$1200 editing system i7-930

bigjoe5412

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May 16, 2009
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18,510
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: asap, 2 weeks max

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: editing and rendering footy, basic computer use, NO gaming.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitors, speakers, OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe (huge noob here need to research)

MONITOR RESOLUTION: (2) 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: first build ever, kind of nervous about it. all advice appreciated. don't need a lot of hard drive space, will be keeping all original video files external.

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Intel Core i7-930
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423

G.SKILL PI Series 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T2-12GBPI - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231331

POWERCOLOR AX5450 512MK3-SH Radeon HD 5450 (Cedar) 512MB 64-bit DDR3 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131339
not sure about this at all probably wrong here, advice?

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
does this matter that its a "bare drive"

LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276
just kind of picked this... thoughts?

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Subtotal: $1,152.88
 

banthracis

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Switch the HD to a 7200.12 or spinpoint F3 500GB for $54.99.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395&Tpk=7200.12%20500
bare drive is fine.

Optical is fine, anything these days works about the same.

GPU wise, unless you need the DX 11 features you're better off with a 4650.
$42.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161303&cm_re=4650-_-14-161-303-_-Product

However, be aware the CUDA, if you want it, is limited to Nvidia cards.

Rest looks fine.

One thing you may consider though.

Switching the build to a i7-860 and going with 8gb of RAM will be about the same price, if not a tiny bit cheaper, with equal performance.

The PCIE bandwidth loss isn't really an issue since you aren't gaming.
 

bigjoe5412

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May 16, 2009
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18,510
OK thanks a lot for the tips. I changed the HD, and the GPU. can you explain what you were talking about here... "However, be aware the CUDA, if you want it, is limited to Nvidia cards"

updated list:

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Intel Core i7-930
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115225

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128423

G.SKILL PI Series 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T2-12GBPI - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231331

HIS H465FS512H Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161303

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139004

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395

LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827106276

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Subtotal: $1,132.92
 

testdasi

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Jan 28, 2010
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Make sure your RAM is compatible with the motherboard. It's very important when you run into 12GB. I have seen an i7 system with 12GB but the system only recognised 8GB and after some googling, it seems to be not that uncommon. Not sure about Gigabyte but Asus has a RAM compatbility list which tells you to the extent whether it will work with all 6 DIMMS slots filled. It's best to (1) get the RAM which the MB producer says will work in 12GB and/or (2) make sure somebody has the same combination working.

For GPU, go for a DDR3/GDDR3 at least regardless of whether you are going to play games or not. And DX11 is a plus, just to make sure it's relatively more "future-proof". It's not that much more expensive. Like my current Asus EAH5670 (ATI HD 5670 chip) with 1GB GDDR5 is only about $90 if I remember correctly. If you go for 512MB, it will be cheaper. A vid-editing machine is usually too fast to just use for video editing, IMO. :D A bit of light gaming here and there won't harm.

Google "Seagate Barracuda problems" or just read a thread right here: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/249821-14-caviar-black-barracuda-7200
 

bigjoe5412

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May 16, 2009
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Alright i think I'm all set here. If anyone thinks i should change anything let me know.

^ I read on a review that this mobo and ram is compatible so I'm all set there. I also changed out the gpu like you thought i should.

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Intel Core i7-930
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423

G.SKILL PI Series 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T2-12GBPI - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231331

HIS H567Q512 Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) IceQ 512MB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161319

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066
 
@ OP:

Drop the X58-UD3R . I'v used them (including the X58A and X58-UD3R) and they are OK (both have massive vdroop even with LLC, but that's not really important to OP), however, if you want something really stable I recommend a P6T-SE (I'm currently using a P6T Deluxe v2 with my i7 rig; see my sig for more info).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131386&Tpk=P6T%20SE

Get 2x sets of this RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365
And you can save ~$100.
Or 2x: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225
and save $30.

Since you probably won't do a crazy OC, you don't really need the PI Blacks.

Don't worry too much about RAM. Most of the RAM compatibility issues are related to motherboard (another reason I don't recommend the X58x-UD3R). Beware, that when running any set of 6x2GB DIMMs you will probably need to increase RAM voltage a bit.

If you can, grab a HAF922: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&cm_re=HAF922-_-11-119-197-_-Product

I find that the Antec 300 becomes quite crowded when you add HDDs down the road. It's more than likely you'll add more (I'd say, 3-4 with out OS HDD) HDDs to a vid/photo editing rig than a gaming rig.

As for the HDD set up I recommend this:
2x 500-640GB HDD for OS in RAID 0
2x 1TB Samsung F3s in RAID 1 for data.
This is the usual set up I do for people doing vid/photo editing,etc.



Since you arn't gaming: the 4550 ($20)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125250&cm_re=4550-_-14-125-250-_-Product
This should be fine, however, beware that depending on how complex your 3D work is, this card may lag when turning the model,etc. I can't really say how this will affect 3D modeling, however in CAD (SolidWorks & Inventor) a 4650 laggs some times; and no, this is NOT CPU lag(lol, happened on a 2P Nehalem).

Depending on your work, equipment (HD camcorder,etc) etc consider adding a Bluray burner.


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@OP: Could you list your software? Maya, CS4,etc?


Other notes: Depending on how valuable your photos,etc are I recommend you burn them on to BD or DVD for backup (I do this for all finalized stuff, along with backing up on a NAS and backing up THE MOST important photos,files,etc online, it's well worth the extra money imo). I find that with external drives, you get some level of protection, but they are STILL HDDs. I may be a bit paranoid, but it sure beats having the pics,etc lost and trying to recover them (professional data recovery easily cost $500+; usually about $800+) in the event both the NAS and my external HDD dies.
 

bigjoe5412

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May 16, 2009
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Shadow703793 thanks for all the advice!

I switched out the board as you recommended to

ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614

Wanted the usb3.0 and that board got great reviews and looks pretty good for the future.
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I'm going to keep the RAM i had selected because A) I wanted the CL of 7 so I'm gonna stick with the PI blacks and B) I'll never fill out that rebate form for the cheaper stuff
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Switched out the case like you recommended, strong points there can't argue with that.
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HDD: good idea on that setup but I don't have the money for that right now. I'm pretty set with my external for data right now so I think I'm going to stick with the
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
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Changed out the GPU to that card you listed, not doing any 3D work so i should be all set there as long as the card can handle 1080p footage that's all that really matters
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Might add a bluray drive in the future but not now.
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I'll be doing all my work in CS4 so thats all i really care about functioning around.

================================================

Unless you have any more advice I'm going to order this set-up tomorrow sometime.

ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614

Intel Core i7-930 2.8GHz LGA 1366 Quad-Core Desktop Processor Model BX80601930 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225

G.SKILL PI Series 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T2-12GBPI - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231331

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

GIGABYTE GV-R455D3-512I Radeon HD 4550 512MB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125250

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276
 

bigjoe5412

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May 16, 2009
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18,510
WOW cs5 looks crazy!

threw that burner in there as well
and yeah I've got a 64 bit os

Alright thanks for all the information I'm gonna order everything, hopefully I don't mess up building it, first time here.