New here - any feedback on this spec?

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18 Mar 2011
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Hi Guys,

New here, I've just made my first post, now looking for a bit of help please :)

I'm about to build a PC that will be used for a lot of simultaneous photo editing, web development, graphic creation, and some separate 3D rendering. I want it to be as fast as it can so I can be as efficient as I can.

I've got approximately £500 ex VAT budget (it's for work purposes), and have come up with the following. It totals to £546, but not sure if I need anything else, and if I should choose some superior items.

I plan on setting the HDD's up in a RAID format so that data is mirrored. I was told that slows things down a lot though, which doesn't seem to make sense considering they are separate disks.

All pricing is done on OverClockers prices.

MSI P67A-GD65 Intel P67 === === £129.15
2600K Sandy Bridge === £199.99
Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit === £37.49
HIS ATI Radeon HD 5570 1024MB GDDR3 SILENT PCI-Express Graphics Card === £37.99
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB (£35.82 each) === £71.64
Coolermaster RC-502 Centurion II Case - Black === £33.32
OCZ StealthXStream 2 600W Power Supply
=== £42.49
Samsung SH-S223C/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (£11.66 each) === £23.32
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (3.5g) === £5.61
2 x Antec Tri-Cool 3-Speed 120mm Fan - Black @ 1.65 each === £3.30


Total === £546.31

Feedback?

Thanks guys.
Matt.
 
Last edited:
You either need a graphics card, or a H67 motherboard. You're not going to see anything otherwise!

H67 will allow you to use the GFX processor in the CPU, P67 allows overclocking but not onboard graphics.
 
Haha, thanks for that. I thought I might have missed something.

Eventually, I would want to put a decent graphics card into it (I am not going to be doing 3D for a while), but not at the moment. I can get a basic one for now.

So the only difference between P67 and H67 is the ability to use the onboard graphics card?

If I went for a H67, I would not need the unlocked 'K' version of the processor, right?

Can you suggest any different components please? Maybe if something is not so compatible, or certain combinations have caused trouble. Or if I have gone 'cheap' on some important parts.

I believe the case and the motherboard will fit fine, the RAM ought to fit in, and that there is a heatsink with the processor is sufficient?

Thanks for all your help :)

Cheers
 
Thanks for that PastyMuncher. I have amended my spec to the "OCZ StealthXStream 2 600W Power Supply", and edited my post for anyone else that may read it. Saved me 5p too ;)

Thanks all! :)
 
Hi again all,

Hope you've had a good weekend :)

The SSD is not really an option. I may just drop a drive and forget RAID, and stick with just a single 1 TB drive. Is there any RAID set up that you could recommend that will allow data to be mirrored without a performance loss?

Also, off to make a new post on setting up a home server! I have no idea where to start how ever!

Thanks again guys. More feedback would be welcome still! Is the RAM any good?!
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID

RAID 1 can slow the system down, but a quote on Wikipedia above:

With appropriate operating system support, there can be increased read performance, and only a minimal write performance reduction. Using RAID 1 with a separate controller for each disk is sometimes called duplexing.

RAID 1 is mirroring right?

How is it possible to have minimal write performance reduction?
 
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