Building a new-ish PC

It's for audio/video production with a heavy emphasis on editing.
My available funds for this are zilch so for the time being this is a hypothetical build.
If anyone can give me a 2nd opinion or suggest alternative parts that may be cheaper or better I'd be very grateful.

I have to go by australian prices & supply because thats where I live; and the parts not mentioned I either already own or will be buying by budget.

This whole project is a bit of a tricky balance between performance & budget.

(all prices AU Dollar)

MOBO

ASUS P6X58D-E Motherboard LGA1366
$311
Source

EVGA X58 SLI3 ATX X58 1366 DDR3 3 SLI
$288
Source

EVGA Intel X58LE Motherboard LGA1366
384.00AUD
Source

Gigabyte LGA1366 X58 6DDR3 FSB2000 RAID GBLAN 4PCIE2.0 3FW SATA3 ATX
$257
Source

Processor

Intel i7 930, 2.8 GHz, 4.8 GT/sec QPI, 8MB Cache, Socket LGA1366
$304
Source

GPU

Sapphire Radeon HD5870 Vapor-X (870Mhz), 1GB DDR5 (2500Mhz), PCI-E 2.0, DVI, HDCP, HDTV, HDMI
$449
Source

Gigabyte Radeon HD5870 1GB
$327
Source

PSU

Thermaltake EVO Blue 650W
$145
www.pccasegear.com...

Antec Truepower 650W
$128
www.pccasegear.com...

CoolerMaster 700 Watt Silent Pro Modular PSU
$250.00
cypherit.com.au...

Heatsink/Fan

Noctua NH-U12DX 1366 Xeon Performance CPU Cooler
$94
Source

I will probably have to go with this one - NH-U12P SE2
Source

as the DX only works on certain PC cases...

PC Case

Scythe Fenris Wolf Case
$149.00
Source

Antec Twelve Hundred Case
$209.00
Source

Xigmatek UTGard Tower Case Original
$119
Source

Hard Drive x2

Western Digital Caviar Green Power 1TB 7200RPM 32MB SATA 3Gbs
$63
source

Samsung Spinpoint 1TB
$55
Source

Seagate 1TB
$87
Source

Memory

Corsair 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3
$139
Source

As you can see I'm still undecided over alot of it..
I spent a long time researching these parts and then put the project down for about 6 months so some of these parts may be a bit outdated now but hopefully it's still a good build for me and maybe others will find something valuable in this thread also...

Any help would be appreciated,

Cheers,
-B.M

core i7 is a beast. make sure you get the 64bit version. you'll need if you want to use all that ram you want to buy.

depending on your needs for virtualization technology you can probably spend a little less if you don't need vt.

I have a dell pc that we got out of the dell online outlet store.

core i7 4 gigs of ram. and two 500gig hard drives in raid.

I can run all ie, outlook, word, excel, dreamweaver, photoshop, illustrator and microsoft visual studio 2010. all at the same time. and no slow down. plus all the other little software and chat programs that may be running the in the background.

feels good man.

Originally posted by grey580
core i7 is a beast. make sure you get the 64bit version. you'll need if you want to use all that ram you want to buy.

oh yeah, I forgot about that - is it because the 32bit version simply won't ever utilise all the ram? I can't remember why though...was it due to how big the 'chunks' are that it can process? was there a limit to the amount of ram that was practically useful with it? I might have to do some more research into that...

depending on your needs for virtualization technology you can probably spend a little less if you don't need vt.

not sure what that means - I want to play PC games but that's not really important - I'll be using MIDI, VST's & Recorded Audio - many layers & effects, also recording audio - via

Audio Hardware-
M-audio midi keyboard
Mbox mini 2

Audio Software-
Protools
Acid Pro 7
Reason 4

Then with regard to video - I'm just getting my head around masking and effects in general now but I like to have a few layers of video using a massive stockpile of clips so it gets fairly demanding..

