Good lookin' out Jon, didn't think of that.

hehe

That's funny because most 7000 series cards were, to my knowledge, mostly going out PCI-E but I know card producers were still definately producing AGP versions... So I figured it was about a 70/30 he has the PCI-E going but I suppose it's a good thing I mentioned it!! :)

Andy, If you run into problems assembling that system and need some advice/help from afar, don't be affraid to ask me.

Jon

Thanks Jon. I actually have the same card as a PCI-E in a dual core computer which was the "new" computer 2 years ago. I decided to update the video card in my old computer to give it a little more life. My biggest concern is Vista 64 and if it won't like some programs. I am not sure if I will migrate to the new computer as an everything computer or keep the dual core running for everything else and just run Vegas, Photoshop, and related apps on the new computer. The only thing I don't like about the two computer situation is that my monitor, an NEC 2690, can only store the calibration for one computer, even though it has dual DVI inputs and can switch back and forth by a press of a button on the front.

Well, the kinds of questions you are asking are very similiar to the ones I was asking a few weeks ago...

Here is what I've done...

#1) I purchased Windows Vista Ultimate so I'd have both versions (64-bit and 32-bit).

#2) As soon as I built my system I started to run through the optimization process on Vista. I disabled all the aero junk, returned to a classic interface. Turned off restoration, stopped Indexing of disks (I don't search much), etc. I also moved my system partition to a drive other than my OS drive.

#3) I didn't install an anti-virus software but did leave Windows defender and UAC on. I don't really mind the prompts actually and I never visit questionable sites and I don't use this system for downloading emails, I leave all my emails on the server and only open up attachements I know..

#4) I run all kinds of software on this system including photoshop, quicken, taxcut, utilites, winamp for playing music, etc. For years it was all about a dedicated editing machine to optimize performance but frankly, my system runs just great and I haven't noticed a beat skipped in terms of performance. It just feels as though hard drive fragmentation, things operating in memory, etc are a thing of the past on this slick new 64-bit OS with 6GB of RAM and 4 cores (8 if you include hyperthreading) system.....

That's my two cents...

Jon

Good Morning,

I have had my Dell 435MT running the I7 920 processor for a couple weeks now. I leaned it up and tweaked it as much as I am comfortable doing, did not remove restore!!!

Does anyone know if the fire wire is 400 or 800 protocol?? Want to use an 800 external hd.

how is the Esata?? I heard it was best if sata stayed in the machine????

So far no issues with the vista home premium.

I have been editing native HDV from my xlh1 and editing it in 8.0c.

I must say that it is quite good and while I have only been working on 3 minute segments It works as if it were DV.

I am rendering 9 minutes of video at this moment and it is taking about 20-25 minutes, do not know if that is good, seems workable for me.

I am new to the hd and i susupect that when I start building larger pieces combining numerous segments it may bog down, am I correct in this?

On paper eSATA should be a far better option than Firewire 400 or 800. However, on my Dell, it died. Got a new one sitting waiting to replace it when I find the time.

Esata merely offers a connection route to one of the internal motherboard sata slots to the outside world.

If your motherboard supports hot swapping eSATA then no reason not to.

Yes, this is absolutely true. eSATA is no different that SATA inside your case. Essentially all that is being done is a cable is being routed from inside the case to your external unit. Your computer doesn't know where the physcial hard drive is sitting in your case or out of your case.

And eSATA blows Firewire 400/800 and certainly USB 2.0 out of the water in terms of speed.

Jon

Jon,

Did you enable AHCI or use Native IDE mode for your hard drives? I have read both good and bad about AHCI and I am not sure what mode I will use. My boot disk will be a 300 Gb Western Digital Velociraptor and using all SATA devices.

Andy

Andy, this is a really good question and the truth is that I'm not 100% sure which way I went but I believe my BIOS settings are Native SATA(IDE) and I did not use AHCI. I did enable SMART for all drives.

Jon

Jon

What made you decide to buy both 32 and 64 versions?

I am in the process of upgrading my editing computer and definitely want to go with the Vista 64 and I7 after everything I've read here and else where. Plus the I7 is on sale in my local for 229.00. And I may be calling on you for some assistance, because my computer was custom built 3 yrs ago and all I need to change is the CPU, MOBO, and memory. The challenge may be installing the OS. We'll see.

When you buy the 64 bit retail version you get two cds, one of each version.

I have been running 64 bit for six months, but because of several issues with Adobe master collection (which is 32bit) and the fact I cannot use the 64 bit version of Vegas I have just went back to 32 bit. And while rendering might have been a tad faster in 64 bit, I actually feel relieved to be back with 32 bit.

