calling all computer gurus

[smc]

I am going to be upgrading my computer

New: CPU, MOBO, RAM for sure
maybe: new graphics card (I have a nvidia 7800pro)
maybe new case (would like a silent one)

I use my computer mainly for editing lots of large digital images, video encoding and editing and bioinformatics, I only play games ocationally.

I was thinking of getting:

Intel Core™2 Quad Processor Q6600 2.4GHz w/ 2x4MB Cache

Asus P5K Deluxe/WiFi-AP w/ DualDDR2 1066, 7.1 Audio, Dual GB Lan, WiFi-AP, 1394, PCI-E x16 CrossFire (although there are several P5K version to choose from)

2x Patriot Extreme Performance DDR2 2GB

OCZ 700W GameXStream Power Supply w/ Quad +12V

and either a nvidia 8600gt(S) or AMD HD2600? (video encoding/decoding performace is as important as gaming)

Is this a good setup? Any suggestions/changes? What about a good case?

[GQBalla]

i would swap out the video card with a 8800 gts everything else looks pretty decent, the quad core rocks. overclock that thing and super fast

[Xaroxantu Zero]

How much are you planning to spend, exactly? I wouldn't worry about the video decoding capabilities on either graphics card, as they both perform nicely.

[smc]

Thx for the help so far, I was thinking of paying between 1000-1500 but I am flexable.

It is my understanding that the 8800gts dosn't have the video decoding features that hte 8600 series has?

[dragonone]

the ati series have actually proven to be better at decoding things like blu-ray video etc. when plugged through hdmi onto a big screen

if you were 'that' concerned with video quality you have have another standalone setup for video playback for blu-ray/hd-dvd and not small files from the internet

go for the 8800gts, that thing can play bioshock maxed out smoothly=)

[b_t]

But if you don't play games, and just watch movies, get the 8600GT. It destroys the 8800GTS for video playback performance, especially H.264

[smc]

Originally posted by b_t
But if you don't play games, and just watch movies, get the 8600GT. It destroys the 8800GTS for video playback performance, especially H.264

that is what I was thinking, and I often do intensive work while watching videos, and offloading some of the work from the cpu to the gpu would help.

Also, I have a dual monitor setup, is it useful at all to have separate graphics cards running each monitor separately? (I know this would help for color calibration (although calibrating my main monitor is good enough)

[sabad66]

I wouldn`t get an nvidia card with that motherboard..if it has crossfire you may as well go with ati so that if you decide to go with dual video cards later on you can..

[Dayclone]

Wait off on the video card, I heard from an insider that Microsoft was going to release DX 10.1 in the near future which makes it so all current video cards are going to be un-useable with 10.1... but I don't know how creditable this source is... that's the only problem.

So what I'm trying to say is if you buy a video card that supports DX10 right now and when DX10.1 comes out, and any games that comes out on DX10.1 you won't be able to play it. This is Microsofts way of forcing gaming industries to keep up to date same with consumers.

Here found something about it:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/20070815123340.html

[dragonone]

wouldn't they just come out with 10.2 10.3 11 for that matter?

i don't think that article said anything about unuseable, they would never make games/drivers that way. it will always work with any version of directx, it just might not display that extra pretty graphic/relection/shadow etc.

[b_t]

They would never do that. That is fucking retarded. They have never really done that, until Directx 10, and there are no 10 games out yet, so why the fuck would they make a 10.1 that is incompatible with 10 video cards? That is retarded just in principle - it would NOT happen.

ATI's new generation of cards suck balls, hard, profusely hard. Get the 8600GT for video playback. If you want dual monitors, I don't think you would need dual video cards unless the 8600 doesn't have dual HDMI out (which I don't think it does) or you for some reason want to watch two H.264 movies at once.