Hi, this is the plan for my new build. I intend to use it for several years for digital design -- Photoshop CS4. I've done massive research, now before I drop the $1500 for it, I want to make sure I've got all the Ts crossed and Is dotted. If you notice any issues, please let me know! If you have any advice, that's fully welcome too MOTHERBOARD - EVGA nForce 790i SLI Cheesecake TigerDirect - $189 GPU - evga GTX 295 Co Op TigerDirect - $499 CPU - Core 2 Quad 9400 TigerDirect - $189 CPU COOLER - ZEROtherm CF900 TigerDirect - $39 PSU - OCZ 850w GameXStream TigerDirect - $129 CASE - Thermaltake Spedo Full TigerDirect - $219 RAM - OCZ Gold Tri Channel 6GB PCI16000 DDR3 TigerDirect - $139 HDD - WD 1TB 32MB SATA-300 OEM TigerDirect - $89 OS - Windows XP Pro 32bit
The whole list is completely OUTdated. And absurd-money wise. Sorry. I would make something compleltely different.
Good grief, where to start with what's wrong with this build recommendation. You;re building a 775 based system when the socket is well and truly end of life. i5 and i7 both offer better options, either in the 750 (i5) or 920 (i7). The GTX 295 will be out of date in a few weeks with the launch of ATI's HD 58xx series of cards, with Nvidia's GT300 series to drop towards the end of the year. Operating system - XP? XP!!!!?!?! Windows 7 drops in just 6 short weeks, and can be pre-ordered for £65/$100! Get that instead. And as for the Spedo....urghh. It has the build quality of a happy meal toy and you'll be binning it in 12 months time when all the plastic tat has broken on it. Grab a Coolermaster 932/922 instead, or check out the Lian Li range. If you're new to the site, have a good nose through the hardware section and look out for our monthly buyers guide feature, where we offer up our recommended builds if it was our money we were spending.
Ok thank you! I will read some of those guides. My method for designing this was to start by finding the most popular gear, widdle it down by brand, and then by price... Do you think I can fix this build with a limit of $1500?
+1...not to mention you would save 80-100 (not including shipping) by going with newegg. check them out here. but yeah, the new i5 750 is out, pair that with a mid-range p55 mobo, and you definitely futureprrof better, not to mention it's just a better cpu. wait for the new dx11 cards, even if for no other reason than to see if current dx10 goes down in price any. and yes, thermaltake is crap. stick to cm, lian-li (higher-end anyway), antec... yup...
Great articles! And I love that case. After reading the response on a few other forums, I feel like switching to i5 and that Cooler Master 932. Is there a motherboard you recommend? I prefer EVGA mobo (sli) and GPU, is that not gonna happen within $1500?
My only real deal with the mobo is that I trust EVGA, and if the GPU and mobo are EVGA, then everything is ready is overclock-compatible. But really, if you know more about motherboards, I mostly want something that has a trusty reputation, that will fit another card sometime down the line. I couldn't find windows 7 pre-order anywhere for $100...
Overclock compatible? Doesn't X48 OC better than 790i? +1 going with i7, and I wouldn't go for an Evga mobo. From what I've seen they're massively overpriced. Go for Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, etc.
the p55 is sli or crossfire compatible. evga can get expensive like docodine mentioned...personally, i'm looking at this or maybe this. i like the onboard power and reset...
Do I need a full tower? What is the purpose of a full tower? I'm beginning to think they're for people who want lots of drives, which I don't. I figured I need one to fit the huge GPUs nowadays. Will smaller towers fit ATX mobos with GTX series GPUs? I'm thinking of replacing the gtx295 with gtx250+gtx260, if that helps. Airflow and enough space for my cards is what I'm worried about.
as long as your case is ATX spec it'll take an ATX motherboard fine. Full towers have more room, i got mine because it's easier to work in, some people get them because they have loads of drives, some people get them because they want something that can take a big watercooling setup. if you want good airflow then the antec 902(900-2) or 1200 are the ones to get, i've got a 1200 and think it's well worthy.
For cool, quiet and reasonably priced look at the Antec P183. No bling side windows but the cooling performance is top notch and it is very quiet and well designed.
but the cooling performance is not top notch due to no side vents, which lets be honest most current graphics cards need, hell most need a fan blowing air in, then directly over them. it's got good cooling for a case without side vent & fan but not top notch. it does have good noise suppression from what i've heard tho.
yeah, they have a good balance between cooling and noise level... as stated above if the case is atx spec, you will be fine. in my opinion, this case combines good cooling, low noise, and sweet style inside and out (all black inside). and for $90 plus free shipping, it is an amazing buy...
