New Build for Graphic Designer

[sazqatch]

Hey All. Hope to get some great advice on my new build. Been checking out all the video reviews and they have helped a lot, but I am stuck most on which CPU to get. And ive gone back and forth on the case between the cooler master and the Antec P183v3. I like the antec's clean look, but am weary of its cooling ability if I OC with the 990x. But it being quiet is important since the box will be next to me under my desk (well ventilated with lots of room on hardwood)

WHAT I DO:

im a full time freelance graphic designer and web developer. This rig is my primary source of making a living, so im not afraid to put money into it if that money is well spent. Ive built one rig before, ages ago when P4's were hot, but Ive been a Dell guy for years bc it was easy. Now I want the best performance for the money, and Dell aint that. I use Adobe CS5, mostly Dreamweaver/fireworks and Illustrator, but plenty in Photoshop as well. But as a joomla guy now I spend a ton of time in multiple web browsers. I used to be a perl developer as well as doing the graphic work, but i mostly stick with easy PHP now. www.emd-it.com

The norm for me is to have about 10+ apps running (AI/PS/DW/FW/BR/FF/IE/Quickbooks/Trillian/outlook) including usually 40+ browser tabs. So multitasking is a huge issue. This also means I need tons of ram, which is why I am going X58/1366 so I can get 24GB of ram. (it appears that if I was ok with 16GB the 2600 would be a reasonable choice.) Since I upgraded to CS5 from CS4 and from outlook 2007 to outlook 2010 my current rig with 8GB is often over 93% ram utilization. Not good. It doesnt make sense to spend $300 now on 16GB DDR2 right after one of my quadro's just died six months out of warranty. lol.

I do NOT do any major video editing, and thus do not need a dual Xeon rig.

I am currently running a T3400 Dell Q6700@2.33/8GB/ with four monitors (28"/28"/24"/19") on two Quadro FX570's and 2x2TB caviar Greens with a kingston 128GB SSD for OS. Im giving this rig to my dad to replace his very sad core duo. The rig has lasted about 3+ years so it has had a good life and is still a decent machine.

MY BIGGEST QUESTION:

Do I spend the $1K on the 990x or save $400 and go with the 980? I have not overclocked before, but as i understand my research so far, it is not hard to easily get over 4.2ghz stable with the right cooler/ram/case airflow.

HERE IS THE BUILD I AM considering:

i7 990x@3.46

Asus Rampage III formula

Kingston HyperX T1 black series 24GB ram DDR3 1600 pc3 128000 (do i need the ddr3 2000?)

Cooler Master HAF932 Full Tower Case (worried this might be loud)

Corsair Pro Gold AX850 PS (i will be running as many as 3 vid cards later on)

Corsair H80 Liquid Cooler

Kingston HyperX SH100S3 120GB SSD (OS Drive)

2TB Caviar Black SATA 3/6gb

2X 2TB Caviar Greens SATA 2 (from old rig- backup drives)

PNY Quadro 2000 1GB Vid Card (expensive but worth it - and i dont play games on my pc)

Quadro FX 570 Vid (from old rig)

Win 7 Pro 64bit

card reader

arctic silver compound and thermal material remover/cleaner

CDRW DL (from old rig)

My objective:

A fast machine that is reliable and quiet. This build at Newegg comes in around $2900 (yes, im on the other side of the pond.) I spec'd out similar builds at misc online PC builders, and building it myself will save at least $700.

ANY suggestions/help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

 

[kilobravo]

If you want quiet,the H80 when cpu oc`ed will have a struggle with heat and will be loud.Either noctua nh-d14,thermalright silver arrow,the new phanteks aircooler or get one of these xspc rasa 750 rs360 watercooling kits that will fit the haf 932 like a glove,and is easy to install(beginners kit they are called).

The 990x is fast,why not get the best mobo for it.The rampage III extreme black will easily oc to 4.2ghz+.

If you choose one of the heatsinks,the hyperx T1 will be to tall to fit under either of them.

 

[sazqatch]

Thanks, Kilo. Ill look into those other cooling options and the price diff on the black version of the mobo. question: what ram would be better? the corsair vengeance?

and curious --- i see in your sig that youve got 970's well over 4 -- so, is the 990x worth it when that is possible? is it a matter of it being easier to achieve at lower voltage with the 990x?

-saz

 

[kilobravo]

Its easier to have the 990x run 4.2ghz+ and at lower volts with a mobo like r3e black.You could save some money by bying the 980 with the r3 formula,and be satisfied with 4.0-4.2ghz oc.But its a little bit more difficult with all ram-slots occupied.

Ram,i will suggest you have a look at mushkin rams,2 sets of 3x4gb.The ones that runs 1600mhz @ 1.5-1.6v.Timings could be tightened a bit at 1.65v and make them run smooth and fast.

 

[sazqatch]

So ive been looking through the mushkin ram. How much diff is there between the redline and radioactive versions?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226186

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226222

these are the two i should be considering, right?

As for the rampage black, I think that extra cost might just be a little too much. What about the gigabyte mobo? i think its a guerrilla?

Thanks!

 

[kilobravo]

The r3 formula with the red mushkin rams would look good.

If i were to hold a budget,this would be my choise.

And i can se the only change, is the rams, from your original specs

 

[FunkyMonkey90]

How urgently do you need the machine?.. If you can wait x79 socket is coming out soon and even if you cant afford it prices for x58 will drop aswell.

But if you are wanting it now then I'd recommend mushkin radioactive ram and either msi big bang mobo or maximus extreme. And also possibly look at 970s as they are cheaper and just as capable albeit on higher voltages with a noctua, phanteks or water loop on it?..

Just my thoughts

 

[sazqatch]

Hey FM,

Thanks. Im leaning towards not waiting... my system seems to be destabilizing more and more each day. With one of my quadro vid cards down im now limited to only two monitors. believe me, when you get used to four monitors for the past couple years, using only two is frustrating. and Im getting very bizarre behavior when streaming 1080p vid full screen. never had this issue before. and things are just slower with the higher ram utilization of cs5. 8gb of ram is just not enough for what i do and i need to fix it. if i pay the 300 for 16gb of ram on my current machine, and then buy a new $450 quadro 2000 card, i might as well build a new rig and give this one to my dad.

Ive been going through a big mental transition over the past day. Ive been analyzing the prudence of paying the premium for the 990x when the 2600k is so much less. I am planning on OC'ing, but not to any extreme. I dont have plans to break out the dry ice. so ive been looking into building a rig with most all of the same parts but with the 2600k.

From everything ive read recently, as suggested here, the noctura dh10 seems like a great cooler, and with the mushkin radiocative ill be good. I really wanted to go with 24gb of ram, and not the current (practical) limit of 16 of the sandy boards, but those 8gb chips should be commonplace at some point, and many of the boards will support the 8GBx4. (as i understand it those sticks are not really yet avail, pls correct me if I am wrong. I see one option on newegg of 2x8gb for $450 - thats kinda extreme to pay 900 for 32gb of ram, even saving money on the cpu.)

so, i know there are hard core purists on the 900 series for overclocking, and certainly with no disrespect to them, Im thinking that the 2600k will be an easier and more stable option for me. and cheaper.

please, anyone correct me on anything im wrong about... trying to make the best decision with the right info.

thanks!

Saz