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Advice on my PC build

N

nstemi

Junior Member
Hi guys,

I'm about to start my first homebuild PC. Currently, I have a Dell w/ Intel Pentium D 2.8 GHz, 2 GB RAM which I used for SD video editing. Now I need a better faster computer for HD video editing.

Please note that I am not a gamer. The PC will be used primarily for day-to-day tasks as well as graphics intensive activities such as video encoding, ripping, 1080p HD video editing, motion graphics.

I live in the U.S., and am looking for a budget between $500-$800 without the monitor.

My planned configuration is as follows:

Intel i5-2500K 3.4 GHz CPU
ASRock P67 Pro3 Motherboard
6 GB DDR3-1600 RAM
2 TB HDD
DVD-RW Drive
nVidia GeForce GTX 460 Video Card (768 MB)
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Case
Ultra 650LSP 650W PSU

I found a good deal for a INTEL Core i5-2500k at my local microcenter for only $179.00 --- but the same store is also running a deal for the AMD Phenom II X4 965 for $150 plus another $50 for **ANY** AMD motherboard. To be honest, I am tempted at saving more money if I can take advantage of this deal.

Most AMD motherboards support DDR2 RAM as well as DDR3, but the Intel P67/H67 chipset for the Socket 1155 only support DDR3 from what I understand -- I have about 8GB DDR2 sticks sitting around at home, so buying the AMD has the additional advantage of being able to recycle my old DDR2-RAM.

From the cost-standpoint, buying the Core i5-2500k + Intel motherboard (1155) + DDR3 RAM will run me about $200 extra compared to getting the AMD phenom II x4 965 + AMD motherboard + DDR2 RAM (which AMD boards are OK with).

Tom's Hardware and a few other sites state that the new Sandybridge i5-2500k absolutely blows the socks out of the AMD quad core processors, but I know with serious overclocking it is aimed towards gamers, and since this is not my primary purpose, should I just save myself the $200 by switching to AMD? Or, is the upgrade worth it, albeit for serious video editing and graphics processing (like w/ Adobe After Effects). In otherwords, does overclocking help even these processes become faster?

So if you guys can do me the following big favors, I would greatly appreciate it.

a). Please comment on my config for my stated purpose

b). Provide me on your opinion about whether I should stay with the Intel system or go to AMD? I don't have a preference one way or the other (although my experience mostly has been w/ Intel CPUs).

Again, I am sorry if this is rather stupid. I am new to PC hardware so I am challenging myself with this project.
 
personally i'd say go with intel for your purposes. excuse my ignorance in regards to the tasks that you're doing, but from what i understand, isn't the integrated graphics on the 2500k suited for that kind of thing? if that's the case then, in going with the intel rig, you won't have to buy a video card (but i think you need an h67 motherboard to use the integrated graphics...in which case you could save some cash and get the 2500 non-k, since the h67 doesn't allow you to overclock the unlocked processors the same way that the p67 does...then again the k is supposed to have a better IGP...bah intel makes everything confusing)...i'm pretty sure most, if not all, of those tasks are more cpu-oriented. but again, idk for sure as i don't do that stuff, but if i'm wrong someone will surely correct me.

i'd recommend a different PSU, i had 2 ultra units that, ultimately, crapped out on me; they were good for awhile, but eventually the fan stopped working on one, while the other just stopped working. these were bought about 4 years ago or so, but that's my experience with ultra PSUs. antec is always a safe bet, basically look for what seems to be a good deal and then check reviews on it (expert/user), but there are a few "safe" brands. basically, with PSUs, you get what you pay for, but in my experience ~$50 or less can get you a good, solid PSU.

also if you really want 2tb hard drive space i'd suggest getting 2x 1tb drives and putting them in raid 0; this would be faster for you, as well as cheaper...but if you really need your data to be secure then it may not be the best option.
 
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I would go with the AMD build. The Intel build will definitely not be worth the extra $200.

Why a Geforce GTX460? You are not a gamer, you say. That is a gaming card. You might have your reasons, but if not, you should definitely consider a smaller card.

Bad PSU choice, imo. Get a quality ~450 watter instead.

EDIT: My post read rather arrogant. That was not my intent 🙂
 
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Both of you, thanks!

I got the GTX 460 only because I got a crazy good deal -- I got that card for $60.

It looks like the consensus is that my PSU is not adequate. Any suggestions for a good PSU around $50?

Thanks again!
 
The Intel chip is much faster, but is it $200 faster? That is up to the OP.

A GTX460 for $60? Go for it.
 
you don't need 1600 RAM

how about this instead?

Code: 
$77  G.SKILL Values Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333
        http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231422
 
Wow, you guys are so fantastic!

Thank you so much.

Actually the price difference between the intel i5-2500k and AMD phenom ii x4 955 is negligible. They cost the same. The advantage, was that my local microcenter was offering "any" AMD motherboard for just $50 extra, whereas I would have to pay the $100-$150 for a decent Socket 1155 motherboard that works with the 2nd generation sandybridge CPU.

Can any of you guys confirm my suspicion that the i5-2500k will NOT work with DDR2 RAM? I can't seem to find internet posts suggesting that it can, and under specs of all the mobos I am looking at, the memory is listed as DDR3 RAM.

Again, thanks so much! -- I will keep checking to see if there are other suggestions.
 
I just got that case. I like it a lot. Very easy to work. The lights are blinding bright though. The PC is in my living room and basically the blue lights from the top of the PC shoot out like beacons 25 feet into the kitchen. You can make shadow puppets in blue light from that far away...seriously.
 
nstemi said:
Wow, you guys are so fantastic!

Thank you so much.

Actually the price difference between the intel i5-2500k and AMD phenom ii x4 955 is negligible. They cost the same. The advantage, was that my local microcenter was offering "any" AMD motherboard for just $50 extra, whereas I would have to pay the $100-$150 for a decent Socket 1155 motherboard that works with the 2nd generation sandybridge CPU.

Can any of you guys confirm my suspicion that the i5-2500k will NOT work with DDR2 RAM? I can't seem to find internet posts suggesting that it can, and under specs of all the mobos I am looking at, the memory is listed as DDR3 RAM.

Again, thanks so much! -- I will keep checking to see if there are other suggestions.
Click to expand...

http://www.intel.com/consumer/products/processors/specifications.htm?proc=52210

Memory Types DDR3-1066/1333
Click to expand...
 
I'd definitely go with the nvidia 460.
Not using it for gaming does not exclude the possibility of other compute intensive tasks. Getting it just for the CUDA horsepower is still a very viable option.


As for the platform I have 3 suggestions for you, depending on your budget limitations.
1. You could go the AMD way to save money.
2. If you need the horsepower go the Intel way.
3. Go with the cheaper AMD setup, and with the cash saved, buy an additional SDD for a boot drive(it's gonna make you feel like your system is flying).


There are a couple of other things you need to consider - is there software available to make use of all hardware you buy - things like efficient multiprocessor encoders and programs that can offload work to the GPU are even better.

Second - knowing the workload you are gonna be putting on the system and the available software, just how fast do you need the system to be.

So put your priorities in order and you'll have a clear picture on what to get.
 
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