OK, here's the updated build, and why: I like all those cases, but I really like the 3x huge fans in HAF932, as well as the potential for a big CPU cooler that I will need for overclocking. I can't afford i5 or i7, because I'd have to up the mobo, and RAM as well. But why would I want to? In Photoshop, I'm not gonna notice the difference between q9400 and i7 But I will notice the difference in games, especially in the future, between 2x gtx260s and anything lesser. If I can strike a compromise between powerful long-term graphics, and plenty of CPU for Photoshop, then q series is fine, right? In any case, I can't find any reason to get non-evga mobo. They have the best layouts and reputation that I can find. Remember, I started the build by choosing the most popular parts, then whittling it down by brand, then I cut costs to stay within budget. The set up right now is at $1365 ($200 for Win7. I would get vista 64bit OEM for $100 and free win7, but I heard that with the OEM System Builders version, you aren't allowed to upgrade your computer.). So I have $135 to work with. If I use some of that to get good cooling, then I can overclock the q9400. Is that really so bad? MOBO: EVGA 790i SLI Cheesecake CPU: q9400 GPU: 2x EVGA GTX260 PSU: Ultra 650w LSP650 HDD: WD 1T 32MB RAM: 4x OCZ Titanium 2g DDR3 Dual Channel CASE: Cooler Master HAF 932 Please help me figure out: - How many watts PSU do I need for dual gtx260? Is 650 good? - What CPU cooler do you suggest? If I do it right, I can get another HDD and a CPU cooler with the extra $135. - If the mobo is x48, is that x38-optimized RAM fine? - Is it true that you can't upgrade your computer if you get OEM windows?
why go 775 it's dead, you'd be better off with AM3. the ram will work fine. a 650w psu will power your system but you may find something around 800w will be a bit better, especially if your overclocking. why not get a gtx275/285 or 4870x2. Haf is nice.
do not go 775, its finished and you'll be upgrading again 6 - 12 months down the line id advise this for now, but wait a few weeks for the release of the new ati 5*** series of cards as prices will drop on the current range of cards chassis - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160 mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130226 cpu - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202 memory - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145253 that board will support apparently up to 3way sli or cf, id say given its size that only 2 cards will fit but that should be enough you should easily have enough cash left to buy the 2 cards of your choice - if you wait 2 or 3 weeks until the 5*** series is released. in terms of psu, if your going for 2 gpu's your gonna need 850w+ maybe 1000w to be on the safe side given you've spoke of overclocking in terms of cpu cooler in not really up on the us market, but last months what to buy mentioned the scythe kama angle, you could check that out, it retails close to $35 and install windows 7, dont even consider xp vista 64 at least
there's nothing more...annoying than giving someone advice and they dont even attempt to listen...especially when they are about to make a huge mistake, and no one is telling them to do the 775 rig...not one person... for $1500 you can go i5...and why do you insist on tigerdirect? like i said before, the rig you specced first would cost you $80 less on newegg... a few more things, then the rig... 650 watts would run the rig fine, what you have to concern urself with is the amps, and the pci-e connections... i would say you will definitely notice a difference in any application, including photoshop...try reading a review or two... so, for $1432 ($1392 after $40 in MIR) including shipping to texas (where I live)... coolermaster haf 932 wd caviar black 1TB seasonic m12d 750 watt modular silver certified g-skill ripjaw series pc1600 ddr3 gigabyte ga-p55m-ud4 mobo core i5 - 720 2 x gtx 260's MSI twin frozer and windows 7 home premium full retail...leaving you with $70 for an aftermarket cooler...which is plenty the gtx 260's are debatable. wait for ati 5 series would be the way to go, and even 2x4870 1Gb cards are running mid-140's right now, making them a better buy imho...but thats what you have listed, so that's what i specced... basically, and i dont mind saying this, you'd hafta be a real....opposite of smart person...to opt for that other rig... in addition, if you insist on going tigerdirect, do not get an ultra psu, they are garbage... good luck to ya
What do you think: MOBO: XFX 790i Ultra SLI ATX CPU: Q9550 GPU: 2x EVGA GTX260 PSU: Thermaltake 750w SLI-ready HDD: 2x WD Caviar Green 1T 32MB RAM: (2x 2GB) OCZ Gold DDR3 Dual Channel CPU COOLER: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 CASE: Cooler Master HAF 932 OS: Vista Home 64bit OEM (with free win7 upgrade) TOTAL: $1432 -$60MIR *Free shipping on all parts I'm not worried about upgrade potential because I won't have the money for years. When (if) Photoshop stops flying with OC q9550, then I'll just grab a new mobo, cpu, and ram for like $550-$600. That will be years from now. Check out TONS of independently submitted benchmark scores here. q9550 rocks Photoshop. Esp OC. I took a lot of y'alls advice. I went with newegg, I got better PSU, ditched the evga board. I am just convinced that performance increase from i series in Photoshop doesn't warrant dropping the dual gtx260s. When you see the benchmark, and the difference is 5 or 10 seconds, that is for the amount of work you might spend 30 minutes or more than an hour on, and a lot of the q series are not overclocked. Thank you for everything, honestly
