Thoughts on this PC Setup?

S

semajha

Well-known member
I'm getting ready to build my own pc soon and I need some advice on putting together one. The goal is to be able to run Snow Leopard(hackintosh) and Adobe Premiere CS5 to edit native clips... Is it possible to build a fast machine with a budget of around $1300(or less)? I found this wishlist off newegg and it looks good.... http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=15509166

For that wishlist, the guy selected an ATI card but from my understanding, CS5 mercury engine only supports nvidia. I'm thinking about using those parts but substituting the graphics card for a GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 and getting rid of the SSD he has listed.

Thoughts? Are there any better and cheaper alternatives?
 
Your only "potential" problem is the ATI card, you can use cheaper Nvidia cards, I tested a GeForce 9800GT 1T memory to be ok.

I used the "hack" to let CS5 recognize the GPU and use its CUDA features and made cs5 turn on its mercury engine.

Premier can now playback my r3d files.

BTW whats the 60 gig SSD for?
 
I agree, don't get an ATI. ever. the SSD seems like a waste of money, too.

how about something like this:


Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-1GI GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

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

Koutech IO-RCM621 All-in-one USB 2.0 3.5" USB 2.0 Front Panel Multi-format Card Reader with USB 2.0 Port

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL

ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80601930

LG Black 10X Blu-ray Burner - Bulk SATA WH10LS30 LightScribe Support - OEM

Subtotal: $1,334.87


note: the hard disk may be smaller than you want.
 
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this ssd is great for running your os but it's going to be too small

for the price you may be better off going with a raptor drive.

defiantly upgrade the video card , that seems to be your weakest point of the system.

you may want to go with a nvidia card for the ease of hackintosh setup
 
I was hoping you guys would catch me mentioning this... "For that wishlist, the guy selected an ATI card but from my understanding, CS5 mercury engine only supports nvidia. I'm thinking about using those parts but substituting the graphics card for a GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 and getting rid of the SSD he has listed."

lol but yeah, I don't see the point in having the SSD drive. Fahad, nice setup list, this is just making it harder for me to decide what to get... The card reader completely slipped my mind too, I definitely want to have that in my setup. But so far, I'm really liking the parts that that newegg wish list had... That particular Gigabyte motherboard seems to be better too, it has USB 3.0(which is nice to be a little future proof) and it seems to have all the expansion capabilities as the ASUS you have listed.

Here's a revised list, please let me know what yall think:

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

HITACHI Deskstar HD31000 IDK/7K (0S00163) 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

GIGABYTE GV-N285UD-1GH GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL (thanks for the idea Fahad)

Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80601930

Koutech IO-RCM621 All-in-one USB 2.0 3.5" USB 2.0 Front Panel Multi-format Card Reader with USB 2.0 Port (thanks again Fahad)

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

Don't think I need a blu ray burner just yet, soundcard is not important, I already have an external, and haven't decided on a case yet... This should put it roughly around $1300. Are there any conflicting parts?

I really do appreciate the input guys, keep em coming.
 
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semajha,

Looking at you list I would recommend you get another HDD, perhaps a 500gig 7200 rpm , this you partition for your OS. This would be your C and D drive.

Use your 1T HDD for footage and project files.

Also, I recommend either a Seagate or Western Digital. Though honestly I have no experience with HITACHI, I have used SeaGate and WD for a long time and thats my only basis.
 
Teddy, Ill take your advice and add on another hard drive. But i'll keep the hitachi, I've had good experiences with them.

A few questions... Is it better to run a triple channel 2x3gb or dual 2x4gb? And i noticed the GTX 460 Fahad listed uses 1gb 256bit GDDR5 ram vs the GTX 295's 1gb 512bit GDDR 3 ram... Which is more beneficial for premiere pro?
 
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regarding the dual versus triple channel, on paper the triple looks good, but the actual real world benefit would vary depending on which application is running. Its not that big a change as compared to diff CPU speeds, for instance, where you can actually notice the difference.

