Hello everyone,

I am a long time reader/researcher here, but a first time poster. I am looking to build a new system in about 2 weeks and have been researching components for a couple of months in preparation for this. Of course, as is always with technology, a couple of months in computer terms is tantamount to several years in any other field.

A background for the purpose of my new machine:

• I will be running (initially) Adobe CS3 Master collection (Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, Premiere Pro)
• I plan on dealing with some fairly large graphic files (15-20MB .jpeg's and in a year or so, with a new camera, raw files)
• I plan on capturing/editing/rendering HDTV video files
• Probably the most intensive game I will play will be Guild Wars 2 (when it is released) and from what I can tell, the specs for a system to play that game will be slightly higher than moderate (and I can live with little or no AA and a moderate resolution)
• Stability is more of a concern to me than price, but I'd rather not "overkill" (eg spending $250-$300 on a motherboard that can achieve a 450-500 FSB with rock solid stability is OK; spending $1,200 on a CPU or GPU is beyond my realm of sensibility)

I have been looking at the Q6600 for awhile, but with the introduction of the E8400, I have been having second thoughts. I plan on overclocking and I'm wondering what my best choice is for my purpose - the Q6600 @ ~3.2-3.4 or the E8400 @ 3.8 to 4.0.

I am not a fan boy of either ATI or Nvidia (so either suggestion will be OK), but I have been looking rather hard @ the 8800GTS (320-640) not sure what my purposes will need, but $250 or so for a GPU is OK (do not want, nor do I believe I will need, SLI or Crossfire).

I have been looking at the PC Power & Cooling S75QB EPS12V 750W Power Supply. I think 750W and a 60A +12V single rail should suit my power needs (may be overkill though).

Basically, I'm looking for any suggestions for rock solid performance without unnecessary overkill for my intentions. I'm having the most problem, I believe, with finding a suitable MB that will handle the OC'd FSB with strong stability. I've been looking at the DFI LP UT P35 T2R, but any suggestions would be welcome. This will be my third build (my last being based on an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ which is still running great without a hitch - I just need more power for what I'm doing now).

If anyone needs more info, please do not hesitate to ask, and let me go ahead and thank you in advance for any suggestions or comments - they are all much appreciated!

Jon

*EDIT*
I forgot to include that I will be using 8GB of RAM and am trying to choose between Vista 64 and XP 64. I have been leaning towards XP because of issues I have read with Vista, but any insight from people that have either would be greatly appreciated.

OK I'm not sure where to begin but I'll try and help!

The first thing that springs to mind when you mention Photo editing and CS3 is that you would benefit more from having more cores than a higher clock frequency, so a quad core is definitely the way to go. Q6600 is a great CPU or you could get one of the new 45nm quad cores which are just starting to become available (or at least they are here in the UK)

The Q9450 would be a good choice. Its 2.66ghz stock but the 45nm CPU's overclock very well. To give you an idea, it isn't unheard of to have a Q6600 (2.4ghz stock) running at 3.6ghz with a Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme heatsink and a decent fan. Therefore this is more than capable of a 45nm quad core.

The next thing you would want would be plenty of RAM. You would probably want to end up with 8GB in the end, but you could start with a 2x2gb kit and then add another in the future. DDR2 800 is selling at a very good price at the moment due to DDR3 becoming more popular, although I don't think you would benefit from that at the moment. I'm guessing you live in the US so check out sites like Tiger Direct, CompUSA and Newegg.

I wouldn't normally recommend Intel chipset motherboards simply because I'm a bit of an Nvidia fanboy, but in your situation I think it would be best. They are more stable, will give you a better overclock and seeing as you don't plan on using SLI an nvidia chipset won't really do much for you. Look at the P35 and X38 chipsets from the likes of Asus and Gigabyte.

The 8800 gts is a great card and would be a good choice for your situation. However after having a look on newegg, it seems that the 8800 gts 640mb and the new 9800 gtx have a pretty similar price range. Again have a look around but it was just a quick observation.

This is a great power supply and I would definitely recommend it. PC Power and Cooling are one of the best brands out there and 750w is by no means overkill. I always say that the PSU is THE most important part of a PC, with the ability to destroy almost every component if it feels like it and it really is frustrating how many people are running quad core machines with 8800 gtx GPU's running off 550w PSU's from cheap unheard of brands.

I am currently using Vista 64 and to be honest have never really had an issue. In the beginning, yes there were quite a few issues with drivers etc, especially on the 64 bit version but now there really shouldn't be any issues and most manufacturers have now adapted to give support and drivers for Vista and 64 bit.

I think that was my longest ever post but anymore questions just ask!

First off, I really like my PC P&C 750W. That being said, it is overkill for a system that won't be SLI / X-Fire. A solid 500W will suffice (such as the Corsair 500VX). However, remember that quality is better than quantity. Look at this list to help pick a reliable PSU.

Stick with quad core. As nzxtlexa said, the heavy duty multimedia programs really benefit from the extra cores. If possible, get a 45nm processor (Q9300, Q9450). It will overclock better and be cooler than the 65nm quad.

The P35 will let you overclock well. Asus and Gigabyte both make inexpensive, solid boards. For the video card, an 8800GTS 512MB (not the 320 or 640) will do a great job for you, or for a little less the 9600GT.

I would get 2 WD 640GB (WD6400AAKS) or Seagate 7200.11 500GB (ST3500320AS) drives. Place apps / OS on one, and your data on the other. From the type of work you're doing, the second drive will give you a vast performance improvement.

