Graphic Design PC

[aladdinsane]

Hello all! OK it is my first day of really diving into the forums and really have found some useful info.
I am getting deeper and deeper into graphic design and photo/video archiving as a part-time (soon to be full-time) profession.

I am also realizing that my 2 year old system is showing it's wrinkles (AGP, single core, etc.).
I have spent the last two weeks trying to find info on the web (ie- Tom's Hardware) about graphics OUTSIDE of gaming and really can't find anything worthwhile on what a good system would be for multimedia creation.

Specifically what I will be doing is using Adobe Design CS3 to create web pages... repair photos, create animations, etc. I will also be ripping people's home videos, editing them, and creating DVDs. I also do some gaming (the Call of Duty family mostly).

My budget is under $2,000 and this will be a completely new system... no salvaged parts from the old system because I will let the kids and wife have that one.

OK, I hope that is enough info to get some ideas ... here is what I have "wished" for at NewEgg: https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion...phics+computer

Any advice you could give about the components I have selected so far would be VERY helpful!
Thanks in advance
Chad

[doubledragon5]

Welcome to pcmech you list looks fine but have a few suggestions.. First go with lite-on drives their recommende around here and come with nero burning software.. If your not doing any over clocking and extreme gaming then drop the cooler, your stock one will do just fine and you won't void your warranty if you damage the cpu.. Next go with segate hd they 7200.10 or 11 and look at the 16mb or 32mb cache version. They come with a 5yr warranty and are better than WD.. Go with this ram instead http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145589 it has a cas latency 5 and is a few $$$ cheaper.

[Icyman23]

2x Seagate 7200.10's 500GB's in Raid would be very nice for your setup.

If you are not overclocking, drop the cooler, it voids the warrenty anyway.

Try the Lite-On SATA 20x DVD Writer. With or without Lightscribe.

I would also like to introduce these SuperTalent ram dimms to the world, $40 for DDR2-667, and I don't see the point of DDR2-800 in an intel system.Trust me...good things are happening from this company.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820609085

I have two of SuperTalent's running @ DDR2-800 and 4-4-3-8 timings in my AMD rig.

[aladdinsane]

Thanks guys for the quick responses! I am a lite-on user now and have been very happy. I went with the Asus on the list because it was the highest rated. I will probably stick to Lite-on. I was figuring on a RAID config for the HDDs.
Keep the advice coming!
Thanks again!

OK, I have changed some things.

[doubledragon5]

What OS are you plan on using? Xp and Vista 32bit won't utilize 4gigs of ram. Only 64 bit will utilize he whole thing.. I would suggest staying with ram timings of 5 for better performance and only 2 or 3 gigs..

[aladdinsane]

Originally Posted by doubledragon5 What OS are you plan on using? Xp and Vista 32bit won't utilize 4gigs of ram. Only 64 bit will utilize he whole thing.. I would suggest staying with ram timings of 5 for better performance and only 2 or 3 gigs..

I am currently using Vista 64...and XP 64. I plan on staying with those two OSs.