Question on how to build a high end computer

[john123]

Hi all, I want to build a high end computer. I know there already existing post about it. Since my computer will be dealing with graphics a lot. So I want to build a high end computer which I can edit graphics without lagging when tons of big images lay on each other. I plan to pay $1600. For other components I already known which one to buy but for graphic card and processor . I dont know which one should I pay more. I can put a lot money for either graphic card or processor. Plz give me some ideas.

Q: If we go for graphic card, which will be the best one ATI or NViDIA? under $600
Q: If we go for processor, which i7 will be the best one ? under $600

[RickyTick]

Hey John123.

When you say "high end graphics", are you referring to rendering videos and working with photoshop type stuff, or are you talking about 3D graphics like in video games?

[john123]

oh...I am dealing with photoshop, corel draw everyday. Most files are big pdfs...images and texts. Right now Am having problems when I put all texts,images,pdfs together, its lagging a little. So I want to build a new computer which I can work faster without lagging. I don't do video editing. Only advertisement and web design.

Basicly I am building this computer for graphic design, newspaper and magazine advertisements. I can't spend more than $1600, thats why I want to know which components should I pay more for it.

[RickyTick]

Then I wouldn't pour a lot of money into a video card. Invest in a 4 core or 6 core cpu, at least 8gb of ram, and possibly an SSD.

Another investment you may consider at some point is a very high quality IPS monitor like the Dell U2410 or the HP ZR24W.

I'm curious what others may think.

[zburns]

Hi John, Comments about video cards on this forum are mostly related to computers built for gaming or computers built for 'lower and reasonable cost' with a video card that does a 'good' job in the non-gaming sense.

My question to you then is how critical is the color quality of the image you see on your monitor. I would hope you would answer something like 'critical but not super critical'.

Several years ago, if you researched high end monitors for graphic arts, you would see prices in the $ 2000 range. That is just a fact; I am not sure what a survey today would yeild in results on this subject.

As you look at monitors on the web, you will see a lot of low cost monitors. Some of the advertisements make only one statement in their specifications about the monitor screen; the screen is referred to as 'TFT' (means thin film transistor); well, truth is most monitors today are all TFT or LCD screens. Any manufacturers statement that "only" refers to their panel as TFT or LCD, or TFT LCD is not to be trusted --such a statement does not tell you the type screen.

The lowest cost monitors have TN screens; TN means Twisted Nematic. The problem with TN screens is the viewing angles, particularly vertical. I use a Samsung 24" monitor with a TN screen. As long as I look at the screen, on a perpendicular line to the screen, colors look fine and consistent, but if I stand up and look down at an angle to the screen, the contrast becomes less; if I somehow reverse this and get lower than the screen and look up, the contrast changes dramatically to greater contrast. (Simply changing the tilt angle on the screen up or down, shows the problem dramatically.)

If I am doing color photo alteration using photoshop, I could not be consistent with my editing one photo to another, etc.. If I did a series of photo alterations for a magazine using a TN monitor there would (could) be a visible discrepancy in color and contrast photo to photo, because I have no way to control the consistency of the color I am looking at. A monitor for high quality photoshop work would be consistent in all color specs over a reasonable range of viewing angles.

The advantage of TN panels is low cost and rapid response time to motion. Other screen types overcome the problems of TN design, but cost more, and may have slower response times. The IPS panel gets good reviews; I suggest you look for some reviews on this subject but be certain they are "current", as in 2009 or 2010. One group of experts on monitors is TFT Central in the UK. Here is a link, it is a current updated link as of April 2010. (I will try to find out and do another post. -- from my earlier post, please ignore) Here is the current 2010 link: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/news.htm

At the top of the page you will see clickable headings: 'News | Reviews | TFT Selector | Articles | Contact | Forum' . Click on 'Articles', then click on 'Panel Technologies' which discusses all panel types; there is an additional article for 'IPS Panel Technologies'. Caution, as you read thru the entire website, there is a lot of technical color stuff which will 'wear you out' trying to relate and understand it. What I try to do is just 'make note of it mentally', and then go on; overall it is really a good technical website on a very important subject, and has a lot of good information that even at the novice level can be well understood.

