Gaming/video editing rig, with questions.

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Didders117

New Member
Hey guys,
I'm new to the site and to building pcs, sort of. I have helped a few friends with putting together their gaming machines, and ever since then I've really been interested in building my own. I have been searching this forum, and other sources on the net for the past few day, about how I should go about doing this.

I'm really interested in video production, and am a sporadic gamer. So naturally I want a fast computer that can run programs like Adobe After Effects, Vegas, 3ds max, photoshop, (and games like) COD4-5, L4D, and Bioshock. I would also like this computer to last me at least three years without having to upgrade because I know I'll have no money in college.

So in my research I started to build my own list. I set my budget at about $900. My first question is: Is this too low for a good video editing and gaming pc? If not what can I cut down on to get me under $900? And my last question is in regards to compatibility of all my parts.

Processor: AMD Phenom II x4 3.0ghz
Motherboard: Foxcon A79A-S
Memory: G.Skill 4gb
Graphics card: Zotac GeForce 9800 Gtx+ (might get anther in the future)
HDD: Western Digital 320gb (to start off)
DVD/CD burner: Liteon SATA CD/DVD burner
Case: XCLIO Windtunnel ATX Full Tower
Finally PSU: ABS 800W ATX12V

Edit: this all came out to about 900 with deals.
Any help would be great. Thanks for reading guys.
 
Looks like the MB you've chosen supports Crossfire, (ATI), multi GPU setups only, not SLI, (NVIDIA). If there's any chance you'd add a second GPU in the futire, you'll want an ATI based card like the 4850 (comparable to the 9800 GTX+), or for a few $ more a 4870. Or, you could change MB's to one that supports SLI.
 
I would go with this card instead. It is comparable to a GTX 260 Core 216, which is a much better card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121288

It shouldn't cost too much more either, unless you consider the free game that the 9800GTX+ comes with. This will also allow you to Crossfire in the future. The only downside is the fact that it doesn't exhaust hot air out of the back but I guess you don't have to worry with that case. Haha

EDIT: And if you're going to spend that money on a PSU, it would probably be better to get one of these.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...mpareItemList=N82E16817139006,N82E16817139009

They are very efficient, and have most of their wattage on a single 12V rail. The 850W model has 840W max load on the 12V rail.
 
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thanks guys,

I've obviously got a bit to learn still. I think I'm going to stick with the motherboard I have and go with KooKoo's gpu (thanks for catching that jevery). I'm sure this was already answered in another thread somewhere but what are the advantages of a single rail system over a multi rail system? I just tried asking my friend and he couldn't give me an answer.

Thanks for the help.
 
If you only have a single rail, you don't have to worry about balancing the power draw over multiple rails. For single rails you know exactly how many watts you have over the 12V rail. It's nothing major really, but if your PSU has it then it's always a plus.
 
Alright, that makes much more sense then what my friend tried to tell me.

I've decided I'm going to start buying parts over the next 1-2 months to take the pressure off my bank account.

I guess I know where to come if i have any more questions :)
 
Didders117 said:
So by having a single 12v rail what would that mean if I wanted to add another GPU?
Click to expand...

As long as the psu has enough amperage you are fine with a single 12v rail, as said before you dont need to load balance then(figure out how much each component draws and try to even out the load on the fails as much as possible). The 750/850TX Power supplies should easily handle dual gpu solutions.
 
bomberboysk said:
As long as the psu has enough amperage you are fine with a single 12v rail, as said before you dont need to load balance then(figure out how much each component draws and try to even out the load on the fails as much as possible). The 750/850TX Power supplies should easily handle dual gpu solutions.
Click to expand...

Yeah that sounds a little complicated (more complications probably aren't the best thing for a noob :P )
I've decided on the 850tx just to give myself a little wiggle room if i upgrade.

I also had another thought today. Would video and 3d rendering go faster with an Intel instead of AMD? I know AMD is more for gaming but do you think I would have any problems running common yet demanding games with an Intel? Or vice versa, rendering with an AMD chip?

(oh and I'm not prepared to drop 500 bucks on an I7 at the moment, so that's out of the question)
 
Didders117 said:
Yeah that sounds a little complicated (more complications probably aren't the best thing for a noob :P )
I've decided on the 850tx just to give myself a little wiggle room if i upgrade.

I also had another thought today. Would video and 3d rendering go faster with an Intel instead of AMD? I know AMD is more for gaming but do you think I would have any problems running common yet demanding games with an Intel? Or vice versa, rendering with an AMD chip?

(oh and I'm not prepared to drop 500 bucks on an I7 at the moment, so that's out of the question)
Click to expand...

Actually overall intel is better for... everything lol, amd is just a great bang for the buck processor. If you would go intel i would recommend the following:

Cpu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115057

Mobo(s):
If you plan on getting nvidia card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131232

If you plan on getting ati card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136051
 
Correct me if I'm wrong here but would I be sacrificing speed with this cpu?

I don't want to OC with this build, I want to go with fast and stable (better for editing video as i have heard)
 
Didders117 said:
Correct me if I'm wrong here but would I be sacrificing speed with this cpu?

I don't want to OC with this build, I want to go with fast and stable (better for editing video as i have heard)
Click to expand...

Q8400 is still a bit faster than the phenom II's, and you can still overclock and be stable(Q8400 should hit 3.2 at least on stock voltages)
 
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