cant make up my mind about what system is best for graphics...

[rody084]

Hi,

I have been going back and forth and spending hours researching online... arriving at no conclusion and being more confused than ever.

I am trying to build a system for mainly graphics usage... here are the CPU intensive things i usually do:

3D studio
Photoshop
Illustrator
MP3 Encoding
DVD-Encoding
Goldwave Wave editing
Alot of multi-tasking

So,

I first thought I should get a dual XEON system...

then after reading up, it seemed that a single Intel 660 chip would be better. (one reason being that dual-xeon mobos dont offer pci-express video cards)...

then, my reading took me toward a dual-opteron system...

then it took me to AMD Athlon 64 3800 system...

So, I was wondering if anyone could give me a suggestion for my application and see if i can finally just put this thing together already! lol

thank you in advanced for the help!!

-Rody

 

[airiox]

Hmm what is your price range? You will definately want some sort of dual CPU configuration.

 

[rody084]

top price for CPU + Mobo combination is about $1000

 

[rody084]

hmm... just read that the venice is coming out in a few days... that'll probably drive prices down...

 

[airiox]

Hmm well I would probably go with a dual Xeon system You probably will want to get a Tyan motherboard. This one is refurbished but they are kind of expensive and hard to find so it should do.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-151-141R&depa=0

As for the Xeons these would match your price range. They are a little hard to find as well so I chose a fairly reputable company that has a good price.

http://www.computerbrain.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=BX80546KG3000EP&sc=PW

Just get two of those.

Then you Will need atleast 2 GIGS of good ECC RAM. You will want to get 4 512 MB sticks of the same ram.

And If you do any gaming I suggest getting either the X800 XT or 6800 Ultra or if you dont do gaming then go with the more expensive FireGL or the Quatro.

Hope that helps. You will need a nice PSU too. proabably a PC Power and Cooling with atleast 500W or more.

 

[rody084]

thank airiox!

is there any particular reason why you recommend 4 RAM sticks rather than 2?

so xeon is better than opteron?

the reason i was inclined away from xeon is because its hard to find mobos for it that have PCI-Express...

is dual xeon 2.8 better for my application than a single Athlon 3800?

thanks again!

 

[rody084]

****AMD 3800 Setup:****

preliminary system idea based on friend's recommendation:

Case:
xPCgear G7 Gaming Windowed Mid-Tower ATX Case with Built-in Front Panel Thermometer, 2x LED Cooling Fans, Blue Neon Light Embedded Front Panel, USB2.0, Audio, 480W Power Supply (Black)

Mobo:
MSI K8N NEO4-F NVIDIA nForce4 Chipset 1000MHz FSB Dual Channel DDR 400 Socket 939 ATX Motherboard with 8-Channel Audio, Gigabit LAN, SATA/RAID, USB, PCI-Express 16X, NV RAID: MS-7125-030 (Retail)

CPU:
AMD Athlon 64 3800+ 2.4GHz 512KB L2 Cache, 130nm, Socket 939 CPU Processor, ADA3800AWBOX (Retail with Fan and Heatsink, 3-Year AMD Warranty)

RAM: (x2=2GB)
OCZ Value Series OCZ4001024V3DC-K Dual Channel Kit 1GB PC3200 DDR 400MHz CL 3-4-4-8 PC Memory RAM (Lifetime Warranty


****Intel Xeon Setup:****

Case:
xPCgear G7 Gaming Windowed Mid-Tower ATX Case with Built-in Front Panel Thermometer, 2x LED Cooling Fans, Blue Neon Light Embedded Front Panel, USB2.0, Audio, 480W Power Supply (Black)

Mobo:
Asus NCCH-DL Intel 82875P Chipset 800MHz FSB Dual Channel DDR400 Dual Xeon / Nocona ATX Server Motherboard with AGP 8X, SATA, GbLAN, USB 2.0, IEEE1394 Firewire, PCI-X

CPU: (x2)
Intel Xeon 2.4GHz 533MHz FSB, 1MB Cache, 604Pin CPU Processor: BX80532KE2400E (Retail with Passive Heatsink with Processor Wind Tunnel and 3-Year Intel Warranty) (Non-Refundable)

RAM: (x2=2GB)
OCZ Value Series OCZ4001024V3DC-K Dual Channel Kit 1GB PC3200 DDR 400MHz CL 3-4-4-8 PC Memory RAM (Lifetime Warranty!)


****Dual Opteron Setup:****

Case:
xPCgear G7 Gaming Windowed Mid-Tower ATX Case with Built-in Front Panel Thermometer, 2x LED Cooling Fans, Blue Neon Light Embedded Front Panel, USB2.0, Audio, 480W Power Supply (Black)

Mobo:
Tyan Thunder K8S (S2880) 800MHz FSB AMD-8131 AMD Opteron Chipset Dual Channel DDR400 ATX Motherboard with SATA RAID Support, Video, LAN Controller, USB: S2880GNR

CPU: (x2)
AMD Opteron 244 1.8GHz Hammer Core Socket 940 CPU Processor (Retail with Fan and Heatsink, 3-Year AMD Warranty) (Non-Refundable)

RAM: (x2=2GB)
OCZ Value Series OCZ4001024V3DC-K Dual Channel Kit 1GB PC3200 DDR 400MHz CL 3-4-4-8 PC Memory RAM (Lifetime Warranty!)


i am deffinitly not set on any of these options and am very open to ideas and input about what sytem to get...

i am still very confused about what i should do

thanks again for the help!!

 

[prosser13]

If I were you I'd go for a Socket 939. These are the specs I would go with :

Case:

Coolermaster Stacker (I don't like it but it's massive Any decent case would do)

Mobo:

Asus A8N-SLI (think thats the one Best mobo out there I hate to say - at least the most stable)

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 4000+ 2.GHz 1MB cache Winchester/Venice core (depends how long you wanna wait)

RAM: What you chose

Video Card: XFX 6800GT (sweet card)

Then when the Dual-Cores come out I would get one of them. Also, you have an awesome upgrade route for gaming. The Socket 939 board will take the Dual-Cores, or at least it should, so your safe there. Wish I could afford what you can

 

[mighty_chick]

change the ASUS mobo that needforspeed just said to a MSI Neo 4 Platinum and that would probably work. also change the AMD 4000+ to the FX-55 because the multiplier isnt locked so you can do massive o/c clocking (although with that it also costs more). stay away from cheap video card brands..you'll only have problems with them, i recommend MSI,BFG,Leadtek. get 2GB Crucial ballistix, 4x512mb and get around a 500w psu. also if you got dual 6800gt's you can o/c them to ultra lvls which will save you lots of money. SLI will be the way to go since ASUS is planning on bringing out dual gpu core video cards, which will pwn any Firegl or Quattro. and that system will pwn, get a windowed case and lights if you want, although if you want lots of lights and fans and such get a 560w psu just to be safe

 

[rody084]

alright, so i ended up buyin a buncha parts... hope i did good.... this was all my money would allow...

AMD Athlon 64 3800+
MSI K8NNeo4 Platinum Socket 939 Motherboard
Case with Antec 480W Neopower Suppply
Kingston 2GB PC3200 DDR 400MHzWestern Digital Raptor WD360GDRTL
MSI Radeon X800XL 256MB DDR3 PCIe w/Dual DVI/TVOUT

Ty to everyone for the help!!