If I find some later reviews on this subject I will post the links also. By the way, you can see what I am refering to above on the TN panels if you have a large computer electronics outlet such as Fry's, Best Buy, etc.. They will all have a lot of Monitors on display, particularly lower cost ones. Just look at the screens at a right angle, then change the angle to see color variation. A warning here, tho, do not depend on this method to choose a monitor. Reviews by professional organization that makes actual measurements that "define color monitor performance" are what you want to see.

[john123]

So Rick suggests investing on the cpu. And zburns is saying that I should get a high quality monitor. Any other recommedations? If not I would invest more on the cpu.

Extra Q: Should I also go for liquid cooling? This one Corsair Hydro Series H70 .

Q: If processor then which one ? Am looking at these three :
Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz for $294
Intel Core i7-860S Lynnfield 2.53GHz for $359
Intel Core i7-960 Bloomfield 3.2GHz for $579

[zburns]

Hi John, Please be careful in how you perceive my recommendations. I am saying definitely do not buy a TN screen monitor because of what happens to contrast when you change your viewing angle. For most of us, TN screens work out ok; for serious graphic arts where "repeatable color accuracy" is important and "documented from a quality control point if necessary" TN screens will not work.

About three to four years ago, new monitors with TN panels and other types, were being talked about a lot on this forum. Since then, the industry (my opinion) has spent a lot of time improving that which was developed earlier. Monitors have not been a daily or weekly topic on this forum for some time.

Depending on your need, "consistent color quality" would be a determining factor in how much you spend on a new monitor for color work. Interpret this to mean "extremely high quality" vs "reasonably high quality". For what you and your collegues call "consistent quality", it is probably possible to buy a very good monitor for a reasonable and (relatively) low price today -- probably the IPS format as Ricky first said.

I will take a look at the latest TFT reviews and I recommend you do that also. My impression of their "review quality" is very high. Their reviews are lengthy, technical and require some "quality detail time" on the part of the reader. However, since you are already in graphics, I would bet you would grasp and understand their comments quicker than a "non graphics" person.

Again I did not write the last post or this post with the idea of "encouraging you to be prepared to spend a lot of extra dollars" for a monitor. My point was "do not buy TN panels for graphics".

Regards, liquid cooling, that would depend on "how long the cpu and graphics card" run at "very high power" such as very state of the art top line graphics cards running in parallel (SLI, Crossfire) for the purpose of "displaying high quality fast action video games at a high fps (frames per second)" ; the cpu and video cards running at this high power level for the length of the "game".

I assume your graphics work calls for high file content, with maybe several files open on the screen at the same time, but if you are doing 'still' work, your images are stable for a period of time (cpu and gpu in a refresh mode, not a continous high power mode where new data is consistently moving thru the system at a high 'fps rate'); even if you are doing video, unless the video resembles "high energy gaming" as I just tried to describe, fan cooling may still be in order. However, if you have to use on your cpu, one of these really tall fin towers, that would be a point at which I would consider liq cooling for the cpu.

[john123]

OH I got it. Thanks zburns!!! Any comments on the processor guys?

[RickyTick]

OH I got it. Thanks zburns!!! Any comments on the processor guys?

I have the i7-950 with the Corsair H50 liquid cooling. I just installed it a couple of days ago and haven't toyed with it much. The liquid cooler was really easy to install. I have ram with very tall heat spreaders, so a regular fan and heatsink would not clear the ram. That's the main reason I went with the H50. Plus, if I want to over clock at some time in the future, I'll be ready.

[john123]

So are you still think that I should pour the money on processor ,not video card?

[RickyTick]

yep