[kaushik_s]

My plan to build a PC for photoshop have gone for a toss after the astronomical increase of price of Hard drives due to Thailand flooding. Even the processor prices have gone up but that was still manageable but HDD prices are now shooting the roof. Anyone have any news if this situation will become better sometime soon?

BTW, Rehaan, mind sharing the configuration that you are planning and also the prices of the components? What is this rig gonna be used for?

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

BTW, Rehaan, mind sharing the configuration that you are planning and also the prices of the components? What is this rig gonna be used for?

Gonna be used for Team-BHP, Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, etc

Already have :
Dell Ultrasharp 2407WFP : $500
Logitech G400 : $38
2x 64GB Crucial M4 SSD : 2x $105
(^ Still deciding whether i should use these in RAID0 or RAID1)
16GB CORSAIR Vengeance (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600Mhz : $109 (Now just $95!!)

Need to buy
ASUS P8Z68-V (or ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3 - if available) : Rs ~12,000
Intel Core i7-2600K : Rs 15-17,000
Cooler Master Storm Enforcer OR 690 II Cabinet : Rs 5-6,000
Seasonic 560W Modular Power Supply (SS-560KM) : Rs 5,700
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) : Rs ~5-7,000
TVS Gold USB Keyboard - Black : Rs 1,400
Western Digital RE4 WD5003ABYX 500GB (IF available) : $149

Will buy a bit later
Dell 2007FP as second monitor : Rs 18,500
GTX 470 or similar GFX card : Rs 12-18,000

cya
R

[kaushik_s]

Aah, so you are doing video editing and so you need such high-end configuration? And I assume that you are going to overclock? No graphics card as of now?
I'm planning the following,
i5-2500 on Asus P8Z68 M Pro, GSkill Sniper 1600Mhz (2x4GB), Seasonic 430w, Nzxt Gamma cabinet, Windows 7 Home Premium and 1TB HDD. Thinking about getting SSD as scratch disk for Photoshop but these are too costly:(. My only usage will be Adobe Photoshop and music (need to decide on the sound card).
Already have the monitor (Dell U2311H and Keyboard/mouse) and the RAM (Gskill Sniper) and will be getting a UPS this weekend.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Aah, so you are doing video editing and so you need such high-end configuration?

Uhmm...YEAH. Thats my reasoning (excuse)

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

And I assume that you are going to overclock?

Nah, extremely unlikely.
(Call me stupid, but) I'm only buying the 2600K because of HD Graphics 3000 (vs 2000 on the sada 2600)

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

No graphics card as of now?

ONLY reason i really care about the GFX card is because of the Mercury Playback Engine in Premiere. So no hurry as such.

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Thinking about getting SSD as scratch disk for Photoshop but these are too costly:(.

DO IT!

Get a 32 or 64GIG and use it as your OS and scratch disks. Will make a huge difference.

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

getting a UPS this weekend.

Which one / how much?

This is also on my "must get later" list...

cya
R

[kaushik_s]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Uhmm...YEAH. Thats my reasoning (excuse)



Nah, extremely unlikely.
(Call me stupid, but) I'm only buying the 2600K because of HD Graphics 3000 (vs 2000 on the sada 2600)

Hmmmm, now I'm confused. Is it the same story with 2500 vs 2500k? I gotta check it out as I forgot if this was the case.

DO IT!

Get a 32 or 64GIG and use it as your OS and scratch disks. Will make a huge difference.

If I install OS on the SSD then it'll definitely increase boot up time but still space will be less for scratch disk use, right? I heard that Win 7 itself will require around 30GB of space?

Which one / how much?

This is also on my "must get later" list...

cya
R

Most probably APC BR-1KVA IN.

[vasudeva]

Windows 7 SP1 requires around 17-18GB of space when you first install (max 20 GB). Add major programs such as project, office pro, adobe x pro, vmware ws in my case and you are looking at around 35-40GB incl. all updates.

I would go for K version simply because these days it is extremely easy to overclock within reasonable limits (+10-15%) with just the stock cooler. With a decent water cooler of Rs. 3-4K, one can go to +30-40% with just 1 minute in the BIOS and reasonable CPU temps. Go for the K versions.

[Rehaan]

Update -

Actual prices paid :

• ASUS P8Z68-V (or ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3 - if available) --- Rs 12,100
• Intel Core i7-2600K --- Rs 17,000
• Cooler Master Storm Enforcer OR 690 II Cabinet --- Rs 6,500
• Seasonic 560W Modular Power Supply (SS-560KM) --- Rs 7,100
• Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) --- Rs 6,850
• TVS Gold USB Keyboard - Black --- Rs 1,600

cya
R

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

If I install OS on the SSD then it'll definitely increase boot up time but still space will be less for scratch disk use, right?

