Jump to content
12 posts in this topic

Recommended Posts

Hi all,

 

I have been lurking around this site for quiet awhile reading all the information, but i've read so much ive become confused and unsure were to go. So now i seek your advice and opinions. I have listed below the things I want to do with my computer as an outline of direction. Any help on setup would be great.

 

Im a photographer and designer so i require alot of grunt. The applications I use on a day to day bases are the Adobe CS5 Suite photoshop, after effects, dreamweaver, InDesign ect I also use Lightroom for the majority of my photography work.

 

I was hopping to set the computer up with dual graphic cards to get more processing grunt? would this be true?

 

At least 2tb of hard disk space as in a weekend I shoot over 10gb of raw data.

 

My current mac has 11gb DDR2 SDRAM. so I'd like to improve on that.

 

Im not sure on what kind of Intel CPU to use as I need it to be as grunty as possible and match my software needs?

 

Few last things as my network consists of 4 other macs i need a wireless availability and plenty of usb space and hopefully usb 3.0 for down the track?

 

I hope this isnt to mush to ask of everyone and I appreciate your time in reading this and any suggestions you may have.

I think a good place to look is http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2010/06/bui...omplete-pc.html

 

However, the main issue is the motherboard, you want to make sure the one you get is fully supported by OS X (which the boards in that post are). Everything else is basically up to your personal preference (with the exception of Graphics cards, altho if you're ok with Nvidia, i think this is a non-issue now).

 

However, I'd throw together how much the system of your dreams would cost, and compare this to what a real mac pro would cost. remember that OS X on a custom built PC is still a hack, and you may need a lot of patience and time to get things running (especially since you rely on other forum goers for support).

Thanks for the reply mate, I've had a read and have come up with a list. Is it possible for you to have a look over it and tell me what you think and your suggestions.

 

Mother board:

EVGA P55 Classified 200

 

Mother board Accessories:

EVGA USB 3.0 Host Card

EVGA Control Panel for X58 Classified (included with motherboard)

EVGA Firewire Port Bracket (included with motherboard)

EVGA Serial Port Bracket

 

Wireless Card:

Not Sure

 

Cpu:

Not Sure

 

Hard Drives:

3 x Western Digital 1tb

 

RAM:

Corsair Dominator GT 6GB DDR3 Kit 1600Mhz C7 3x 2GB

 

Case:

SILVERSTONE RAVEN RV01

 

Power Supply:

Not Sure

 

Graphics Card:

EVGA GTX 480 SC Video Card 1536MB

or

ASUS Radeon 5870 Matrix Video Card 2GB OC

or

2 x EVGA GTX470 Video Card 1280MB

 

Fans:

Not Sure

I wouldn't go with EVGA – look for a Gigabyte P55 such as the P55-UD4P. None of your GPU choices will work (the 5870, not at all, and while there is apparently Fermi support in OS X, it's a PITA to get working), so I'd go with a GTX 260 or 285 if you can find one.

 

For your CPU, if you want an i7 go for the i7-860. If an i5 is enough, go for the i5-750.

OK I have revised my list, taking your ideas on boar. Is this list a better choice?

 

Intel Core i7 930

Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R

GeForce GTX 285

 

Gigabyte SUMO 4112 Aluminum Tower Gaming Case

 

4 x 1tb western digital

850watt + PSU

6gb DDR3 RAM

Blu-ray Burner

 

 

More help would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

An 850W PSU is almost overkill, but all your parts look fine otherwise.

 

 

 

Hi Mackilroy,

 

I took a look at the links you posted, but i am interested in the EVGA Classified SR2 board, which i have ordered already.

 

What do you reckon with that board ?

 

I am aiming for one Xeon 5650 , to start with, 4x4G 1333 RAM blocks, and i am completely lost with GPUs here :

 

FX 1800 and FX 3800 wont support conventional SLI (3800 only multi OS SLI) .

 

8800 GTS is supposedly the same board in the new 9800 GT. Dont know about 295GTX either.. :P

I need SLI for a long term acquisition.

 

A long-term offline Workstation to work like How0004 but i also work in Architecture as well as 3D animation, along with Photography.

 

What do u reckon ?

 

 

any help would be great

 

thanks

 

cheers

 

 

Capa

An 850W PSU is almost overkill, but all your parts look fine otherwise.

 

 

Thanks mate, the only reason I'm going for such a large power supply is I'm hoping to go dual GPU in the future and was thinking i need this power for 2 GPU's is this correct?

 

Also what other GPU options do i have? I would like two GPU's without pay ridiculous prices? main reason for GPU choice is to squeeze as much performance out of Adobe CS5 as I can.

ATI's 5870 is confirmed working on hackintoshes, as are the GTX 470 and 480, if I recall right. Not that any of those are cheap. You can also use cards such as the GTS 250, GTX 260, HD 4870, HD 4890, and a smattering of other GPUs.

 

Capa: sorry mate, I have no idea about using EVGA's Classified SR2. As far as I know it's hardware that almost nobody has, so it either won't have any support at all or very little support. At this point you'd be better off doing a Google search. :P

ATI's 5870 is confirmed working on hackintoshes, as are the GTX 470 and 480, if I recall right. Not that any of those are cheap. You can also use cards such as the GTS 250, GTX 260, HD 4870, HD 4890, and a smattering of other GPUs.

 

Thanks Mackilroy, looking at your list the GTS 250 would be the best bang for your buck? Down the track say in a month or so I would be able to buy another one to go side by side aswell?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ECS-Nvidia-Geforce-...7#ht_6327wt_913

 

And because it supports OpenGL means it will support the benifits of Adobe CS5?

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404898.html

 

Sorry for all the questions..just i feel this is my most important part to purchase correctly.

I think to use Adobe's Mercury engine you have to have at least a GTX 285 – I don't use CS5 or any of the other versions, so don't quote me on that. Looking at that second link you posted, and going through it to some of their other pages they say the programs don't use more than one GPU anyway, so your best bet is to get as fast a single GPU as possible.

 

Photoshop CS5 and CS4 take advantage of only one GPU on your display card, even if more GPUs are present.

 

So while you could certainly have multiple GPUs in your system, they both wouldn't work in SLI/Crossfire under OS X anyway, and they won't give you any help other than letting you run more displays.

×
×
  • Create New...