Spec help for an Adobe Illustrator PC

Operation · 22 Jul 2011 at 10:23

Hi guys. I've built myself a couple of gaming PCs and am comfortable with that, but I am going to build a pc for my sister-in-law who is a fashion design student. She uses Adobe Illustrator (think it's vector graphics based) and her laptop isn't really cutting it. Don't need an OS, peripherals or monitors [will need to run 2x monitors]

So, can any if you knowledgeable chaps recommend what CPU I should base this build around? i7 2600k maybe, or would a 6 core 1100t be a good option for less cash? Also, depending on the CPU, are there good cheapish options re the motherboard that would allow some overclocking? Single GPU only support required.

What GPU would be appropriate? Is a high end gaming card necessary? Was thinking of a 560t but think this might be overkill.

I'll get loads of Ram, know plenty about PSUs, cases, cooling etc, but guidance on the above would be much appreciated.

Shadz · 22 Jul 2011 at 10:34

I would recommend the i7 2600k to be honest especially with its hyperthreading.

If you want a nice board that has overclocking features and stuff as well check out the
board in my sig its a really nice board.

With regards to the Gfx card then I would probably get something like http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-114-MS&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1341 especially for its cooling and stuff.

Reaper 392 · 22 Jul 2011 at 12:24

just specced something similar to this for someone else. dont know if its going to be too expensive for you though:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-2600K 3.40GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor £239.99
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive £173.99
1 x OcUK GeForce GTX 460 OC 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £113.99
1 x Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £89.99
1 x Cooler Master Silencio RC-550 Silent Tower Case - Black £69.98
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £49.99
1 x OCZ ModXStream Pro 500w Silent SLI Certified Modular Power Supply £44.99
1 x Zalman CNPS9900-MAX Blue LED CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366/AM2/AM2+/AM3) £43.91
1 x Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD103SJ) £41.99
1 x Sony Optiarc AD-5260S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £15.98
Total : £906.22 (includes shipping : £17.85).

Operation · 22 Jul 2011 at 12:43

Nice spec, thanks. I had in mind slightly tighter ram, the RipjawsX blue. The 460 seems like it might well be the way to go in terms of GPU, having looked around it seems CS5 isn't too demanding on the GPU but more so on the CPU.

To save a few bob on an i7 SB build I was thinking the amd 1100 hex core overclocked to 4ghz might offer decent performance, an allow for a cheaper mb too. Never used amd before, do the hex cores perform well, and would the motherboards am3/3+ support bulldozer for future-proofing?

Edit: Oh, and I'm not planning on an SSD, I'm paying and it's only my sister in law afterall

MagusUK · 22 Jul 2011 at 12:43

I use PS, ID & DW & have done on various PC's; any quad core is fine, the most important thing I find is SSD, make sure the programs are installed on a SSD, with regards to GPU, even the old generation GTX's will be fine (as long as she isn't doing complex animations).

Depends on her budget, you could go with all modern tech or build with 'parts', my only advice is whatever you do, make sure there is a decent sized SSD installed.

Operation · 22 Jul 2011 at 12:50

Hmm, ok. Food for thought. Maybe a slight GPU downgrade and SSD included then.

If quad is fine I may go down the i5 2500k route. Nice and familiar.

unknownsock · 22 Jul 2011 at 15:13

Cant see why using an SDD would make much difference as illustrator is very easy to run unless you embed highres bitmaps and use the 3d features.

A 2600k and 8gb of Ram would fly through anything.

Operation · 22 Jul 2011 at 15:17

Any views on the amd 1100t black hex core? If clocked at similar speeds would it sit between a SB i5 and i7?

unknownsock · 22 Jul 2011 at 15:29

For any mrdia based work I'd stick to Intel unless the AMD is massovely cheaper.

Intel beats amd by a gd margin in this area.

MagusUK · 22 Jul 2011 at 16:42

unknownsock said:
Cant see why using an SDD would make much difference as illustrator is very easy to run unless you embed highres bitmaps and use the 3d features.

A 2600k and 8gb of Ram would fly through anything.

I guess why I said that is more for the nature of the work I do. Involved in the fashion business & why SSD makes the difference for me is that usually will be running PS & ID or PS & DW simultaneously and between that constantly opening/closing browsers/folders with images/text. SSD's makes the work flow so much less painful - smooth is the best way to describe it.