I have no experience with the GTX 460, I only have the 9800GT and GT220 both at 1gig DDR3 which can handle HDV and AVCHD just fine. Even single stream r3D is ok.
 
semajha said:
A few questions... Is it better to run a triple channel 2x3gb or dual 2x4gb? And i noticed the GTX 460 Fahad listed uses 1gb 256bit GDDR5 ram vs the GTX 295's 1gb 512bit GDDR 3 ram... Which is more beneficial for premiere pro?
Click to expand...

in all honesty, 512-bit interface is supposedly better than 256-bit. but the 460 is newer than the 295... so i don't know.
 
My thoughts:

You don't NEED SSD, but it's nice. Drop that if you want to save money. Maybe look at a Seagate Momentus XT instead (hybrid SSD/platter drive). Or a WD Raptor.

Asus P6T. It's simple to overclock, and there's no reason NOT to overclock that CPU. It screams for it. Leaving it at stock clock speed is like driving a Ferrari 45 miles per hour on the highway. You might shave a few bucks off on another brand, but saving huge headaches and having system stability is worth a few extra bucks (there are plenty members of this forum that tried other brands and ended up finally breaking down and buying the P6T). Make sure to add a Noctua CPU cooler to your order. It's important if you want your CPU to overclock AND last a long time. The stock fan is adequate for stock speeds, but getting a Noctua is well worth the extra money. Oh, and you can add on USB3 with an expansion card. Yes, it takes up an extra slot, but this is an editing machine. You aren't going to be adding lots of other weird bells and whistles, right? If you have to have one with built in USB3, look at the ASUS X58 board.

The GTX 460 is faster than the 285. I have the 2GB version of the 285 and those with the 460's are getting better benchmark results in CS5.

Run memory in triple channel. If you get an ASUS board, get Corsair RAM. 12GB is well worth the money when running Adobe products.
 
Fahad said:
in all honesty, 512-bit interface is supposedly better than 256-bit. but the 460 is newer than the 295... so i don't know.
Click to expand...

That and the 460 is 70 bucks cheaper than the 295.. I don't get it?

Wildfly, i'm about to make another revision of my list while taking your advice into consideration. Another question, do ASUS boards work well for hackintosh builds? And does this particular CPU support overclocking? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3740040&SID=ov9y1g2ktb
 
You can get an awesome computer from Alienware. Totally customizable.
Its the best you can get for games, videos and editing!
 
No doubt their computers are awesome but I'm assuming I can build one for cheaper that can fit my needs.

Okay, let's give this another try. List Version 3:

Mobo: ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard ($205)

Processor: Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz ($290)

Graphics: ASUS ENGTX465/2DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 465 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 ($200)

Ram: CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 ($135) What's the difference between DDR3 1600 and 1333?

Harddrive: HITACHI Deskstar HD31000 IDK/7K (0S00163) 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb ($100 cost is for two drives as teddybear suggested)

Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V ($90 w/ $2 shipping)

CD/DVD Drive: I'll just use one from an old computer.

Case: Still haven't decided but if possible, I'd like a Mid tower with a simple elegant design... No neon lights and all that flashy stuff.

Additional Cooling: Noctua NH-C12P SE14 140mm SSO CPU Cooler ($75) Is this the right size for my CPU?

Total: $1,097 without case

Thoughts and opinions. Please remember to keep in mind that I'd like to be able to run Snow Leopard. Will this run Premiere Pro smoothly? I'm willing to spend a bit more if needed.
 
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My only suggestions (confirming what some others have already said): a CS5-approved Nvidia card (so you can take advantage of its hardware acceleration; not possible with most Nvidia cards, and no ATI cards... for now), and besides an SSD, as many large regular HD's as you can stuff in there / afford (not just the size of drives, but number of drives - the more heads and platters, the better).

Seeing that this will be a Hackintosh, why not FCP? ...or both?
 
The big question is why are you looking to make this a hackintosh? In all honesty, windows 7 is just as good if not better than OSX (something I would never say about any other MS OS)
 
I have no doubt that Windows 7 is just as good, which is why I'll be using it on this system along with mac osx... I like having the best of both worlds.
 
Oh, and (durr), as much memory as you can afford. 6GB seems a little weak to me. 8GB would be good, but 12GB or more would be better still.
 
I guess I can get more memory, thought 6gb would be enough... I'm trying to stay close my budget but might as well get spend a little more. The problem with triple 4gb = 12gb is that it cost so much! Nearly $500... I found that Gskill offers a triple 4gb for half the price... Anyone heard of GSkill ram?
 
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