My run with 64 bit was fine overall, but the fact is I am using no 64 bit apps. I now have full use of my really nice scanner, which I lost with 64 bit because of no drive support.

There really is no real advantage to 64 bit unless you run 8.1.

Yeah, it can use more memory in windows, but not for anything else.

The i7 is so powerful 32 bit vs 64 bit, IMO will be negligible.

Jeff, and others,

I am running the 64 bit Vista with 8 c. Because of the 32 bit software issue I have networked my older dual core computer and a P4. I am running after effects and other 32 bit software on them. Then I just pull the projects back and forth. I would love to have them all working on the one machine.

I thought about partitioning the os drive (its 750gig) and have 32 bit on the alternate drive. any feelings about doing that?

I went with the 64 bit for HD rendering and work, so far it seems alright, but I am new to the hd workflow. I have been working in the native hdv, no intermediaries to date.

If I went back to xp 32 that would only allow two gigs of my 6 to be functional, right?

How would I benifit from 8.1? I did not see that as an option when I upgraded to c.

If Vista 64 bit is working for you you're fine. I just had a situation with a couple of apps, and my scanner, as I had mentioned.

Vegas 8.1 is faster, but I could not get external preview to work, it caused vegas to crash. Addtionally, I use Ultimate S version that does not support Vegas 8.1 so I don't fool with it.

My Adobe stuff worked fine overall, but then Adobe Designer stated flaking out on my because of the x86 thing, and that's when I left Vista 64 bit.

Dale your i7 will work fine no matter what version you have of any applications. You could theoretically run 32 bit Vista and I don't see you'd lose much, because the processor is the big deal, not the memory.

It's kind of like you're invincible with the i7. 64 bit Vista might utilize the processor better, but who cares? If you can already go the speed of sound, what difference would additional speed bring? I just am happy for you that you have all of these choices!

Dell price increase
 

Well you lucky guys who got the Dell 430 i7 for £645 - its now at £799 with 4Gb RAM, so not quite the bargain it was - what happened to lower prices in the recession?

Bill,

#1) Jeff is correct when it comes to the Ultimate version of Windows Vista. I'm not sure that works with OEM copies of the other flavors of Vista. I purchased my copy of eBay "Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate Retail Box" and I believe it was like $180 and it includes two disks.. a 32-bit disk and a 64-bit version.

#2) I will be happy to help you with your install replacing the mobo, ram and chip. If you get a chance, let me know the other parts you have so I can be sure they will be compatable. I'm particularly thinking of the power supply (must be ATX 2.1), and have sufficient power, and also the Video card, need to make sure that's up to par.

I really agree with this post.... Since going i7, it seems like everything (except rendering) is so responsive and so immeditely - irregardless of what task I'm doing and what software I'm reunning, that it just doesn't really matter much... 32-bit, 64-bit.. whatever... just get the thing up and stable and rock on...

Jon

Power Supply is a Silver Stone Strider PS 600w 12 v rail

Video card is a PNY Verto GeForce 6600 256mb (dual)

I am now wondering if it would be prudent to use the OS I have now XP Pro and just upgrade the MOBO, CPU (I7), and Ram. That way I wouldn't have much to be concerned about with compatibility of the other components (video cards and burners).

Right now I have ASUS A8N-SLI with Athlon x2 4400+. It sometimes studders a little with SD and always with HDV. And when running both PP 2.0 and AE I often lose my monitor screen.

I currently have an Intel E6700, overclocked to 3.2 The last project I did took about 8 hours to render. Ayn estimates on how long it would take with an I7?

Stephen,

Obviously, there are lots of factors involved here but the simple fact that i7 is a quad core chip versus the E6700 being a dual core chip should add roughly 35-40% improvement alone. Throw in the faster architecture and I'm going to assume you'd see about a 50% improvement on your frame rates going to a 2.6 to (3.0 overclock) i7 against your 3.2Ghz E6700.

Jon

Bill I have run Vista 64 bit for 6 months and just went back to 32 bit. If I had been sensible I would've stuck with XP. I didn't NEED Vista, I just wanted the latest, and 64 bit seemed to hold much promise. Which is does.

However if you upgrade to i7, you're XP will fly! Don't waste your money. I"m not knocking Vista at all. I'm just saying I don't see and significant advantages to it.

Hmmmm...

Bill, I'm not thrilled with the video card, that's a very old card and really not quite up to stuff... I realize Vegas doesn't really utilize video processing chips, but I'm not sure about compatability of an older PCI-E 1.0 device like a 6600 (assuming it is PCI-E even) on this new architecture. A newer 9300 Nvidia or ATI 4650 video card probably wouldn't cost more than $50. You should probably go that route...

