Looking up parts for graphic design build

[Pigslilspaz]

Friend wants me to build them a comp, that can run CS5 flawlessly. Also need a monitor as well, any suggestions? I need to try and keep it around 500-700.

Also, if it works well, will be my second convert to windows from mac, lol.

[Chalenge]

Windows 7 x64 w/ Quad Core and lots of disk space is likely all that really matters but there are a few other bits of info that might make a difference.

Are they learning CS5 or using it professionally? What is the focus of work going to be? Flash? Photoshop? Illustrator? If the focus is Premiere Pro then memory requirements could go up also. If they want true color then LCD isnt really all that good and so on.

EDIT: Oh, I fogot the most important part. Go INTEL.

[gyrene81]

quad core anything with 6gb ram will run it flawlessly. my gf uses cs5 on an asus dual core laptop with 4 gigs of ram and it's fast. make sure you have a 20gb partition for the scratch drive.

amd or intel won't matter...

[Pigslilspaz]

Alright, going to probably go with AMD to keep it cheap. So, graphics card doesn't need to be that powerful I assume?

[Chalenge]

Graphics card no. My impression was that the Illustrator Path interpretations were better calculated with Intel especially in technical modes but Im pretty sure that when it comes to Premiere AMD has the advantage.

I said x64 because Premiere and After Effects both require x64 or you will be stuck with version 4.

I use it every day (Master Collection 5.5 - Photoshop/Illustrator/Acrobat/Fireworks/Dreamweaver).

EDIT: I stand corrected. Intel runs Premiere better.

[BigR]

A decent graphics card does make a real difference in the newest versions of photoshop. PS5 has a hardware accelerated interface, and is so much more snappy and useable if you have a decent video card. There are also other rendering features that use your GPU because it can be a lot faster than the CPU for certain functions.  Check these links out...

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/405/kb405745.html
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404898.html
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/831/cpsid_83117.html

Now, having said all that , CS5 should still run decently if you stick with a basic video card, but it will definitely run better with a good OpenGL GPU. If you dont want to go all out right away, you can always add a good card later.

[gyrene81]

if you're going to go quad core 3+ghz with ddr3 1333mhz+ that system will be more than enough with something like a radeon 5450 1gb or geforce gt430 1gb.

[Pigslilspaz]

They aren't the overclocking type, so I'm looking at the i5 2500 (not 2500k). quadcore with 3.33 I think that should fit the bill.

[Pigslilspaz]

Here's the parts list, any way I can make it cheaper without sacrificing part quality? Also, I put regular price, not current because newegg deals sometimes disappear on ya from time to time.

Qty.   Product Description   Savings   Total Price
1       EVGA 01G-P3-1441-KR GeForce GT 440 1024MB (Fermi) DUAL DVI PCI Express 2.0 x16 Video Card
$79.99

1       Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
79.99

1       GIGABYTE GA-Z68M-D2H LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
$104.99

1       APEX AL-D500EXP 500W ATX12V Power Supply
$44.99

1       Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500
$209.99

1       G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBSR
$48.99

1       Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
$99.99

1       XCLIO Nighthawk Color Black 0.6mm SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$79.99

1       ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
$19.99

[Chalenge]

1       APEX AL-D500EXP 500W ATX12V Power Supply
$44.99

You have got to be kidding!

[guncrasher]

order the hard drive now.  they're going up in price hourly. 


semp

[gyrene81]

that power supply is not going to work, especially with that video card and cpu...the only way you're going to get the total price down is to go with an amd phenom quad core and minimum psu rating of 550 watts with single +12v rail.

[Pigslilspaz]

order the hard drive now.  they're going up in price hourly.  


semp

I noticed, it's been pissing me off. I got my 640gb for less than $70 you can't even get 250 for that now

You have got to be kidding!
You do not have to be rude

that power supply is not going to work, especially with that video card and cpu...the only way you're going to get the total price down is to go with an amd phenom quad core and minimum psu rating of 550 watts with single +12v rail.

That's why I posted here. The one thing I admit I know near nothing about are PSUs.


Would this work at all? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

[gyrene81]

ok see how this works out...

Here's the parts list, any way I can make it cheaper without sacrificing part quality? Also, I put regular price, not current because newegg deals sometimes disappear on ya from time to time.

Qty.   Product Description   Savings   Total Price
1       EVGA 01G-P3-1441-KR GeForce GT 440 1024MB (Fermi) DUAL DVI PCI Express 2.0 x16 Video Card
$79.99

1       Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
79.99

1       ASRock 890FX Deluxe4 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
$133.50

1       Corsair Builder Series CX600 600 watt 80 Plus Certified Power Supply Compatible with Intel and AMD Platforms
$69.99 (amazon)

1       AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor
$129.99

1       G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBSR
$48.99

1       Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
$99.99

1       Thermaltake V4 Black Edition Gaming Chassis Mid Tower Steel Computer Case Fully Black Powdered Interior
$49.98

1       ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
$19.99

ok i believe that would bring it to $712.41 versus the original $768.91...assuming the hard drive price doesn't go through the roof. check amazon and tigerdirect.

[Pigslilspaz]

Just curious as to why prices have been exploding for hard drives?