New computer time. help.

[cocheese20]

I know absolutely nothing about computers. Every computer I've ever owned has been built by a friend of mine that works with them for a living. He is super anti Mac and always steers me away from getting anything other than a PC. Its new computer time for me and I was looking at one of the Mac Pros. He put together this package for me that is comparable to the base model of the Mac pro.
This package totals to $1400. I'll most likely end up with him building me another computer, because the price difference compared to the mac is too huge. But I have always really wanted to try a mac out to see what the fuss is about.
Heavy Photoshop/lightroom related stuff is what I primarily use the computer for. No games or anything like that.
I currently have a 5d camera and will probably be updating to the new version sometime soon.
I want this setup to last for a few years.
I tend to somehow mess up my computer from time to time and have to have it worked on by someone that actually knows what they are doing with a computer. This is is highly annoying. Are macs really more idiot proof than pcs?
Also, my friend mentioned that the macs don't work with 64 bit or something or other... I don't really know if this matters or not?
I guess one thing to consider is that macs would definitely retain a resale value more than some home built computer?
Anyways, since I'll have this for a long time, I thought I'd put it out to the internets to see what people thought of the setup.

ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 ATX Intel Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813131365)

Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819115202)

OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820227365)
total $571.04

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817139005)

COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Computer Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811119138)
$259.98

Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16822136322)
$229.99

OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820227365)
$87.00

EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896-P3-1255-AR Video Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814130434)
$145.00

I think one of the hard drives I currently have would also be transferred over to this computer.

[tim]

Why do you have two types of DDR3 RAM in there? The first type seems excessively expensive. Get the cheapest that will work IMHO.

You don't need a VelociRaptor. Get a couple of big Seagate 1TB disks instead, and maybe add a small one for the OS. It doesn't much matter how fast windows or programs load.

Macs are 64 bit, but Photoshop isn't 64 bit on the Mac yet. CS5 will be. The Mac hardware's good quality, and resale value will be higher, but performance will be comparable to this PC.

[Marloon]

The reason why the ram is expensive is because it's packaged together with the i7 920 and the p6t motherboard.

-you don't need 12 gb of ram
-you don't need a 10000rpm drive, buy a couple of 1 or 1.5tb drives instead.
-you might want a better case than that. Go after a cm 690 or anted 900 or 1200
-you might want a bigger power supply such as a 750tx

And tada... You have a Beast that's as good as a mac without the os -which is what everyone is after when they buy a mac. If money is no issue, go after a mac. If money is an issue, get this. Both are BEASTS!!!!!!!

Oh and "invest" in good quality monitors such as the dell 2209wa. Oh and no matter which monitor you get. Buy a monitor calibrator. It helps.

[cocheese20]

Thanks for the suggestions! is there a reason the VelociRaptor isn't needed? My friend that's building this for me thought they were really cool. Admittedly, he doesn't do any sort of graphics work period, so I don't if he knows exactly what is needed for photoshop type work. We kind of went down the line of specs from the apple website and tried to get comparable stuff for PC.
Money isn't really an issue. I want to get something that is good and will last. If the price difference was within a couple hundred dollars I would definitely get a mac. But I'd be saving $1,000 by having my friend put something together... thats pretty huge.
The mac OS can't be THAT much better? geez, their marketing campaign has really worked on me!

[tim]

Raptor's are good, you just don't gain much really and you lose capacity. Have one as a boot disk if you have plenty of money to throw around.

[Moppie]

The mac OS can't be THAT much better? geez, their marketing campaign has really worked on me!


It's no better, just different.

Besides, when was the last time you used the operating system to edit your photos?

Your going to be using Lightroom and Photoshop, and both programs are virtually the same on Windows or OS-X. So who really cares?


The Mac Pro uses lots of server grade parts, which is primarly why it is so much more expensive.

Since you don't need a server grade system, you might as well get the one your mate can build for you, which will give 99% of the performance, be more easily customised to exactly what you need, and cost less, while still being just as reliable (if well built).



