850, but I also do not believe you need an HD5770 -- mainly because, as you said, you're not gaming. I'd suggest an NVIDIA card, mainly for CUDA, but you only need something like a GTS250, again, simply because you're not gaming. However, since an NVIDIA card isn't an option with the Dell, this really isn't a big deal, since photoshop only performs slightly better with CUDA, unless you're doing a whole lot of filter rendering.

I also agree that you do not need Pro. Home should have all the features you need. Use these pages to help you decide:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/compare/default.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7_editions#Comparison_chart

I'd avoid a BD burner for now, as media is still expensive. I'd suggest backing up to an external HDD instead. Wait for a deal on 1.5TB externals. Not long ago you could find the WD Elements 1.5TB for $80USD USB2.0 -- look for a similar deal.

The Dell fits your needs, so I see no reason to spend more with the custom build. /shrug. The 475W PSU should not be a problem at all, since you're only adding a HDD.
 
enginurd said:
For Photoshop and DAW, it sounds like 12GB of RAM is an easy choice. Stick with it.

I agree that you do not need an HD5850, but I also do not believe you need an HD5770 -- mainly because, as you said, you're not gaming. I'd suggest an NVIDIA card, mainly for CUDA, but you only need something like a GTS250, again, simply because you're not gaming. However, since an NVIDIA card isn't an option with the Dell, this really isn't a big deal, since photoshop only performs slightly better with CUDA, unless you're doing a whole lot of filter rendering.

I also agree that you do not need Pro. Home should have all the features you need. Use these pages to help you decide:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/compare/default.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7_editions#Comparison_chart

I'd avoid a BD burner for now, as media is still expensive. I'd suggest backing up to an external HDD instead. Wait for a deal on 1.5TB externals. Not long ago you could find the WD Elements 1.5TB for $80USD USB2.0 -- look for a similar deal.

The Dell fits your needs, so I see no reason to spend more with the custom build. /shrug. The 475W PSU should not be a problem at all, since you're only adding a HDD.
Click to expand...

Actually, after having consulted with both the Photoshop and Sonar (audio) communities respectively, I will be adding two more drives.

The drives set-up will look like this :

C: 250GB (OS + Programs)
D: 1TB (Photoshop + Sonar document/project files including audio files)
E: 1TB (Photoshop scratch disk + Sonar virtual instrument samples)

I was told this was the way to really maximize performance, and upon looking it over, it really does seem like the smart way to go. I already own a 250GB seagate I can migrate over. And I can get 2 x 1TB drives for less than $200.

So we're running 3 HD's, not to mention an Echo Gina3G sound card (http://echoaudio.com/Products/PCI/Gina3G/index.php) which likely eats up more power than your average sound card would.

At this point and time, I am leaning towards the custom build. That being said, I tend to agree with you about the video card. I could probably save a bit of money there. As for the Blu-Ray, it'll really depend on how much I'll be saving by losing the BD writing capabilities. If we're only talking $25-40, I'll keep those capabilities.

Will look into Home vs Pro more closely. Thanks for the links.
 
If you try to make the custom-built system like the Dell, it comes out to roughly the same price. Is there a reason why you went with much more expensive components in the custom one?
 
I concur with enginurd 100%: Go with the dell. Your friend's rig would meet ur needs but so would the $500 cheaper Dell. So Dell all the way

see if you can add more drives with the dell. Ditching blu-ray saves about $100 most of the time.

@tehspoon:
those are canadian prices..
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
 
Here's the reply I got on the Dell boards when I raised the issue of the 475W psu (with regards to the following machine : http://www2.dell.com/ca/en/home/des...&~oid=ca~en~70702~studio-xps-9000-en-feat_3~~) :

Not really. I'm sure it is probably the largest power supply Dell puts in any of their systems. Hard drives only take around 10 watts each so with 3 you are only looking at 30 watts. The CPU and video card take the most. With the i7 you are looking at around 85 watts and then depending on the video card it would vary of course. Even if you had all this mentioned and an HD 5770 video card, you are probably only looking around needing 300 watts total so you're only using 60% of your power supply's capacity which is a good place to be at.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind, I will not be gaming or overclocking, but I *will* be running 3 HDs, oftentimes simultaneously. Also, my audio card probably requires more voltage than the average card, given it's a pro level product (http://echoaudio.com/Products/PCI/Gina3G/index.php).

