Dybdal

Hi guy.
A family member asked me to put together a new computer for her. Its gonna be used to run photoshop and dreamveawer mostly, as she is a webdesigner.
Im ordering a new system tonight and im gonna post pictures in here so you can follow the progress.

The components i have choosen are
Cpu: AMD Phenom II x6 1055t 2.8 ghz
Mobo: Asus M4A78LT-M
Ram: 8 gb Corsair 1333 mhz ddr3
Gfx: Club3d Radeon HD 5770 1 gb
Psu: Ocz StealthXstream 500w
Ssd: Kingston Ssdnow V-series 30 gb
Hdd: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500gb
Case: Silverstone SG02B
Dvd drive: 2x Samsung dvd-burner.

Im posting here before i buy this set up, because you guys are great at finding the little mistakes one might make

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Best stable overclock done:

blibbax

Nice.

A couple of things...

1) Is she computer literate enough to realise that she can't put anything on her main driver other than Windows and maybe a few small programs?

2) Why does she need such a powerful GPU?

Also, you might want to consider some extra fans and a decent low profile CPU cooler for that case... quite a powerful system as it stands, and to my knowledge that case only comes with a single 80mm fan, and positions the CPU cooler directly under (and blowing in the opposite direction to) the PSU.

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Dybdal

At home she has been running an old computer with only a 60 gb hdd partitoned in to 2 30 gb partitions. And she is smart enough to understand that she aint supposed to install any think on the main drive.
its quite cheap right now i can get it for what is equivalent to 156$, and normally it costs around 220+ $

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Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict.

Best stable overclock done:

blibbax

Fair enough.

What's the deal with the mega GPU and cooling then? :P

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Dybdal

Would the gpu be overkill? what would you recommend instead?

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Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict.

Best stable overclock done:

blibbax

You only need a GPU that powerful if you're going to be gaming.

You may as well save shed loads of power, cooling and money with something milder.

If she's running Adobe CS5, there are some impressive gains to be made by using Nvidia hardware with CUDA acceleration, though only for certain tasks. Check this out.

If the system's never going to do any GPU work beyond HD video, then surely the onboard graphics will be fine.

If it's going to do some very mild gaming and perhaps some GPU accelerated computing, maybe an Nvidia GT430 would suit you well. I'm not sure if the specific model would fit in your case, but here's a HH review. You could even go a little further downmarket and get a GT220 or 240.

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Liqourice

You just want him to get an nvidia card.

Seriously though, for apps only the IGP will be more than enough.

Dybdal

I will be getting a 430 instead and getting a samsung f1 500 gb also and maybe a larger ssd and some cooling. the 430 is half the price of the 5770 :P

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Dybdal

I could get her a ocz Vertex 2 60gb or a kingston ssdnow v-series gen 2 64 gb or a corsair force series f60 60 gb ssd? What would you recommend? or i could keep the other ssd and get her some better cooling instead?

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Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict.

Best stable overclock done:

blibbax

Thanks for keeping me in check :P I must say I do tend to end up with Nvidia cards, but I wouldn't describe myself as biased or a fanboy. It's what happens to be fit for purpose at the time.

If I was building a cheap gaming rig today, it'd definitley have a 5770. But if I was building a slightly more expensive one, it'd be a GTX460, and if I was building a PC not for gaming... yeah, it probably would be a GT430 :P

Liquorice's more serious point is worth listening too though. Like I said before, if you're not planning on putting any load on the GPU, you don't need a discrete card. It'll be fine for HD movies, Windows aero etc.

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Dybdal

IT will be used to accelerate Photoshop (and dreamweaver if it can)

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Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict.

Best stable overclock done:

blibbax

Ok, but do do your research. Remember it's only certain tasks that are accelerated, and she might not use them :P

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Dybdal

I dont know all the the things she will be using, and i dont even know if she will be playing an occasional game. So i will just keep the 430 What do you think of the ssds?

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Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict.

Best stable overclock done:

blibbax

I don't know, but you said it was a choice between that and cooling...

I don't know how well cooled the GT430 you choose was, but regardless, I think it'd be very sensible to get a (quiet) 80mm case fan for the vents above the graphics card and maybe a dust filter for the front intake if it's possible to fit one and it's not included.

As for the CPU cooler, I always find it somewhat unsatisfactory to have a PSU fan and a CPU fan right next to each other blowing in opposite directions, but that might just be the OCD in me. I doubt it'd cause any issues.

If you still have spare money for an SSD upgrade by the time you're done with any issues you do or don't see in the above two paragraphs, given my lack of expertise in this area, all I can do is point you in the direction of HH's reviews (especially this one)

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Dybdal

I could get this cpu cooler
::: Zalman, leading the world of Quiet Computing Solutions :::
and then maybe a Noctua NF-R8 case fan

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Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict.

