Second build Opinions wanted

[Skybane]

Well , I'm on a tiny fixed army disability . I'm doing this build mostly with barter . Please excuse me if I use wrong comp terms as I have shrapnel in my brain and have memory / learning nomenclature problems , and frequent severe migraines .

I'm currently using 2 comps , one old one I refurbished and one built .
Refurbished comp - Compac dual core AMD , windows 7 Found this comp sitting in front of a dumpster in the rain a few years ago and I refurbished it and ditched the vista for 7 . This comp cost me $ 55 for the windows 7 and I loved messing with it and it gave me the bug to start building comps . I have about 2500 hours on it .
and this one
Antec tower with 5 giant fans
Gigabyte mb G31M-ES2L
INTEL CORE 2 CPU 6700 RUNNING 2.66GHZ
WESTERN DIGITAL 500GB HD
2 GB RAM
WIFI CARD
vid card but I don't know what it is lol
Windows 7 Ultimate / UBUNTU 12.04 LTS PRECISE PANGOLIN
This comp cost me $ 150 and a lot of bartering . I have about 400 hours on it .
I'm using an External 1tb hd storage
and a 37 " Vizio hd tv as a monitor , and a 32" 3D processing monitor with a switch .
I'm using a 2 port kvm switch to run both comps .
Everything is plugged into 2 Ditek battery backup/surge protectors .

I do not game but I draw/write graphic novels on the comp and am working on an anime series with my friend Ken Yamata from Tokyo . I spend a lot of time on TOR and do """ anonymous """ stuff . I DL and watch a lot of movies . I also make extra $ on fleabay and craigslist to get by .

While I do not game I use stuff like Kompi Animated Video Lab Suite , Maxon Cinema 4D suite with a bunch of tools and add ons from Biomekk , UNITY 3D , Vue 11 xStream pro , Carbon Scatter 2 , InterPoser Pro , Drop It! Pro , Oxone 6 , Adobe photoshop and Adobe Master Creative Suite , Adobe Air , etc , hence the new build as both of my comps are not up to snuff for the things I do and I can't use some of my software or parts of some of them . . I also have a 37" HD TV for a monitor and love to watch movies and TV on it so I want to get the best picture out of it .

So far I have aquired the following stuff mostly by barter .
2 cases I can use
Either - older but sweet AlienWare full tower with 7 small fans or a Thermaltake full tower with 7 giant fans .

MB - Asrock 970 extreme 3

CPU - AMD FD6100WMGUSBX FX-6100 Six Core, 8MB L3 Cache, 6MB L2 Cache, 3.30GHz (3.90GHz Max Turbo), Socket AM3+, 95W, Unlocked

2 HDs - Western Digital Cavier Blue 500gb hd and a Western Digital 750 gb

RAM - 6 gb 3 x 2 gb OCZ ddr3 dimm 240 12800

PSU - Aspire ATX 500w turbo see thru case with 2 blue led fans , fan speed adjuster . This came with the Alienware tower , and I have had it inspected and tested .

LG super dvdrw lightscribe X 2

I'll be using a NEC X462UN MultiSync 46" Large LCD that I traded a Triumph bobber chopper for and my Vizio 37" hdtv , and a 32" 3D processing monitor , so will need to run all 3 monitors simultainiously .

I also have an external 1 tb hd storage

So as far as I can tell by searching online all this will work together . I need opinions first on my parts , keeping in mind that sadly I live on a very very tight budget .

My worrys -
# 1 - that the psu while being very highly rated at the time and testing out awesome , being quite old I will not be able to hook it up to the modern stuff or it will not be as capable as a newer one . But man you should see how sweet it is with huge heat sinks .
# 2 - I do not have the software/cd for the Asrock 970 extreme 3
# 3 - I need recomdations for a common video card to pick up used that will work well with this build and my hd monitor . I find all the info on video cards confusing and after reading tons of posts all over the internet ( they mostly dissagree with each other ) I'm lost .
# 4 - Same thing with a sound card . I have six speakers running currently 3 sets . I want to get a 7.1 speaker system . So I need recomdations for a common sound card to pick up used that will work well with this build .
# 5 - what is the cheapest but nicely performing blueray player to install in this build .

Any opinions or advise will be greatly apreciated .

 

[JLK03F150]

#1 IMO you need to look for a new PSU. I think the 500w range will be fine, but it depends on your final video card selection. Seasonic, Corsair, Antec are a few trusted makes.
#2 Not a problem
http://www.asrock.com/mb/download.asp?Model=970 Extreme3&o=All
#4 The onboard audio can do 7.1 & has optical or coaxial outputs.
#5 Just make sure it comes with playback software. There is no freeware that can play Bluray. I'm happy with my LG BR burner. It performs well with the Cyberlink PowerDVD that came with it.

