Building New Computer need input

[mattp28]

I have never built a computer but after looking at all my pre-built options at "Bestbuy" and "Dell" they all pretty much look like crap. I know there is not much to building a computer but need a little push in the right direction. I am a photographer and need something that will process my editing using, photoshop or whatever photo program it be I use I will be doing some home video editing as well also I will not be gaming I have a PS3 for that.

My current setup "Dell P4 2.0 1gb old ram" worked ok for my old camera but my new cameras files are about 6-50mb and it takes forever to edit or even pull up a picture. I found a build that looked good but was wanting to get some advice before I jump off into ordering and buying. I dont mind spending money for a quaility system but really dont need overkill either. I would like to invest in something that will be upgradable in the future if possible. Here is what I have so far.

1 Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S
$27.99

1 Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$59.95

2 Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5
$199.98

1 XFX HD-467X-ZDF2 Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 16 HDCP Ready Video Card
$69.99

1 Sony Optiarc Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1678A - OEM
$18.99

1 CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power
$79.99

1 Rosewill RCR-IC001 40-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader
$14.99

1 OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
$149.99

1 GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
$188.99

1 Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
$288.99

1 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders OEM
$104.99

1 OCZ Vertex Turbo OCZSSD2-1VTXT60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal
$249.00


Subtotal: $1,457.82


Any other suggestions? To save any money? Or improve? Have I forgotten anything? Beside monitors........Any suggestions on those? I would like to have 2 - 20" at least.

 

[shk915]

I am not sure what area you live but you can spend under $1000 (including 24" LCD Monitor) and still able to run softwares like CS4. I just built a system for a customer last month using i5 processor, 4GBs of RAM, 1TB HDD, black case with 500W PSU, video card with 512MB RAM, DVDRW Drive, 24" Samsung LCD Monitor at Fry's Electronics. I am not sure if you live near computer stores like Fry's but shop around and you might be able to find cpu/motherboard combo deal and stuff like that. Newegg.com is a good place to buy computer parts too. I just don't think you need i7 processor to do what you want to do.

 

[Drenlin]

I'd drop one of the hard drives, unless you just really need all of that space. Good choice of drives though.

Why are you getting the extra read-only DVD drive? The old IDE drive you listed isn't needed in this system, unless you have a specific use for it. Plus, IDE cables make for bad airflow and cable management... :/

You might want to go for a larger version of that PSU, just for a bit of future-proofing. 550W should be just fine for the current build though.

Other than that, it seems like you've got a good build there. :good:

 

[mattp28]

I'd drop one of the hard drives, unless you just really need all of that space. Good choice of drives though.

For the price these are pretty good. I am going to run them in raid 1 so the mirror each other and I dont lose anything. I will be keeping all my pictures on these drives. Of course I will be backing them up to cd/dvd per each client. But I already have 320gb or so of data I need to keep.

Why are you getting the extra read-only DVD drive? The old IDE drive you listed isn't needed in this system, unless you have a specific use for it. Plus, IDE cables make for bad airflow and cable management...

Didnt realize that was not a sata drive. I have two drives right now and it makes it nice to be able to copy a dvd or cd without waiting for the computer to mirror the cd. I guess I could just get two burner drives for the extra $7 or so and they would both be sata.

I am not sure what area you live but you can spend under $1000 (including 24" LCD Monitor) and still able to run softwares like CS4. I just built a system for a customer last month using i5 processor, 4GBs of RAM, 1TB HDD, black case with 500W PSU, video card with 512MB RAM, DVDRW Drive, 24" Samsung LCD Monitor at Fry's Electronics. I am not sure if you live near computer stores like Fry's but shop around and you might be able to find cpu/motherboard combo deal and stuff like that. Newegg.com is a good place to buy computer parts too. I just don't think you need i7 processor to do what you want to do.

I dont buy computers often. The last desktop I bough was in 2001. I am hoping this one will last me 5-8 years. I will be doing more then just photo editing. It wil be my home computer for itunes, internet and as a tv tuner recorder. If im going to spend $1000 for a computer that will do what I want whats another couple $100 for a blazin machine. Plus this is my first build. I priced out a i5 setup and I was in the $1200 range.

 

[Drenlin]

For the price these are pretty good. I am going to run them in raid 1 so the mirror each other and I dont lose anything. I will be keeping all my pictures on these drives. Of course I will be backing them up to cd/dvd per each client. But I already have 320gb or so of data I need to keep.

Ah. Carry on then.

Didnt realize that was not a sata drive. I have two drives right now and it makes it nice to be able to copy a dvd or cd without waiting for the computer to mirror the cd. I guess I could just get two burner drives for the extra $7 or so and they would both be sata.

That is a nice ability to have. Maybe make one a Lightscribe drive as well?

I dont buy computers often. The last desktop I bough was in 2001. I am hoping this one will last me 5-8 years. I will be doing more then just photo editing. It wil be my home computer for itunes, internet and as a tv tuner recorder. If im going to spend $1000 for a computer that will do what I want whats another couple $100 for a blazin machine. Plus this is my first build. I priced out a i5 setup and I was in the $1200 range.

You've done well then. This machine will take high-end upgrades for quite a while.