As the other said, don't both with the velociraptor.

I woulds recomend:
A single 250GB drive for Windows and apps.
A single 320 or 500GB drive for other things, movies, games, music etc.
2 500GB or 1TB drives for photos ONLY.
Use one as the working drive, and the other as an internal back up.
Then 1 or 2 drives of the same size for external back ups via e-SATA.


6GB of RAM will be enough, but if you really to go over board and plan on getting a 5D MKII and doing lots of editing work, then by all means get 12GB.

[WRCfan]

Thanks for the suggestions! is there a reason the VelociRaptor isn't needed? My friend that's building this for me thought they were really cool. Admittedly, he doesn't do any sort of graphics work period, so I don't if he knows exactly what is needed for photoshop type work. We kind of went down the line of specs from the apple website and tried to get comparable stuff for PC.
Money isn't really an issue. I want to get something that is good and will last. If the price difference was within a couple hundred dollars I would definitely get a mac. But I'd be saving $1,000 by having my friend put something together... thats pretty huge.
The mac OS can't be THAT much better? geez, their marketing campaign has really worked on me!

Sounds like your `friend` is building a computer for HIS needs, not yours. 12GB of ram come on!?!?!?!? Its like buying a Hummer H1 for driving in central NY city. Your friend is biased and while deciding you should be looking at both without Bill Gates nattering in your left ear all the time.

Go play with a Mac, see whether you like the computer in real life, go look at their specs, they come in customizable options of course regarding speed and HD size etc...Its the only real way you will find out.

[Marloon]

I
I woulds recomend:
A single 250GB drive for Windows and apps.
A single 320 or 500GB drive for other things, movies, games, music etc.
2 500GB or 1TB drives for photos ONLY.
Use one as the working drive, and the other as an internal back up.
Then 1 or 2 drives of the same size for external back ups via e-SATA.


Agreed. i use two 1.5TB for photos only.

if you are going to run this setup, you will really need a 750 watt power supply. i'd get a 1000 watt power supply just so that you can upgrade to whatever you please in the future.

[Moppie]

Agreed. i use two 1.5TB for photos only.

if you are going to run this setup, you will really need a 750 watt power supply. i'd get a 1000 watt power supply just so that you can upgrade to whatever you please in the future.



A test was done some time ago by another member here. He was running 4 or 5 drives on a high end dual core machine with a high end graphics card, and a 400W power supply.
His system never actually used more than about 200Ws.


It is not the quantity, but the quality that is important.
Something in 500-700W range will be more than enough, providing it is a high quality unit.

[amd is the best]

Antec makes some excellent cases and power supplies. All I use in my builds.

[tim]

I woulds recomend:
A single 250GB drive for Windows and apps.
A single 320 or 500GB drive for other things, movies, games, music etc.
2 500GB or 1TB drives for photos ONLY.
Use one as the working drive, and the other as an internal back up.
Then 1 or 2 drives of the same size for external back ups via e-SATA.

I dos much the same thing:
- Small drive for OS (I use a 400GB Seagate that was an old data drive)
- 1TB Seagate drive for media and random data, plus personal photos
- 1TB for commercial photos
- 1.5TB external SATA offsite backup.

[In2Photos]

Agreed. i use two 1.5TB for photos only.

if you are going to run this setup, you will really need a 750 watt power supply. i'd get a 1000 watt power supply just so that you can upgrade to whatever you please in the future.
As Moppie pointed out this is simply not true.

I am running a similar setup with two hard drives and two DVD drives, plus several USB card readers. I have a Corsair 650TX that barely spins the fan as it is barely using any power.

Also, the Corsair 650 is made by Seasonic and is a better PSU than the 750 quality wise. Only go larger if you plan on running multiple GPUs in SLI/Crossfire and OCing. The 650 is more than enough for this build.

[Krapo]

I woulds recomend:
A single 250GB drive for Windows and apps


ditto

You may want to use an SSD disk for the OS and software. SSD disks have much faster read time than normal hard drives, and you will mainly read data from that disk.

