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Optimal Mid-Range CS5 and Gaming Build(2010/2011)

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PDXgeek

PDXgeek

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Hello,
I'm new to Hackintosh but somewhat familiar with building PC's. I have not built a PC in 5 years though, so my hardware knowledge feels useless. I started over that the OSx86 forums but after finding this site it sounds like a more pain-free approach to the one's people were alluding to on the other forums.

I'd like to build a dual-boot (OSX/WIN7)system that will be used for a couple things primarily(in order of priority):
- Photo editing(heavy)/ visual design (CS5)
- PC Gaming - mostly MMOs(SWG, SWTOR, EVE) since I tend to play other genres on Xbox
- AutoCAD/ Revit/ 3D Rendering

COST: I would like to minimize cost as much as possible(< $1000) but definitely want a machine that can max out graphic settings in certain games(mostly MMO), possibly using multiple(2 or 3) displays.

FEATURES: I would like to go with newer technologies if possible(SATA 6GB, DDR3, USB3) to maximize lifespan, but appreciate any advice.
----------------------------

COMPONENT THOUGHTS:

CPU: Leaning towards i7 920 because that seems to be the current price/performance sweet spot. I would like to overclock, but not immediately. Not until I'm up and running and more knowledgable.

MOBO: I'm at a loss here, and the options are dizzying. Is there a master spreadhseet of Hackintosh-compatible boards with feature comparisons? Anything I need to know to maximize system speed with respect to the Mobo?

GPU: Obviously looking for the ultimate price/performance sweet spot for late 2010, early 2011. Is it possible to run dual cards on a hackintosh? Multiple displays?

RAM: planning on going with at least 6GB DDR3 and maybe more, but open to suggestions. Any thoughts on dual vs. triple channel? I tend to have a lot of apps running at once and lots of browser tabs open when developing, and I also want to maximize game performance.

HDD: Considering a SSD for the OS and one or two primary games to maximize speed, and a 2TB SATA for storage most likely. I currently have a Macbook and use a 2TB external RAID(mirrored) for backup and media storage.

DISPLAY: I'm seriously considering a triple monitor setup if possible. If I can get three 24" displays for $600, then it feels like a no-brainer. But I'm also wondering why more people don't opt for large LCD TV's as display options.

Thanks in advance for any advice and assistance! I'll post my first preliminary build plan shortly.
 
Preliminary build plan:
------------------------------------


BUILD 1:(Newegg)
------------------------------------------
CASE: Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower ($60)

CPU: Intel i7 920 ($260)

COOLER: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm ($30)

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R ($150)

GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1372-TR GeForce GTX 460 Superclocked 1GB
SAPPHIRE 100282-3SR Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity ($280)

RAM: OCZ 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 PC312800 OCZ3X1600R2LV6GK ($120)

SSD: Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAA064MAG-1G1 1.8" 64GB SATA III MLC ($145)

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" ($90)

DVD: Sony Optiarc AD-7240S-0B 24X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW SATA Drive ($30)

PSU: Tuniq Potency PSU-POT650-BK 650W ATX12V / EPS12V ($40)
================

TOTAL COST: @ $1205

I'd love to get the cost lower without sacrificing mush performance. Any advice on tweeking this build is much appreciated.
 
first, GTX 460 won't work..
if you play light games, you can get a GTX 9800 to get the price down a little..
or you could get a GTX 260/275 or ati 5770/5850...

Why not get a better brand PSU ? like corsair, thermaltake, antec ?!

to cut your prices I suggest:

I7 860
p55a-UD4P
8GB 1600 DDR3
VGA of your choice from the ones I mentioned..

and since you will get a nice cooler like the 212+, you can overclock your rig to get better performance...
 
The GTX 9800 might be difficult to find. However you can easily find the GTS 250, which is a re-badge GTX 9800, which a die shrink.
 
Thanks for the feedback.

1) I'm not knowledgable about PSU's at all, and I need to know what specifically a bigger brand PSU will offer that i can't get from a cheaper brand. I'm not into paying for a name, and assume this technology is fairly consistent and straightforward across brands. Am I mistaken?

2) Same with coolers as above. Not sure how to judge the efficacy of a smaller brand cooler over another. So I opt for the cheap options. But I do want to OC at some point so definitely would appreciate any advice.