Your RAM is called a Triple Channel Kit, which is an Intel thing. The memory will work on your board, but you'll loose Dual Channel, but that is a very small loss of performance.

 

[Skybane]

Thank you JLK03F150 . This is the exact same PSU just rebranded . http://www.xoxide.com/500waassuuvr.html What do you think ??? Still replace it or is it usable ???
Also curious about using 2 500s with one of these ( Add2PSU Multiple Power Supply Adapter ) to join them http://www.xoxide.com/add2psu-multiplepower-supplyadapter.html This would give me 1000w and cover anything I add or use . Anybody know if these are safe ???

 

[Mandrake4565]

Skybane Welcome to the forum. When building a pc we usually consider the PSU to be one of the most important pieces of the system. A poor quality unit can wreak havoc on the whole system. With that said, sometimes we need to make due with what we have. You may not have the correct connectors for it to work but get some adapters and it should be ok. I am always skeptical about PSU's I cannot find reviews on, i did find one and it was ok, not great but ok. Anyhow, like I said sometimes we have to make due with what we have. Try it and if the pc starts having issues, it's probably the culprit.

 

[JLK03F150]

I did a little googling & that's the PSU I thought you are using. It is a first generation of ATX12v 2.x, so the P412V is only 4 pins. Your mobo has an updated 8 pin connection. Also, if you decide on a mid to upper range video card you will need a 6 pin PCIe connector for the card. There are adapters, but why risk your new hardware with a marginal PSU.

Add2PSU Multiple Power Supply Adapter

LMAO That thing looks like it's begging to let the smoke out of something! I've never seen that before but it scares me.

 

[Skybane]

Thanks Mandrake4565 , OK since both of you are leary I'll start searching for another one .

 

[Mandrake4565]

This is a really good psu for the money if you are going to opt for getting a new one. I have used Frozen and they are great, especially that they are in NY so I get my stuff within 2 days usually. I also use newegg A LOT, check out the PSU I posted if you can swing it, it is a really good one for the money.

 

[Skybane]

Mandrake4565 I do not believe that is enough power . I'll be running dual hd monitors and running several programs/apps at once . When I'm mixing multiple video streams and overlay staging video rendering or spherical animation overlay it draws about the same as playing warcraft . I believe that a too weak PSU is also bad for the system , or am I wrong on that ???

 

[JLK03F150]

Skybane, it depends on the video card you choose. It can run your core components with no problem. My understanding is warcraft is more CPU dependant and doesn't require more than a mid-range video card.

Nailing down a PSU wattage will come once you get some video recommendations. Sorry, but I am generally useless at that.

 

[Skybane]

In the case of rendering video or the more advanced stuff I do , the GPU does the hard work , not the processor. Then next in importance is the amount of memory you have. I went with an AMD CPU for that reason and will get a strong video card . Preferably an AMD . Amd designs around gaming and the demands of gaming are roughly the same as what I do . Intel takes second place as far as this aspect goes with bang for your buck .

 

[JLK03F150]

I'm trying to find Kompi Animated Video Lab Suite to see if there are listed system requirements & recommendations. Have you got a link?

 

[Skybane]

lol , it's from Japan specifically for creating anime . Japanese is my second language . There are simular software from the US but I got this free from my friend Ken in Japan , and since software suites like this cost anywhere from $ 4,000 to $ 6,000 I'll stay with Kompi . I got the Adobe by being a beta tester so I saved big bucks there I have Adobe After Effects CS6 and the entire Adobe Photoshop family and the entire Adobe Digital Publishing Suite family and the entire Elements family and Adobe Touch Apps
as well I have lifetime membership in Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 and , Adobe Creative Cloud for teams . All the other 3D software I got by barter or as gifts . Just figure I need a card that can handle medium to low heavy gaming , as what I do at it's highest demand is equivalent .

 

[Knufire]

Is the professional multithreaded? What type of GPU processing does it do? (OpenCL, OpenGL, CUDA, etc)

 

[JLK03F150]

Looking at the Adobe site, they are mostly recommending nvidia cards for Premiere Pro CS6 running with Windows. Quadros and highend gaming versions at that.
http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/tech-specs.html

Ahh, a Japanese program. No wonder I couldn't find it. The only 2nd language I speak is redneck. lol

 

[Skybane]

JLK03F150 , I can't judge by the Adobe info , using my Maxon Cinema 4D suite and a few other programs I have are much more demanding . I think I might sell one of my Triumphs and just get the best PSU and video graphics card my board and processor can support . I'll be running dual op-systems , windows 7 ultimate 64b/ Linux Ubuntu 12.04 64b . I'll be using a NEC X462UN MultiSync 46" Large LCD that I traded a Triumph bobber chopper for and my Vizio 37" hdtv , and a 32" 3D processing monitor , so I will need to run all 3 monitors simultainiously .