NEW Build Heavy Photoshop

H

Hacksaw

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 17, 2006
Messages
102
OK I am looking at building a new computer for work. I currently am using a I7 920 with 9gb ram and windows 7 64bit really nothing that bad. But I am having a hard time due to large file sizes and multiple programs at once for instance I always have PS, Corel draw X5, Wasatch RIP software, Internet, Adobe PDF, and Microsoft Excel Running. some of the files are over 750mb so I get a lot of hang ups.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Photoshop, Vector software etc
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
1500 give or take
3) Where do you live?
East coast US
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU, RAM, Graphics card, Hard drive (SSD), PSU, Case, DVD
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes if it is using a software program not time to adjust and fiddle with things
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
I have 2 26" Asus monitors LCD
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within one month
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
Maybe Sata 6gbs but am open
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
NO
 
Last edited:
Based on your use, the only cost-effective upgrades to your current rig are a doubling of your system's total RAM amount from 12GB to 24GB and (if all of your system's hard drives are slow and/or small-capacity) a large (2GB or larger) hard drive that spins at 7,200 rpm.

Speaking of your current system:

1) Which are the exact hard drives that you have in that system? (And please do not give just the capacity; you must also give the exact brand and model number of the drive itself.)

2) Which is the exact make and model of motherboard are you using?
 
this is the current computer I am using http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...-details.asp?EdpNo=6047822&csid=_37&body=MAIN

The old build in my sig is just used for a print server for one of the largeformat printers i print vehicle wraps and stuff on.

The only reason I have the prebuilt Asus linked above is because I was working on a big job and the old computer was not cutting it and had no time to build I had to get that Asus overnighted. But now I would like to do it right this time.

I believe the HD is a 7,200rpm 1tb oh I see it's only 9gb ram I made a mistake
Thanks in advance!!!
Dan
 
I would suggest upgrade the memory on your current system, and also since it's mostly photoshop, I would suggest adding a powerful Nvidia card (CUDA support) in for some hardware acceleration....

If your current system doesn't have SSD, that is a welcoming upgrade as well....

Overclock the 920 if you are finding that it's a CPU bottleneck..
 
Before you do anything else i'd suggest maxing out the ram in your current rig. 24GB of DDR3 is pretty cheap these days and DDR3 is still the current ram technology so any ram you buy for your current rig will also be suitable for a new rig. I'd expect a ram upgrade to be enough to tide you over until LGA2011 comes out. LGA2011 should combine support for large ammounts of ram and lots of PCIe with the IPC and clockspeed benefits of the sandy bridge core.

If you do build a new rig now the first descision you will have to make is which processor to go for. I see two choices for you the i7-970 and the i7-2600K. In multithreaded tasks the two chips will give similar performance. The 2600K is much cheaper and will give better performance in tasks with limited threads but the 970 can support 24GB of ram with current modules (the 2600K can theoretically support 32GB but the modules needed to achive it don't seem to exist yet). Given your description of how you use your computer I suspect memory is more important to you than raw CPU power.

You could probably also drop a 970 in your current rig but I can understand you not wanting to do a processor swap on your main everyday rig.
 
Last edited:
I think I would like to build new. Maybe just go with a 2600k setup with maybe putting the OS and my graphic software on a ssd ?? It would be hard to pull apart the prebuilt rig to upgrade the CPU as I really dont have any down time.
thanks!
Dan
 
Hacksaw said:
I think I would like to build new. Maybe just go with a 2600k setup with maybe putting the OS and my graphic software on a ssd ?? It would be hard to pull apart the prebuilt rig to upgrade the CPU as I really dont have any down time.
thanks!
Dan
Click to expand...

Do note that the 2600K is currently limited to only 16GB maximum RAM. Technically, the platform can handle 32GB of RAM but there are currently no 8GB unbuffered non-ECC modules in existence yet. (All 8GB DDR3 modules that are currently available are registered ECC modules which are completely incompatible with the 2600K and all of Intel's desktop LGA 1155 chipsets.)

As for your current system, a RAM upgrade from its current 9GB to its maximum 24GB is your best bet. No need to change the CPU at this point.
 
Last edited:
A large ssd, 24 gb of ram, and a powerful gpu, and you'll have an awesome rig for your needs.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
delvryboy said:
A large ssd, 24 gb of ram, and a powerful gpu, and you'll have an awesome rig for your needs.
Click to expand...

That Asus pre-built came stock with a GeForce GTX 260 card with 896MB of graphics RAM. It was a pretty fast card at the time of the pre-built's original manufacture (circa 2009) but is now old and a little outdated.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone!!
I will max out the current ram on the my current rig and give that a shot. I may still build a new computer as well as my main machine and use the current rig for other production work .

If I build right now I am assuming a i7 2600k would be the way to go and maybe a msi p67 board? also if I go SSD what size do I need am I just putting the OS and main programs on it??
Thanks!
 
Hacksaw said:
If I build right now I am assuming a i7 2600k would be the way to go and maybe a msi p67 board? also if I go SSD what size do I need am I just putting the OS and main programs on it??
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Something tells me that you're planning on ignoring everyone's advice here.

Hacksaw said:
Would I be able to get a way with a Radeon HD 6850 for the graphics card?
Click to expand...

If you're planning on using Adobe CS5, then you need to get a Nvidia card. Something like the GTX 460 1GB or the GTX 560 Ti.
 
Hacksaw said:
If I build right now I am assuming a i7 2600k would be the way to go and maybe a msi p67 board? also if I go SSD what size do I need am I just putting the OS and main programs on it??
Thanks!
Click to expand...

What's your obsession with Sandy Bridge?
 
Danny Bui said:
Something tells me that you're planning on ignoring everyone's advice here.
Click to expand...

I was about to say that, as well. In fact, I tried to tell the OP that all that "pre-built" Asus i7-920 system needs is more RAM (and possibly a larger-capacity secondary HDD).
 
Let me try to explain a little more. I am going to upgrade the RAM right away on the prebuilt machine as suggested. But I could actually use another computer as I may also be hiring someone this spring to help out with orders. My business will be paying for the new computer and I can always use the right-offs.
I just think with the way my business has been growing I need more then one computer.
Thanks!
 
Hacksaw said:
Let me try to explain a little more. I am going to upgrade the RAM right away on the prebuilt machine as suggested. But I could actually use another computer as I may also be hiring someone this spring to help out with orders. My business will be paying for the new computer and I can always use the right-offs.
I just think with the way my business has been growing I need more then one computer.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

All righty then:

Yes the i7 2600K and a MSI P67 motherboard would be a good choice right now (i.e this month). However that may change when AMD's Bulldozer CPUs come out or if Intel decides to release a few socket 2011 CPUs for under $1000. Both those parts are due out in a few months.

SSD wise, go for the Crucial C300 64GB SSD. Other good choices for SSDs would be Crucial's C400 series, Intel 310 series, and Intel's 510 series SSDs. Minimum size is 64GB.

As noted earlier, if you plan on using Adobe CS5 or future versions of Adobe, you want to get a Nvidia card as Adobe software takes advantage of Nvidia's CUDA tech.

PSU wise, go for Antec's Truepower New 650W PSU.
 
Thanks Danny I appreciate your time! I will start looking into everything you listed
Thanks again!
Dan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top