Build - To last me through uni

[chrispantling]

Hi there. I

[IVIYTH0S]

I see no problems here, though what do you mean 2x2+1x1, why not 2x4?

Also is that 4870 the 1GB card? (the 260s are actually a little cheaper I think)

[chrispantling]

I see no problems here, though what do you mean 2x2+1x1, why not 2x4?

Also is that 4870 the 1GB card? (the 260s are actually a little cheaper I think)

 

 

From the very little i know about RAM i thought it would be best to have 2x2GB and 2x1GB to to fill the 4 slots... dual channel thing? I don't understand it too well clearly

 

I think it was only the 512 version - There are far too many Graphics cards on the market i can't chose one - i just want the best one i can get for about

[Verran]

What do you mean by 2x2+1x1? Are you getting two kits for a total of 6GB?

 

Also, the Freezer is a good cooler but I would get something better for a high-end quad like that. It's going to get hot. A better cooler won't cost that much more in the scope of the build. I'd suggest something like a Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme.

 

EDIT###

I see your answer to the memory question showed up as I was typing. Filling all the slots makes no difference. I would just stick to 2x2.

[IVIYTH0S]

From the very little i know about RAM i thought it would be best to have 2x2GB and 2x1GB to to fill the 4 slots... dual channel thing? I don't understand it too well clearly

 

I think it was only the 512 version - There are far too many Graphics cards on the market i can't chose one - i just want the best one i can get for about

[DLS2008]

Looks good, but like Verran said, look into a better cooler. And as IVY said, look at the 4870 1GB and GTX 260 Core 216.

[ebarone]

Better cooler for sure. Also, 250GB seems on the low side for a system thats to last 5 years unupgraded, I would consider something bigger, or just a 2nd drive outright. They arent much more expensive. Past that, you should be set for quite some time. Dont forget you need an OS also.

[IVIYTH0S]

a nice 640GB-1TB drive would be great

[Kingfisher]

Are you going to overclock your cpu?

If you are not going to then you could even use the stock cooler.

No sense in adding costs if you are not going to overclock.

If you are overclocking then disregard.

Nice hardware choices though.

[chrispantling]

Thanks for all the advice i really apprecite it.

 

The plan is to run Linux, Windows vista 64-bit and try to run Leopard(mac osx) aswell. I wasn't sure of the best way to do it i was thinking maybe get seperate hard drives for each one although id primarily use Windows.

 

I still have a bit of headroom for extra costs if you feel certain parts of my build aren't up to par i.e. the cooler so ill look into your suggestions there.

 

Will a 500W CPU be enough if i consider overclocking a bit although nothing extreme.

 

 

With regards to ram i decided on 6GB because i read somwhere that you need 1-2GB per core plus the 1GB for the OS and 6GB is better than having 5GB right Have i got this right?

 

I have a 500GB external already for all my media stuff so i can use that rather than more internal stuff but ill probably go for a 500GB internal at the very least when i build the final thing

 

Any other things i could improve guys?

 

Thanks

[Verran]

With regards to ram i decided on 6GB because i read somwhere that you need 1-2GB per core plus the 1GB for the OS and 6GB is better than having 5GB right Have i got this right?

1-2GB per core? I've never heard that before. That's extraordinarily vague. What you "need" is based on your usage, not on cores. If you want more than 4, get 8. There's no reason to run mismatched memory. Really though, 4 is way more than most people really need.

[Fogel]

Since your primary computing focus is 3-D graphic design you have far differents needs than most of the people here. I seriously recommend you find a website where 3-D graphic design artists hang out and ask their opinion on graphics cards.

 

 

I may be out in left field on this one, but since you're going to be compiling 3-D artwork you may want to spend quite a bit more money on your hard drive (HDD) selection than you currently have slated. You may want to consider buying the smallest SSD HDD you can find and using that to run all your 3-D compilation on to reduce the compilation time because I think the HDD is usually the biggest bottleneck, followed by the graphics card, and then the CPU. Then buy a 2nd HDD for storage ...I would imagine with the work you'll be doing you could chew through storage fast but I honest don't know.

 

Like I said, I could be way off but I would seriously consider

1 SSD drive - smallest

1 large storage drive (640GB - 1TB) - WD/Seagate

 

 

Most consumer graphics cards use APIs that enhance gaming and not so much on the 3-D Graphic Design side, so I'd run this question by 3-D Animation artists.

 

I probably wouldn't OC if I were you, last thing you need is cpu instability during a long compilation so like Kingfisher said... would skip the aftermarket cooler.

 

I follow the mindset that I'd rather have more PSU than I need than try to get just enough. Bad PSU can cause other components to be ruined for good, but that said... 500W should be ok. I do think its low though.