How concerned should I be about that 475W psu that comes with the Dell?
 
JYeager said:
How concerned should I be about that 475W psu that comes with the Dell?
Click to expand...

Not very. Unlike Gateway and sometimes HP, Dell puts relatively decent PSUs into their systems. In addition, that audio card has to stay within PCI power limitations and maximums. As such, it's pretty much a non-issue.
 
Just noticed another difference I hadn't before : the Dell ram (12GB) is 1066mhz. The one in the custom build is 1333mhz.

So here's a brief recap of the non-modifiable (on the Dell side) differences...

Dell :
- 1066mhz ram (6 x 2GB)
- 475W psu
- Extra drive is $150 for 1TB, no 3rd HD option (custom builder only seems to allow 2 drives)

Custom :
- 1333mhz ram (6 x 2GB)
- 700W psu
- Extra drives are $100 for 1TB apiece

I'm thinking about this and wondering... I've already got the 250GB Seagate Barracuda I planned on using as the C: drive. Even if I were to add it to the Dell, the Dell wouldn't let me use it as the boot drive. The Dell likely won't let me install the OS anywhere I want. It'll have to be on one of the two drives I order from them directly. This slightly complicates matters, no?

Back to leaning towards the custom build and downgrading the video card...
 
Well RAM speed doesn't really matter so the RAM is a non-issue.

Well you could always contact Dell and ask them to include a recovery disc or the actual OS disk. Would cost you a bit more for the actual OS disk but it would let you install the OS on any drive you want.

Now I'm not a Photoshop or Sonar expert but I can tell you this: That's not a good HDD setup in terms of perofmrnace IMO. Virtually every single 250GB consumer drive will be slower than the WD 1TB Black or most new 1TB drives out today (unless you're using something like the 5400RPM or 5900RPM drives).

I'd go for something like this:

1TB drive #1:
C: 200GB Partition for OS + Programs
D: 800GB Partition for Photoshop + Sonar document/project files

1TB Drive #2:
E: Sonar virtual instrument samples

250GB Drive:
F: Photoshop scratchdisk.

However we can probaly ditch the 25GB drive altogehter (or use in place of of 1Tb Drive #2 if there's enough storage) if you use a RAMDisk as a scratch drive:
Joe Average said:
In other words, as I said, the cost of the devices + the cost of populating them becomes absolutely ridiculous. Grab two Velociraptors and have fun... or even a handful of SSD drives and RAID 'em together. The overall price-to-performance ratio will blow these iRAM devices clear off the planet surface...

Sad, really, because I've been a proponent of actual RAMdisks for decades now. Hell, I used to boot my Amiga 500 off a RAMdisk, so I've seen pretty much every attempt at making such devices as the iRAM that have appeared, and they all suck, period. They just can't do the job adequately and keep the price-to-performance ratio anywhere near a reasonable level.

I built a RAID 0 box for a small image studio 2 weeks ago, a new startup here in Vegas that is making waves. They wanted a "demo" workstation to see what's possible for processing as they don't want to create a massive server-type situation in the office, but 3-4 workstations that are equal in performance and then just using simple file sharing as required. Very simple setup in terms of the network, but the workstation I built used 2 300GB Velociraptors (tried to sell 'em on SSD but the amount of data they're dealing with wouldn't be practical - again, a price-to-performance and ROI issue).

The hard part was getting them to spring for 16GB of RAM because of the cost, but a few weeks ago I saw that sale for 4 4GB sticks of RAM for about $450 and made a few phone calls and snagged a similar deal.

I set up Photoshop CS3 for 'em (their legit retail copy) on Vista Business x64. They started messing around with it, loading some rather large TIFF files in excess of 150MB a pop, several at a time, performing some basic scripted actions on 'em, blurs, filters, etc. Using the Velociraptors in RAID 0 meant very snappy and consistent performance, as well as having 16GB of RAM too. Also, it's a Q6600 based machine running rock solid at 3 GHz.