But your system isn't SLI/Crossfire either, it doesn't have a quad core and doesn't have 8gb ram. He will end up with a much more powerful system than yours and yet you still have one. Even if he doesn't use it fully, its a great PSU as you said and its good to have for the future - he may not have to change it even for his next system and it would allow him to upgrade parts for the next few years without having to worry about the PSU. If he can afford it then I would definitely say go for it.

I went with the PC P&C 750W so that I have the option open in the future. I wanted a PSU that will let me do my next few builds without starting from the ground up (as in I keep case and PSU). Otherwise, I would have gone with the 550.

Like you said, it all depends on how it'll be used in the future.

Hello...in regards to a OS, i just bought and installed Xp 64-bit and it works perfectly with my 4gbs of ram. As for people saying its not worth it b/c of drives- screw them- drivers are alot more available than before and it wasnt a problem for me....i jsut dont relize why ppl love vista so much...think- what does Vista have that Xp doesnt besides DX10..but even with that-it runs your games slower!.....FINAL SUMMATION-- get Xp 64

Thanks for the input guys. After hours upon hours of reading reviews, benchmarks, forums, and a little personal selection thrown in for posterity, I have come up with the following:

MB - ABIT IP35 Pro
CPU - Q6600 W/ ZALMAN CNPS9700
RAM - Crucial Ballistix 8GB DDR2 800
HDD 1 – Raptor 150GB (OS/Apps)
HDD 2 & 3 – Raptor 36GB (RAID 0 Scratch Disk)
HDD 4 & 5 – Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB (Data on #4 - #5 as mirror (no RAID))
GPU - MSI 8800GTS (G92) 512
PSU - PC Power & Cooling S75QB EPS12V 750W
Case - XCLIO WTBK
TV Tuner - AutumnWave OnAir Creator
Monitor - Gateway FHD2400
Router - D-Link DGL-4100

I really fell in love with everything about the Antec 900 case (esp. the top fan) except for the mid-tower size. I saw quite a few pictures of great looking 900’s after they had been modded, but with the amount of stuff I’m cramming in there and my lack of desire to spend hours drilling holes and sanding, I decided to go with the full-tower Xclio—it has a top 200mm as well. Does anyone have any experience with this case?

From what I can tell, the AutumnWave Creator will be my best bet for receiving both analog and HDTV from my wall (no STB) to my PC, and it seems that Vista Media Center is now compatible with clear QAM. I’d be grateful if anyone has a better suggestion for a tuner.

The D-Link DGL-4100 looked the best for my 2 computer home network, but again, I’d welcome any suggestions.

The monitor—I’m dead set on getting, so don’t need any suggestions there. :-)

Thanks again guys!

If Disk #5 is a mirror of disk #4, think about putting them in RAID1 (a mirror RAID). That was you don't have to think about the backup / maintaining the image.

I don't know about the XCLIO, but the Antec P182 would also be a good choice, and it's quiet. You could put the Raptors in the lower chamber with the PSU, and the 640GBs in the upper chamber. It has a top fan as well. The only issue you'll run into with it is the lower chamber with the PSU barely fits the PC P&C 750W, and might not if you leave the fan in.

The PSU you have will give you plenty of length on the cables with the XCLIO case.

Thats good that the cables will have plenty of length. I was considering the Mozart TX case for awhile too, but I figured I would have to get extensions and order longer SATA cables as well. I'm just looking for good airflow and I hope the 2x250mm on the side of the Xclio won't interfere too much with the front to back. I have a feeling that the front 120mm will most likely end up as nothing more than a HDD cooler which I can live with as long as the top 200mm and rear 120mm do their jobs exhausting.

They should do a great job cooling. The case I have has 1 front 120, 1 top 120, and one rear 120 and keeps it very cool. There is a space for a fourth, but my PSU is in the way.

That monster case might be loud though. Do you care about noise?

On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being most important), a quiet case is about a -3. :-) I'm all for blowing as much cool air on my components as possible....fan noise doesn't really bother me that much--in fact, it is kind of a soothing sound. I have an old Antec server case next to me now from my last build with 5 old, noisy 120's in it. I stopped noticing them about a week after I built it (3 1/2 years ago).

Then you have made what appears to be an excellent choice.

I hope so. The 200mm on the top was the big selling point for me. I had read such good things about the Antec 900's top fan and its superior cooling ability, so I looked for something similar in a full-tower. Everywhere I looked, the Xclio seemed to get good reviews from those who had bought it, so hopefully it will work out well.

Thanks for your input and advice!

I was thinking about that case, and since cooling is the most important aspect, you might want to get a couple of very high performance fans for intake on the front. What's there will generate a huge amount of negative pressure, but I think you'll get better airflow with forced intake rather than passive. I don't know that for certain, but I'm pretty sure it's the case.

Then again, I can't be sure those fans on the side are exhaust. I would try and find out a little more about the case, if you want to optimize your air flow.

Oh, I've researched the case rather extensively (as much as possible without having it my hands). :-)

The 2x250's on the side are intakes - 1 blows straight on the CPU/MB/GPU - the other blows on the HDD cage.

The 200 on the top is an exhaust.

Then you can add 2 120's - 1 in the front (targeting HDD cage it appears) - 1 in the rear (should be close to inline w/ CPU cooler).

I am going to a a couple of Scythe Slipstream 120's (110 cfm) - exhaust in rear (to hopefully directly exhaust from the Zalman 9700) and intake in front.

I'm not sure if this will produce positive pressure or not as