lcdguy's new computer buld.

[lcdguy]

Well with most of my current computer stuff sold to fund this build i think it's time to start brainstorming. I am looking at focusing more on cpu and ram power then gaming. (that's what my PS3 is for.) the majority of use is going to be the normal stuff (ie: email, websurfing, etc) plus photography, virtualization and encoding. As for storage i am looking at the following configurations.

Boot - 4 drive SSD Raid 5 Array
Storage - 2x1TB I mirror Raid as a scratch disk with final files being stored on my 15TB SAN.
Processor - Not sure on this one help be decide (I5/i7 or XEON)
Ram - around the 12-24GB Mark
Videocard - Something mid level with decent perfoamnce, ie: No room heating, power sucking fermi 480's please.
OS - Windows 7 Professional
Monitors - dual 22"
Case - either 4U rackmount or mid tower.
PSU - Corsair HX750W
Mobo something that can handle the above configuration 7 Sata Device.
Optical Drive - Blu-Ray Burner

[lcdguy]

well i finally sat down and did some looking. I have come out with what i feel will do me good and $400 under budget :). The only thing i can't decide on is the CPU. Basically i can't decide between a i7-930 or a xeon w3520.

Motherboard - Asus P6TD Deluxe
CPU - Intel Xeon W3520 or Core i-7 930
RAM - 12GB Corsair XMS3 Kit
Case - Norco RPC-470
Power Supply - Corsair HX 750
Monitor - Samsung 2494SW x2
Videocard - E-VGA GTX 260 Core 216SC
OS - Windows 7 Professional X64
Optical Drive - LG BH10LS30 (blu-ray burner)
Boot Drives - Intel V X-25 40GB x1 (i already have 3)
Storage Drives - WD 1TB Black x2

without price match they are around $2650 before taxes and what not. The only reason i did not go for a better videocard is because the main focus of this system is photography and some video editing/rendering. And on that subject would i be better suited going for radeon hd 5k series instead of a gtx260.

I went with a rackmount case as my 2 other cases are both rackmount as well as my switch. i am hoping at some point to get a small rack i can stick under my desk.

i can't wait until i have all the cash so i can start to order this puppy up and of course post a build log.

[lcdguy]

well i pulled the trigger today on my new machine. I still have some things to sell (mostly the monitor. you would think it would go quicker) Here are the specs on the new machine that i hope to keep for sometime before i need to buy another one.

Intel Core i7 930
12GB Corsair DDR3-1600 (2GBx6)
Asus P6X58D Premium
Intel X25-V 40GB SSD x4
WD 1TB Black Edition SATA 3 64MB x2
XFX Radeon HD 5770 1GB
Corsair HX750 PSU
Antec 1200 Tower
Samsung 2494SW 24" LCD x2
LG Blu-Ray Burner - BH10LS30
Windows 7 Professional X64 OEM

I ordered it today so once all my pricematches are accepted it should ship out on monday if i'm lucky i will get it by friday if not then mon/tues of the following week. Expect a build log and some benchies of the SATA3 Drives.

[ipaine]

Well I see you changed your choice in video cards.

I was going to mention that you should look at what software you are using for your photography and video editing/rendering. I say this because if you are using Photoshop CS4 for example you can leverage the power of your Nvidia card. Now I do not know if you can do the same with the ATI card, but I do know that it can make an absolute huge difference in the speed of Photoshop.

So other than the video card I think the rest of it looks pretty darn good.

[lcdguy]

Originally Posted by ipaine

Well I see you changed your choice in video cards.

I was going to mention that you should look at what software you are using for your photography and video editing/rendering. I say this because if you are using Photoshop CS4 for example you can leverage the power of your Nvidia card. Now I do not know if you can do the same with the ATI card, but I do know that it can make an absolute huge difference in the speed of Photoshop.

So other than the video card I think the rest of it looks pretty darn good.

right now i am only using the elements versions of photoshop/preimier. I can't justify the cost of CS4 or CS5. I went with this card since it had comparable performance but at around $60 less. that and XFX didn't have anything above a 240 and i have had bad experiences with e-vga (had a 7900GTX die on me 2 weeks after getting it. I have no patience for that kind of crap product)

[lcdguy]

Well i am a happy guy. NCIX accepted my price matches. which was awesome since it saved me around $200 plus i got free shipping. not sure why must have been the price of everything. I should be getting it either end of this week or sometime next week.