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i7 or Xeon build for Lightroom and Photoshop advice needed.

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kookoo said:
Thanks again Going Bald, thank you for taking the time out to help me.

Here is my proposed setup:

1x Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E 3.2GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 2011 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80619i73930K

1x CORSAIR DOMINATOR 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model CMP32GX3M4X1600C10

1x EVGA 02G-P4-3660-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

1x OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-256G 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

4x Western Digital RE4 WD2003FYYS 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

1x Pioneer Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 10X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner With BDXL Support BDR-2207

1x CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX750 (CMPSU-750AX) 750W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply


Opinions on the below and the above for that matter would be greatly appreciated. I just want to make sure I get it right first time. I hate that feeling os; "Damn, I knew I should have got that one as opposed to that one.

MOTHERBOARD

ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
or
ASUS Rampage IV Extreme LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard

COOLING
Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler
or
CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler

Thanks people!
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List looks good. Personally I would go for the Sabertooth because I need the FireWire for a couple of pieces of hardware I use sometimes.

For the CPU cooler I would go with the Noctua rather than the H100 for 2 reasons -
1. I don't trust it not to leak and liquid and electricity do not mix for my benefit or the hardware's benefit.
2. The fans are always much louder than I want to hear. - I can get better cooling from the Noctua with much quieter fans and I like quiet.

EDIT: One thing about the Dominator RAM - if you find it is too tall to go under the cpu cooler fins you can remove the fins by taking out 3 screws:
nh_d14_dominator_ddr3.jpg
The result is a standard height stick of ram.
 
kookoo said:
I'm not sure that I don't need much for Lightroom and Photoshop. The Mac Pro I have now is painfully slow, I really wanted something that is significantly faster. If an i7 will do the job just as good as the Xeon, then I'll save myself some money.

My workflow at the moment is as follows:

Copy RAW files to the RAID 0 drives using the Finder (outside of Lightroom), launch Lightroom using a new catalog (I've tried having the catalog on the start up SSD drive and the RAID 0 drive), I then import the RAW files (by ADDING them, not moving or copying) with 1:1 previews, (this stage is very slow), then I pick and edit the images, again very slow, e.g. when navigating from one picture to another takes about 2 seconds, sometimes more, zooming in takes 3+ seconds, and if I do any editing, I'm constantly waiting for it to update.

I hope this is enough for you guys to help me choose.

Thanks again
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I feel you man, but you really are comparing apples to oranges. Your mac pro is dated. Don't feel bad I have a mac pro 1,1 sitting under my desk that I have no idea what I'm gonna do with it. Probably will turn it into a hack when I have some extra money or a need for another system. The performance you'll get from the quad core ivy bridge cpus will blow that thing away. If your heart is set on the X79 then lets do this! You are really getting the ultimate system, I have one and I love it and even though it's not officially supported, it runs like OS X was made for it. No issues at all!

I was working with RAW files from my 7D all day today in PS CS5, even merged RAW files to HDR and it was fast. I'm running the images off of a WD external FW drive too, so if you go with that raid set up that should make it even more efficient. Get atleast 32-64gb of ram and set photoshop to be able to use most of it and that will help tremendously aswell ontop of the extra cpu cores.

Forget about xeon, you dont need it. Go for the 3930K and get the sabertooth. Follow the guide in the golden builds and you will be up and running in no time.

Any questions, we're all here to help!

Here's my build:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/user-builds/52035-my-platinum-build-x79-3930k-protools-hd2-geekbench.html
 
Going Bald & subaro0o,

Thanks guys for all your help and support, you guys are great!
 
I am in the same boat guys!

I am a digital audio musician in significant need of an upgrade. Right now I am running on a 3yo MBP (Core2Duo @ 3.06ghz) and I want to move to a dedicated DAW.

I have done tons of research on Hackintoshs for the past 5 months. I am about to pull the trigger on a build but I still cannot decide between the z77 or x79 platform.

Both builds will be top of the line: Asus Maximus V Extreme w/ i7-3770K or Asus Ramage IV Extreme w/ i7-3930K and top of the line parts for each additional component for the best possible, stable over clock. The z77 platform provides, from what I understand, very native support. Whereas the x79 platform lacks power management, CPU speedstep and sleep.

From my research, I have a detailed understanding of what these features are, but it would be really nice if a fellow x79 hackingtosh'er could chime in and provide a detailed and thorough pro/con list of the use of a x79 platform with a focus on these power management features. By having the CPU run in full speed have any effects on the TDP/heat? OS stability? Any experience with that sleep enabler floating around these forums? With respect to sleep, the computer is not able to sleep, but what about peripherals such as the monitor(s)? Basically, I want to really assess how this short-coming affects day-to-day usage.

