New PC Build for Photoshop Purposes on a Budget

[mfenn]

No prob.

 

[IceBoy109]

I knew this could happen, but it looks like the price of the 2500k went up at MicroCenter. Just looking for a little reassurance that it's still the best deal in terms of cost/noticeable performance. Thanks guys.

 

[lehtv]

It is. 2600 is still only 10% faster. It's not 80% more expensive anymore, instead it's "only" 50% more expensive. Add the fact that you can easily OC the 2500K beyond the performance of a stock 2600 and again, there's no contest as to which is money better spend.

 

[IceBoy109]

Thanks lehtv. One final question as I am adding all the items up in my cart right now. I was going to go for the M4 SSD but this particular model seems to have the most negative reviews about hangs/freezes especially with Sandy Bridge. I was thinking maybe I should consider the Samsung 470, the Plextor PX-M2, or the Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3K5. Who knows though, it's tough to really trust reviews with so many variables in place.

 

[IceBoy109]

Oh...and looks like if I go with the M4 I'm going to get it through Amazon since they have a better return policy and I won't have to pay tax either.

 

[lehtv]

The M4 is fine, it's had some firmware updates since those negative reviews which address compatibility issues e.g. http://forum.crucial.com/t5/Solid-S...re-0009-Update-and-Feedback-Thread/td-p/61109

 

[mfenn]

The M4 is fine, it's had some firmware updates since those negative reviews which address compatibility issues e.g. http://forum.crucial.com/t5/Solid-S...re-0009-Update-and-Feedback-Thread/td-p/61109

Agree.

OP, the Samsung 470 and Intel 320 aren't bad, but they are slower than the M4.

 

[IceBoy109]

All the parts came in and I went with the M4. Now, the downside is that on a Windows Install I'm getting a BSOD that is driving me nuts. I'll probably open a new thread and post a link to it here since those of you who helped me pick out the hardware might be especially familiar with it.

http://youtu.be/4JM3Jq3BkrE

I've tried AHCI, IDE and Disabled from the BIOS but no luck. I've tried installing on the F3 drive instead of the M4 (completely unplugged the M4) and still BSOD. I'm using an ISO that is Windows 7 Professional from MSDN program that was "debugged"...maybe that's it?

 

[IceBoy109]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2196589

 

[mfenn]

Well, a "checked build" from MSDN isn't what you would want to use in normal operation because it is slower and will use more memory than optimized, stripped code. However, I don't think that that would cause this issue.

Try booting the system with a bare minimum config (CPU, 1 stick of RAM, IGP, storage) and seeing how far you get. You might also want to try downloading a Linux LiveCD and seeing if you can boot into that.

 

[IceBoy109]

@mfenn - I did a lot of looking into that checked/debugged build and like you said, it really isn't what I wanted. After many hours on the phone this morning with MSDN and Microsoft employees, I was given the chance to download a standard version with a new Key.

Burned the ISO onto a disc, and install went buttery smooth. Thanks for all your help and to everyone else who contributed to a very nice and quick build. I have to wait until tomorrow to install photoshop, but i have a feeling it will run quite nice. Oh, and I've been meaning to post the specs of the computer this build replaces. It shouldn't be able to run photoshop, but it did...barely.

 

[mfenn]

:thumbsup: Glad you got it running! I'm surprised that MSDN doesn't have normal builds available. Maybe they moved those to TechNet only?

 

[jhansman]

I'm still really hesitant about the SSD because I remember hearing about firmware issues and reliability is everything to me

Do what I do-keep PS and its scratch disk on the SSD and your data on a spinner, backed up to an external. No lost sleep.

FWIW, SSDs are more reliable than ever, and becoming more so with each generation.