Suggestion for PC Building - Development,Photo retouch,Video editing

[wbyeats]

Hi guys,

I'm planning to build my new pc. The old one now have 8 years..
I will use this pc mainly for java development, high res photo retouching, hd video editing, music recording. My budget is about 2000/2500 euros without monitor and I will probably buy it in Italy (or Germany). Apart from some peripherals I won't use any part of my old pc.

The configuration I was thinking about is something like that:

• CASE: Corsair Obsidian 800D
• PSU: Corsair Gold AX750
• MOTHERBOARD: I will probably wait for some socket 1155 Z68 mobo with integrated graphics that support VIRTU
• CPU: Intel Core I7-2600K (I will do a little bit of overclock)
• COOLING: Corsair Hydro H70
• MEMORY: 2x4Gb Corsair Vengeance CL8
• GPU: well this I really don't know...
• OS HD: OCZ Ibis 100Gb or RevoDrive x2
• DATA HD: 2x Western Digital Caviar Black 1T in RAID 0 or 2T in Raid 1
• BD WRITER: LGBH10LS30
• BD READER: Probably some plextor BD reader
• CARD READER: Some 5,25 internal card reader
• WIFI: Dual Band Linksys wmp600n
• SOUND CARD: Asus Xonar Essence

What do you think about it? Is it good? At first I was thinking on buying a Socket 1366 with 990X extreme but this is way too expensive for me and I don't think I will have so much benefits.
What GPU card would you suggest me? Consider I don't do gaming except just a few times when I want to just relax a bit. What other suggestions do you have?

Thanks a lot in advance

mario

 

[mfenn]

"Good"? Yes.
Waste of money? Yes.

I'll go down the list:
- Case: The 800D is enormous and expensive and not all that good. Check out the 600T instead.
- PSU: Overkill to the n-th degree. Even with a high-end GPU, you won't need more than 650W. With a more moderate GPU, you'll barely use 550W. My advice to is to get a quality Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, or XFX 500-550W.
- Mobo: Won't know what's good until Z68 comes out
- CPU: OK
- Memory: CAS8 Vengeance (or any Vengeance) is a waste of money. Get some plain Jane DDR3 1333 1.5V from a good company like Crucial, Corsair, Kingston, or G.Skill. You won't notice the 1% performance difference.
- GPU: You didn't mention gaming, so I'm going to figure that you don't plan to. You'll probably want an NVidia card like the GTX 550 Ti or GTX 560 Ti to use CUDA acceleration though.
- SSD: Get a OCZ Vertex 3, Crucial M4, or Intel 510 instead. The Revo/IBIS aren't that much faster, but they cost a heck of a lot more.
- HDD: Would not bother with RAID0 since you have an SSD. With RAID1, make sure that you get the RAID edition of the drives (Samsung F3R or WD RE4) so that they don't unexpectedly drop out of your RAID.
- BD-RW: Fine
- BD-ROM: Do you really need a separate reader?
- The rest is fine, I presume that you're using the sound card for audio input, otherwise it's a waste of money.

 

[aphelion02]

If you like the Obsidian scaling, you should get a 650D like me .

 

[wbyeats]

- Case: The 800D is enormous and expensive and not all that good. Check out the 600T instead.

Yes the 800D is really enormous and quite expensive and I've read it's not that good if you don't use liquid cooling. But it has few very nice feature and I really like it a lot. And most important thing even my wife likes it and that's really really important.
But I've seen Corsair does a 650D that it's pretty similar, with bigger fans and the only drawback is that it doesn't have hotswap. But that is not so important. So probably I would stick for the 650D that is smaller.

- PSU: Overkill to the n-th degree. Even with a high-end GPU, you won't need more than 650W. With a more moderate GPU, you'll barely use 550W. My advice to is to get a quality Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, or XFX 500-550W.

That's a really huge question. I made some simulation and a site suggest me 550W. But I want something that I won't need to change if I do upgrade my system. I like tha Corsair AX series. They're good, efficient (their best is at 50%) and they have all black cables. I know that "appearance" should not be so important but unfortunately it does. With a window case I would love to have all blacks cable instead of coloured ones. And as far as I can see the Corsair AX are the only PSU to have those. If there are some I would probably go for a 600/650w Psu gold. Otherwise I will stick with the ax750.

- Mobo: Won't know what's good until Z68 comes out

Yep, I will wait a bit. I find interesting the virtu technology that looks to improve so much video encoding. The new Asus P8Z68-V PRO looks like a nice mobo anyway.

- Memory: CAS8 Vengeance (or any Vengeance) is a waste of money. Get some plain Jane DDR3 1333 1.5V from a good company like Crucial, Corsair, Kingston, or G.Skill. You won't notice the 1% performance difference.

Maybe you're right. But why would you choose a 1333 DDR3 instead of a 1600? That's the 1% of performance you're talking about? Do you think 8Gb is enough or is it better to go for a 4x4 16Gb? Consider I will work with huge raw images and I open many software at the same time. I'm always eager of memory
I would probably look for some Corsair XMS3 8GB DDR3 Kit or G.Skill Sniper LV 8GB DDR3 even if I don't see so much price difference.