They were very pleased with the performance at that point, but I had a surprise for 'em. ;)

I asked if I could have 20 mins 'alone' with the workstation to "rewire it" as Tim Allen might say. That consisted of grabbing a trial version of SuperSpeed Software's RamDisk Plus 9 and installing it, doing the simple configuration, and then creating a 10GB RAMdisk and told Photoshop "Ok, you want a scratch disk? Here, try this on for size."

After I did some tests of my own using the same scripts they'd done earlier, boy... I tell ya. You haven't lived till you see 225MB TIFF files literally snap onscreen in the blink of an eye, multiple huge TIFFs with resolutions like 5000x5000 and even higher. That's what's possible with RAMdisks, because even Velociraptors in RAID 0 pumping out something like 280MB/s sustained pales to the close to 5GB a second in bandwidth of that RAMdisk.

I told 'em to come back in and rerun their test scripts.

Jaws hit the floor, folks. Well, not quite but figuratively speaking, at least.

They asked what I'd done, I told them I put the scratch disk in RAM where it should be if you have the RAM to make it happen, and they bought 4 licenses of RamDisk Plus 10 mins later, and I got a signed contract to construct 3 more workstations identical to that one top to bottom and also be their "geek" if any issues come up.

It was a very good week... ;)
Click to expand...
You would have 12GB of RAM, more than enough for a PS scratchdisk.

IF you do go with the custom build, just gonna reiterate what everyone has been saying:
- If you're not gonna be burning blu-ray disk, ditch that blu-ray drive. It'll shave off $140 off the total price
- Drop the video card down to as low as the HD 5450. For your needs, you're not gonna notice a difference between the $50 HD 5570 and the $310 HD 5850.
- If you don't need such a silent heavy case, drop the case down to something like the Coolermaster RC-590 or RC-690 cases.
- Just go with Windows 7 Home. I'm more than willing to bet that you won't need any of the features offered by Windwos 7 Pro.

Those above changes will easily drop the custom build below $1500.
 
The higher speed RAM won't matter much simply because you're not OC'ing the CPU. The only place you'll notice any real difference is with memory benchmarks.

The 250GB drive will probably be the slowest drive of the bunch, and if so, I'd avoid using it as the OS drive. I'd suggest partitioning the outer edge of the fastest drive you have for the OS, then leave the rest as whatever data partition you need.

The Dell will let you use any drive you want as the boot drive, just re-install the OS. The OS will install wherever the hell you want it to -- its a windows installation disk, not a restore disk (make sure you get this instead of a restore disk). If it doesn't come with it, you can find the ISO online somewhere. :p Download the drivers off the support site using the service tag and you'll be all set.

In regards to what Danny was saying, IIRC, the max power draw for any slot-powered PCI card is 25W; so again, the PSU issue you seem to be worried about is a non-issue with your requirements. Oh, and no, 475W is not the highest powered PSU dell offers. I've got a 575W (or something like that) in one of my lab workstations. :p

edit: ugh, didn't refresh before posting, lol, so I didn't read Danny's latest post -- in other words, my post may be redundant.

Yah, mine's a bit redundant. I didnt mention RAMDisk because I though I mentioned it in your other threads. Anyhow, I basically agree with Danny. :D
 
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Danny Bui said:
@tehspoon:
those are canadian prices..
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
Click to expand...

Yeah but even in canadian prices, if you just don't go for such expensive stuff...

You can get
Windows Home Premium for $108
XFX 5770 for $170
Motherboard for $170
Case for $50
PSU for $80
CPU for $300
BD-ROM/DVDRW for $108
HD for $100 (same as OP)
12GB RAM for $306

Comes out to $1392.

Now I'm not sure if every one of those component choices is wonderful, but these choices do resemble what you'll get in a Dell a lot more than the original custom build posted by the OP.
 
I will definitely be compromising on the video card. I don't know why my friend keeps insisting I get a $300 model, but I've just sent him an email putting my foot down. ;-) With no gaming in sight (that's what I have an XBOX 360 for), I intend to save $200 right there.

