Graphics card for Sandy Bridge set up???

[Purgatory]

This might be a side note, but I think with video editing it is quite highly affected by the monitor you use and getting a nice IPS over an LCD would be beneficial for better viewing angles. Also make sure you get one with high contrast and good colors out of the box. Putting a nice screen on top of what these guys have suggested as a PC spec, you'll have a wicked setup for photo editing and music.

All that said IPS panels are expensive, the Dell U2410 is one of the best atm i believe but your looking at spending as much as it'd cost to make your PC!
for a decent price and amazing contrast the Samsung SynMaster F2380M is probs your best bet
Just something to factor in GL with it!

If she would have said it was for work I would have said this screen as it's for hobby use no point..

Dell UltraSharp U2410 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Midnight Grey **REV A02** will cost £459.98 inc VAT ...


http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-036-DE&groupid=17&catid=510&subcat=


Also the Samsung SynMaster F2380M has no HDMI connection which may come in handy with a person doing video/audio creation.

 

[xNytramx]

Ah good point about the HDMI :s I overlooked that! Appologise to OP ^^

 

[TRACEY_BLAKE]

Reason for the 2600K CPU is because you will be doing video editing and photo processing (hyperthreading/larger cahce and Integrated HD 3000 video will help you here).

2 Seagate 1.5TB one will contain your operating system and programs while the other will act as a scratch disk and backup of your work... (I think RAID would cause extra problems then needed if the RAID failed means you can loose all your work, so I don't advise people who are not very technically savvy on a pc to use unless they backup a lot to external media).

Pioneer Bluray burner because i'm guessing you would want to burn you video to bluray disks and also it allows you to burn to DVD and CD aswell as play all current types of silver disks available.

8GB of memory because more memory you have for video and photo editing the better. (You may find in the future you will add more depending if you will edit very large HD video content).


The motherboard has video out and sound card built in and really you would only use the soundcard on the motherboard for playback of media on the computer.. your digidesign MBox 3 Pro will be doing all the hard work of recording and playing back what you create yourself.


I didn't add speakers because you said you had some but you may find you will buy some studio type monitors (Look for some used ones on Ebay ) and connect them to the digidesign MBox 3 Pro for much better sound then any pc speaker will give you.


I built you there a full system to get up and running without any suprises or headaches... I hope it's in your budget and if not change the CPU to a 2500k and see if it fits more in your budget but honestly I would stick with the 2600K as it will make the system faster when doing Video editing and photo processing.

Enjoy


::EDIT::
The TOTAL price for today 10th Jan 2011 is £1,025.17 for the above same parts from OCuk. Seems some of the parts have come down in price a little

Hi Pergatory

Thanks a lot for taking the time to sort a set up for me. Sounds good to me, will now go away & do some reading on everything you've recommended. Is it ok to keep throwing questions at you when I need to? Really appreciate your help.

I do have one question already...I know I need 2 x sata drives, do they both need to be 1.5TB if one will only contain the operating system & programs?

Thanks to everyone else for the suggestions, will check them all out & get back

 

[Purgatory]

They don't both need to be 1.5TB but it's good to have more space when video editing and editing creating media like music and images. Larger the harddrives the better really and also remember, one will act as a scratch disk and a backup of your work.

 

[^Andy^]

Guys does the P8h67-M Pro have firewire because I can't see it mentioned in the item description. Tracey will need firewire for the digidesign MBox 3 Pro.

 

[Purgatory]

Andy nope the board does not come with firewire she will need to buy a PCI firewire card

be it firewire 400 or 800 card depends which firewire spec her Mbox uses, but best to buy the firewire 800 card and you can always use a cable to make it firewire 400 or an adaptor plug. If you don't want to mess about with adaptors or cables to convert the connectors just buy the right spec card.

I would get the PCI type not the PCI-express type so in the future the PCI express will be empty for further upgrades like a new GPU or a sound card.

Firewire cards :-

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=49&subid=422

Firewire cables :-

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=1929&catid=937

Regarding firewire and the types of connectors on each spec 400 and 800

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_1394_interface

 

[^Andy^]

Maybe the Gigabyte H67A-UD3H board would be a better idea then (unless there is a need for a micro atx board that is) ?