- GPU: You didn't mention gaming, so I'm going to figure that you don't plan to. You'll probably want an NVidia card like the GTX 550 Ti or GTX 560 Ti to use CUDA acceleration though.

Well I won't do gaming. Just a little bit some time for relaxing but my pc would be for almost work only. Isn't the GTX 550 or 560 too much? If I don't do 3d I should probably go for a cheaper, less consuming, more silent card, don't I? I was thinking to some fanless solution for example to reduce noise....
CUDA acceleration is nice, but I think VIRTU is not compatible with CUDA so...

- SSD: Get a OCZ Vertex 3, Crucial M4, or Intel 510 instead. The Revo/IBIS aren't that much faster, but they cost a heck of a lot more.

It's true that probably they're not that faster but probably they're faster enough for my use. It's difficoult to say, but I would spend 200€ more to have the fastest solution possible if it saves me let's say even 5 mins a day. I will check anyway for some comparison between vertex and ibis/revo. Thanks!

- HDD: Would not bother with RAID0 since you have an SSD. With RAID1, make sure that you get the RAID edition of the drives (Samsung F3R or WD RE4) so that they don't unexpectedly drop out of your RAID.

Why do you say I won't need RAID0? I will use not SSD HD for storage and I should have better performance over there or not?
For me it's not clear the raid edition problem. I didn't know I must have a raid edition hd to do raid, I was thinking it's just a mobo problem. The RE4 edition it's not just an enterprise edition? I have a friend using WD green hd in a nas and they're in raid, without any problem. Am I missing something?

- BD-ROM: Do you really need a separate reader?

I always had 2 different DVDs, one for playing and one for writing. But it's really an optional.

- The rest is fine, I presume that you're using the sound card for audio input, otherwise it's a waste of money.

Nope, I would use the asus xonar for sound quality. I have a tascam external sound card for recording but the output is not that good.

Thanks a lot for all your precious suggestion!

mario

 

[wbyeats]

If you like the Obsidian scaling, you should get a 650D like me .

Well I didn't know Corsair also made a 650D!
It looks pretty nice. For me it's very similar with the 800D but smaller, with bigger fans and without hot swap.
As I probably don't really need hot swap (I'm not runing a server that should be up always) I should probably go for the 650D!
Do you know of any other difference between the two?

Thanks a lot!!

mario

 

[fffblackmage]

That's a really huge question. I made some simulation and a site suggest me 550W. But I want something that I won't need to change if I do upgrade my system. I like tha Corsair AX series. They're good, efficient (their best is at 50%) and they have all black cables. I know that "appearance" should not be so important but unfortunately it does. With a window case I would love to have all blacks cable instead of coloured ones. And as far as I can see the Corsair AX are the only PSU to have those. If there are some I would probably go for a 600/650w Psu gold. Otherwise I will stick with the ax750.

Upgrading doesn't necessarily mean you'll need more power. I've upgraded from a C2D + X1950XT to my current Phenom II quad core + 5870 on the same 500W PSU. If I upgraded my cpu and mobo to an i5-2500k + P67 now, I'd be looking at higher performance with lower power consumption.

If you're not going to have a high-end gfx card, then you most definitely don't need anything over 500W.

Maybe you're right. But why would you choose a 1333 DDR3 instead of a 1600? That's the 1% of performance you're talking about? Do you think 8Gb is enough or is it better to go for a 4x4 16Gb? Consider I will work with huge raw images and I open many software at the same time. I'm always eager of memory
I would probably look for some Corsair XMS3 8GB DDR3 Kit or G.Skill Sniper LV 8GB DDR3 even if I don't see so much price difference.

Memory is easy enough to upgrade that you could always do 2x4GB now, and add another 2x4GB set when necessary. It looked like you have a pretty big budget, so you can probably afford the 4x4GB now anyways.

Why do you say I won't need RAID0? I will use not SSD HD for storage and I should have better performance over there or not?
For me it's not clear the raid edition problem. I didn't know I must have a raid edition hd to do raid, I was thinking it's just a mobo problem. The RE4 edition it's not just an enterprise edition? I have a friend using WD green hd in a nas and they're in raid, without any problem. Am I missing something?

RAID0 for data storage isn't a good idea because of the high risk of failure.

Normal HDDs are fine in software RAID. If you're using a hardware controller for RAID, then you'll want RAID edition HDDs. I think.

I always had 2 different DVDs, one for playing and one for writing. But it's really an optional.

Whatever you want, but I rarely use my DVD burner for anything. And Blu-ray drives aren't that cheap....

Nope, I would use the asus xonar for sound quality. I have a tascam external sound card for recording but the output is not that good.

If outputting just digital sound, it's a waste of money. The mobo can do the exact same thing.

 

[wbyeats]

If you're not going to have a high-end gfx card, then you most definitely don't need anything over 500W.

No, I probably will not have an high-end gpu so I should look for a good gold psu with all black cables. I'm going to look for one, if anybody of you know any please let me know.