3) So the Geforce 460 1GB won't work, crap. That's one hell of a good card to beat on price/performance. I need a GPU that can handle multiple displays and max out sliders in MMO's, so I'm not sure if that falls under 'light' gaming? ATI 5850 looks like a good match for the GF460, but WHO, the price. ATI needs to fix that to be competitive. I can wait a few months for a price drop though.

4) Is using an SSD for the OS's an issue at all?

5) Any issues with using triple-channel RAM or 6GB SATA?

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
Welcome, PDXgeek. From the PDX in your name, I'll guess that you're in Portland, OR? Me too. Great city. Anyway...

PDXgeek said:
1) I'm not knowledgable about PSU's at all, and I need to know what specifically a bigger brand PSU will offer that i can't get from a cheaper brand. I'm not into paying for a name, and assume this technology is fairly consistent and straightforward across brands. Am I mistaken?
Click to expand...

From what I've seen with PSUs, you really do get what you pay for. Except for certain outliers, the more expensive ones really are better. And by "better", I mean they won't fail, nor will they send uneven power or spikes through your system, which could easily fry everything else in your box.

PDXgeek said:
2) Same with coolers as above. Not sure how to judge the efficacy of a smaller brand cooler over another. So I opt for the cheap options. But I do want to OC at some point so definitely would appreciate any advice.
Click to expand...

I'm not well versed with coolers, but some searching on this forum shows a few that get consistently good reviews for relatively low prices.

PDXgeek said:
3) So the Geforce 460 1GB won't work, crap. That's one hell of a good card to beat on price/performance. I need a GPU that can handle multiple displays and max out sliders in MMO's, so I'm not sure if that falls under 'light' gaming? ATI 5850 looks like a good match for the GF460, but WHO, the price. ATI needs to fix that to be competitive. I can wait a few months for a price drop though.
Click to expand...

I'd say go with a 9800 or similar. I have a 9800 GT and it supports dual monitors running CS5 with absolutely no problem. I don't game, so I can't say how it would do with that, but hey, try it out, and if it doesn't work for you, return it and try out another... maybe by then there will be 460 support in OSX

PDXgeek said:
4) Is using an SSD for the OS's an issue at all?
Click to expand...

While SSDs will make you system run a bit faster, they can also have a few issues. Most notably, OSX does not have native "garbage collectio" support for SSDs, which means you'll have to run some periodic maintainance, or risk a severe risk of life span for your SSD.

PDXgeek said:
5) Any issues with using triple-channel RAM or 6GB SATA?
Click to expand...

If you go with the p55a-ud4p and the i7-860, you will only have dual channel RAM. That being said, if you get 8Gb of good RAM on that board, as recommended above, then you're still likely to have a faster system than having a similarly priced 6 GB of triple-channel on an X58 board. I have that setup (i7 860 on a p55a-ud4p board with 8GB RAM) and I'm thrilled with it.) If you're looking to overclock, go with the i7-875. It more expensive for sure, but nothing beats it for overclocking right now, without getting into chipos that cost a few thousand dollars.

As for 6GB SATA, there's no support for it in OSX yet, and even if there were, with the speed bottlenecks at the harddrive itself, the SATA connection speed isn't really going to change anything.
 
Thanks! Yep, LOVE PDX!

Occam, you stopped shaving? Does that affect your sensible grasp of pragmatic analysis? ;)

ok, I'll look into some better PSU's and edit the config in my orig post.

Since I'm probably not going to move forward on this build until 2011, I can hold out and see what the GPU situation is for Hackintoshes then.


RE: DISPLAYS
I'm thinking at this point I may do three(3) 24" displays ideally(for the right price). Two on the desktop, and one for the macbook. Now I just need to find space in my tiny apartment for a desk, lol.

Thanks again.
 
Well to answer your question About Dual Screening Yes MAC OSX Supports dual screening however it does not have support for dual video cards which can run either on "sli" (nvidia) or "crossfire" (ATI). And as far as a graphics card recommendation goes i would say get the 5770 seems to be the best bang for its buck. But my question to you is where did u see A x58 UD3R for 150$? I'm in the market for one and would love to scoop one up for that price
 
about the case, i'd spring the few extra bucks and get the antec 300 illusion. i have the case the included fans definitely make it worthwhile in my opinion (unless you already have some fans you can use, i guess).

i followed the advice of other board members and got the scythe mugen-2 rev. b cpu cooler and i am very pleased with it. it's pretty cheap and so far it's been amazing.
 
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