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Hi,
I am going to build my own PC — first time I’ve done this. My main use of the PC that requires power and speed is Photoshop CS. I will not do any gaming or anything else that requires 3D graphics.
I’ve read many of the previous posts regarding hardware for Photoshop use and found it all to be very useful. As I zero in on what hardware to buy, I have a few questions that some of you with more hardware knowledge than I have might be able to answer.
Having had two PCs with ASUS motherboards that worked very well, I will stick with ASUS.
Here’s what I’m planning:
Intel P4 3.0 Ghz CPU
Matrox G450 graphic card (I have this already)
2 — Western Digital WD1200JB EIDE drives (I have these already) 1 — Plextor CD/DVD burner (I have this already)
Floppy drive
Faxmodem
LAN and Audio built into MB
USB and Firewire ports
Antec case w/350w power supply
My questions concern choice of motherboard and RAM.
Based on a call to ASUS sales asking for their advice, the motherboards I’m considering are:
ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe — 875C chipset — $169 (at newegg.com) ASUS P4C800 Deluxe — 875C chipset — $163
ASUS P4P800-E Deluxe — 865PE chipset — $116
The specs of these three MBs seem almost identical, so I’m wondering if anyone has experience with these boards who could give me a reason to select one versus another. I’m not clear on what I’d get with the $169 board that the $116 board wouldn’t give me. In other words, is the extra money worth spending? (I don’t need WiFi which the P4P800-E Deluxe has included.) I am not clear about the differences between the 875C and 865PE chipsets, and what those differences, if any, will mean to me as the end user. Also, I can’t tell the difference between the P4C800-E Deluxe and the P4C800 Deluxe, other than slightly different specs.
RAM:
I will buy PC3200 RAM, 1GB or 2GB of RAM — all of the MBs above will hold 4 DIMMS. Checking Kingston RAM prices on newegg.com, there are several choices of 1GB (2×512) packages, ranging from ValueRAM at $194 to HyperX at $282. I know I need to buy matched pairs of DIMMS. I’m not clear on the difference between the ValueRAM and the HyperX, other than the price. Both have very similar specs. I want good, fast, stable RAM, but I don’t want to spend any more than I need to. Any help or recommendations?? (I used Kingston as my example, but Crucial and Corsair have the same range. These three brands were recommended by ASUS.)
Thanks for any help, recommendations and comments.
John
I am going to build my own PC — first time I’ve done this. My main use of the PC that requires power and speed is Photoshop CS. I will not do any gaming or anything else that requires 3D graphics.
I’ve read many of the previous posts regarding hardware for Photoshop use and found it all to be very useful. As I zero in on what hardware to buy, I have a few questions that some of you with more hardware knowledge than I have might be able to answer.
Having had two PCs with ASUS motherboards that worked very well, I will stick with ASUS.
Here’s what I’m planning:
Intel P4 3.0 Ghz CPU
Matrox G450 graphic card (I have this already)
2 — Western Digital WD1200JB EIDE drives (I have these already) 1 — Plextor CD/DVD burner (I have this already)
Floppy drive
Faxmodem
LAN and Audio built into MB
USB and Firewire ports
Antec case w/350w power supply
My questions concern choice of motherboard and RAM.
Based on a call to ASUS sales asking for their advice, the motherboards I’m considering are:
ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe — 875C chipset — $169 (at newegg.com) ASUS P4C800 Deluxe — 875C chipset — $163
ASUS P4P800-E Deluxe — 865PE chipset — $116
The specs of these three MBs seem almost identical, so I’m wondering if anyone has experience with these boards who could give me a reason to select one versus another. I’m not clear on what I’d get with the $169 board that the $116 board wouldn’t give me. In other words, is the extra money worth spending? (I don’t need WiFi which the P4P800-E Deluxe has included.) I am not clear about the differences between the 875C and 865PE chipsets, and what those differences, if any, will mean to me as the end user. Also, I can’t tell the difference between the P4C800-E Deluxe and the P4C800 Deluxe, other than slightly different specs.
RAM:
I will buy PC3200 RAM, 1GB or 2GB of RAM — all of the MBs above will hold 4 DIMMS. Checking Kingston RAM prices on newegg.com, there are several choices of 1GB (2×512) packages, ranging from ValueRAM at $194 to HyperX at $282. I know I need to buy matched pairs of DIMMS. I’m not clear on the difference between the ValueRAM and the HyperX, other than the price. Both have very similar specs. I want good, fast, stable RAM, but I don’t want to spend any more than I need to. Any help or recommendations?? (I used Kingston as my example, but Crucial and Corsair have the same range. These three brands were recommended by ASUS.)
Thanks for any help, recommendations and comments.
John
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