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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Time for a new computer -- Critique my setup!
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Showing posts 1 - 11 of 11, (reverse)
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 11/18/2010 05:51:06 PM · #1
Starting to get more frequent hangups and system slowdowns when editing, particularly when using Topaz and HDR plug-ins. System stalls, sliders don't work ... seems the computer I built in 2007 (Pentium D Dual Core/Intel G965 MOBO) just isn't cutting it anymore. So time for an upgrade.

Here's the setup I came up with -- about $1500 in parts from newegg, maybe I can get it a little less when the Black Friday sale comes around. I'm not an IT guy, but I know just enough to be dangerous (to myself, mostly). I know there are a lot more knowledgeable people around here, so if you have time to critique the setup I would appreciate it. Other than photo sorting and editing (Lightroom mostly, still using PS Elements 5.0 for layers, but expect I'll pick up CS4 one of these days), I just use the box for general work and home stuff -- word processing, spreadsheets, internet, music etc. Not much gaming going on, but maybe some video streaming here and there.

Here's the setup. Thanks in advance for your time.

CPU: Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor, together with a ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 PWM 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler Seemed like a good price/value ratio on the CPU ... not the strongest, but seems more than adequate for my needs. Don't know if I really need the aftermarket cooler, but everyone on newegg seems to pan the Intel stock cooler. (Though I used the stock one on my Pentium D and never had a problem, probably since I don't know enough to overclock)

MOBO: ASUS Rampage III Formula LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Looked at a few cheaper ASUS MOBOs, but this one seemed to get better overall reviews from people who (at least sound like they) know more than me.

Video Card: ASUS ENGT240/DI/1GD3/A GeForce GT 240 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card. Picking a vid card was tough. Since I don't plan on doing much (any) gaming, I think I can get away with a pretty basic one like this.

Boot Drive: OCZ Agility 2 OCZSSD2-2AGTE120G 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD). Going for SSD for speed, and probably need 120GB since Win7 will eat up 20-30GB. Have some concerns on reliability, but OCZ seems to be the second best (after Intel, which are much bigger $/GB). Data will be stored on two internal HDs (1.5TB total) taken out of my current machine (plus maybe a third one I'll add), with backups on a couple external 1TB boxes. Not planning on using RAID ... just regular backups to the externals via SuperFlexible.

Power: Thermaltake Toughpower XT TPX-775M 775W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply GeForce GTX 470 Certified 775 Watts seems like enough for anything I might add down the road.

And A Box to Put It In: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case Tom's Hardware likes it, so I guess I will too.

Other Stuff:

Mushkin Silverline DRAM, 12 GB (3 x 4GB) -- can't seem to find a good 16 GB solution for Triple Channel, so just going 12 with potential to upgrade to 24 later

WIN 7 Home ed -- yeah, it only supports 16GB, but can't really see needing 24GB and going with the Pro version

AFT XM5U All-in-one USB 2.0 Card Reader Seems decent and cheap.

DVD/CD RW scavenged from an old box

Anything I'm missing? Anything I should change?

Message edited by author 2010-11-18 17:56:32.
 11/18/2010 06:12:25 PM · #2
Well, that will certainly kick some ass! Some random thoughts:

- I'd certainly go with the i7 quad core solution too, however I might consider going slower on the clock speed... the difference in application performance will not be noticeable, and the difference in price will be noticeable.

- Video card, hmmm... if, like me, you will do little or no gaming, you're correct, no need for a big-buck card. Do, however consider this. Mainstream cards are optimized for gaming performance, not image quality, no matter the price. Also, if you look at the power requirements for that card, it draws about 70W. You can get a workstation card that draws just over half that (40W) and will still give you more than adequate performance while being tailored for higher quality output (10-bit color, for example). It comes with a higher price, but not so much higher that it is problematic, and you will recoup some of that over the lifetime of the card in reduced power consumption. A side benefit is that drivers for workstation cards are normally more stable, being targeted for use in business. The nVidia cards are all Cuda enabled, meaning that Ps will take advantage of the GPU to speed up operations.

- Memory: if I were building a system today, I would not worry about 12 vs. 16GB of RAM. I have tried to overload my current system (Win7 64-bit, 8GB of RAM)and it is really hard to do, even with multiple large images open in Ps, along with Lr, MS Outlook, and Firefox.

ETA:

- Seriously, do your research on your card reader. Get one that is rated as a fast reader or you may be sorry later when you don't get the speed of transfer you expect from fast UDMA cards. Go here for CF readers, there are other pages for SD readers, etc.

Message edited by author 2010-11-18 18:16:11.
 11/18/2010 07:13:32 PM · #3
Thanks for the quick critique. That Nvidia card looks sweet, but pricey. Wonder if I could get away with the 380 (256MB) sted the one you recommended (512). Either way, those definitely look better suited for my needs and one (or something similar) will go in my box. Thanks.

Funny thing with that CPU is that at $294 actually cheaper than some of the i7s with slower clock speeds ... Gotta jump down to an i5 for a meaningful price break.

I'll take another look at card readers. Thanks for that, too.
 11/18/2010 09:31:58 PM · #4
Originally posted by EstimatedEyes:
Thanks for the quick critique. That Nvidia card looks sweet, but pricey. Wonder if I could get away with the 380 (256MB) sted the one you recommended (512).


