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Newbie Needs Help

Post Date: 2012-06-18
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psychdoc2 View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote psychdoc2 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Newbie Needs Help
    Posted: 18 Jun 2012 at 10:06pm
I am new to Digital Storm and have been considering the Pre-built Digital Storm ODE V2 - Level 2 or Level 3.  I would like to stay below $2500 if possible but need enough power to run Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 4 plus a number of plugins for photo editing.
I'm concerned that I have enough RAM with the 8GB that comes with the ODE and I'm not sure which Graphics card (AMD 7950 or 7970) would be best. I know that I need a card that will allow for OpenGL 2.0 for some of the plugins I am running. Will I be able to add more RAM later with this configuration?
Also I would like to have Windows 64 Professional rather than Home Premium, but am not sure how to get that as there are no choices listed in the config section.
Any comments or suggestions for my needs and wants would be greatly appreciated and very helpful to me.
Thanks much.
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Jun 2012 at 3:51am
Hi psychdoc2.....Welcome to the forums.
 
The ODE's are great bang for the buck systems but are pre-builds, meaning it is what it is.
 
For your requirements take a look at this config as a start.
 
Config # 700505           Cost  $ 2235
 
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 3820 3.6GHz (Turbo Mode up to 3.8GHz) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X79 (Intel X79 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 750W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1TB Western Digital/Seagate/Hitachi/Samsung (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 2GB (Includes PhysX)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty
 
The X79 platform, the X79 Sabertooth, is a quad channel ram mobo as opposed to the Z77 mobo's dual channel ram found in the ODE's.  For photoshop, Lightroom and editing in general the X79 will give you much better performance.
 
If you could swing another $300, you could go to the 6 core 3930k chip.  The 3820 chip I put in is a 4 core to stay in budget and will also work very well, but the 6 core will help with your apps.
 
With this custom build you do have 16GB ram with the option in the config to up it easily.
 
The gtx 670 supports OpenGL 4.2 according to specs.  I don't know Op[enGL, so whether the 670 or the AMD 7970/7950 would be better maybe others can help with more experience.
 
I didn't do any default changes with the  SSD or HDD.  Easy enough to do.
 
In case you want to start from scratch, this is found in Special Ops, Dreadnought level 3, Customize, and edit.  Within Edit click on Expert Mode for all selection.
 
See what you think and Good Luck.Big%20SmileBig%20Smile 
 
 


Edited by bprat22 - 19 Jun 2012 at 3:56am
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FrankW View Drop Down
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Posts: 2254 		  Quote FrankW Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Jun 2012 at 8:30am
Hi psychdoc2,

I like the build given to you by bprat22.

What you need all comes down to how serious your are about CS-6. Here are some thoughts to consider.

1. CS-6 will use all of the memory you can provide. 16Gb is minimum and you should plan on moving up to 32 in the future. With 16Gb CS-6 will be using a scratch disk for times that it runs out of memory. The scratch disk should be a separate disk used only for scratch. You can monitor how often you are referring to the scratch disk by the Efficiency Monitor in CS-6. If you fall below 95% efficiency you are using your scratch disk. Obviously RAM is faster than referring to the scratch disk so the more RAM the better. The best way to set up a scratch disk is with a SSD. The problem with using a SSD is the expense and you don't want your OS on the same disk as your scratch disk. So to set up correctly, get a SSD and don't use it for anything but a scratch disk. That will give you the fastest operation. RAM is cheaper than a SSD so again the more RAM you have the faster the operation will be.

2. 4-core vs 6-core is again about what you can afford. In most CS-6 operations the 4-Core will do just fine. There is only one or two operations that takes advantage of 6-core operation today. The problem is they could take more advantage of the 6-core in the future and then you will be behind the tech. This info was true in 2010 and PhotoShop may all ready be taking advantage of 6-core processors. If you can afford one then go for it. If you can't afford a 6-core then it won't make as much difference in performance as more RAM. The 3820 4-Core is a great CPU.

3. With your GPU get one with as much Vram as you can afford. Bprat22 listed a 670 2Gb but the 670 4Gb may be a better choice.

4. Make sure you get Win-64 64bit Pro OS. CS-6 takes advantage of 64bit operation.

Frank

Edited by FrankW - 19 Jun 2012 at 8:34am
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psychdoc2 View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote psychdoc2 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Jun 2012 at 3:36pm
Originally posted by FrankW

Hi psychdoc2,

I like the build given to you by bprat22.

What you need all comes down to how serious your are about CS-6. Here are some thoughts to consider.

