Pondering New Setup

So I wanna get on the i7 bandwagon... currently I have:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
8GB DDR2
1TB HDD
Geforce 8500GT
Soundblaster Audigy

...

Is it worth the upgrade? If I sell this baby, how much do you think I can sell it for? It would be the amount of money I will have for a new set up (I could throw in a couple hundred more if necessary). I could also sell it with a 500GB and keep the 1TB for myself if you think I'll be better off...

So, what should I do? If I sell it, can you recommend me a good setup for the i7 considering the budget? It would be mid-range in terms of video card, I don't really game but I want Windows 7 to run smooth as hell with all its bells & wisthles. Oher than that, I need the 8GB of ram or its equivalent in DDR3 (I think DDR3 runs in threes, right? So it would be either 6, 9 or 12? Correct me if I'm wrong there).

For your information, I use the Adobe Creative Suite extensively, and I am beginning to use After Effects and Premiere a lot. But mostly I do photo editing and graphic desgin so my main concerns are Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, and Dreamweaver.

So yes... what do you guys think?

It's hard to say what that rig could be worth? Maybe you should look the hardware up at newegg and check their prices? Then sell the stuff for half the price of that or some bucks more or less, depending on how old your stuff are?


As for a i7 rig:


Psu:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371015

Gonna keep the case?

If not:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119137


Mobo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188046''

This is the best value i7 mobo I could find. There are 2 better mobo's. But then you have to shell out quite a bundle.

RAM:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231188

More than 4 gb of RAM is just overkill really. And W7 is not as much of a resource hog as Vista either.

CPU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202

This is overclockable to 3 GHz on the stock cooler no sweat. Not worth paying twice as much for a i7 940 (2.93GHZ) for $559.99 for ex.

As for video card and that kind of programs, you will benefit from as much video memory as possible. A GTX 260, is one such nice card for ex.

It's a real pity the better Quadro cards have an insane price tag. Othervice, that would have been the best choise for you.

This is the only GTX 260 card with a good, non NV reference cooler.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127426


Keep the 1TB hdd.

DVD burner?:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135196

I personally thinks that this Corsair powersupply is a better choice from that list.

I have to say, I have a Corsair PSU and it has been flawless. I am partial to Corsair so yes.

goranpaa, helpful as always. I'm weighing my options still, though!

I'll let you know.

Yeah, Corsair psu's are really nice. But Antec, are old in the buisness making quality power supplies.
And looking at the price tag, the Antec is a great pick. But othervice the Corsair TX 650(W) could be a good alternative.

It's a good idea to ponder some over this upgrade as it will be pretty costly. Also have in mind, that the i7 stuff of today, are first generation.


You're welcome.

I've read that most (if not all?) of the Antec powersupplies is manufactured directly by Seasonic. Is this true?

I also want to add that even though a 750W powersupply would not be needed in this case, having a powersupply at high wattage produces less noise because the powersupply don't need to work as hard as a lower rated one.

Originally Posted by khelben1979

I've read that most (if not all?) of the Antec powersupplies is manufactured directly by Seasonic. Is this true?

No, Antec, makes their own psu's. It's Corsair power supply's that are custom made by Seasonic.