That build is getting cheaper by the day - that ram is now listed at £85.99 including the dreaded VAT
and the i7 2600k is now £257.99 inc

 

[TRACEY_BLAKE]

Thanks guys for all the advice, it's much appreciated.

I noticed that the Asus P8H67-M Pro mobo doesn't have firewire like Andy said above & I would need firewire, so would the Asus P8H67-M Evo be a better option? I have changed my mind, I'm no longer going to go with Pro Tools software and the MBox 3 Pro audio interface, instead I've decided to go with the Sonar X1 Producer software with the Focusrite Pro 24 audio interface. The focusrite Pro 24 I believe is Firewire 400 port (6 pin). Therefore am I best to get a mobo with a firewire connection (Asus P8H67-M Evo), or would I be best to go with the PCI card option?? What speed firewire is the Asus P8H57-M Evo?? Please advise.

Purgatory...would I need an external sata drive for backing up my audio & video files or can I back up with all internal sata drives? If so I notice that the P8H67-M Pro also doesn't have an esata connection, whereas the P8H67-M Evo does. Also, instead of buying 2 x sata drives, would I be best to buy 3 x sata drives, one for OS & Program files, one just for the audio files & the other for just photo/video files? I'd like to eventually understand & learn RAID for backing up files (RAID 0+1 or 10), but until then I'll be backing up without RAID. Please advise.

Purgatory...When you suggest getting video out on the mobo, do you mean DVI?

Purgatory....I notice that on the P8H67-M Pro mobo has 6 x audio jacks, is this vital to me for what I will be doing? Because the P8H67-M Evo does not have this. Please advise.

Someone has suggested that I buy a mobo with RAM 1600Mhz support for what I need(stock speed, not overclocked speed as not an overclocker), however both the P8H67-M Pro & the P8H67-M Evo both only have a max of 1333 Mhz support! Therefore, should I be looking for a mobo with 1600Mhz support for digital audio mixing/editing & video/photo editing??? (not a gaming or overclocking). Please advise.

Would really appreciate help on all of the above queries, thanks guys

 

[TRACEY_BLAKE]

Do I need 2 x internal hard drives or 1 x internal & 1 x external drive for backing up work when doing digital audio recording & mixing & for video/photo editing? I've never delved into the world of RAID as total newby so not sure this is a good idea. Thanks in advance.

 

[tommybhoy]

^ you could have either type of setup, personal choice really. 2 internal hd's would be quicker, but portability could be needed. Western Digital do a 'My Passport Essential' model that can do automatic back ups(takes out the stress of remembering) if that's any help:
http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/search/1/a_id/7069

On a side note, you have said you don't want to overclock, but you would be losing out on huge processing gains.

I'm surprised no one has thought to mention an MSI board with the 'OC Genie' switch that automatically overclocks for you by pressing a button, that's all there is to it:

'If you find yourself being a little wary of getting into the BIOS and overclocking yourself, OC Genie II is present and at a touch of a button you should find yourself at 4.2GHz with a 2600k.'

source:
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4163/msi_z68ma_ed55_intel_z68_matx_motherboard_review/index5.html

MSI Z68MA-ED55 Intel Z68 @ £130- Yes it's more expensive but it comes with a FireWire port.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-180-MS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1990

'OC Genie 2
- Intelligent detect hardware settings
- Automatically overclock CPU, Memory and VGA in 1 second'

 

[TRACEY_BLAKE]

Thanks tommybhoy for the helpful answer, that helps. Not going to the MSI board with OC genie but thanks for the suggestion, I wasn't aware of it! If I just went for 2 x internal hard drives, I plan to use 1 drive to store the operating system & program files which will also act as a back up to the other drive (as this has already been suggested to me). I'm not technically savvy so will steer clear of RAID for time being. My question is: Is it simple to use one internal drive as the back up drive? Do I need to buy back up software in order to be able to do this?? Sorry I am complete newby!!
Thanks

 

[Alex h]

if youre useing windows 7 its got a backup you can set up quite easy