Multimedia Studio Desktop

[conundrew]

Hello everybody!

I am an animation major with about $400-$700 to spend on a desktop that I will need for video editing, graphic design, etc (Adobe CS5). Could anybody recommend a set-up that would be sufficient for all my multimedia-related needs please? I figure that building my own system would be cheaper and custom-tailored to my needs, but I wouldn't mind purchasing an already built system as well. Thanks!!

[KarmaKiller]

First off, Hi and welcome to TechIMO!

I would say since you do video editing, a quad core is almost a must. With your budget, you might be able to squeeze in a i5, but it would be tight. A AMD quad though would fit the budget nicely.
I'll make 2 lists, see which one you like.

AMD build:
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 140W Quad-Core Processor
$188

Newegg.com - MSI 870A-G54 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
$109

Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1333C9DHX
$95 (free shipping)

Newegg.com - SILVERSTONE ST50F-ES 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
$55

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6402AAEX 640GB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$80 (free shipping) I'd get 2 of those and put them in raid 0. Then get a large single drive for backups. That would be the best mix between speed and storage space IMO.

Newegg.com - ZOTAC ZT-20202-10L GeForce GT 220 512MB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
$65 ($45 after MIR) You mentioned CS5, which is good. CS5 can support CUDA (rendering with GPU instead of CPU) which is MUCH faster. So I think this is very well spent. It will save you some time.

Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners
$22
Case is up to you. Just make sure it can fit ATX sized motherboards. I'd suggest something like a Antec 300, or maybe the Coolermaster 690.

Total for the AMD build with the parts listed above, minus the case is $614. With shipping and a decent case, it would be close to your budget I think.

Intel Build:

Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-650 Clarkdale 3.2GHz 4MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor
$184 (free shipping)

Newegg.com - MSI P55-GD65 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
$150

Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1333C9DHX
$95 (free shipping)

Newegg.com - SILVERSTONE ST50F-ES 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
$55

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6402AAEX 640GB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$80 (free shipping) I'd still run raid

Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners
$22

Newegg.com - ZOTAC ZT-20202-10L GeForce GT 220 512MB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
$65 ($45 after MIR)

Total: $731 (without the case again)
This system would be faster overall. The CPU is one of intels newer i5 line. It's very fast and efficient. Either of these systems would work for what your wanting though.

[conundrew]

Thank you sooooooo much!!! You're reply was much more than I could have expected and an immense help. For the AMD system you've mapped out, would I have to add any extra fans to keep the insides cool or would any decent case be good enough? Also, would a GeForce or Radeon card be compatible with this mobo? Thanks!

[KarmaKiller]

Thank you sooooooo much!!! You're reply was much more than I could have expected and an immense help. For the AMD system you've mapped out, would I have to add any extra fans to keep the insides cool or would any decent case be good enough? Also, would a GeForce or Radeon card be compatible with this mobo? Thanks!

Well most cases come with at least a 120mm rear fan. And the CPU should come with a stock heatsink, so technically no, you really don't need any extra fans. Of course, it will vary with the case you choose. Some cases come with more then 1 fan, some won't.
Also, you can use Ati or Nvidia cards in any system. It's just when you run SLI or Crossfire where you get into Motherboard compatibility issue.
But I will say that you should get a Nvidia card over a ATI card. Cuda is supported better in Adobe products.

[conundrew]

Thanks Karma. I was wondering; I found the GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX on sale at newegg and was wondering if this was comparable to the MSI 870A-G54 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard you had picked out.

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

The gigabyte mobo seems to have an onboard graphics card and I was wondering if it was going to be any problem to use a separate, dedicated graphics card instead.

[KarmaKiller]

Thanks Karma. I was wondering; I found the GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX on sale at newegg and was wondering if this was comparable to the MSI 870A-G54 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard you had picked out.

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

The gigabyte mobo seems to have an onboard graphics card and I was wondering if it was going to be any problem to use a separate, dedicated graphics card instead.

That's a nice motherboard also. I went with the MSI board because of USB 3.0 and Sata 6. It's going to become the new standard. Also the chipset on the MSI board is newer, and slightly faster.
But, the Gigabyte board is a great board. If you got that you could run a dedicated graphics card with no problems.