Since I found a codec that lets me use AVI in Vegas 8 I've been using that by itself -
I'd like to get into Adobe after effects and the like in the future.

I have a dell pc that we got out of the dell online outlet store.
core i7 4 gigs of ram. and two 500gig hard drives in raid.
I can run all ie, outlook, word, excel, dreamweaver, photoshop, illustrator and microsoft visual studio 2010. all at the same time. and no slow down. plus all the other little software and chat programs that may be running the in the background. feels good man.

I'm looking forwards to it ...

-B.M

P.S) with the PC I'm using now made of old bits and pieces of 2 other PC's - Using the Flash plugin for HD video on youtube Or working with multilayered pictures in paintshoppro 9 chews the CPU and causes lagging...so I've got a lot of catching up to do...

Hey mate also have a look at www.pccasegear.com....

Australian website, very good to deal with, and very cheap.

For example, in your link your motherboard is $311.70. On PCCaseGear it is $239.

Happy building!


P.S. Windows 32-bit can only address up to about 3 gig of RAM, depending on some other parts of your system. You need 64-bit in order to use all of your RAM (as you know). 99% of programs work fine on 64-bit.

Originally posted by GobbledokTChipeater
P.S. Windows 32-bit can only address up to about 3 gig of RAM, depending on some other parts of your system. You need 64-bit in order to use all of your RAM (as you know). 99% of programs work fine on 64-bit.

edit on 20/12/10 by GobbledokTChipeater because: (no reason given)

cheers for the site info & confirming the 32bit issue - I didn't realise such a high percent of wares were 64bit compatible...I just checked (link) and apparently Acid pro 7 & Reason 4 are both 64bit compatible which is awesome so - just checked Mbox2 mini also - it is 64bit compat' as long as I update Protools

64bit it is

-B.M

I do some video editing sometimes on my out of date rubbish PC

To give you an idea...

I have made hour and a half videos, with around 30-40 separate scenes all with multiple effects and text overlays.
To encode that on my AMD Athelon 2.19Ghz with 1gig of ram took approximately 6-8 hours

If you want to save some money, go with an AMD CPU. Even AMD's 6-core CPU is cheaper than most of Intel's comparable-speed 4-cores. Check out AMD's 3.2 GHz 6-core CPU. That's 400 MHz faster than that i7 you posted and 2 more cores for even more processing power. Even AMD's fastest 4-core CPU at 3.4 Ghz is 600 MHz faster and way cheaper than Intel.

Further, AMD just works better with that HD 5870 you want. Which is a beast, btw. I can turn every single video game up to max settings with my HD 5870 and it doesn't even break a sweat. Of course, my CPU is faster than that i7 you want as well .


And btw, 32-bit software will work on 64-bit systems. 64-bit software will not work on 32-bit systems. Everyone should have 64-bit systems nowadays when running Windows 7.

Originally posted by _BoneZ_
If you want to save some money, go with an AMD CPU. Even AMD's 6-core CPU is cheaper than most of Intel's comparable-speed 4-cores. Check out AMD's 3.2 GHz 6-core CPU. That's 400 MHz faster than that i7 you posted and 2 more cores for even more processing power. Even AMD's fastest 4-core CPU at 3.4 Ghz is 600 MHz faster and way cheaper than Intel.

ah ha, now that is interesting - I know nothing of AMD or 6-cores - it was about a year ago that I knocked up this shortlist of parts & the only thing current are the prices. I will be sure to check that out - I'd be a fool not to want more processing power for less money and...

AMD just works better with that HD 5870 you want.

is an encouraging testimony...

Everyone should have 64-bit systems nowadays when running Windows 7.

So are you saying I should finally let go of XP and upgrade?

Thanks for the advice

-Bob

reply to post by _BoneZ_


The AMD CPU's may have more cores, and a faster clock speed, but they don't get as much done during each clock cycle.

For example, have a look at this review.

