Gaming/Photo Edit Build

[Kyle1234]

I will be building a desktop for gaming and using Adobe Master Collection. These are the parts I am think about using:

Motherboard: ASUS P6TD Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...el%20X58%20ATX

Processor: Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...x%20256KB%20L2

Sound: Creative 70SB088000004 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Express 1x Interface PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-024-_-Product

RAM: 8 GB DDR3 - What brand???

Video: Dual ASUS ENGTS250 DK/DI/1G GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...20DK%2fDI%2f1G

How do the Creative sound counds compare to ASUS, such as the ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829132006). Maybe I will go for the goods and do the ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3 Deluxe 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface Audio/Video Enhancement Combo Card - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...E16829132008)?

Also, figured I would go with dual video cards. I know that I need more parts than just these, but these are the parts have I most questions about. The computer will be used for gaming and Adobe Master Collection CS4 (mainly photo editing and graphic design; maybe a little video here and there).

Thank you,
Kyle

[Khalil]

Hi Kyle, welcome to pcmech. You don't need or want a 1366 socket, there is very little to no advantage over the 1156 socket.
Save yourself some money and get the following:

Single ATI 5870 Video Card Asus or Diamond, Dual GTS 250s is dual obsolete, SLI is pretty much a myth and a way for manufactureres to goof us into buying more video cards! It is useless.

Asus P7P55 motherboard is what you want, they have a ton of different designs and models, check them out newegg.com
Intel i5-750 is all the CPU you will ever need till this system is in a dumpster
4GB of Ram is plenty enough, brands, Kingston, Crucial, Corsair
You don't need a sound card, that is a waste of cash, all p7 motherboards have excellent onboard sound.
Most important in this rig is going to be a Power Supply, I recommend minimum of 650W, brands, Seasonic, Antec, FSP and Corsair.
Now you have a good rig!
Cheers

[glc]

I can see where the i7-860 and 8gb ram might be worth it if you are using Adobe.

Dual lower end cards are a huge waste, a single higher end card is way preferable, and the 5000 series ATI cards are a full generation newer than the 200 series Nvidia.

[Kyle1234]

I am building a desktop for gaming and photo editing. Here's the parts:

Motherboard: ASUS P6TD Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...el%20X58%20ATX

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000CSRTL 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136334

RAM: Crucial Ballistix Tracer 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory w/ Red & Green LEDs Model BL2KIT25664TN1337 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148327
I would like to go with 6GB or 8GB of RAM, but will probably settle with 4GB for now.

CPU: Intel Core i7-960 Bloomfield 3.2GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115224

GPU: PNY VCGGTX285XPB GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...12-bit%20GDDR3

Sound: I will not be getting a sound card for the short-term, but will sometime in the future as $$$ allows. I will just be using some normal desktop speakers in the mean time.

Optical Drive: HP Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA 24X Multiformat DVD Writer - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-042-_-Product

My biggest questions are:

1. Is all of this compatible with each other?
2. What do I need for cooling? (heatsinks, # of fans,...)
3. What case do I need?

Thanks,
Kyle

[Kyle1234]

Thank you for the input!

Kyle

[flanzig1]

For a case, would look for a mid-tower size, Antec and Coolermaster are good case brands but picking a style you like is a personal choice.
HD: Go with a WD Black for a primary drive, go with the Green of storage.
Cpu heatsink comes with the CPU.
You will need a quailty PSU in the 550 to 650w range. Corsair,Antec,FSP are quality brands.
Check that the ram is on Asus QVL list for that motherboard.

[glc]

Please do not open new threads on the same build. Threads merged. Thank you.

A few observations. That processor is not worth twice the price of an i7-930 and that is killing your budget where you could spend it otherwise. If you are going to build with that board, get a 6gb triple channel ram kit, and do NOT get Ballistix ram. Get a Black, not a Green, for the primary drive, and if you are going to be doing photo editing you should consider 2 drives - one for OS/software and one for data. A Green makes a good data drive.

With that said, I highly recommend a socket 1156 build instead - with one of the Asus P7P55D boards, an i7-860, and dual channel ram (either one or two 4gb kits). Considerably cheaper, performs just about as well, and more stable.

[Kyle1234]

Alright, so I took everyone's feedback into consideration from my previous thread. Here's my updated build:

MoBo: ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131365

CPU: Intel Core i7-960 Bloomfield 3.2GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115224

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD10000LSRTL 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...L%201TB%207200

RAM: OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK - Retail Intel X58 chipset core i7 6GB kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-365-_-Product

GPU: GIGABYTE GV-R585D5-1GD-B Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125300

Optical Drive: HP Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA 24X Multiformat DVD Burner LightScribe Support - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-041-_-Product

PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341018

Case: AZZA Solano 1000 Black/Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811517004

I am going to stick with the ASUS P6T Deluxe with the i7-960. I do not know much about overclocking, and don't mind spending the extra money. I'm going to stick with "Retail" versions of the HDD and DVD Drive because this is my first build and would like to idiot proof it as much as possible.

Thanks,
Kyle

[glc]

Admin note:

I asked you once to please not open new threads on the same build. Yet, you did it again and I had to merge the threads again.

Now, back to the build. You say this is your first build, but you are not listening to advice and are going off doing what you want. I'm having a hard time trying to convince you that you are not going about it the right way, so I'm going to bow out. I wish you luck with your build, spend your money as you see fit.

[Khalil]

Originally Posted by glc I'm having a hard time trying to convince you that you are not going about it the right way, so I'm going to bow out. I wish you luck with your build, spend your money as you see fit.

I am out too!