Mac user is doing a build, critique me please?

J

Justin Horne

New Member
I love OS X, and I love the Mac hardware. 1.5 years ago, when I needed a laptop, Mac laptops were only a couple hundred dollars more, so I bought one. Now I want a high end desktop. Apple can't cut it on the prices, as I'm not willing to drop 2 K, let alone 3k on a system.
Take a look at this for me, and critique? Since this, I've decided to go for two 750GB internals, the rest is the same. Thoughts?


http://snapplr.com/snap/xqzv

Thanks guys.

I just realized I forgot to define how I'm using it...
Lots of media stuff. Heavy photo editing/manipulating. HD video handling, and a TON of music. Handling multitasking and heavy 2D rendering is a must. 3d rendering moderately important. Photoshop CS4 will take advantage if it's there, but that's about it. I do VERY little, if not zero PC gaming. I'm a Mac user, remember, and I don't miss not having the pc game access. I have a 360 and PS3 for that.

I like a lot of ram, 4 gb at least. Basically, I need speed with no slowdowns, and solid reliability.

EDIT two: I'd like to push the i7 to around 3.0. I assume this would be a sufficient cooler?: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103057
 
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Personally I would get a different case and mobo.
Case: Antec 900. Great ventilation/air flow. Not to mention it's pretty badass.
Mobo: Gamer or not, I think EVGA nForce 780i is a great mobo.
the rest is neat:)
 
I suppose it's partially my fault for not mentioning price, but:
Even though I have no specific set budget, I don't want to pay for anything I don't need.
A $100 case falls under that catagory... :D I think 50 is my max case budget.

What makes that mobo better than the one listed?
Thanks much for the input.
 
I went ahead and dropped it down to 600 W. No SLI plans in the future...
Yeah, I'm not trying to get the cheapest thing ever, but at the same time, things like $100 cases are just not really necessary for me.
I'm going with two internals, one as a main, possiblyl one as a backup (Though I may use my large external for that, not sure the logistics on it yet. Don't want raid to start with.)

Updated the ram also, to the right stuff. I'll be getting Vista 64

I updated it, take a look now:

http://snapplr.com/a25t
 
Justin Horne said:
I went ahead and dropped it down to 600 W. No SLI plans in the future...
Yeah, I'm not trying to get the cheapest thing ever, but at the same time, things like $100 cases are just not really necessary for me.
I'm going with two internals, one as a main, possiblyl one as a backup (Though I may use my large external for that, not sure the logistics on it yet. Don't want raid to start with.)

Updated the ram also, to the right stuff. I'll be getting Vista 64

I updated it, take a look now:

http://snapplr.com/a25t
Click to expand...

raid 1 is called redundant for a reason, theres no need for it. honestly, the worst you can expect is a hd lifespan of 2 years or so, and then it'll start clicking, you buy a new drive, and clone the data from your first drive.
 
Last bump, I promise... I'm going with the Asus EAH4870 for the video card, and I think I'll pick up a Cooler Master 520 for the overclocking also, I'm going to push it to about 3.0. Any other comments, or am I good to go?
I wan tto order this tonight, as there are about $70 worth of rebates that expire today, os any final comments? Thanks much guys.
 
Justin Horne said:
Last bump, I promise... I'm going with the Asus EAH4870 for the video card, and I think I'll pick up a Cooler Master 520 for the overclocking also, I'm going to push it to about 3.0. Any other comments, or am I good to go?
I wan tto order this tonight, as there are about $70 worth of rebates that expire today, os any final comments? Thanks much guys.
Click to expand...

For the OS, go with Vista Home Premium (64bit obviously). Overall, you are looking good.
 
Justin Horne said:
I've been looking at the differences, and I think I'll go Ultimate 64. Or are the backup reasons not compelling enough to jump to Ultimate?
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No, Ultimate would be fine if you want to spend the money. Personally, for backups I have been imaging my drives. I was just suggesting starting with Vista Home Premium instead of going the cheaper route with Home Basic.

You do get some other functions, like Bit-Locker and others. But, the choice really comes down to how much you want to spend on it. If you want to use the features, go for it. Get the top, and you are all set...until Windows 7 comes out that is.:)
 
bomberboysk said:
Id recommend getting a better case with better airflow, something like an antec 300 would be a quality case and provide decent airflow, and is a very nice quality case for the price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
Click to expand...

I might bump it to that, that's a reasonable price for the case.
Zatharus said:
No, Ultimate would be fine if you want to spend the money. Personally, for backups I have been imaging my drives. I was just suggesting starting with Vista Home Premium instead of going the cheaper route with Home Basic.

You do get some other functions, like Bit-Locker and others. But, the choice really comes down to how much you want to spend on it. If you want to use the features, go for it. Get the top, and you are all set...until Windows 7 comes out that is.:)
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Ok, awesome, thanks. I'll think about it some more then...


