New $2000 System! Need advice please

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J

jo2blog

Junior Member
Dec 9, 2009
8
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Hi all,

I need some of your advice and expertise on a new system that I will build for the first time. I don't upgrade often so this new system will probably last for a while. My last one is about 8 years old!

1. I will used my system for gaming, heavy image and video editing, and lots and lots of multitasking.

2. My budget is ~$2000 CAN (been saving for while:)

3. I will buy in Canada, probably from ncxi or newegg

4. I like ASUS motherboards and was an Nvidia fan until recently as ATI has produced some great cards.

5. Will probably turn my old P4 system into a file server. The only reuse will be my Dell 24" and Samsung 22" displays, keayboard and mouse.

6. I've been reading about new systems builds here, USB 3 and SATA 3, the new ASUS P6X58D board. I definitely want USB 3 and SATA 3 since I probably won't upgrade the motherboard again to take advantage of the new standards. I want LGA 1366 as ASUS recently confirmed support for Gulftown. I may upgrade the CPU once the prices drop.

7. I will definitely overclock!

8. I will game on 1920x1200.

9. I would like to build before xmas if possible!


So here's my system that I would like to purchase. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm not so knowledgeable in the RAM, CPU cooler and unsure about the best video card for my build.

ASUS P6X58D Premium X58
Intel Core i7 920 D0
Noctua NH-U12P SE2
Coolermaster Storm Sniper Black Edition
Corsair Professional HX750W 750W
Intel X25-M 80GB (programs)
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA2 (data)
Corsair XMS3 Dominator 6GB DDR3
XFX Radeon HD 4890 1GB 850MHZ

I was looking up the Megahalems but they don't seem to be available.

Can I get cheaper or better RAM?

What do you guys think about the SSD?

Any advice or criticism would be greatly appreciated guys! Thanx!!!
 
CTA4LC4PON3

CTA4LC4PON3

Member
Jul 21, 2009
140
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i think SSD is worthless and a waste of money just my opinion and also a 5850 or a 5870 oike AY said. 4890's are wack and DX10 will be fazed out soon enough
 
A

Ayah

Platinum Member
Jan 1, 2006
2,512
1
81
I have to disagree with CTA about the SSD.
With such a large budget, you definitely have room for an SSD.
0.1ms access times can't even be approached by mechanical hard drives, not to mention the insane random write capabilities of the Intel controller.
 
J

jo2blog

Junior Member
Dec 9, 2009
8
0
0
Thanx Ayah! I was considering the 5850. It just seemed very expensive ~$400 as the prices always seems to drop. Is there much of a difference between the two?

And I think I will get a SSD if there's room in my budget. I've read that the Intel X25-M is a good one. Would you consider any others cheaper options such as the Kingston SSDNow V Series or G.SKILL?
 
A

Ayah

Platinum Member
Jan 1, 2006
2,512
1
81
A 5850 in Canada is actually 300$. (330$ for an XFX, but you get a double lifetime warranty.)

Heatsink-wise, I grabbed a Thermalright U-120E because I got to choose the fan. (Much like the beloved XP-90)
 
G

Griswold

Senior member
Dec 24, 2004
630
0
0
jo2blog said:
And I think I will get a SSD if there's room in my budget. I've read that the Intel X25-M is a good one.
Click to expand...

Make room for it! :) And stick with an intel G2. Maybe even a 160GB one. Could throw some games on it (games generally dont benefit too much from an SSD but there are exceptions) and/or make a scratch partition for your image edititing...

But most of all, dont listen to the nay-sayers. They usually never touched a machine with a SSD. Everyone who did, doesnt want to go back to a HDD-only machine. It is really that great.
 
C

CurseTheSky

Diamond Member
Oct 21, 2006
5,401
2
0
jo2blog said:
I also like Zalman, 4LC4PON3. I think I'll switch to the Zalman CNPS9900. Thanx!
Click to expand...

Everyone I've talked to has said that the Zalman 9500, 9700, and 9900 are a waste of money. They cost $60+ and cool on par with a $30 cooler, like the HDT-S1283 or even a Freezer 7 Pro.