I do wonder about the P6T motherboard, however. And why I need a motherboard with SLI capabilities I will never actually use. Wouldn't the P6TD Deluxe be a smarter purchase for just a few bucks more? I didn't see the word SLI anywhere on that one, so I'm assuming the money's going in features more useful to me. Of course, I could be way off there.

That being said, TigerDirect.ca is offering a nice P6T/930 bundle for $515. Yes, 930, not 920. I'm assuming it can't be WORSE than the 920, right? And the bundle comes out cheaper than my friend suggested I spend for the P6T and 920 individually.

The other two places I'm thinking of saving are the bluray and the 2nd set of ram sticks. I could live with 6GB temporarily until I have more room to breathe budget-wise and add another 3 x 2GB sticks to make it 12GB.

Anyone have a $100-ish video card to recommend? At this point, 3D performance is irrelevant, but I'd still like something recent just because. Bonus points if it offers dual DVI outs, or any other interesting out features.
 
Like Spoon said above.. .build your own. You can get way better stuff for the same price. Dont go with the dell.

Here couple cards for around 100. First one $89 after rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150369&cm_re=hd_4770-_-14-150-369-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131331&cm_re=hd_5750-_-14-131-331-_-Product

For motherboard just get one that is stable like a Asus with only one card slot.
920 should be more than enough. You can get bundle deals with that for even cheaper than your 930 bundle.
 
Indeed, if you do go with a custom build, scale it back from what your friend was originally suggesting.

If you want NVIDIA/CUDA, the 9600GT is still a nice card for under $100:
$70 - PNY VCG96512GXXB GeForce 9600 GT 512MB 256-bit ($10MIR)
$99 - ASUS EN9800GT/DI/512MD3 GeForce 9800 GT 512MB ($20MIR)

If you want ATI, the 5670 is around your pricerange. The 4770 offers better performance, but its last gen tech and costs more, so its up to you.
$105 - XFX HD-567X-YNFC Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) 512MB 128-bit

Whitewolf said:
Like Spoon said above.. .build your own. You can get way better stuff for the same price. Dont go with the dell.

Here couple cards for around 100. First one $105 after rebate. -- he's in Canada
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150369&cm_re=hd_4770-_-14-150-369-_-Product
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131331&cm_re=hd_5750-_-14-131-331-_-Product

For motherboard just get one that is stable like a Asus with only one card slot.
920 should be more than enough. You can get bundle deals with that for even cheaper than your 930 bundle.
Click to expand...
fixed. Other cheap but good boards are the MSI X58 Pro-E, Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R, and Asus P6T SE.
 
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You guys rock.

Here's another update :
  1. We're definitely scaling back the video card, and I do have a soft spot for nvidia over ATI (and if given a choice, Asus over others - but that's just sentimental, not based on any hard figures). However, my current (7 year old) rig is equipped with an Asus EN6600GT video card (nvidia 6600GT) which I find sucks up more juice, runs hotter and emits more noise than it is worth (for a non-gamer). These cards you guys are suggesting today that hover around $100... is it safe to say they're better built than this one is, and have some clear advantages over it? You gotta figure ANY of today's cards is better built than a 7 year old card, right?
  2. We're scrapping the BluRay altogether. I can always buy that later.
  3. Still considering getting just half the ram to start, but that's the very last thing I'll scale back on. I'd very much like to start with 12GB if I can afford it.
  4. Considering the 930 instead of the 920 now, given the $10 price difference.
  5. Someone on the audio forums (audio experts, keeping in mind DAW editing will be 50% of the usage of this machine) recommended the P6X58D for about $100 more. Rather than simply dismiss it because of the price, I thought I'd run it by you guys first.
Back soon with the updated build!
 
  1. Yah, they've improved the cooling on newer cards to be more quiet, especially if the GPU isn't running at full speed. IIRC, you'll need an 8 series or newer for CUDA.
  2. Indeed, when both burners and media are much cheaper.
  3. Get 1.5v, or as close to it as possible -- JEDEC spec. If it hasn't been mentioned before, Core i3/5/7 max ram voltage is 1.65v, so you want to stay as close to the JEDEC spec as possible. 1.65v RAM should work fine, especially since you're not OC'ing, but I'd highly suggest sticking to 1.5v RAM instead (better compatibility).
  4. Go for the 930.
  5. What was the reason he suggested the P6X58D over the cheaper boards? I'd assume you wouldn't need such a high end board, simply because you have a high end soundcard.
 
