new build

[imported_xeno]

need advice on a new build for web design/photo and video editing

my current pc is only for gaming
asus p5k-e wifi
4gbz of ram
2x 500gb hdd sata2
evga 8800GT 512mb SCC
antec sonata 3 550watt earthwatts



i am trying to decide if i should just upgrade my current pc or buy an Imac ?
what do u guys think
my budget is 2k$ canadian

 

[mpilchfamily]

Well for 2K you can get a decent iMac which would serve you well. But why upgrade or overpay for a mac when you can build a new PC that can do the job better then the iMac or an upgrade.

 

[imported_xeno]

can u recommend me a build if you dont mind?

 

[imported_xeno]

i buy my parts from www.ncix.com they are local to me

 

[swanysto]

PSU: http://ncix.com/products/index...TX&manufacture=CORSAIR
$130

Motherboard: http://ncix.com/products/index...R&manufacture=Gigabyte
$250

CPU: http://ncix.com/products/index...ure=Intel&promoid=1005
$360

Heatsink: http://ncix.com/products/index...nufacture=THERMALRIGHT
$80 - you only really need this if you are OC'ing

RAM: http://ncix.com/products/index...LK&manufacture=Patriot
$123

Video Card: http://ncix.com/products/index...owerColor&promoid=1005
$110 - from what I remember, you don't need an insane vid card for editing.

DVD/CD Drive: http://ncix.com/products/index...BS&manufacture=Samsung
$35 - unless you need blue ray then - http://ncix.com/products/index...-06&manufacture=Liteon

HDD: http://ncix.com/products/index...ital%20WD&promoid=1005
$126

That leaves you $786 for Case, mouse, keyboard, OS, all of which are personal preference.

and a Monitor(if needed)

 

[Lunyone]

Or use an AMD system and save about $125 or more, just replace CPU/Mobo for the savings.

$315 Unlocked Multiplier for easy OC'ing, if you so desire!!
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor AM3 3.2GHZ 8MB Cache 125W 45NM Retail Box

$184 This mobo has just all that one would need. HDMI/GLan/FireWire/DVI/etc.
ASUS M4A78T-E ATX 790GX Socket AM3 DDR3 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI HDMI Video Sound GBLAN Motherboard

There are obviously other mobo's that you can use that'll cost you less, so get a mobo that meets your requirements. The advantage that the AMD system (Phenom II) will allow you, is that you will have 95-100% of the performance of an Intel i7 system and it'll cost you less. Most AMD PhII systems will cost you about $150-200 difference over a similiar i7 system. IMHO the AMD system with a BADA$$ GPU is where it's at. But for your needs you don't require a higher end GPU, so it'll come down to what you want and what you can afford. Either system will do you well, so buy what you want and at what price you can live with.

 

[heyheybooboo]

The PhII 720BEis only $186cad ... ($170 at The Egg of the Great White North - The Phenom 940BE is $230)

 

[swanysto]

Just an off topic question.....if I gave you a hundred US dollars, how much Canadian would you give me in return?

 

[imported_xeno]

no amd builds :/

 

[mpilchfamily]

You needs can easly be filled with an OEM system. Have a look at what Dell and HP have to offer. As you know the more RAM you have the better. I would suggest looking at the Dell Studio XPS 435. Take one of them and have it upgraded to 6GB of RAM and you'll be good to go. Should keep you inside you budget and give you twice the power of any Mac.

 

[Lunyone]

Are you having problems doing what you want with your current build? Looks like a 3 gHz C2D should be pretty good for what you want to do. You could just upgrade to a q9550 or something like that and maybe increase your memory. Not sure if your considering that either.

 

[imported_xeno]

q9650 3.0ghz quad
xfx 4890 XT 1 gb
1 tb western digital caviar black
850 watt psu

i want to oc the cpu so i am still looking into waht ram to get

 

[Lunyone]

Just about any good set at 800 mHz is going to do. Just try and get some that are at 4-4-4-12 timings at stock voltage (1.8v).
Like this pair below:
G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
or
if your just upgrading your system, just use the memory that you currently have. It should handle quite a bit of an OC for 95% of peoples need.

 

[imported_xeno]

ty ty

 

[Lunyone]

So have you decided what your going to do??

 

[imported_xeno]

gonna go with the q9650 quad 3ghz
corsair xm2 4gb pc6400 800mghz 4-4-4-12
corsair 850watt psu
western digital caviar black 1tb hdd
xfx ati 4890 xt 1gb video card

 

[Trashman]

Only thing thats questionable, why go with the Q9650? when you could go with the I7 920.

 

[Lunyone]

Originally posted by: Trashman
Only thing thats questionable, why go with the Q9650? when you could go with the I7 920.

The issue with going with i7 build over C2Q is:
* Mobo's are $200+ ($250 average), C2Q mobo's are about $100-130
DDR3 is still a bit more (not much though), about $30-50 more than DDR2
& I'm not sure if he has the DDR2 already

So...$130-180 more for the i7 setup. This difference would allow a good GPU upgrade and still have some left over.

 

[Trashman]

I wasn't thinking cost here, but since you brought it up, you forgot to check current cpu prices, the Q9650 is about 70.00 more than the I7 920 processor. So "about" 100.00 more for an I7 build is pretty much a wash in my mind.

 

[imported_xeno]

i did look into a i7 build
and this is what i was gona get :
i7 920
6 gigs of either corsair or patriot ram
850 watt psu
ATI 4890xt 1gb
asus p6t deluxe


the cost of an i7 system is bout 2k

if i stick to the q9650 i can save bout 1k