Memory is easy enough to upgrade that you could always do 2x4GB now, and add another 2x4GB set when necessary. It looked like you have a pretty big budget, so you can probably afford the 4x4GB now anyways.

You're right. I can buy just a 2x4Gb kit now and see in the future.

RAID0 for data storage isn't a good idea because of the high risk of failure.
Normal HDDs are fine in software RAID. If you're using a hardware controller for RAID, then you'll want RAID edition HDDs. I think.

This is why I would go for a 1+0 raid. But probably it's not necessary. I can get just a raid 1 to mirror drive and have an alternative in case of hw failure. I didn't know of RAID HDDs edition. I will check.

Whatever you want, but I rarely use my DVD burner for anything. And Blu-ray drives aren't that cheap....

The second drive is optional. And I can always get a dvd player in the old pc.

If outputting just digital sound, it's a waste of money. The mobo can do the exact same thing.

I don't want to use digital sound. My amp doesn't have digital in so I want very good analog output. That's why I was looking for the asus

Thanks a lot!

mario

 

[mfenn]

Normal HDDs are fine in software RAID. If you're using a hardware controller for RAID, then you'll want RAID edition HDDs. I think.

Partially. Basically, the difference is that "RAID edition" HDD implement time-limited error recovery (TLER) whereas normal HDDs do not. What this means is that a normal HDD may take a relatively long amount of time to try to recover a bad sector. Normally, this is fine, but a RAID controller (or some implementations of software RAID) will see that the drive is not responding and mark it as failed. This is really really annoying because you have to readd the failed drive and do a rebuild of the array.

 

[mfenn]

No, I probably will not have an high-end gpu so I should look for a good gold psu with all black cables. I'm going to look for one, if anybody of you know any please let me know.

I'm sorry, but this is the silliest reason that I've ever heard to buy a certain PSU. There are plenty of PSUs will fully sleeved cables and the 2% or 4% efficiency gains over a silver or bronze rated PSU are not worth paying double. Simply put, the marginally reduced OPEX will not balance out the significantly increased CAPEX.

As for the rating, PSUs have a fairly flat efficiency curve between 40% and 80%, so sizing your PSU for twice your max load is not a great idea. Your system is sitting idle most of the time (~60W for a Sandy Bridge system with a moderate GPU) which is way off the deep end of an 850W PSU's efficiency curve.

 

[wbyeats]

I'm sorry, but this is the silliest reason that I've ever heard to buy a certain PSU...

Well this is not the main reason but for me this is also important.
Anyway I'm looking for a less powerfull psu (550w).
Maybe the seasonic x560?
http://www.seasonicusa.com/NEW_X-series_560.htm

Thanks a lot

mario

 

[mfenn]

Well this is not the main reason but for me this is also important.
Anyway I'm looking for a less powerfull psu (550w).
Maybe the seasonic x560?
http://www.seasonicusa.com/NEW_X-series_560.htm

Thanks a lot

mario

Like I said before, 80+ Gold certification is not worth it. Look at one of the Seasonic-built Bronze certified PSUs instead like the S12II or XFX Core.

 

[wbyeats]

Like I said before, 80+ Gold certification is not worth it. Look at one of the Seasonic-built Bronze certified PSUs instead like the S12II or XFX Core.

Ok I will look for one of those.
By the way you didn't answer me to the gpu question:

Well I won't do gaming. Just a little bit some time for relaxing but my pc would be for almost work only. Isn't the GTX 550 or 560 too much? If I don't do 3d I should probably go for a cheaper, less consuming, more silent card, don't I? I was thinking to some fanless solution for example to reduce noise.... CUDA acceleration is nice, but I think VIRTU (used with some z68 mobo) is not compatible with CUDA so...
Another possible solution is to buy a mobo with integrated graphics and use it until I find that I need something more, then I can buy a discrete gpu. What do you think?

Thanks

 

[morbidman]

2600k comes with integrated video. As for the CUDA stuff, I'm not familiar with it. Even so, I would guess mfenn has a reason to suggest it. He helped me a ton with my last build.

 

[mfenn]

Well I won't do gaming. Just a little bit some time for relaxing but my pc would be for almost work only. Isn't the GTX 550 or 560 too much? If I don't do 3d I should probably go for a cheaper, less consuming, more silent card, don't I? I was thinking to some fanless solution for example to reduce noise.... CUDA acceleration is nice, but I think VIRTU (used with some z68 mobo) is not compatible with CUDA so...
Another possible solution is to buy a mobo with integrated graphics and use it until I find that I need something more, then I can buy a discrete gpu. What do you think?

You can certainly do without a GPU initially and add one later if you find that your applications will get a significant benefit from CUDA. By the way, Virtu in d-mode should work fine with CUDA.

 

[wbyeats]

You can certainly do without a GPU initially and add one later if you find that your applications will get a significant benefit from CUDA. By the way, Virtu in d-mode should work fine with CUDA.

Ok, thanks a lot for all your suggestion!!
I will make up my mind and then I will proceed with the order.
Thanks!!

 

[mfenn]

Ok, thanks a lot for all your suggestion!!
I will make up my mind and then I will proceed with the order.
Thanks!!

No problem.