Go with a TRUE Rev. C, definitely keep the SSD, and see if you can afford an HD 5850 instead.

Extremely expensive, but worth it: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=46300&vpn=U120E-1366-RT%20Rev.C&manufacture=Thermalright
 
ChaiBabbaChai

ChaiBabbaChai

Golden Member
Dec 16, 2005
1,090
0
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jo2blog said:
I also like Zalman, 4LC4PON3. I think I'll switch to the Zalman CNPS9900. Thanx!
Click to expand...

Bad idea. Very bad. It doesn't get much better than a Noctua U12 except for the Noctua D14, Thermalright IFX-14, U120 or Prolimatech Megahalems.
 
J

jo2blog

Junior Member
Dec 9, 2009
8
0
0
Although I need a new system very soon, does it make sense spending $2000 on a system now? i.e half implementation of USB 3 and SATA 3, Gulftown in Q1 2010...
 
KeithP

KeithP

Diamond Member
Jun 15, 2000
5,661
199
106
Can you further define "...heavy image and video editing, and lots and lots of multitasking"?

How big are you files/projects usually? It seems to me you don't have enough storage. Most of the image/video editing apps I have seen use "scratch disks" which, for best performance, should be on a separate drive from your page file or other scratch disks. Also, do you have a back up system covered?

I think I would dump the SSD and get at least 3 fast HDs. I would also go with 12GB of RAM.

Personally, I think you would be far better off in the long run to spend less money up front and upgrade more frequently rather than trying to build a monster system that will last a long time.

-KeithP
 
J

jo2blog

Junior Member
Dec 9, 2009
8
0
0
Yes, I guess everything is relative, Keith!

Professionally, I work with Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator, video conversion tools...and having them open at the same time on my current setup grinds it to a halt or crashes a program after 30-60 min of work, depending on the files I get. Some client Photoshop files have been over 300 MB (imagine opening several of these). I also batch encode multiple video files to various formats for my projects (some of these file are over 1GB). So common scenario, I design in Flash and Photoshop/Illustrator, develop in an external code editor, test in multiple browsers...along with dealing with content in Word documents embedded with all sorts of weird objects from clients.

I know it may not seem like much to some but my current work flow is painful to deal with.

I have no backup system and I do have a separate hard drive for my scratch disk and page file.

I was hoping build a new system to work and game on, and turn my old one into a file server with some sort of raid with redundancy or backup. Does that make sense?

Thanx!
 
J

jo2blog

Junior Member
Dec 9, 2009
8
0
0
Just found out that the local suppliers can't get any 5850 or 5870. Over 300 on backorder and no ETA. What video card should I get now?

And, I'm be getting the Thermalright U120.
 
M

M0RPH

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2003
3,302
1
0
KeithP said:
Personally, I think you would be far better off in the long run to spend less money up front and upgrade more frequently rather than trying to build a monster system that will last a long time.
Click to expand...

This. More people around here should follow this advice.
 
J

jo2blog

Junior Member
Dec 9, 2009
8
0
0
I'm not against upgrading often. If I had the time and effort to keep current with what's hot or not, what's better or not, I'm sure this would be an easier decision for me because I do love computers. It would be easier to decide what to upgrade when.

Unfortunately, I don't have that time other than reading a few articles from Anand's, Tom's or others sites now and then. And that is why I came here to ask all of you, your expertise.

You can tell me if I'm wrong, but it seems that if you want to ensure you have the option to upgrade for the next few years, you need to invest in the 1366 platform. And I thought if I was buying a motherboard now, which I wouldn't upgrade again for while, I'd at least have USB 3 and SATA 3 support. Everything else just kinda fell into place. Obviously, i don't need the SSD or the high performance RAM or the HX series power supply. I was considering the build above because I know I wouldn't want to upgrade again other than the video card, more ram, or additional storage...and cpu.

There is a lot to like about the 1156 platform but I don't want to buy another motherboard in a couple of years because I want to upgrade my cpu.

If you have a better solution considering my issues, please share. Thanx!
 
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