Photoshop Powerhouse Build

[Atomic440]

Ok guys, I know this is a lengthy post, but I’ve tried to provide enough info for some valuable feedback. This will be my first build. I have outlined what I need, what I have, along with some options and a suggestion from a coworker. Please feel free to comment on the suggested build below or start from scratch if you can do better. I am hoping to order parts very soon. Thanks in advance.

What I need:
Computer #1 – This needs to be a Photoshop CS2 powerhouse. Photoshop 24/7 and little else. I have gotten suggestions to run multiple hard drives (data storage, OS, Photoshop scratch file). What do you guys think of that setup?

Computer #2 – A decent system that can run Photoshop CS2, but not on a regular basis. It will be connected to a Sony FD Trinitron WEGA KD-34XBR960 to show slideshows/pictures.

What I have:
Dell Dimension 9150 (Complete)
This currently runs Photoshop CS2, but seriously bogs down.
Intel Pentium D 940 Presler 800MHz FSB LGA 775 Dual Core 3.2GHz
1 GB DDR 533 RAM (2x512)
Maxtor 250 GB Hard Drive
Radeon X300SE 128MB HyperMemory Video Card
DVD Burner
DVD Rom
19” CRT Monitor
Keyboard/Mouse/Speakers

Extra 17” LCD Monitor
Extra DVD burner
Extra CD burner

Budget: $1500.00

I see two basic options:
1-Upgrade the existing Dell 9150 and keep it as the Photoshop CS2 machine. Upgrades include more RAM, multiple hard drives, other?? Then build a second, more basic computer. The budget must cover both a second build and upgrades to the Dell.
2-Leave the Dell alone to run with the Sony, and build a new Photoshop CS2 machine.

Other Requirements:
Budget also needs to cover a wireless keyboard/mouse, a wireless network adapter, and Windows XP Pro for the new build.
I do not have a strong preference between Intel/AMD.
I’m certainly not opposed to upgrading the Dell, but I’m a little hesitant to butcher it completely by robbing cpu, etc…

I have one suggestion from a co-worker, but it totals $1453 with no video card or XP:

$330.00 Intel Pentium D 930 Presler 800MHz FSB 2 x
2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Dual Core Processor

$50.00 for aftermarket heat sink

$204.99 (when purchased with above - $174.99) ABIT
AW8-MAX Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 955X ATX Intel
Motherboard with Onboard 1394b

$146.62 (X2) Kingston HyperX 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM
Unbuffered DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) System Memory
need 2 GB

$79.00 (x2) Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3120813AS 120GB
7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
1 for OS, 1 for Adobe Swap file

$130 Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3300622AS 300GB 7200
RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
general data storage

$39.00 LITE-ON Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL
16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 5X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R
24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache ATAPI/E-IDE 16X DVD±R
DVD Burner W/ 5X DVD-RAM Write - Retail
Model #: SHM-165P6S RTL
Item #: N82E16827106256

$54.89 Logitech Cordless Desktop S 510 967557-0403
2-Tone 102 Normal Keys USB + PS/2 RF Wireless Slim
Desktop Mouse Included
Wireless

$50.00 LINKSYS WMP54G IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless-G
Adapter up to 54Mbps Data Rates 64/128-Bit WEP, WPA
Should match other network equipment

$50.00 or less for case

[kram 2.0]

Multiple hard drives are nice, but it doesn't necessarily translate to running any faster than a single drive. With the current Dell system you have, the problem is your memory. The system itself is not that bad - you have fairly decent stuff inside it. Your video card is chewing from the system memory pool, causing it to have technically less than 1GB. Photoshop, especially the newer CS/CS2, is a memory hog. Replacing the video card with something of equal power but no HyperMemory/Turbocache would be a good start. I also suggest 2GB of RAM.

On the system you have configured, I have a few suggestions. With the processor, purchase it retail and forget about an Aftermarket HS/HSF. The retail processor package will have necessary cooling materials in it. On the motherboard, it seems unecessarily expensive. Look at the Asus P5LD2 motherboard. For the RAM, no need to go HyperX. Chose the Kingston's ValueRAM, Corsair's ValueSelect, etc. Add a video card (for example, a Radeon X300 SE) and add the operating system.

kram

[DC_]

I am going to make a bold statement, and as usualy, I am sure I will come across as, unintentional as it is, a smarta$$. But....

If you need a dedicated PS CS2 machine 24/7 than you are using it as a means of income. Therefore, your budget should be much higher. At least considering that you want two PCs. Not to mention that PS CS2 Premium itself costs $1200 retail and that is just for a single install. You will need a muliple user licence to install it on a second PC. Although I have heard that the EULA has been changed to allow installation on more than one PC. Something to look into. You didn't say if you already had the software, but then again you are only asking about hardware.