I would go with the 580... it's a big step up from the 380, and Ps will benefit from the extra power. I know that on my older (570) card with 256MB of memory, I can't run all-out GPU acceleration (I run with Advanced Drawing unchecked), it just doesn't have quite enough memory.
Also note that there are at least two hardware manufacturers for this card (PNY, HP). There have been a few reports of DOA cards from PNY, unfortunately, and their customer support seems to suck. My 570 is a PNY, though, and I have not had a problem (about 2.8 years old).
 11/18/2010 11:54:09 PM · #5
If you're shopping around for parts and you don't already have one of these, I highly recommend a sketch pad (also known as tablets or drawing plates). You can pick up a basic one for for less than $50, and it's amazing the difference it makes for any sort of freehand selection or painting tasks in photoshop (or other graphics programs for that matter). If you can, find a friend or store that has a display model that you can use, and give it a go - do something like apply a layer mask in photoshop and I bet you'll be blown away at the difference :)

Regarding the rest of your setup, it looks pretty solid to me. Make sure your SSD supports native TRIM function, and make sure you compare to the Corsair and Intel competitors - some of them are very good. I've worked with the OCZ series before though, and there was nothing to complain about.

Regarding your query about the core i7 stock cooler, it's perfectly adequate in my experience. If you start overclocking you'll run into problems, but for a stock setup I'd actually recommend it over an aftermarket one. The only thing I can fault the stock i7 coolers on is that over time they can collect dust (but then, so can aftermarket ones!), so just make sure you keep it clean.

Oh one last thing - make sure you install the 64 bit version of windows (not the 32 bit version), or you'll be wasting around 8.4GB of RAM!
 11/19/2010 09:19:23 AM · #6
Thanks guys. I looked closer at the 580 v. 380 and you're right, the 580 looks like the right one. I've got a small Wacom tablet already, and will probably upgrade to a bigger one down the road. Thanks for the headsup on native TRIM and advice on the cooler. I'll check the former and may pitch the latter.

Also, I did some more poking around on card readers, and most of the internal readers on Newegg and other sites seem to have pretty similar specs (at least those that are reported). The faster rated readers tend to be external, and I'm looking for an internal solution (can always go external later if that doesn't work out). In case anyone's interested, I found this one recommended on another site, and at only $11 shipped its worth a gamble ... I'm gonna throw it in my box and see how it works.

Also, saw this article on Intel introducing a new 120 GB SSD and lowering prices on its others, so will take another look at those before I pull the trigger.

Message edited by author 2010-11-19 09:25:42.
 11/21/2010 01:11:52 PM · #7
Originally posted by kirbic:


- Video card, hmmm... if, like me, you will do little or no gaming, you're correct, no need for a big-buck card. Do, however consider this. Mainstream cards are optimized for gaming performance, not image quality, no matter the price. Also, if you look at the power requirements for that card, it draws about 70W. You can get a workstation card that draws just over half that (40W) and will still give you more than adequate performance while being tailored for higher quality output (10-bit color, for example). It comes with a higher price, but not so much higher that it is problematic, and you will recoup some of that over the lifetime of the card in reduced power consumption. A side benefit is that drivers for workstation cards are normally more stable, being targeted for use in business. The nVidia cards are all Cuda enabled, meaning that Ps will take advantage of the GPU to speed up operations.


I'm looking to upgrade the onboard Radeon 3200 to something not so sluggish for CS4. What's the deal with the outputs on the 580? I'm currently using vga instead of DVI since I'm using a KVM switch so need vga output or a KVM that can do DVI on one monitor input and vga on the other, if such a thing exists.
 11/21/2010 02:05:29 PM · #8
Regarding the SSD, you can get a 128 GB Kingston SATA III for $185 after $40 rebate (the rebate expires in 2 days).
 11/21/2010 03:15:59 PM · #9
As far as ssd drives go OCZ drives have had too many issues. Personally I would pay the difference and get an Intel drive far more dependable. I run an 80 gig as my boot drive with windows 7 64 bit and have no issues.Even have photoshop and dreamweaver cs5 and pluggins loaded on boot drive for speed. still have pleanty of Space.
 11/30/2010 08:06:30 AM · #10
In case you're still shopping, here's a fast 120GB Corsair drive for $165, but you'd have to get it today.
 11/30/2010 08:15:33 AM · #11
well ... your main parts are for gaming machine, except for the VGA of course, furthermore the processor is not really benefit in terms of
price|performance i5 760 is much better and cheaper solution ... and coresponding MOBO of course, i'll take Gigabyte any time.

put the rest of the money into VGA you will not regret it ... i like the SSD solution with SSD as app|win drive and anything else on pair of
big disks in RAID1+0

that's it from me :-) , everything else is fine by me. except ...

i would (will) wait couple of months for Intel's SandyBridge architecture or AMD's Bulldozer.
then one awesome Gigabyte MOBO with P65 chipset and one Core i5-2500K will find a new home :-)

eta: links
//www.pcpro.co.uk/features/361114/sandy-bridge-full-technical-details
SandyBridge on wiki

Message edited by author 2010-11-30 08:21:52.
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