Alright, so without a case, keyboard, mouse, and fans, I am already at $1,300 for what seems to be the same as the HP except for a couple things.

I am getting 2x 1tb hd's if I make a computer, but with the HP i get 2x 1.5tb hd's

Besides that, the only difference seems to be that the HP has a smaller power supply...

So this is costing me quite a bit more than the hp

Yes, but you will be getting much more case airflow than you would in the HP. The HP ships with (and can accommodate without major modifications) only one case fan, which is severely undersized and barely adequate for cooling even a stock-speed i7. Worse, you cannot upgrade the GPU without also replacing the PSU because the PSU is barely adequate for a stock-speed low-end CPU with only onboard (integrated on-motherboard) video.

Ryan, here's another resource for recipes for having somebody build the ocmputer for you: Look here: Adobe Forums: What PC to build? (Sorry, I can't get the link to work. Just go to the other recent thread here on Video Cards and find Harm Millard's posting with the link there for his recommendations on what he calls a "budget" machine.

Not meaning to beat this to death, but with the HP that configured to run CS5, have you priced it with the two 1.5TB drives, DVD burner, and a GTX260 video card? Is that combination still $1300 or is it more?

What we are saying is that the HP will work but it might or might not work well enough to suit you. With the HP case and smaller power supply, it is kind of like buying a car with a small radiator that works fine for light duty commuting and occasional drives around town but which overheats when you get stuck in heavy traffic or try to drive at highway speeds up a mountain on hot day.

Ryan,

Keep in mind that HP's can not be overclocked easily if at all. Their PSU is non-standard and cannot be exchanged for a more powerful one. Everything not in the standard configuration is exorbitantly expensive. They steal you blind.

If you go here: Adobe Forums: Forum: Hardware Forum and press the Overview tab, there is a drop down box with articles that may be interesting to read.

Yep. If the OP goes for the HP anyway, he cannot replace the PSU without also replacing the case. (Although the HP's motherboard uses standard ATX/EPS+12V connectors, the PSU is designed to fit only the HP's original case and will not fit a standard ATX or mATX case - nor can the HP case accept standard ATX PSUs - without major modifications.)

What's more, an upgrade from Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional costs more than the difference in full retail prices for the two versions of that OS. And an upgrade to a 1GB Radeon HD 4850 or an 896MB GeForce GTX 260 costs much more than what those two cards currently sell for at Newegg (after factoring in the actual value of the 380t's base HD 5450). Plus, the HP does not offer a memory configuration that uses only three DIMMs at all; the base configuration uses four DIMMs which forces the imbalanced "Flex" memory mode (and even the free "upgrade" uses five DIMMs, which still forces the "Flex" memory mode). This makes the 12GB six-DIMM upgrade (the minimum that I'd recommend for that i7 configuration), at $100 over the base configuration, preferable (although that $100 price tag is still higher than those of some 4GB memory kits from mail-order resellers).

So I spec'd everything and it comes in at around $1500.

I am a starving college student looking to edit in my dorm room so I'm aiming at $1,200 to afford my 27 inch monitor.

Things I want to keep - i7 930.

I tried bringing the RAM from 12GB to 8GB and the difference in cost was $29

Ryan,

Wait another month or so, you'll have more money(I guess) and the CPU will be a little bit cheaper(since Intel releases a new series of cpus in Q4)

// Lasse

I would if I could, but I am about to start school so I need to make this now.

Any suggestions on how to make this a $1200 - $1300 machine?

Also, thank you all for your help so far.

Double post.

Also, I'm looking for a case with 2 HDMI ports

Ryan,

It isn't the case that has 2 HDMI slots, it is the graphics card.

Most modern GFX cards has a mix of

1x mini HDMI
2x DVI-D

optional:

Displayport

You can use an adapter to convert DVI-D to HDMI (or VGA)

// Lasse

... the price, if you only have 1200 to spend, get the HP - can't see any other options

A few ways to cut costs:

FYI, Microcenter will match newegg's prices.

1) Get the PNY 9800GT 1GB for $100 either at newegg or microcenter (I tested this card with CS5 and it worked just fine with the hack)

2) Get the i7 930 for $200 at microcenter

3) 1TB Samsung F3 is $65 @ microcenter http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0340562
250GB Seagate is $45 for OS & Cache & Free shipping http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148469
1TB external USB is $80-90 at newegg and microcenter

Or look at this amazing deal: Hitachi 500GB for $39 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822145299

4) 6GB Geil 1600MHz ran is $140 Newegg.com - GeIL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model GV36GB1600C9TC

5) Corsair 650w is $90 @ newegg: Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
Or SeaSonic 620w is $70 Newegg.com - SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

SeaSonic is one of the top 3: PC Power & Cooling, SeaSonic & Corsair.

6) Look for a used case on craigslist

7) ASUS P6T is $230 Newegg.com - ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

8) Last I heard, students could get Win 7 for $30-40 but that might have changed. However, I found Win 7 Ultimate x64 for $100 for students Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade (64-bit) (Win) for $99.98 at Academic Superstore

AFAIK, the Retail Upgrade works just like it did with Vista, which means you install Win 7 WITHOUT a key and then use the 'Upgrade' function to install WITH a license key. You might not even need to install without a key first - I received the Win 7 upgrade that MS sends when I bought Vista Ultimate and it did not require any OS be installed; HOWEVER, this upgrade that I received might be different from the Retail Upgrade version.

The other benefit to getting the Retail version is that it can be moved from PC to PC whereas the OEM cannot (although its hard for MS to really know).

Alright, so I am going with the HP, unless anyone recommends a Dell, Acer, or another name brand for whatever reason.

Thanks guys!