It compares the AMD Phenom X6 1100T (6 cores, 3.3GHz) vs. Intel Core i7 950 (4 cores, 3.0GHz). The Intel CPU beats the AMD in all tests except for one, and is only $30 more expensive.

Back in the P4 days, AMD was better than Intel (IMO), but I think Intel just pips AMD ATM.

In saying all that, due to the extra cores, the AMD is better (faster) at video encoding. If you will mainly be using this computer for that, then the AMD is certainly worth thinking about

I just wanted to add.

You will probably want (actually need is a better word) 3 hard drives for video editing, high end video editing software requires a whole drive to itself to act as a scratch disk and you need another to store the LARGE files that are generated, and another to run the OS etc

Here is a handy dandy guide to disk requirements for video editing, you can of course get away without but you will have a bad time

Originally posted by GobbledokTChipeater
reply to post by _BoneZ_

 

The AMD CPU's may have more cores, and a faster clock speed, but they don't get as much done during each clock cycle.

For example, have a look at this review.

It compares the AMD Phenom X6 1100T (6 cores, 3.3GHz) vs. Intel Core i7 950 (4 cores, 3.0GHz). The Intel CPU beats the AMD in all tests except for one, and is only $30 more expensive.

Back in the P4 days, AMD was better than Intel (IMO), but I think Intel just pips AMD ATM.

In saying all that, due to the extra cores, the AMD is better (faster) at video encoding. If you will mainly be using this computer for that, then the AMD is certainly worth thinking about

hmm I'm not sure whether multi-threaded video rendering will take the preference or not... I will have to think about this some more and I will have a read of that review you linked, intel's versatility may prove more useful.
thank you for the info & it was interesting to hear your thoughts on intel v amd



-Bob

reply to post by davespanners


cheers mate, I'll definately take a look at that guide, I've heard 3 drives is a better layout for audio work also so I should probably educate myself a little about it

happy holidays!

-Bob

If you're planning on doing audio work, you're gonna want an actual dedicated Sound Card too... not whatever is integrated into the Mobo - just saying...

compreviews.about.com...

reply to post by Time2Think


cheers & I totally agree, thats why I'll be using an Mbox 2 Mini with the cheapest flattest powered studio monitor speakers I can find

With the advice of everyone here & keeping budget in mind, the new system in mind is this -

Motherboard
ASRock 890FX Deluxe4 Motherboard $209.00 (seems a good choice, MOBO has always been a tough decision, this has dual GPU support, front panel usb 3 & is a standard size board, 4 ram slots, am3 support so should be fine with my processor - all good)

Processor
AMD Phenom II X6 1055T, 2.8Ghz 1055T $189.00 (freakin awesome - also I may get the 3.2ghz instead)

GPU
Gigabyte Radeon HD6870 1GB $299.00 (turns out the 6870 is just the 5870 but cheaper & more energy efficient :up

PSU
XFX 750W Black Edition $175.00 (decided again better to have more than less, plus with extra GPU in future = extra power usage, also this PSU has a good reputation)

Heatsink/fan
Noctua NH-U9B SE2 $75.00 (might not need this but better safe then sorry I think - the gel is incl. too)

PC Case
Scythe Fenris Wolf Case $149.00 (still the quietest, easiest, coolest & most versatile case in the $ range)

HD
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB HD103SJ $69.00 (7200 RPM SATA, what more would I need?)

MEMORY
Corsair CMX8GX3M2A1333C9 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 $139.00 (I was going to pay this for 6GB before)

estimated cost with only one drive – $1,304 (I will eventually have 2-3)

I currently own 1 LCD 19inch which will be used temporarily with this system while a really old chunky monitor will be resurrected for the old comp (the one I'm using now).

what I will eventually do though is either buy a 2nd 19inch for the new comp, or buy 2 17inch & use the 19inch and old monitor on the old computer.