Another option is a MAC. I am not a fan of them, but from what I hear most graphic designers use MACs. All hear-say, but it is an option.

Your current dell should be sufficient as your slide show PC. Doubling the RAM would help with the bogging down.

That leaces you with building a new PC from the ground up for your dedicated PS machine. Intel is stronger with this application so go with Intel; AMD will work too if you decide to go that woute. The minimum RAM for CS2 is 320MB. I would go with 4 GB of RAM. If you have 4 50MB RAW files open, you'll appreciate the amount of RAM you have. You will want/need multiple HDDs. PS is written to perform better with the use of scratch disks.

No need for the HyperX memory if you are not going to overclock. No need to overclock for PS. The main key here is quantity, not quality.

You are correct to budget in the OS. Most people do not account for than when building a new PC. XP home should be banned. You are likely networking, so you will benifit from XP Pro.

A bit of good news is that you do not need a video card with 3D capibilities. Or at least not top of the line gaming 3D functionality. Unfortunantly, there is not much, if any, of a price difference.

Well, my food is ready, I'll stop being downer DC. Best of luck on the new PC!!

[kram 2.0]

Originally Posted by DC_ XP home should be banned. You are likely networking, so you will benifit from XP Pro.

I'm not going to dissuade the use of XP Pro, but what's wrong with WinXP Home?

kram

[DC_]

A simple user on an eMachine could use XP home and never know the difference.

For the rest of us, at least one of these features will be useful, and they are only available in Pro.

Remote Desktop – remotely access your Windows XP Professional PC, from another Windows PC, so you can work with all of your data and applications while away from your office.

Offline Files and Folders - access to files & folders on a network share when disconnected from the server.

Scalable processor support – up to two-way multi-processor support.

Encrypting File System - protects sensitive data in files that are stored on disk using the NTFS file system.

Access Control – restrict access to selected files, applications, and other resources.

Centralized administration - join Windows XP Professional systems to a Windows Server domain to take advantage of the full range of powerful management and security tools.

Group Policy - simplifies the administration of groups of users or computers.

Software Installation and Maintenance – automatically install, configure, repair, or remove software applications.

Roaming User Profiles - access to all your documents and settings no matter where you log on.

Remote Installation Service (RIS) – support for remote operating system installations where desktops can be installed across the network.

Multi-lingual User Interface (MUI) add-on - change the user interface language to get localized dialog boxes, menus, help files, dictionaries, and proofing tools etc.

DC

[gherkin]

not wanting to start an arguement here but if your a single user not connected to a network (with the exception of the internet) your probably not going to use those features. In fact even with a network its ok, my girlfriends father has 4 PC's wirelessly networked with XP Home, no problems each shring a 10mb connection. Obvioulsy XP Pro is more feature rich and will obvioulsy be more powerfull than XP Home but unless you actually need stuff like the remote stuff then I would go XP Home.

[Atomic440]

Thanks for the tips guys. I wish I had more $$ to throw at it, but not right now. How many hard drives are necessary? Can I get away with two initially and add a third later?

[kram 2.0]

You only really need one, unless you want a second for backup reasons.

kram

[seanarmenta]

i'm far from being an expert... but just wanted to share my experience with this since my computer is primarily for editing in photoshop.

you need 4GB of RAM. this way you have more to allocate to photoshop without leaving your OS high and dry. with 4GB, i would allocate 65-70% of your RAM to PS in the preferences dialog. 1GB is just not enough when running CS2, because at that amount of RAM, you can only allocate 50% to PS.

and just reiterating the need for multiple HD's... i put the 1st scratch disk on my fastest drive, a 40GB, and not the one the OS resides in. i also have a dedicated "work" drive where i do all my editing from. this also doubles as a scratch disk. then i have dedicated storage drives which are used for archiving only. i don't store any data on the OS drive in case it crashes and i need to reinstall the OS.

[glc]

If you have 4gb of ram, you need XP 64 bit to support it. With 32 bit XP, it's a waste.

To take the graphics load off the system, you should be looking at a FireGL or Nvidia Quadro card for a Photoshop box. That's the kind of work those cards were made for.

Stuff one of those and another gig of ram into the Dell and use it. Everything else in it looks fine and you can't really build one much more powerful at this time without dropping serious bucks. Use Partition Magic and resize things to create a dedicated scratch partition or toss a second drive in it.