Multi Purpose PC Build

[Miskatonic]

I'm in the planning stages for a new desktop that will serve as both a gaming and multimedia machine, as well as for recording music and working with music related software. I'd rather buy the higher end stuff now so that it will be compatible with upcoming hardware so I don't have to worry about another build for awhile.

Here's the setup so far:

Case - COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP

Motherboard - ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Processor - Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor

Memory - ?

Graphics Card(s) - ?

Power Supply - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7

Main Hard Drive -Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s

Secondary Hard Drive -Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s

Optical Device - LITE-ON Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD Burner LightScribe Support -

Sound Card - M-AUDIO Delta 1010LT 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface 10-In-10-Out PCI Virtual Studio

[flanzig1]

Would skip the Raptor HDs and go with a WD Black for the main and a Blue or Green for secondary drive. You will get more bang for the buck and the Blacks are almost as fast as Raptors.
ATI 5870 is top dog, could go a couple of versions less for budget reasons.

[Miskatonic]

Should I go for two video cards for gaming? Also should I max out the memory to24gb? I know that runs a pretty penny so any advice on what amount to shoot for for great performance is appreciated.

Money isn't really a big concern, $2000 or a little higher is what I'm looking at. This is before the Monitor, peripherals, etc.

I want this build to last me a long time and still stay up to date as much as possible by being higher end, instead of building for less and either rebuilding or swapping out new parts sometime in the near future.

[Miskatonic]

Edit

[Miskatonic]

ChaosDecides here. I bought a premium account so the user name has changed. If someone could please delete the post above that says edit I'd appreciate it. I didn't realize I hadn't logged in under the new name when I posted a message similar to this.

[Miskatonic]

Here's another Case I'm looking at. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811163114

[glc]

Accounts merged.

Should I go for two video cards for gaming?

No.

Also should I max out the memory to24gb?

No.

Cases are personal preference.

To save some money and get virtually identical performance, I'd look at a socket 1156 platform with an i7-860.

[orbrit]

Personally if I had $2000 +and was looking for longevity, I'd buy a decent $1000 PC now, and another in 2-3 years or so.

You can get a lot of machine for around $1000.

[Miskatonic]

Originally Posted by orbrit Personally if I had $2000 +and was looking for longevity, I'd buy a decent $1000 PC now, and another in 2-3 years or so. You can get a lot of machine for around $1000.

If the first build can last longer than the 2-3 years, wouldn't it be better to just build a more expensive one and not have to go through another build? Especially if you are using technology that has more staying power than the previous generation?

[glc]

A Socket 1156 build is going to have just as much staying power, it will be easier to build and be more stable, and will be cheaper. Velociraptors are not worth the money.

[Miskatonic]

Originally Posted by glc A Socket 1156 build is going to have just as much staying power, it will be easier to build and be more stable, and will be cheaper. Velociraptors are not worth the money.

Yeah the Caviar Black WD drive looks like a much better investment. A couple 1TB drives and I'd be set.

I'll do some looking into the 1156. Thanks!

One of the problems I have when planning on getting a new "toy" is that I get into the same mentality a person has when buying a new car and they see all the options you can select to get better performance, comfort etc. Whether I need them or not sort of takes a backseat to the mesmerizing sales pitch.

[glc]

You are going to get a very good reality check here!

[Khalil]

The X58 chipset is not for beginners by any means, it is an unstable finiky chipset.
My advice to you is stick to a P55 and save yourself a lot of frustration.
Tripple channel is worthless, nothing can utilize it, it was Intel's way to show leadership over AMD, nothing more.
Tripple channel offers little to no advantage over dual channel.

[orbrit]

My thought is that technology in general stays around the same price. You just get the newer technology for the same money.
If you spend about $2000 now you can get a system that will probably outperform 95% of systems out there today.
That system will be almost obsolete in 3 years. A $1000 system in 3 years will leave your system built with today's technology in the dust.
Look at how fast processor technology has changed over the last 10 or even 5 years!

I'm replacing servers for clients that are just 4 years old and they had 2Gb RAM in them! Just 5 years ago 1Gb in a server was more than adequate!

[Miskatonic]

Will a case with USB 3.0 work as intended if you have a motherboard without USB 3.0?

[glc]

Why not get a USB 3.0 motherboard? The P7P55-E series boards all have it.

[Miskatonic]

Like this guy? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131621

[glc]

Yes, but you only need the Pro version if you are planning on running Crossfire.

[Miskatonic]

Is 4gb of memory enough? 4GB is the recommended size for one of the music software programs I'm going to use. I'm also going to use photshop but mostly for basic artwork, like logos and other stuff.

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com...us-?sku=729503

[glc]

You can always add 4gb more if you find you need it.

[Miskatonic]

Nevermind, confusing myself here. Lol.