Best stable overclock done:

blibbax

I think that cooler would still blow in the opposite direction to the PSU fan right next to it.

How about something like this, allowing you to fit the fan either way up:

Samuel 17 | Prolimatech

Simonw in this thread managed to fit one into a mini-itx case of similar layout, even with a massive fan.

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Dybdal

Im actually thinking of getting an entirely other case the Cooler Master Elite 360. It looks like its better cooled and have a bit more space inside.

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Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict.

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Dybdal

And instead of the stealthXstream i will be getting the modXstream pro 500w. The prices are nearly identical.

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Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict.

Best stable overclock done:

Dybdal

Cooling wise im gonna buy 2x 120 mm fractal design fans and then keep the stock cpu cooler. Then put 1 as an intake fan on the side and one as an exhaust fan in the top

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Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict.

Best stable overclock done:

blibbax

That's also a nice case, although personally I think I'd go for the Silverstone. I'm not sure I like the PSU pulling in air from the outside of the case without a filter, and it looks like the airflow would miss a large part of the case.

I don't think you'll go far wrong either way though, I'm just being picky now :P

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Dybdal

The cooler master was roughly half the price of the silverstone and that way i could get both the ssd and better cooling

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Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict.

Best stable overclock done:

Dybdal

And for the dust matter. It will be standing on the desk most likely

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Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict.

Best stable overclock done:

blibbax

Yeah, my PC sits on a desk in my student accomodation. I cleaned it just before the start of term (8 weeks ago). I looked into the case the other day, and the filters up the front are absoloutely caked

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Dybdal

Haha If i can get one from ebay in time im gonna get her a 120mm dust filter for the intake fan

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Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict.

Best stable overclock done:

blibbax

Just clean it out every so often, chances are her desk is nowhere near as dusty/dirty as my room here

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craig5320

I'd recommend an Nvidia card to accelerate Photoshop, Dreamweaver won't be accelerated by the GPU, least not in CS5 or previous. My experience with ATI accelerating Photoshop has had to be disabled all GPU acceleration.

There's not a whole lot of acceleration with photoshop, it's mostly the user interface.

I wouldn't bother with 8GB of RAM either, 6 tops, but I only have 4 in this rig and it can handle all my design projects. I'd price up an Intel i5 system as well.

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Tipstaff

Just a couple notes (please don't mind if I'm making this sound as if you don't know computers.. you may just well do.. it's more for others that don't know that might read this):

- Minimum SSD size you should consider is 40GB, 60GB preferred. The reasoning is that since you will need to be installing Windows 7 for optimal use of the SSD it alone, after install, can take up anywhere from 17GB to 20GB of space (partly Windows 7, partly page file which it's size is based on the amount of RAM). And even though you are getting a 30GB drive your actual usable space is smaller.. more like 28GB, so you could find she'll run out of space real quick. With at least 40GB you give yourself a bit of headroom, 60GB even more so. At that size she can even install apps to the drive without worry, even Photoshop and Dreamweaver which will benefit from being installed on the SSD, and not the mechanical drive (in fact, since Photoshop won't be on the mechanical drive you could redirect the scratch file to that drive).

- After installing Windows 7 you can always redirect her main user folders to the 2nd hard drive so any data she saves within, say, My Documents, will automatically be forwarded to that other folder. I usually set up an identical folder on the 2nd drive exactly how it is on the main drive. So, create a folder called "Users", another folder based on the users name within that, and just redirect whatever folders you want into that (advisable to move: Desktop, My Documents, My Music, My Videos, Downloads, Pictures, Saved Games, Contacts, and Favorites). That way the only thing she needs to pay attention to is the path for any applications she installs.

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Dybdal

its more expensive to get her an intel system with an i5 750 than getting her the phenom ii x6 1055t and she will benefit from the extra cores she will be getting the force f60 ssd drive so she will have some room on the drive. The extra 4 gb of ram aint that expensive and then it wont need to use the scratch file as much.

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Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict.

Best stable overclock done:

Dybdal

Ordered the system today with the following specs :P

Cpu: Amd Phenom II x6
Mobo: Asus M4A78LT-M
Ram: 8 gb Corsair 1333 mhz ddr3
Gfx: Club3d Geforce gt430 1gb
Psu: Ocz ModXstream 500w
Case: Coolermaster 360
Ssd: Corsair Force Series F60 60 gb
Hdd: WD Caviar Blue 500 gb
Dvd drive: 2x Samsung dvd-burner

The items are hopefully coming in tomorrow, but i wont be home tomorrow.
I might get some work done friday and then up load some pics in the evening

__________________
Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict.

Best stable overclock done:

blibbax

Good luck

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