First build, for artwork and no gaming

[luciasar00]

Hello all,
I'm looking to put together my first computer, to be used mostly for creating and reviewing graphic artwork in both b/w and color. I've looked through the recommended components on the main page and would be comfortable with a build based solely off of those, but I'm wondering if there's anywhere I could/should make changes given my work in image editing. I have no real interest in pc gaming, which seems to be a focus for many users of this site: instead, I'll probably be working with groups of high resolution images simultaneously. My budget is ~$1000. I've seen some really helpful advice on other first build posts, and I'd appreciate suggestions.

The build recommended on the main page...
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz
Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD65(B3) LGA 1155 [this is actually out of stock, any suggestions for alts?]
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 8GB Kit (2x4GB) PC3-12800 DDR3
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 7200rpm SATA 3
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Superclocked 1GB DDR5
Case: Antec Sonata III with 500-Watt power supply
Optical Drive: Sony 24x SATA DVD RW/CDRW (Black)
Operating System: Windows 7 Home, Linux, Mac if I can hack it on there.

This is my first time ever creating a computer, so I'm still trying to understand all the specifications that get thrown around here... let me know if there are any obvious problems. Thanks!

[RickyTick]

I would suggest going with the i5-3570k processor and Z77 motherboard like the Asus P8Z77 or the Gigabyte GA-Z77 D3H. Then either ditch the video card altogether or go with something simple like a Radeon HD7750. You may also want to step up to 16gb of ram.

[luciasar00]

Thanks for the suggestions!
Of the two motherboards, the Asus P8Z77 seems better reviewed - what about a motherboard makes a computer more adept at image editing vs gaming, per-say? And I can't seem to find whether it has built in sound... is a sound card usually a good thing to invest in for music? [listening, not editing.] I'll look into upping the ram, as well.

Worried about the lack of support on the Radeon for linux. That may be an issue I can work around, but I'm curious whether other similarly priced cards might have varying support.

[RickyTick]

All motherboards will have onboard sound, and these days the quality is very good. If you're just casually listening to music, then usually the motherboard's onboard sound is just fine. What makes a mobo gaming friendly is generally additional PCI-e slots for video cards and sound cards. Also a lot of gamers like to dabble into overclocking, so there are motherboards that offer bells and whistles that make this easier too.

Finding driver support for video cards in Linux can be frustrating. I currently have an Ubuntu system that I've had nothing but problems with.

[luciasar00]

Ok, so here's what I'm thinking of now.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K
Motherboard: ASUS Intel Z77 ATX DDR3 2400 LGA 1155 Motherboard P8Z77-V
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 8GB Kit (2x4GB) PC3-12800 DDR3
Hard Drive: 2x Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 7200rpm SATA 3
:The double hard drive setup was suggested by a friend, for increased stability. He also said it might be good policy to have a very small drive to store the operating systems on, so that the computer will boot faster. Any input on this?

Video Card: Gigabyte GV-R775OC-1GI AMD Radeon HD 7750 1GB GDDR5 DVI-I / D-SUB / HDMI PCI-Express 3.0
Case: Antec Sonata III with 500-Watt power supply
Optical Drive: Sony 24x SATA DVD RW/CDRW (Black)
Operating System: Windows 7 Home, Linux

Everything still compatible? How's the hard drive system? What kind of RAID do people recommend for primary/backup hard drive setups?

[RickyTick]

Use the Black hard drive. If you use promo code EMCNBNG22 it's only $100 and has free shipping from Newegg.
If you want to use RAID as a backup strategy, then you'll use RAID 1.
Typically if you want the OS on a separate small drive you would want an SSD.

[luciasar00]

Do you have any suggestions for SSDs? Do they attach on the regular 3.5 inch slot like the others, or are they somehow different?
Sorry, I'm still new to the terminology.

[zburns]

Here is a link to a visual explanation of the Z77 chipset: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/chipsets/performance-chipsets/z77-express-chipset.html

The five items in the lower right side of the Z77 block diagram are features that the Z77 chipset delivers via its design, and, they are each explained below the diagram. The Introduction at the top of the diagram references the SSD and the improvement in boot time and application loading. Overall, this is an excellent page to study regards the performance / application of the Z77 chipset. The data on this page does indicate that the SSD is to be used for HD cache; that is certain.

Assuming you would use the SSD for cache, does not mean it is also a good idea to use the same SSD in a larger size also for storing the OS and, therefore, making the SSD a boot drive in addition to the feature of it being a 'cache'. Repeating myself: What is obvious from this Z77 chipset diagram and the associated dialogue is that using a small SSD for cache is ok and recommended. What is not obvious, at least to myself, is whether it is ok to use the the same SSD as storage for the OS (in addition to the cache).


Do they attach on the regular 3.5 inch slot like the others, or are they somehow different? The SSDs are sized to fit into the same drive locations as the conventional mechanical HDs.

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The reason I bring up 'storing the OS on the same SSD being used as a cache' is that a forum member a month or so ago, did this, and used the advice of another person, as to the mechanics of getting the OS and the cache on the same SSD. I felt like the explanation was fairly complicated and the 'source' (the other person) was unavailable.

Bottom line of exactly what I am saying is this: It is an excellent idea to use a small SSD (64 gig) as a mechanical Hard Drive cache. Intel specifically recommends this. Using the same SSD (a larger version) to both store the OS and also be the HD cache is 'not what Intel specifically recommends in the Z77 "Content Info' diagram / explanation (the above link).

So further research needs to be done to find a specific set of instructions for using a SSD to both store the OS and also perform as the HD cache!!
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Using an SSD as cache should be a huge benefit to Photoshop users, particularly for video editing, where so many 'frames' are in play for edit. So it is a great idea and benefit, and should definitely be pursued!!

[zburns]

I found some links on first try. Here is the search phrase I used: How to use SSD for both cache and OS storage.

Here is link to the Google page (using above link) with lots of articles: http://www.google.com/search?q=How+to+use+SSD+for+both+cache+and+OS+stor age.&rlz=1C1PRFB_enUS475US494&sugexp=chrome,mod=3&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8http://www.pcworld.com/article/248828/how_to_set_up_intel_smart_response_ssd_caching_tec hnology.html

Here is a link to the first article, PCWorld. Read it, it is a pretty good explanation: http://www.pcworld.com/article/248828/how_to_set_up_intel_smart_response_ssd_caching_tec hnology.html

[luciasar00]

Thanks for all the great links! I'm still new at this so it's taken me a while to work through them, but the PCWorld article is a good resource to start with. I'll start looking into SSDs as you have described, and start ordering things so I can get started.

Unless I'm fundamentally misunderstanding something about the Z77. The SSD is purchased separately, correct?

I'm also thinking of a different case, given that the front page information has turned out to be a bit dated. Any suggestions on that front would be welcome.
Thanks again

[zburns]

An SSD is a 100 % electronic version of a 'mechanical' Hard Drive! It is installed in a Hard Drive Bay in the computer case! SSD means Solid State Drive, whereas, HD means Hard Drive. To be more accurate HD should be 'mechanical Hard Drive' to avoid confusion between the two, but that will probably not happen!