Though I'm a Vista convert (stayed away only until the last 2-3 months), I still maintain that if you aren't building a new system and are happy with XP Pro, stick with it. You don't really use the OS. You use your applications. If you think you can do a mobo/ram/cpu replacement and let XP Pro try to figure out all the necessary drivers, etc, etc and just motor on, it may be worth a shot.

Otherwise, I'd recommend since CPU/RAM/MOBO are about 70% of the cost of a new system build, to just go ahead and build a completely new system and run the two in parrallel. That way you can be assured your new system is good to go before migrating away from the old.

Jon

Actually as Jon points out for driver compatibility you would have an easier time with Vista, I hadn't thought of that.

You could purchase the oem version and save a few dollars.

Well my new Del XPSMT with core i7-920 2.66GHz 6BG DDR3 750 BG HDD (still $999.00 or $1,099 with MS Office) arrived the other day. Today I will set it up and start running some tests. Ya'll wish me luck now, Bob

Jon- let me tell you my "upgrade" story.

At first, I decided to upgrade the CPU from the Athon 2x 4400+ to something much faster. No such luck. MOBO take only 939 config and the only place to find an upgrade is Ebay according to my sources and the upgrade isn't all that 'up'. Not that much of an improvement. Total cost maybe $100.00

Then, I though maybe just change out the MOBO, CPU, & Ram to a AMD quadcore or something like that. Total cost maybe $400.00.

That's when I discovered the newest and greatest I7 and all the talk about it in this thread and elsewhere. Big leap according this thread and the guy at Fry's. Plus the I7 (920) had just been significantly reduced in price. Total cost maybe $650-700. More expensive than I really wanted to invest initially since the MOBOs are more expensive and the DDR3s. Then I thought, well maybe I should just bit the "proverbial" bullet and jump.

But with this setup I can expand my memory to beyond 2.7 or so gigs with the new Vista allowing me to open PPro, AE and PhotoShop and bounce back and forth instead of closing and opening over and over again. But I would need to add another expense (OS), but with the hardware and OS I'll need new video card, perhaps need to change out my DVD burners too. And there is always the unforeseen expense. LOL

And now I am at the point where, as you suggest Jon, it maybe more prudent just to go ahead and build another whole new system to replace the one built 3 years ago. And I am sitting here chuckling at the screen because the whole reason I had one built 3 years ago is so I can 'upgrade' as time goes by instead buying new, off the shelf, machines.

What originated the thought to upgrade my CPU was an upgrade to Adobe's CS4 because I'll need to add a blu-ray burner in the next year or two. I am not wining about all this...it's actually quite humorous.

So...where to from here....

If I go with (XP already owned), AMD quadcore, MOBO, Ram, the system will distinctly be faster than what I have now. I could have Fry's install and let them work out any driver issues. Total about 400.00 plus install,

OR

Pay the additional amount for I7, MOBO, and Ram. Stay with XP. Let Frys install and deal with drivers for total of about $700.00 plus install.

I'll post again later.

Bill,

Between the two, I'm pretty sure you'd have less problems with the $400 scenerio whereby you just upgrade to a faster AMD setup, but you mentioned something about socket 939 and I thought all new AMD CPU's are AM2+ designs...

I think the 'build the system to be able to upgrade' is and always has been pretty much a myth. The only three components that I believe you can legitimately upgrade are the processor, the ram and extra hard drives. And these are almost always small, incremental upgrades. They don't usually net more than a 5 - 15% speed increase and as far as I'm concerned don't justify the cost of the upgrade.

My take on computer builds is to treat it like a tool. You build it once, typically buy toward the higher end, use high quality components, spend the extra money in all the little places, and then just grandfather that system in for the next several years until it's time to do it again. At any given time, I have between 3 and 4 computer systems in my household, so I just move my last 'great' machine down the line and retire the 6 year old machine at the very bottom end (which is usually the kids computer). So I upgrade every couple of years, typically spend about $1500 or so bucks (this i7 was about $2K though) and so I figure I always have multiple high tech rigs around the house for less than $100/month.

Using my methodology, I wouldn't touch your existing computer. Fry's can screw up your computer more than you know and what you consider 'their' problem often can turn into yours when you make countless returns back to the store to fix something they didn't quite do correctly. If $$ is an issue, I'd just hold off the upgrade until you can save the bones to do it and do it right... :)

Jon

Jon - what I meant is the MOBO that I have now is 939 and therefore I cannot just upgrade the CPU only. I learned that all three must be upgraded....and that's where the fun began.

