Advice needed before ordering.

[Jaybeeh]

Hi folks,
Below are the specs for a quote I have for my new computer.
Case
COOLERMASTER CM STORM SNIPER - NEXT GEN GAMING CASE (£129)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-950 (3.06GHz) 4.8GTs/8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P6X58D PREMIUM: DDR3, USB 3.0 & SATA 6.0GB/s, 3-Way SLI
Memory (RAM)
6GB CORSAIR XMS3 TRI-DDR3 1600MHz (3 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1280MB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX470 GDDR5 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11
Free Item
FREE MAFIA II Game (RRP: £34.99) with a qualifying GTX 4xx Series GPU!
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1.5TB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 32MB CACHE (7200rpm)
2nd Hard Disk
120GB OCZ VERTEX 2 SATA II 2.5" SSD (upto 285MB/sR | 275MB/sW)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
10x BLU-RAY ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW (£59)
2nd DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply & Case Cooling
CORSAIR 750W PSU (TX750) 80+ ULTRA QUIET (£88)
Processor Cooling
TITAN FENRIR EXTREME DIRECT TOUCH COPPER CPU COOLER (£39)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)

I just have a couple of questions before completing my order.
I'm looking to buy a fairly powerfull PC that will easily handle the apps I use at the moment, and will also handle the few games I'll play over the next year or two.
I work with large (sometimes very large) files/renders within apps such as Photoshop, Mojoworld and 3D modelling in ZBrush etc.
The general use of my computer will be for "digital artwork", and though I am by no means an avid "Gamer".....I play now & then so I do want it to be able to handle any games released in the near future....the kind of games that I have played are :-
Morrowind.......Oblivion.....Fallout3.....Stalker. .....Mostly RPG's.
I'm new to this "Custom build" idea so I would appreciate any advice given.
Questions.
1. Am I correct in thinking that with just a couple of tweaks in the future such as an upgrade of the Graphics card and maybe a bit more RAM...I am purchasing a computer that will serve me well for the next few years?.
2. I'm thinking of using the SSD for only a couple of apps ( Photoshop & ZBrush) and any games that I wish to play....all image/file storage and other apps being on the HDD...Is this the correct way to do things?
3. Have I got the balance between components correct?....could things be configured in a better way without going above the £1,650 I've been quoted.
Thanks,
Jeff.

[Stappa]

A very nice setup indeed,
If I was to change anything I'd change the GTX 470 to a ATI 5850?(cheaper, cooler,quieter, and more power efficient and as good in games),and possibly swap your 6GB CORSAIR XMS3 TRI-DDR3 1600MHz for 6GB KINGSTON HYPERX TRI-DDR3 1600MHz as there have been compatibility issues with ASUS mobo's and Coursair ram?

[PaulH]

Agreed above on the RAM front however I wouldnt touch the Graphics card, remeber ATI cards dont do physx, more and more games that are coming out get a great benifit, extra eye candy from the Physx, the 470 is a mighty card and now the design has been changed somewhat, dont heat up half as much as they used to - dont get me wrong the 5850 is a great card, but a more fair comparison would be against the GTX460 nowadays.

[Jaybeeh]

Thanks Stappa,
I will consider changing my RAM as you suggest.......I'm still not sure about the ATI 5850 which is the card that I had in my original quote before I changed it at the last minute to the GTX470 ( I've used only NVidia cards in the past without having any problems ).

Thanks PaulH,
I remember reading something about "physx" lately......I agree I should stick with my choice of the GTX470............as for the RAM I will follow the advice given by yourself & "Stappa" and change over to the KIngston Hyperx.
Cheers!.

[PaulH]

I wouldnt touch the Graphics card, remeber ATI cards dont do physx, more and more games that are coming out get a great benifit, extra eye candy from the Physx, the 470 is a mighty card and now the design has been changed somewhat, dont heat up half as much as they used to - dont get me wrong the 5850 is a great card, but a more fair comparison would be against the GTX460 nowadays.

As above, that is all

[PCS]

Great spec you have put together there. To add my two pennies worth:

1. Yes - this system will last you a good few years and upgrading the graphics card and RAM in future should keep it in tune to play the latest games, although the GTX470 will probably keep you happy for a long time to come anyway.

2. You can use it as a scratch disk, but I would recommend you instead use it as a boot disc, as your OS and programs will load faster from the SSD.

3. Balance looks great, but consider losing the extra DVD Writer, as you already have a DVD Writer on your Blu-ray drive. Unless you need to copy disc to disc very frequently it's not required.

[Jaybeeh]

Thanks Rising Star,
I placed my order today before seeing your advice in this forum.......so I guess I'm stuck with the extra DVD writer.....I don't mind actually as it's always a handy backup in case of any problems with the Blue-ray.
Please forgive my ignorance but am I correct in thinking that your advice on the SSD is to put my OS, and a few choice programs or games onto the SSD.....and use the HDD for storage of image files etc?......I only ask because I'm not sure what a "scratch disk" is, and I presume that the "Boot disk" is whichever one the OS is run on?........or is the 1st drive always the one used for the OS?.....If so I may have to contact PCsp and ask them to make sure my original choice of 1st & 2nd hard drives are swapped over before the build begins.
My apologies for going on a bit, but I'm not very knowlegable on how computers actually work.......any advice is much appreciated.

[PCS]

I would advise installing the OS and programs on the SSD, and then using your larger 1500GB drive for storage of your images, data files, etc. If you contact our call centre we can make a note of this on your order. We can also amend your order to remove the DVD Writer and save you a little money, should you wish.

[Jaybeeh]

Rising Star,
I will follow your advice and contact the call centre to make the changes you suggested.
Thanks once again for your prompt reply to my questions.
Jaybeeh.