1. CS-6 will use all of the memory you can provide. 16Gb is minimum and you should plan on moving up to 32 in the future. With 16Gb CS-6 will be using a scratch disk for times that it runs out of memory. The scratch disk should be a separate disk used only for scratch. You can monitor how often you are referring to the scratch disk by the Efficiency Monitor in CS-6. If you fall below 95% efficiency you are using your scratch disk. Obviously RAM is faster than referring to the scratch disk so the more RAM the better. The best way to set up a scratch disk is with a SSD. The problem with using a SSD is the expense and you don't want your OS on the same disk as your scratch disk. So to set up correctly, get a SSD and don't use it for anything but a scratch disk. That will give you the fastest operation. RAM is cheaper than a SSD so again the more RAM you have the faster the operation will be.

2. 4-core vs 6-core is again about what you can afford. In most CS-6 operations the 4-Core will do just fine. There is only one or two operations that takes advantage of 6-core operation today. The problem is they could take more advantage of the 6-core in the future and then you will be behind the tech. This info was true in 2010 and PhotoShop may all ready be taking advantage of 6-core processors. If you can afford one then go for it. If you can't afford a 6-core then it won't make as much difference in performance as more RAM. The 3820 4-Core is a great CPU.

3. With your GPU get one with as much Vram as you can afford. Bprat22 listed a 670 2Gb but the 670 4Gb may be a better choice.

4. Make sure you get Win-64 64bit Pro OS. CS-6 takes advantage of 64bit operation.

Frank
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psychdoc2 View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote psychdoc2 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Jun 2012 at 3:41pm
Thanks to you both for the suggestions and input.  I will look at the systems and have contacted a rep for additional configurations.  Hope I can manage to understand all of this technical info.
Thanks again.
 
... Mary
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FrankW View Drop Down
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Posts: 2254 		  Quote FrankW Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Jun 2012 at 3:57pm
Hi Mary,

There are a lot of people here to help you so don't be afraid to ask questions. Make sure you give us a peek at your build before you order.

Frank
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Jun 2012 at 4:34pm
I second what Frank said. Let us know if you need any help.
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psychdoc2 View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote psychdoc2 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Jun 2012 at 5:21pm
Will do.  And thanks again.
... Mary
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Alex View Drop Down
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Posts: 16314 		  Quote Alex Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Jun 2012 at 5:34pm

And a big thank you to all of your Senior Forum Members, thank you so much for helping out in the community! Big%20Smile
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BiohazardX-87 View Drop Down
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Posts: 51 		  Quote BiohazardX-87 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Jun 2012 at 9:20pm
I am interested in this build because I too would like to get into photo editing.  Nothing professional, just messing around and trying to improve photos taken on family vacations, graduations, etc. Plus learning the ins and outs of photoshop. I have a few questions that may benefit physchdoc2 as well.

I am currently contemplating a build that will be used primarily for gaming so quad-core Z77 chipset i5 3570 OC stage 2 with only 8Gb of 1600Mhz. Would that still be sufficient to run these programs well or would even an novice user who will not be taxing the program still be advised to get more memory and a 6-core processor.

Also, I only have a single SSD for my primary and standard HD for storage.  Would the scratch disk come into play at all for me being a minimal user of photoshop or will that still be a concern I will have to face when using these programs?
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psychdoc2 View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote psychdoc2 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Jun 2012 at 11:31pm
Hi BiohazardX-87,
I wish I could help by answering your questions, but I think I'm going to leave this to the experts who were so helpful to me.  I'm sure they will be able to provide a good deal of insight and make suggestions for any modifications to the build recommended above. 
The help here is really fabulous!
Good luck.
... Psychdoc2
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Jun 2012 at 3:05am
Hi BiohazardX-87.......For light Photoshop use, where gaming is your primary task, the Z77 platform with 8Gb should do fine.  I'm not up on scratch disc, but I believe that would be for something other than light weight use.  
 
If the Z77 with 8Gb is the budget then go for it.   It will certainly work very good, just not to the same level.
 
Hope this helps.Big%20Smile
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FrankW View Drop Down
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Posts: 2254 		  Quote FrankW Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Jun 2012 at 2:26pm
Hi BiohazardX-87,

My comments were directed to someone using CS-6 which is a powerhouse of a program. If you are using something like Elements then your requirements won't be so high. I do photo work all the time with 6Gb of memory and seldom run out of memory. Although I think if you work with BIG photo files with multiple layers then you might need more memory.   The best way to figure this out is to get the system recommendations from the software company that you use. Or, a forum of photo people who use your program.

The scratch memory is a function of CS-6 that is used by professionals. They don't want to wait for the program to make calls on a HDD all the time to do their work. So they load up with as much ram as then can afford and use a SSD as a scratch disk. Totally eliminating calls on their HDD. You don't need to do that.

Frank

Edited by FrankW - 23 Jun 2012 at 2:32pm
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