D0 is the newer stepping. It runs cooler, and therefore OC's better, but you're not OC'ing, so that part doesn't matter. What matters is, it runs cooler, so your HSF won't be so loud. :p

The 930 you linked to is OEM, thats why its cheaper ($305). The 930 replaces the 920, so they should be the same price. OEM does not come with a HSF and only has a 90-day warranty. Retail comes with a HSF and has a 3yr warranty. Go with Retail... from Newegg, since its only $308, lol.

$331 - http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=50913&vpn=BX80601930&manufacture=Intel
$308 - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225
 
Hey, thanks for those tips.

Now according to this :
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...EPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=p6t&x=0&y=0

The P6T Deluxe V2 has only 6 SATA connections, while the much cheaper P6T (regular) has 8. The onboard audio, however, seems slightly better on the Deluxe V2, but I have my own pro audio card.

Would it be a mistake for me to go P6T (the 2nd one on that list) over the P6T Deluxe V2, even if the latter appears to be a more recent revision?
 
Okay, well I delayed the purchase as much as I could... technically we could debate this for weeks, but I am being pressed for an answer by the person helping me build this, so here's the final build we put together with the budget at our disposal and other limitations (had to buy everything from same place - regardless of what that place is - or he wouldn't build it; had to come from Canadian store; etc.)

From DirectCanada.com :

  • Antec P183 ATX Tower Case Black 11 Drive Bay 4X5.25 1X3.5 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Sound
    $150.26
  • Intel Core i7 920 D0 Stepping Quad Core Processor LGA1366 2.66GHZ Bloomfield 8MB LGA1366 -SLBEJ-
    $333.59
  • Antec CP-850 850W Cpx Dual PCB Power Supply Modular ATX12V V2.3 80PLUS Active PFC SLI 120MM Fan
    $118.02
  • Western Digital WD1001FALS Caviar Black 1TB SATA2 7200RPM 4.2MS 32MB 3.5IN Dual Proc Hard Drive OEM
    2 x $98.88 ($197.76)
  • Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Edition 64BIT Dvd Oem
    $145.87
  • LG GH24LS50 24X Super Multi SATA DVD Writer OEM Black
    $28.05
  • XFX GeForce GT 240 550MHZ 512MB 3.4GHZ GDDR5 HDMI DVI VGA PCI-E Video Card
    $94.52
  • ASUS P6T X58 ATX LGA1366 DDR3 3PCI-E16 PCI-E1 2PCI CrossFire SLI SATA2 GBLAN Motherboard
    $245.43
  • OCZ XTC Platinum OCZ3P1333LV6GK DDR3-1333 6GB 3X2GB CL7-7-7-20 Triple Channel Memory Kit
    2 x $173.60 ($347.20)

Sub Total $1,660.70 CAD
 
Looks good, I personally would have gone with different ram but OCZ still has decent ram. Let us know how it works.
 
I see no reason for you to get the P6t Dlx v2 over the vanilla P6T, so good choice on the board. Post pics! Good luck with the system.
 
Is there a particular reason why you went with 7 Pro? Nothing you've said in any of the build threads you've mentioned so shows that 7 Pro was needed.
 
Danny Bui said:
Is there a particular reason why you went with 7 Pro? Nothing you've said in any of the build threads you've mentioned so shows that 7 Pro was needed.
Click to expand...

Maximum physical memory of Home edition is 16GB. While that will most probably be sufficient long term, one never knows what the future holds. Pro will allow up to 192GB.

Keep in mind, I'm starting off with 12GB. If I ever decide to upgrade, it will likely be straight to 24GB, which Home wouldn't have allowed.
 
Shadowssong said:
And why exactly would you need 24gb? lol
Click to expand...

thats been said about every major memory maximum in history.. But we always end up needing more.. At the going rate by 2025 we will need 1tb ram to boot into windows
 
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