building from scratch for graphic design

[OtisBlack]

Hello all, dont know much at all about pieceing together parts for a great rig. I have done quite a bit of research and it feels as tho the more I read the more undecided I become. I almost always suffer from buyers remorse so I thought I would join a forum where the members seem to know something. The rig I will be building will be used primarily for Photoshop renderings, as well as CAD work. I would like to get some other 3d rendering software in the near future so I need something that will keep up. I never game so that will not be a priorty. Will I overclock?, I dont know. I would like to, but I am also scared of ruining the first good PC I have owned. I already have an optic drive as well as a hdd for storage. In the future I will upgrade to a full 16g ram. If you guys could, I would like a no BS assesment of the parts I have listed. Thank you all in advance.

Kingwin ABT-1000MA 1S Mach 1 Modular PSU 159.99
Cooler Master v8 CPU fan 64.99
windows 7 Pro 64 149.99
OCZ agility 60GB SSD 159.99
Kingston HyperX 6GB DDR3 1800MHz (3x2G) 179.99
Gigabyte MA785GMT-US2H 89.99
AMD 965 BE 189.99
Apevia Blue X-Crusier 69.99

Any and all advice would be greatly apreciated.

 

[orihS ‪‪‪Shiro]

Woops, thought that motherboard listed was a 785GM-US2H my bad.

Secondly.
You probably will not need RAM that comes stock at 1800Mhz???
Unless you plan on doing some pro overclocking.
But find a decent set of DDR3 1333Mhz or 1600Mhz for regular overclocks ~4Ghz on air

Third off.
If you want to overclock, you'd be better off using the Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer CPU Cooler than the cooler you have selected currently.

Fourth
The PSU is from a brand that I think is somewhat questionable... + you do NOT need a PSU that powerful.
A 500w PSU from OCZ would tie you over fairly well.

Fifth
You will need a graphics card, integrated graphics are not good enough for high end CAD projects...
Being that I have no idea what cards are good for CAD rendering, I suggest a 5770 for the moment.

I'm recommending an i7 build to you, because it's better for rendering than a Phenom build, though it will cost a bit more...

Here's an i7 build that would be amazing for rendering and could far outperform the build you posted.

Total is $~1250 (There's a promo code to save $7.50 on the OCZ PSU until the 25th)
(The total from the parts you had selected was $1065)

Newegg.com - Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - Operating Systems
Newegg.com - Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - CPU Fans & Heatsinks
Newegg.com - Sunbeam CR-LGA1366 LGA 1366 Core I7 Socket Retention Bracket Set - CPU Fans & Heatsinks
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!

 

[OtisBlack]

Thanks for the quick reply man. From the specs on TigerDirect, the mobo I had listed says it supports DDR3. It lists 1800 for oc. That is why I chose that. I would guess that I would oc, but was just kinda scared of ruining my rig. I have been reading on some oc forums about guys getting a stable 3.7 from the 965. Is that true? As for PSU, I just picked a modualr 1000w. I want modualar just so I can remove any cables not need but have the ability to add them as needed. I will look into the cooler you suggested. Again thanks.

 

[Muffin Man]

yes, that gigabyte mobo you had listed does use ddr3 ram not ddr2, Shiro must have a mistake, it happens.

also, the ocz modxstream pro psu that Shiro listed is also modular, just so you know.

btw, what is your budget for this build?

 

[Slaymate]

The Cooler Master V8 is a Good Heatsink for overclocking. But it's not worth $64.99, it would be a Good Deal priced at $40-$50. This Heatsink is priced the same as the Cooler Master, but it is slightly more expensive because you have to buy a fan separately.
Newegg.com - Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

Here a low-cost variable speed fan to go with it
Newegg.com - Antec 761345-75120-9 120mm Case Fan - Case Fans

TigerDirect has some good Deals but overall you'll be better off shopping at Newegg

 

[OtisBlack]

Thanks for the response guys. At this point in life I really dont have a budget, however I dont really want to spend more than around 1200-1500. I dont want to just buy a built pc either. I want to learn while I go, I want to tinker with it, and I would like it to be really fast and really stable. I have done a little more research and it seems I dont need windows7 pro, seems home would do fine. I guess a 650 PSU would be plenty? Is a SSD going to make that much of a difference? If the v8 cooler is good enough to use, other than the price I would like to use it because itlooks cool. I like cars. At any rate I am still looking around and would love to get some more feed back.

 

[orihS ‪‪‪Shiro]

yes, that gigabyte mobo you had listed does use ddr3 ram not ddr2, Shiro must have a mistake, it happens.

also, the ocz modxstream pro psu that Shiro listed is also modular, just so you know.

btw, what is your budget for this build?

Yeah, I was mistaken, I thought the motherboard he listed was a 785GM-US2H
Didn't see the "T"

If you want to stay with AMD/Phenom II build
Here's a build that stays well within your budget. Total is $981

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147023
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.347604
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.353083
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.356518

I know it only has 4Gb of RAM... But you probably won't need more than that.
If you find that you do need more, you can just upgrade and add another stick or two later.
This way you potentially save even more money.

 

[SirCyber]

actually, he is on the right track for ram. rendering uses massive amounts of RAM, even if you are just using photoshop, let alone full on animation. I don't know about CAD so much, but photoshop will use every ounce of RAM you give it and still not be truly happy. Here is an area where you don't need high end graphics necessarily, but high end RAM and the best processor/northbridge/southbridge. even a single physX card from nVidea will work for an amazing graphic design computer. you are spot on with the idea to max your ram at those high speeds imo
p.s. took two semesters of computer animation, two semesters photoshop. what I always noticed was the need for more RAM and an amazing CPU and more than average HDD space

The Mach1 series from Kingwin is actually a tried and true PSU, nothing wrong with that series of PSU, however, I have to agree, that may be overkill for a powersupply for what you are wanting to do. if you aren't looking for the greatest gaming rig available, then your looking at the 700 Watts area. try this one on for size http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194040 is a really efficient psu despite its size and very modular

 

[OtisBlack]

Thanks again for the updates, I guess I am posting again before my last post was cleared for viewing. I just wanted to ask what the parts were that Shiro had listed in his last post as I cant seem to get any f the links to open.

 

[orihS ‪‪‪Shiro]

actually, he is on the right track for ram. rendering uses massive amounts of RAM, even if you are just using photoshop, let alone full on animation. I don't know about CAD so much, but photoshop will use every ounce of RAM you give it and still not be truly happy. Here is an area where you don't need high end graphics necessarily, but high end RAM and the best processor/northbridge/southbridge. even a single physX card from nVidea will work for an amazing graphic design computer. you are spot on with the idea to max your ram at those high speeds imo
p.s. took two semesters of computer animation, two semesters photoshop. what I always noticed was the need for more RAM and an amazing CPU and more than average HDD space

The Mach1 series from Kingwin is actually a tried and true PSU, nothing wrong with that series of PSU, however, I have to agree, that may be overkill for a powersupply for what you are wanting to do. if you aren't looking for the greatest gaming rig available, then your looking at the 700 Watts area. try this one on for size Newegg.com - ENERMAX REVOLUTION85+ ERV950EWT 950W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Compatible w/Core i7 Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies is a really efficient psu despite its size and very modular

How often did you surpass 4Gb of RAM usage?
I can understand if you use photoshop for hours on end in a single project how it "could" happen, but if you're smart, you would conserve RAM by saving the project, deleting all of the saved steps you won't need to go back to, and then continuing on.
Even extremely tedious and long photoshop projects can be done on 2Gb of RAM if you know what you're doing.