I can't find out where but I remember having read a blog by a guy who tested the difference between a 7200rpm, a raptor and an SSD as OS/software disk. He said that with the latter he had the feeling that he just got a whole new machine. He was mentioning booting up OS X in less than 5 seconds...

Take this with a pinch of salt (it was a blog and I can't remember its name), but bottom line is that you might want to get further info on that idea!


By the way, I'm asking myself the exact same question. Even more so because I just love OS X. Still, I find it hard to justify spending twice the money just for the OS (and that super silver case :D)...

[slappy sam]

I know absolutely nothing about computers. Every computer I've ever owned has been built by a friend of mine that works with them for a living. He is super anti Mac and always steers me away from getting anything other than a PC. Its new computer time for me and I was looking at one of the Mac Pros. He put together this package for me that is comparable to the base model of the Mac pro.
This package totals to $1400. I'll most likely end up with him building me another computer, because the price difference compared to the mac is too huge. But I have always really wanted to try a mac out to see what the fuss is about.
Heavy Photoshop/lightroom related stuff is what I primarily use the computer for. No games or anything like that.
I currently have a 5d camera and will probably be updating to the new version sometime soon.
I want this setup to last for a few years.
I tend to somehow mess up my computer from time to time and have to have it worked on by someone that actually knows what they are doing with a computer. This is is highly annoying. Are macs really more idiot proof than pcs?
Also, my friend mentioned that the macs don't work with 64 bit or something or other... I don't really know if this matters or not?
I guess one thing to consider is that macs would definitely retain a resale value more than some home built computer?
Anyways, since I'll have this for a long time, I thought I'd put it out to the internets to see what people thought of the setup.

ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 ATX Intel Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813131365)

Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819115202)

OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820227365)
total $571.04
Good, this looks like a very nice bundle.

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817139005)
I would actually go with a lesser PSU such as the CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Compatible ... - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001). You don't need 650W, 520 is fine, will use less power, and its a better PSU since its modular.

COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Computer Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811119138)
$259.98
It isn't actually this expensive (shows as 170 or something) but still seems a bit like overkill. I went with the antec 300 and two scythe fans for my build, which provides 4 fans, one blowing directly on the video card, which is nice. It's a good looking and really well made case, and its only $55. It gets awesome reviews: Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042)


Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16822136322)
$229.99
Not needed. Raid0 two 640gb WD Black drives if you want. Cheaper and more storage, and probably close to/just as fast. This is only neccessary for a gamer.

OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820227365)
$87.00
Take this out. You won't need 12gb of ram unless your doing very intense CAD work or video work. For photo processing I doubt you will ever be using all 6gb of ram.

EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896-P3-1255-AR Video Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814130434)
$145.00
Again, overkill. Unless you are a gamer, you can get away with a card like the one I just bought for $35 - 9600GSO. Plus, it can play most games anyway. No need to get a cutting edge graphics card unless your a big gamer.
I think one of the hard drives I currently have would also be transferred over to this computer.
Waiting on newegg to show my public wishlist and I will show that to you. $1050 after mail in rebates for EVERYTHING including extra fans, two hard drives to raid0, and all the other stuff you'd obviously need.

[Zepher]

650watt name brand PSU is fine for the machine.
WD 640GB Black as the boot drive, just partition it to a 200GB and 400GB partition, and load the OS and programs on the 200GB partition, this will be an extremely fast setup.

WD 1TB Black drives or Seagate 1.5GB drives for storage (I have 2 1TB blacks and 1 1.5TB seagate and they are blazing, 125-150MB/sec transfer between them with no raid)

My system at full load with 9 7200 Rpm hard drives, 20" and 19" LCD's, Alesis Powered Monitor Speakers, a 13watt CFL Desk lamp, and 2 External 500GB My Books uses 390watts.

[tim]

Putting video or music on the same drive (partitioned or not) is probably a good plan, since once the OS/programs are loaded it's pretty much idle. I keep swap there.