New computer - is it the best for the money?

[sutter_kain]

I am throwing ideas around for a good After Efects, PremierePro SD, HD editing system as well. I am considering a MacBook pro w/ Final Cut studio and a Matrox MXO or:

- ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce SPP 100 ATX AMD Motherboard
- AMD Opteron 170 Denmark 1000MHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor
- CORSAIR XMS PRO 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200)
- Western Digital Raptor WD740GD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive X 3 (for sys & raid 0)
- ATI 100-435805 Radeon X1900XTX 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
- Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply
- Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum/Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
- DeckLink HD Extreme (SDI card)

All of these items have pretty good ratings on NewEgg.com (Decklink card @ BHPhotovideo.com). It will cost around $3,000 for all of the hardware listed. That is much better & cheaper than a system through Boxx or Alienware (if you mind not having tech support).

Any advice on this set up would be welcome too!

[motoxpress]

The Athlon X2 will be a great CPU to go with. You may want to look into the the AM2 platform from AMD as it will allow for more ram (and faster ram: DDR2). The MB seem to be in the same cost range as well.

For HD content, you will want to have a SATA raid at a minimum. I recommend looking into an external setup that wallows you to swap drives in.

The video card should be fine. I have used the 7800GT with AE and it is perfect.

-gl

[tfortier]

Why cant I build the sata raid directly from the mobo? is there some downside?

[motoxpress]

Why cant I build the sata raid directly from the mobo? is there some downside?

You can. Going external allows for more flexibility and heat dispertion. Internal woudl be fine as well.

-gl

[tfortier]

ha... nice! also is there some stuff I can ask for have a more silent machine for few bucks more...? I ear about larger fans...

[motoxpress]

ha... nice! also is there some stuff I can ask for have a more silent machine for few bucks more...? I ear about larger fans...

For a quiet system, you should look at the CPU HSF (zalman is good), 120mm case fans, and a nice, quiet PS (which you have chosen). The video card adds to the noise as well so, if you get a passively-cooled card you should be good.

-gl

[sutter_kain]

The video card should be fine. I have used the 7800GT with AE and it is perfect.

-gl

For the 7800GT, on the HDTV out can you use that as a preview monitor out for AE & PrPro? That would save me some money on the SDI card until I really need it!

Would I be better off going with the X2Athlon4200 ilo the Operton 170? it's a little cheaper!

(I am still having a tough time deciding between Mac or staying with a Windows system)

[SweetDreamz]

Looks pretty good....are you in a hurry to buy it now though?

Core 2 Duo is coming out next month, so you might want to wait till then. Even if you don't go Intel, you might see some price cuts by AMD. Not to mention that Intel's pricecut on old stock is just ridiculous, but hey, we(consumer) win.

[motoxpress]

For the 7800GT, on the HDTV out can you use that as a preview monitor out for AE & PrPro? That would save me some money on the SDI card until I really need it!

Would I be better off going with the X2Athlon4200 ilo the Operton 170? it's a little cheaper!

(I am still having a tough time deciding between Mac or staying with a Windows system)

The 7800GT will not replace an SDI i/o card like the Decklink. You can use it for previewing but you are better off getting something dedicated to it. There are of course other expenses that will cost you a lot more (like the deck for instance).

The Opteron has more cache and is supposed to be a higher grade component. You may want to consider the Opteron 165 and OC it a bit.

As far as mac -vs- windows, It's really up to you. If you prefer FCP then there really isn't much of a choice. Premiere Pro 2.0 is a good tool and the integration with the Adobe suite is very powerful. Hard to go wrong wither way - it's really your own preferences that should decide. Personally, I have both :)

-gl

[tfortier]

iiiiiiiish... core 2 duo look nice... do you think they will be very expensive at beginining? I can get my computer right now for 1200$... If I have to wait for a 2000$ computer, maybe its not worth it...

??

damn... im all lost now...

[motoxpress]

iiiiiiiish... core 2 duo look nice... do you think they will be very expensive at beginining? I can get my computer right now for 1200$... If I have to wait for a 2000$ computer, maybe its not worth it...

??

damn... im all lost now...

They will be as expensive as the current dual-core Athlons it seems, but much harder to get as they are predicting limited availability (made worse by the fact that Apple is also using this in their new workstations). It is looking like $999 for the top of the line CPU and
the 2.4 version is going to be around $300US.

If you can wait a couple of months then it might be worth hanging out for but, there are a lot of factors that have to come together. I predict it will be August before they are in the mainstream channels.

-gl

[MadMax]

iiiiiiiish... core 2 duo look nice... do you think they will be very expensive at beginining? I can get my computer right now for 1200$... If I have to wait for a 2000$ computer, maybe its not worth it...

??

damn... im all lost now...


You are better off sticking with the AMD setup you were looking at. However I would say look at the AM2 versions.

Same general price range, but they allow for more and faster ram, and run cooler.

Additional cooling IS NOT REQUIRED. The X2's run so cool that the stock HSF is more than sufficient for your cooling needs.

[motoxpress]

Additional cooling IS NOT REQUIRED. The X2's run so cool that the stock HSF is more than sufficient for your cooling needs.

The only reason I would suggest possibly looking into an aftermarket HSF is the noise factor. The stock option is not loud but is not quiet either.

-gl

[MadMax]

The only reason I would suggest possibly looking into an aftermarket HSF is the noise factor. The stock option is not loud but is not quiet either.



It sounds like you haven't heard one in awhile.

The Stock HSF is whisper quiet. I have several of them and there is no noticeable noise in the room from them.

[SweetDreamz]

The Core 2 Duo(I'll refer to it as Conroe now) E6600 is expected to cost about $316 USD. Right now the x2 4200+ costs around $360(this price is off Newegg). However, prices here in Canada are always abit more. You'll have to get some DDR2 ram and of course, a compatible motherboard for it.

Even if you don't get the Conroe, you can maybe expect some price cuts by AMD. So it's worth a wait either way. See if you can price a AM2 system, that way if you want to switch later down the road, you can still use your DDR2 ram instead of ditching the old stuff.

So, I say just hold out for till August and see how things go. Mind you, Conroe isn't just a revision of some old tech, it's a completely new architecture. So it's at least worth a wait if you don't plan to upgrade for another few years.

Similarily, if you're dead set on Conroe after reading reviews & what not, you can go grab a Badaxe rev304 and a get a cheap Pentium D805 to hold over till it released. :P

Edit: As for aftermarket HSF, see if the stock one works. Noise is pretty subjective. Some people have more sensitive hearing than others, so ya.

[motoxpress]

It sounds like you haven't heard one in awhile.

The Stock HSF is whisper quiet. I have several of them and there is no noticeable noise in the room from them.

You must have a higher tolerance for noise than I do. I have assembled an X2 system just recently and found the stock HSF to emit enough noise to single it out.

The guy asking the question can always assemble it and if he finds the noise annoying enough he can always do something about it.


-gl

[tfortier]

I think I will wait until conroe is out and work on my job computer until then... its still faster than the 4800+.

is anybody know why I cant find an asus 7600GT silent anywhere?

thanks for all your replies!

t

[Valkyrien]

I think I will wait until conroe is out and work on my job computer until then... its still faster than the 4800+.

is anybody know why I cant find an asus 7600GT silent anywhere?

thanks for all your replies!

t


Aftermarket HSFs are the way to go there...Zalma makes a fairly low-profile quiet option :)

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