Point taken about waiting to build...or may just grabbing an off the shelf machine. I definitely need something a little better than what I have because it sometimes crashes rather quickly when render in AE with PPro open.

I'll think about it a little more....thanks for your input.

Put me in with the group of folks who are really happy about their new machines built with the Core i7 inside! It’s sooooo fast, and except for a problem I’m having with Vista not recognizing my Canon XH A1 I’m quite pleased.

So all I’m going to say now is: Jeff Harper, you are THE MAN! Thanks so much for all your help!! :D

My i7 is great it handles everything I throw at it. Just put together another one today for a friend and we got his down to $1150.

OK, I set up my new Del XPS 435 MT with the i7-920 processor. WOW, this is FAST!!!!! No problens at all. Even just opening Vegas 8.c..... BAMM and its there. What a difference. Bob

Excuse me what's teh price of a good i7 configuration?

Good for what?

Seriously, it depends so much on what you want or need to do with the machine. In my case "good" meant faster fluid simulations and rendering of computer generated animations and large high resolution still images - things that sometimes took a day or more of hard compute on a dual core system. Getting them down to a few hours or overnight was my definition of "good" and it was fairly expensive.

Rendering of video, while compute intensive, tends to be less intensive than the above. But for video, disk speed might be more of an issue than for CGI.

I think if you say more about what it is that you want to do you'll get better answers more tailored to your needs.

I would check out Dell, for starters, Marcus. People are picking up a basic i7 system for under $1000. For some reason I have trouble finding ready access to the i7 prices, but once you find them you can configure or price the system you want.

Well... in terms of cost... if you are just looking at the bare bones parts...

Motherboard = $200
Memory 6Gb = $145
CPU = $295

So, for $650 or so, you have yourself the core components of what builds a solid i7 based system.

Depending on what you want to spend on power supply, case, hard drive(s), DVD Drive, video card, & monitor(s) - if you need 'em, would dicate the total cost of ownership for one of these beasts...

Jon

I finished putting together an I7 computer and it was the easiest build I have ever done. I was a little disappointed that previewing HD clips from a Canon 5D Mark II in Vegas is still a little choppy, but they play fine using Apple Quick Time and Windows Media Player.

System ended up being a 920 overclocked to 3.7 GHz, 12Gb ram, Vista 64 bit, Vegas 8.1, and the boot drive is a WD 10,000 rpm Velociraptor. I just started getting into editing video and did a few short renders on a 2.9 GHz Core Duo before this computer. It appears to have cut the render times in half for rendering HD 1920x1080p MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 output.

Thanks to all the people commenting in this thread which motivated me to build a new computer.

Andy

dale guthormsen
 

How do i over clock my I7? I would like to knock it from 2.66 to 3 gigs.

thank you.

Have a great day.

Dale,

This is not franlkly the easiest place to answer this question and probably not the forum suitable for it either however I would recommend going to AnandTech: your source for hardware analysis and news or Tom's Hardware: Hardware News, Tests and Reviews and look in their member forums where you'll find oodles of information regarding overclocking the i7. Also a google search of "overclocking an i7" turns up some usefull information as well. Provided you have adequate cooling and are familiar with BIOS settings, overclocking can be as simple as a few quick changes...

I am not typically an overclocker as I've always said I'd rather have a stable than fast system, but moving from 2.66 to 3.0Ghz is such a modest overclock and given the reports of others who are going far more than the 3.0Ghz speed I felt it made some sense and I don't regret this at all.

Jon

Dale, if I'm not mistaken you have a Dell. Unfortunately you cannot overclock your model. I thought we discussed this but I might be wrong. Even the Dells that are overclockable are done at the factory, but yours is not configurable that way.

Jeff,

Thats right, I do. I do remember someone mentioning not being able to over clock them; however, there is always someone that figures how to beat those things.

Thanks for the site too!!!

I am ok with how it runs as it is.

DIY'ers, tell me what i7 board your using. I'm looking at most all of them, and reports are very mixed, even with the ASUS P6.

I having a devil of a time selecting one.

Here are some reviews Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P DDR2 P45 Motherboard | GA-X48T-DQ6,Motherboard,X48,Gigabyte,LGA775,x48 express,Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6,DDR3,Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6 Ultra Durable 2 DES Intel X48 Socket LGA775 Socket T Hardware Enthusiasts and Overclocker Motherboard
I like the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P board. The construction seems top-notch and good price/performance ratio when compared to other comparible boards.