Need Insight Upgrading Rig

[rhonin002]

Hi All,

I need feedback for upgrading my rig.

Here is my criteria:

• Budget is $700
  Primary use is Photo editing and Future Proofing
  CPU to be 3.0Ghz or greater
  Prefer ASUS Motherboard
  RAM to be 4GB or greater

And here are my selection of components from NewEgg:

• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 - Retail
  
  MOBO: ASUS P5N-T Deluxe LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
  
  RAM: CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF - Retail
  
  GPU: BFG Tech BFGE98512GTXOCE GeForce 9800 GTX 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
  
  HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
  
  PowerSupply: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

I am am gutting my current rig which was built in around 2001-2002.

Any insight is appreciated,
James

 

[Slugbait]

There is no such thing as "future proofing".

You cannot purchase that mobo at Newegg, it has been deactivated. This is a good thing: according to 'egg reviews, the board sucks. The P5N72-T Premium isn't much better, and several mobo manufacturers have canceled plans to use the nForce 7. nVidia has publicly denied rumors that they will exit the chipset market...where there's smoke...

If primary use is photo editing, I assume Photoshop...so you should get a proc that has a couple more cores.

 

[DSF]

I was under the impression that Photoshop in general only used two cores. The true multi-core support was only for certain filters. However, I don't use the program so that information may not be accurate anymore.

You're overspending on the motherboard, RAM and video card. If you intend to play video games, keep the video card. Otherwise, spend half that much and you'll still be fine.

Don't bother with an SLI motherboard. Get a nice P45 board like the EP45-UD3R and you'll save money without losing any performance. You'll probably also gain some stability.

You don't need DDR2-1066 unless you're planning to overclock your chip past 3.8GHz. Even if that's your aim, I'd get DDR2-1000 which is essentially the same stuff but is generally a few bucks cheaper.

 

[zerocool84]

Step down to the E8400
It's $20 cheaper and you won't notice the difference between the two.

If you want Quad, you can get the Q8200

Also get the Corsair 650TX
It's 69.99AR compared to the 750TX at 99.99AR and has a lower initial cost. The 650 can still take everything and spit it back out and it's Seasonic made.

Try this Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L
It's a great mobo and cheap too.

Here's some good quality ram G.SKILL 4GB

We don't know if you're going to overclock. That would be good to know.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Future proofing is not getting it and asking for future proofing.

 

[rhonin002]

Ok. I'm scrapping the future proofing. I'd like to optimize the new rig for photoshop editing (and maybe W.O.W./gaming)on a budget ($700ish). I switched up to a quad core. I do not plan on overclocking my rig.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9550 - Retail

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

GPU: BFG Tech BFGE98512GTXOCE GeForce 9800 GTX 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Thanks for the insight!

 

[krnmastersgt]

If you're serious about the gaming bit, I don't feel the GTX is really justified with the price of the GTX260s or the lower prices of the 9800GT. I'd go for a P35 chipset board instead and save a few bucks, and maybe put it towards getting http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150330 instead, quite an upgrade from the 9800GTX you were looking at imo, for ~$100 more and you could do some serious gaming on it.

However if this is still mainly and primarily a PS rig then http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814121274 would be cheaper than a GTX, just as good for games of WoW's caliber, quiet, cool, and pretty low power draws.
Just my $.02

 

[betasub]

Second build list is looking much better.

P45 mobo is a good choice, only reason to go P35 is to jump on a hot deal.

Agree with krnmastersgt that better value can be had by moving up or down a step with the graphics card: GTX260 if you go big on games, or have a high-res LCD panel, and 9800GT if you want performance on a tight budget.