I also have a DVD reader drive & combo burner drive which will both stay in the old computer. When the burner eventually stops working I'm looking at this as a replacement - Hotway External Slim DVD Burner USB 2.0 $52.00.

This computer build just keeps getting more awesome. I can't wait till I start raking in some dollars for this.

-B.M

"make sure you get the 64bit version" ?? There is no i7 with 32 bit

Overall, i7 has terrible price/performance over similar amd components. Not only due to the processor price, but the motherboards also. Add to this triple channel ddr (4gb is plenty enough, you never need 6gb). Go for a amd setup, it will be significantly cheaper and perform nearly identical,

I would suggest using Dual Monitors. It just makes everything easier. And, a Sound Blaster Live! sound card.

Originally posted by above
"make sure you get the 64bit version" ?? There is no i7 with 32 bit

Overall, i7 has terrible price/performance over similar amd components. Not only due to the processor price, but the motherboards also. Add to this triple channel ddr (4gb is plenty enough, you never need 6gb). Go for a amd setup, it will be significantly cheaper and perform nearly identical,

I did notice the price virtually halved when I switched to an amd processor + mobo setup

This way I get more on my mobo for less & 2 extra cores.

I was going to get 8GB ram, and there are mobo's that support up to 24GB of ram, and with the way things keep changing - and the way that ram is so cheap right now - why not get 6 or 8 GB and be prepared for future advancements?

Put it this way, 2GB DDR1 ram kicked a lot of ass back in the day, and did so for a very long time. It was only with the evolution of DDR2-3 that it started to suck. So lets apply the same with my proposed 8GB DDR3, what if in the future we get 2GB DDR4 and it is equvilant to 8GB DDR3, well simply put, if I had only 4GB DDR3, I would need to upgrade sooner.

Still it is food for thought and I may save a bit of extra cash knocking off some of that RAM.

It was surprising also to find out that an over clocked & cooled 5870 would still cost $450 when the exact same card but more effiecient & half a year 'newer' - the 6870 - is half the price!

Peace
-B.M

Originally posted by ShadowLife
I would suggest using Dual Monitors. It just makes everything easier. And, a Sound Blaster Live! sound card.

well as I said above -

I'll be using an Mbox 2 Mini with the cheapest flattest powered studio monitor speakers I can find (this IS my sound card)
whenever I'm simply playing back music & movies I'll use the onboard soundcard - whatever it is.

as for monitors & as I'll end up with 2 computers at the end of this - I'll have on with either dual 19inch or 17inch. I would prefer dual 17's because 1280X1040 looks better on a 17, but I already have one 19, so it would be easier to simply buy a 2nd one. Don't know yet...

-B.M

reply to post by B.Morrison


Looks like you got a sweet system in the works - it's kinda funny, I've built a few systems with a friend over the years and these days it's hard to even keep up with stuff anymore... but the market always seems to stay the same regardless of whatever the best is - basically from what I've seen over the last 5+ years is that the "top-end" PC's (desktops anyway, I haven't paid any attention to laptops) without all the extra bells and whistles, are around $4000, then they drop down to $2000, then $1000.

However, If you're totally hardcore, and plan on using the new Nvidia Tesla GPU's, you can have Dell build you a system for the low low price of $35,000. (with ALL the bells and whistles) I've been saying it for a while now, but Quantum Computers really ARE right around the corner these days... and when that happens, everything is going to change like crazy - I'm talking Total Recall Virtual Reality systems and Holodecks.. but until then I guess we're stuck waiting....

Anyway, good luck with your box.. hopefully I'll be able to save up enough to build a new one myself - I'm in SERIOUS need of a new one (I have this thing running with a VooDoo3 16MB 3dfx Card :lol

On another note, I never heard of this MBox 2 Mini before, but it looks pretty sweet.. the only question I have is I see it connects to your system via USB; does it actually have its own sound card built in it, or does it use your systems sound card to process sound?

Can you use an Mbox 2 PRO as a primary Sound Card in Windows 7 ?