Google brought me here. I looked for a help wanted forum & didn't find one. Hope I'm not stepping on toes by posting this. If so, I apologize in advance.
I'm proficient with building "normal" high-end computers -- been building them for well over two decades -- however the only dual processor system I've ever built was based on an old MSI motherboard using a pair of Pentium III CPUs. My most recent build was a z77/i3770K machine with a 240GB SSD for a boot drive and a pair of 3TB WD reds in RAID-1 with a 60GB SSD as cache for internal work space & storage. My display is a Dell U3011 driven by a Radeon HD 7950. I also have two large external NAS devices (RAID-6 8x2TB, each) that I use as more permanent storage and backup (one is in another building and mirrors the "local" one).
That's where I'm coming from; but I need something more powerful. I'm now shooting with Nikon D800 36 megapixel cameras -- very large NEF files. And by the time they are Photoshopped, they are larger still. I need more horsepower and more storage.
I'd like to pattern the new system on what I've already built. I'll expand the two NAS devices with 4TB drives, effectively doubling my external storage. I want my workstation to have dual Xeon processors, an SSD boot drive, SSD(s) for working drives and an internal RAID array (probably RAID-6 8x2TB -- I'll re-use drives from my NASes) for "active" storage. I also need two video boards (probably Radeon HD 7950 like the one I already have) to drive a pair of the new Dell U3014 monitors. (While one video board can easily drive multiple monitors, it cannot be calibrated for each of them -- proper calibration requires that each monitor have its own video board.)
I'm a bit out of my league and need a few suggestions: CPUs, motherboard, raid controller, etc.
Thank you,
~ SemiLiterate
I'm proficient with building "normal" high-end computers -- been building them for well over two decades -- however the only dual processor system I've ever built was based on an old MSI motherboard using a pair of Pentium III CPUs. My most recent build was a z77/i3770K machine with a 240GB SSD for a boot drive and a pair of 3TB WD reds in RAID-1 with a 60GB SSD as cache for internal work space & storage. My display is a Dell U3011 driven by a Radeon HD 7950. I also have two large external NAS devices (RAID-6 8x2TB, each) that I use as more permanent storage and backup (one is in another building and mirrors the "local" one).
That's where I'm coming from; but I need something more powerful. I'm now shooting with Nikon D800 36 megapixel cameras -- very large NEF files. And by the time they are Photoshopped, they are larger still. I need more horsepower and more storage.
I'd like to pattern the new system on what I've already built. I'll expand the two NAS devices with 4TB drives, effectively doubling my external storage. I want my workstation to have dual Xeon processors, an SSD boot drive, SSD(s) for working drives and an internal RAID array (probably RAID-6 8x2TB -- I'll re-use drives from my NASes) for "active" storage. I also need two video boards (probably Radeon HD 7950 like the one I already have) to drive a pair of the new Dell U3014 monitors. (While one video board can easily drive multiple monitors, it cannot be calibrated for each of them -- proper calibration requires that each monitor have its own video board.)
I'm a bit out of my league and need a few suggestions: CPUs, motherboard, raid controller, etc.
Thank you,
~ SemiLiterate