upshot Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 So... I've been working with the following rig for about 4 years now: -dual xeon 2.4 on a intel se7505vb2 mobo -2 GB -Quadro4 750 XGL -XP PRO x32 We just landed a big job so it's time for me to upgrade and pass this rig down to an intern... I'm an Acad, VIZ, Sketchup, Adobe Suite user primarily. Budget will be around $2k - I'm feeling totally out of it - Any suggestions would be welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lester_Masterson Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 •Intel QuadCore Q6600 Processor (makes your dual Xeon look like a 386) •Intel Deluxe P35 Mainboard •4096MB DDR2 Memory (access up to 3Gb under XP Pro 32bit) •DVD/CD Writer •3 x 500GB Hard Drive ( 1 - OS and Programs, RAID the other 2 for data ) •Windows XP Pro •nVidia 8800GT Graphics ...add in 2 VIEWSONIC LCD PANEL 22IN 1680 X 1050 2MS (check out the specs on these) about $1900 CDN (and the envy of your underlings) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upshot Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 Thanks for the help! I'm running a sony cpd-G520 at 1920x1440 at the moment... I'm still a little partial to the CRT for the resolution and color accuracy - are these LCDs finally challenging a pro CRT?? Looks like a good config though... I'll build it myself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upshot Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 Should I go with XP PRO x64? I'm unclear on the benefits/pitfalls if so... There is no way I'm going vista... *gong* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lester_Masterson Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 I haven't heard anything good about x64 or Vista. In fact, if I were to buy XP x64 from my dealer, he will not warranty the rig. (yikes) I was also informed that the LCD's I mentioned are 95% as good as the color correct Lacie's costing 2-3x more. Personally, I use a CRT/LCD combo, and try to strike an average from both. Then print a test to see how off I am Good luck. Building it yourself for a business can have it's drawbacks. Not sure how close you are with management, but if something were to blow up just before a big deadline, would your neck be on the block? Just askin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 I use XP64 and it's very good, there's very little 32-bit software that doesn't run on it and it does handle my full 4GB. Viz still doesn't take advantage of the 64-bit functions but it does work just as well as it does on 32-bit, same with the Adobe package. Maybe they add 64-bit to VIZ in the next release and if they do you'll appreciate it. Stay away from Vista, and you probably don't need to bother with the RAID unless you're feeling particularly ambitious. I did have a driver issue with my nVidia card and my Intel raid and ended up unraiding the drives but not until after a lot of hassle. Also, the Intel motherboards aren't as customizable as some of the others. An Asus board (go for a P5K or newer) is excellent for tweaking and overclocking. If you want to try overclocking, make sure you have a good power supply, faster RAM than you need (e.g., buy the 800 if the CPU calls for the 533) and an upgraded heatsink/fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upshot Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 Good luck. Building it yourself for a business can have it's drawbacks. Not sure how close you are with management, but if something were to blow up just before a big deadline, would your neck be on the block? Just askin' Good point. We are a small firm so we all share the pain of the technology house of cards. Nevertheless it's always nice to have the option of pointing the finger at a supplier! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upshot Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 Also, the Intel motherboards aren't as customizable as some of the others. An Asus board (go for a P5K or newer) is excellent for tweaking and overclocking. If you want to try overclocking, make sure you have a good power supply, faster RAM than you need (e.g., buy the 800 if the CPU calls for the 533) and an upgraded heatsink/fan. I agree. I've never been happy with this intel MOBO and was in fact looking at ASUS. I probably won't OC but the tweeking is always welcome... I've always been happy with my ASUS home rigs. solid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upshot Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 Okay if I was to build it here's what I put together: Opinions on this kit of parts?? I opted for a 10k for os and progs. and a 500gb for storage (that should be fine for me on top of our network storage) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 I think your judgment here is quite good, my only comments would be that I don't know anything about that Zalman cooler so I can't comment, but you might not even need it if you're not going to OC (at stock speeds the Intel stock cooler doesn't suck enough to be unusable). Also, the DDR3 memory seems too expensive. When I bought mine I looked at the options and reviews, and these tests made me not want to pay the extra money. (The P5K3 is tested with the Corsair DDR3 and the P5K with OCZ DDR2.) I ended up getting the P5K Deluxe instead of the P5K3 Deluxe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneis Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Look's great, though your RAM doesn't have to be that quick. Probably better to run 4GB of good quality 800MHz RAM (4 x 1GB). After a year or two, you could then swap your Q6600 out for a new 45nm proc and some faster RAM (both $$$ at the moment) AJLynn has a good point regarding the motherboard as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upshot Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 Also, the DDR3 memory seems too expensive. When I bought mine I looked at the options and reviews, and these tests made me not want to pay the extra money. (The P5K3 is tested with the Corsair DDR3 and the P5K with OCZ DDR2.) I ended up getting the P5K Deluxe instead of the P5K3 Deluxe. point taken... it's the old pound of gold for an ounce of performance... How about i stick with the stock intel cooler (fine with me... just didn't see any reference to a cooler with the cpu but I assume it's there if it's the retail box), drop to the p5k, add some graphic memory and sys memory and save around $400... Like so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneis Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 I noticed you didn't have a DVD/ CD drive either - will make it hard to install your OS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upshot Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 I noticed you didn't have a DVD/ CD drive either - will make it hard to install your OS I have plenty around... May add one or just go with an ol dvd-rom. I have a dedicated laptop that I use for video editing and authoring (so I can work on that while I render as well as present with it) with a fancy quick dvd burner and I've got a very cool rimage 360i. I love to make 100+ body national firms look cheesy with their powerpoint presentations when our 5 man team delivers custom dvds at job interviews and crucial presentations. It's LOL big time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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