Yes ofcourse, though i still think its worth buying an SSD! How much scratch disk space will you need anyway?

[Thad E Ginathom]

That looks nice. I like the neat provision for cabling, and being a fan fan, the amazing number of fan locations. I think I'm a bit thick today, but, where is the PSU in this case?

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

That looks nice. I like the neat provision for cabling, and being a fan fan, the amazing number of fan locations. I think I'm a bit thick today, but, where is the PSU in this case?

Thad!

The PSU is a modern version. Its called ITM. In fact the one i got is the HIITM version - "Hopefully Its In The Mail".

I never in my life thought i would spend so much time (or money) on choosing a cabinet for my computer! The last time i built a desktop was in 2004, and a lot has changed. Notably :

1) Tool-free design : thumb-screws for the case siding and PCI cards, quick-lock for the DVD drives, snap-ins for the 3.5" drives - with sliding trays
2) Cable routing holes : So all the cables can meander around behind the motherboard
3) Bottom mounted PSU : So it sucks in cooler air from below the case, rather than from right around the processor like a top-mounted PSU does.
4) Dust filters : pretty much on all vents and intake fans. Removable.
5) Lots of fans : with spaces for even more. Place for 12(?) in total if im not mistaken.
6) SATA HDD dock : on TOP of the case, right behind the USB and headphone ports.

Here's a VERY WELL DONE review of the case :

Cooler Master 690 II Advanced Video Review - YouTube

cya
R

[Thad E Ginathom]

It would have been a step or two on from the all-original (had a hard disk!) but the first actually-IBM PCs I encountered were pretty much tool-free, built like tanks and very easy to work inside (they didn't have space to give me an office ). They were also amazingly expensive, and one of my first actions on joining that company, where PCs were just beginning to oust dumb terminals from the desktop, was to persuade then to buy Dell.

I too put as much thought into my case and PSU as I did into the electronics, and I am still messing around with different fans to get maximum air movement for minimum noise, but, to be honest, that is a bit of a hobby, rather than a necessity, especially given that my usual usage barely registers on the cpu-utilisation meters. I ended up with the Antec P183, and the non-standard-size Antec power supply. What I'd like is more fans, and more space behind the motherboard. The P183 is good on basic sound installation. Unless something fails, I must budget at least three years life for my PC, and, given the high cost of the case+CPU combination, I think I must use it for at least two generations of insides.

Hoping you are able to upgrade your power supply to the IATD* model very soon!



*It's At The Door
.

[msdivy]

Recently got ASUS G74SX-A1 17.3" laptop.
Processor: i7 2630QM
Memory: 12GB
Graphics: GeForce® GTX 560M with 3GB VRAM
Harddisk: Corsair Force 3 SATA 3 120GB SSD
It scores a cool 7.2 in Windows Experience Index

[Warwithwheels]

Originally Posted by msdivy

Recently got ASUS G74SX-A1 17.3" laptop.
Processor: i7 2630QM
Memory: 12GB
Graphics: GeForce® GTX 560M with 3GB VRAM
Harddisk: Corsair Force 3 SATA 3 120GB SSD
It scores a cool 7.2 in Windows Experience Index
Attachment 846065

That's one heck of a configuration. Congrats on your buy. Hows the After sales support of ASUS? Do they provide onsite service?

And how is the Non SSD version for the same specs priced?

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

That's one heck of a configuration. Congrats on your buy. Hows the After sales support of ASUS? Do they provide onsite service?

And how is the Non SSD version for the same specs priced?

Thanks. Haven't contacted ASUS support, but they have service centers in Bangalore. This model came with non SSD. Later I replaced the primary harddisk with SSD. This machine runs very quiet & is very cool even after many hours of usage.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by msdivy

Recently got ASUS G74SX-A1 17.3" laptop.
Processor: i7 2630QM
Memory: 12GB
Graphics: GeForce® GTX 560M with 3GB VRAM
Harddisk: Corsair Force 3 SATA 3 120GB SSD
It scores a cool 7.2 in Windows Experience Index
Attachment 846065

Have you tried any application which uses the CPU upwards of 50% and > 4GB RAM?

How long does the battery last at full blast usage?

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

My plan to build a PC for photoshop have gone for a toss after the astronomical increase of price of Hard drives due to Thailand flooding. Even the processor prices have gone up but that was still manageable but HDD prices are now shooting the roof. Anyone have any news if this situation will become better sometime soon?

If you find out when the prices come down, let me know. I guess my PC was waiting for the crisis and had two hard drives in the desktop with bad sectors. They are working but might die any day. :(

Rehaan,

Super cool config. I guess you made my life easier and I don't have to research too much for config. I'd wait and replicate the same configuration you got.