Last question (for the time being): Should I spring for the Corsair 750, or get the OCZ 600? I have NO future plans for dual SLI/etc. The only potential future upgrades would be internal HDs and Ram, with a cpu upgrade many years away, if feasable. Again, I have no specific budget, but if I can save the money, I want to.
 
Justin Horne said:
Last question (for the time being): Should I spring for the Corsair 750, or get the OCZ 600? I have NO future plans for dual SLI/etc. The only potential future upgrades would be internal HDs and Ram, with a cpu upgrade many years away, if feasable. Again, I have no specific budget, but if I can save the money, I want to.
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For a straightforward build, you should be fine with the 600. It wouldn't hurt to spring for the 750 if you can. Those Corsair units are very nice. Besides, you will have more overhead for future expansion. One other consideration is that the Corsair 750w unit has a single massive 60 amp 12v rail whereas the OCZ unit has four separate 18A rails. The single rail will eliminate your need to properly balance your component's power draw - not that you will need to do a ton with this build anyway. Just one more thing to consider. Either PSU will work for you. ;)
 
Bodaggit23 said:
You can't beat that OCZ (72Amp) psu for that price.
I paid $130.00 for my TX850 and it's got 70Amps.
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Yeah, I believe you that it's a good price, just don't know if I need it or not...


Zatharus said:
For a straightforward build, you should be fine with the 600. It wouldn't hurt to spring for the 750 if you can. Those Corsair units are very nice. Besides, you will have more overhead for future expansion. One other consideration is that the Corsair 750w unit has a single massive 60 amp 12v rail whereas the OCZ unit has four separate 18A rails. The single rail will eliminate your need to properly balance your component's power draw - not that you will need to do a ton with this build anyway. Just one more thing to consider. Either PSU will work for you. ;)
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Hmm, I see what you're saying about the rails (at least I think I do. Basically that I wouldn't want to hook all the components to the same rail of the ocz, and leave 3 empty.

I think if the only real reason is overhead for upgrades later, I'll probably just get the 600. I might consider the 750 though, we'll see how the final price works out. But basically, like you said, I'm totally fine with the 6, the 750 is just a helpful cushon, right?

Thanks much, again.
 
Justin Horne said:
Hmm, I see what you're saying about the rails (at least I think I do. Basically that I wouldn't want to hook all the components to the same rail of the ocz, and leave 3 empty.

I think if the only real reason is overhead for upgrades later, I'll probably just get the 600. I might consider the 750 though, we'll see how the final price works out. But basically, like you said, I'm totally fine with the 6, the 750 is just a helpful cushon, right?

Thanks much, again.
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My pleasure. Glad to help. :)

Yes, you will not want to hook everything up on the same 12v rail. :)
Rule of thumb, on a PSU like the OCZ, make sure your drives and your graphics card are on their own. This is usually taken care of for you by the nature of the connectors being different and on different rails - provided the manufacturer wired the PSU that way (which they should have). Basically if you overload a rail, it should shut down (no power on that rail).

Well, both the OCZ and the Corsair are high efficiency, active PFC units. Yes, the 750 will give you a cushion, but if you don't need it, save some money with the 600. Either will support your build well.

BTW - I know your pain with the pricing on Apple towers... I miss mine. New ones are out of the budget right now.
 
Justin Horne said:
Yeah, I believe you that it's a good price, just don't know if I need it or not...
Click to expand...
:confused:

You asked:
Should I spring for the Corsair 750, or get the OCZ 600?
Click to expand...

I was recommending the cheaper 600 watt OCZ psu.

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Zatharus said:
Yes, the 750 will give you a cushion, but if you don't need it, save some money with the 600. Either will support your build well.
Click to expand...
Where's the "cushion"? The less Amperage? Or the higher price? lol

Ps,
a 60 Amp rail is not "massive".
 
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Where's the "cushion"? The less Amperage? Or the higher price? lol

Ps,
a 60 Amp rail is not "massive".[/quote]

The cushion I was referring to was with the wattage/amperage and the single rail design. While the OCZ unit does have listed a higher over all amperage on the combined 12v rails if you add them up, you will not be able to use all that power simultaneously (Edit: See Below).

The 60A 12v rail is large for a single 12v rail. Besides, a single rail design is much more efficient. In this configuration the power supply can deliver ALL the rated power to the system, whereas the multi-rail unit will have its available power split between the rails. For example, this means that if you only use 10A on one of the OCZ PSU's four rails, the remaining 8A is not useable on the other three. And, you will also see up to 20-30% in power distribution losses on a split rail system - even in a high efficiency one.


Edit: Something I should clarify...

Note the maximum wattage on the OCZ PSU's 12v rails. You can only use 580w total across all four of those at the same time. This means that the 12v+ rails max out at a combined 48A. The 60A 12v rail on the Corsair unit IS larger. You will also note that the 750w Corsair PSU can deliver ALL 750 watts to the 12v rail. The single rail PSU is better and does give more of a cushion.
 
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