Need help on a gaming/photoshop build

[Tomy12]

I am located in Canada, so parts cost a bit more here:

Currently what I have:

20" Monitor
DVD-RW Rom
640 GB WD Black 32mb
XFX 4890 Video card
750W Cosair PSU
Coolermaster Case (from old cpu)

What I need:

CPU: Deciding between:

AMD II X4 940
Intel Q9550
Intel I7

Motherboard:

For the AMD: GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P
For Intel: Please recommend.

RAMS:

No idea. Please recommend. I don't like to upgrade the cpu that often, so I am willing to spend extra in here.

Cooling:

Thermal compound or stock?

Heatsink:
Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - Retail
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004
40$

 

[ahslan]

Well for photoshop, the intel i7 definitely has the advantage here. Adobe photoshop just seems to run faster on Intel architectures than on AMD's Phenom II. But when it comes to gaming, there's not much difference here, and therefore it would be convenient to go with the Phenom II in order to save extra bills while not sacrificing gaming performance...it all comes down to how much photoshop you are going to be doing...and don't worry, going with any quad core cpu is going to last you a long time...

as for ram, you could go ddr3 on either platform but with the Phenom, you could go for the cheaper ddr2 ram...I'm not quite sure what benefits would come from going ddr3 using Photoshop...

Thermal compound: artic silver...

 

[kufan64]

My knowledge is restricted mainly to Intel, but I agree with Ahslan, the i7 is great with photoshop, and it'll run games beautifully too. You'll pay a little more for it, but if you're smart about your purchases, you won't be in the market to upgrade for a while.

You didn't mention whether or not you wanted Crossfire or SLI support, or if you have plans to overclock. Stock CPU coolers are sufficient in most situations when not overclocking, so I wouldn't worry about an aftermarket cooler if you don't want to overclock right off the bat. (i7's overclock very well though, so I'd recommend it a year or two down the line when it starts to show it's age; it'll come right back to life again)

Based on what I assume you're looking for I recommend the following:

i7 920
ASUS P6T SE
Corsair XMS3 3x2GB DDR3 1333 RAM (This is the stuff I put in my PC, by no means is it necessary to get this particular RAM, but most brands of RAM are priced very similar, so you could probably save $10 or so by getting something cheaper. I just trust Corsair and these are nice sticks.)

Everything else you already have looks solid, and you'll have yourself a great machine.

 

[Tomy12]

thanks for the quick response guys.

i want to overclock.. and it's always hot in my room, so that's why i want a decent cooler.

i already got the 4890, so i doubt i'll be crossfiring it

 

[Tomy12]

955 is around 280$.. and motherboard is in the mid 100s.

should i just get the 940 instead?

 

[Helloworld_98]

^ if you can afford it then just stick with i7, it will be amazing in photoshop with HT on and with HT off it will be better in gaming.

 

[Tomy12]

really?
from reading other threads.. im saving about 200$ for going with the AMD instead of the i7.

u think it's worth the extra $$?

 

[ahslan]

well looking at benchmarks, the core i7 920 seems to be about 7% faster than the Phenom II 940 in Photoshop CS3...if you think that 7% is worth $200, then go with the i7...otherwise, go for the phenom...

 

[Tomy12]

yea..that's what i was thinking..for 7%, i would rather save the 200$.

im casual on gaming and photoshop, but i do use it.
so to save 200$, I can spend it on other stuff.

Thanks Ahslan again buddy.

Now I'm gonna see what deal i can get for the ram. if it's like 20-40$ more, i'll get the DDR3 ram, if not, ill just get a good Gskill DDR2..

o ya.. 6 gb, 4 gb for me?

 

[kufan64]

I'd put that money you save into a second HDD either for RAID 0 or as a backup.

As for the RAM, don't quote me, but I think you want to look for 2x2GB DDR2 800 or 1066. Gskill or OCZ are both good brands to choose from.

 

[Tomy12]

how about this one?

Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066MHZ (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory (KHX8500D2K2/4G)

it's 59.99$

i gotta read up on RAID..so basically it's good to have 2 hd now?

 

[kufan64]

i gotta read up on RAID..so basically it's good to have 2 hd now?

Oh hell yes. lol

The more HDD's, the better... I'm a big supporter of RAID.

Do some homework on RAID if you have the time. The 3 most common RAID #'s are: 0 for speed, 1 for identical twin drives, and 5 which is essentially a combination of 0 and 1... it's complicated to explain here; I suggest wikipedia or other internet sources. RAID 0 and 1 only require 2 drives, but RAID 5 and most others require at least 3.

 

[ahslan]

I would go with 4gigs rather than 6gigs...im a big fan of Gskill ram...
As for raid, Ive never set up my personal rig to use it, but we do use raid 1 at work so that files are backed up on the identical drive, just in case something happens to one of the drives...

 

[ati7]

if you go with AMD, here is what I'm building for around $600.00

Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130224
CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103680
OR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674
RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231189
PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
Video Card, a 4850 or a 4870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161244
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150352
Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075

from this list I have the Motherboard,Ram,and the 550 CPU so far.

not including the OS,dvd drive,and PC case, that I already have.

 

[ati7]

955 is around 280$.. and motherboard is in the mid 100s.

should i just get the 940 instead?

or get the 550
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103680
and unlock the other two cores.

 

[Tomy12]

thans.. i think im gonna go with the 940 black edition as it saves me about 70$ from the 955.

can someone suggest me a cpu heatsink that will fit my AMD II x4 940.

I have my eyes set on artic cooling's thermal compound (thanks ahslan)

 

[Tomy12]

bump for heatsink suggestion
thanks guys!