I would also note, this computer will be running 24/7 to provide media to the rest of my home. Is anyone else running a hackintosh in a similar fashion to my intended use?


Thanks for your time!
 
omega8870 said:
I am in the same boat guys!

I am a digital audio musician in significant need of an upgrade. Right now I am running on a 3yo MBP (Core2Duo @ 3.06ghz) and I want to move to a dedicated DAW.

I have done tons of research on Hackintoshs for the past 5 months. I am about to pull the trigger on a build but I still cannot decide between the z77 or x79 platform.

Both builds will be top of the line: Asus Maximus V Extreme w/ i7-3770K or Asus Ramage IV Extreme w/ i7-3930K and top of the line parts for each additional component for the best possible, stable over clock. The z77 platform provides, from what I understand, very native support. Whereas the x79 platform lacks power management, CPU speedstep and sleep.

From my research, I have a detailed understanding of what these features are, but it would be really nice if a fellow x79 hackingtosh'er could chime in and provide a detailed and thorough pro/con list of the use of a x79 platform with a focus on these power management features. By having the CPU run in full speed have any effects on the TDP/heat? OS stability? Any experience with that sleep enabler floating around these forums? With respect to sleep, the computer is not able to sleep, but what about peripherals such as the monitor(s)? Basically, I want to really assess how this short-coming affects day-to-day usage.

I would also note, this computer will be running 24/7 to provide media to the rest of my home. Is anyone else running a hackintosh in a similar fashion to my intended use?


Thanks for your time!
Click to expand...

For the difference in cost between the X79 and 1155 platforms, you could get the 1155 Maximus + a second board with i3 3224 cpu to create a dedicated home server. No need to use your server for work environment.
 
I've priced out two builds: one is x79 and the other is 1155. There is only a difference of ~$300 or so. That is not much given the full cost of the build is like 7grand.
 
omega8870 said:
I've priced out two builds: one is x79 and the other is 1155. There is only a difference of ~$300 or so. That is not much given the full cost of the build is like 7grand.
Click to expand...

Omega, no problem what-so-ever but please start your own thread and I will get to your questions. I've been using X79 and I should be able to answer you questions!
 
omega8870 said:
I am in the same boat guys!

I am a digital audio musician in significant need of an upgrade. Right now I am running on a 3yo MBP (Core2Duo @ 3.06ghz) and I want to move to a dedicated DAW.

I have done tons of research on Hackintoshs for the past 5 months. I am about to pull the trigger on a build but I still cannot decide between the z77 or x79 platform.

Both builds will be top of the line: Asus Maximus V Extreme w/ i7-3770K or Asus Ramage IV Extreme w/ i7-3930K and top of the line parts for each additional component for the best possible, stable over clock. The z77 platform provides, from what I understand, very native support. Whereas the x79 platform lacks power management, CPU speedstep and sleep.

From my research, I have a detailed understanding of what these features are, but it would be really nice if a fellow x79 hackingtosh'er could chime in and provide a detailed and thorough pro/con list of the use of a x79 platform with a focus on these power management features. By having the CPU run in full speed have any effects on the TDP/heat? OS stability? Any experience with that sleep enabler floating around these forums? With respect to sleep, the computer is not able to sleep, but what about peripherals such as the monitor(s)? Basically, I want to really assess how this short-coming affects day-to-day usage.

I would also note, this computer will be running 24/7 to provide media to the rest of my home. Is anyone else running a hackintosh in a similar fashion to my intended use?


Thanks for your time!
Click to expand...

omega8870,

You have raised a good point, which has made me a little concerned now. I second omega8870 question, and it would be much appreciated if someone could provide a detailed and thorough pro/con list of the use of a x79 platform as opposed to the 1155 system, with a focus on the power management features. Again I want the fastest machine I can get, without issues concerning reliability (relatively speaking)

Thanks
 
the computer works perfectly in os x, as if it were made for it... there's no solution for sleep or power consumption issue, you must use nullcpu option for it to run right, the computer will run at its fastest clock at all times.. I have had no problems, and would not worry about it.. if you're ok with using a little more electricity to have the fastest mac experience you've ever had then go for it. THIS IS A MAYBE SO DON'T COUNT ON IT, but the new mac pro may have socket 2011, which may fix these issues in the future, but nothing is for sure. I honestly can't even notice that the computer is always at it's highest clock, it just feels like a well oiled machine. I dual boot over to windows and get my gaming on, and I seriously mean this from the bottom of my heart, this is just the greatest computer I've ever had...
 
hello kookoo,

i also need a photoshop machine to replace my old mac pro 1,1 (2006) i am doing research right now and i am considering to build my own hackintosh.
do you have any progress with your rig?

if yes which MB did you choose, x79 or z77? is the hackintosh faster than your old mac pro (2008)?

thanks in advance for you answer!

best
m.
 
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