Ok let me say that this upgrade isn't for gaming, so please spare me the "why do you need so much ram" or "what's wrong with your comp now" posts. 
Current specs:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P Rev 2.0 LGA 775
Xeon X3770 (quad core @ 3Ghz)
8GB DD2
My current mobo is limited to 8gb total (which I have now) which seemed like a lot a few years ago and when I was still on XP but now that I have it on Win7 it's just simply not enough for the programs I use daily.
Here's a list of the programs I use every day that will eat up 8GB of ram in less than a minute if I let it:
I also use photoshop and several other programs that are memory hogs but they don't sap the memory like Vegas and Vue can. Poser just uses a lot when I'm rendering but it can take more than 75% of my ram up if the scene is big enough. I can't really edit my 1080p files on my current set-up, there's just not enough free memory to allow me to smoothly scrub/edit/mask the clips and Vegas will crash if I run out of ram, the same goes with Vue.
RAM: I think my starting point would be 16GB and since DDR3 is very cheap right now it would be very stupid of me to not take advantage of the upcoming holidays.
CPU: I really have no idea. I have a Xeon X3370 which has failthfully never given me any trouble, but I'm sure the latest CPU's from intel could make mine look like nothing. What I'm looking for is a CPU of equal or greater on-paper specs than what I currently have, I'm sure clock for clock, a newer CPU will be faster at the same speed than my current CPU. Another concern is that this is for graphics work and video editing, larger cache sizes will make a HUGE difference in my work flow so 12mb cache or greater is needed.
Mobo: I'm very partial to Gigabyte, I've been using their mobo's for years and never had a single problem, so I want to be a good fan boy and stick with what I know, but if there's something better I won't hesitate to go for it. Plenty of USB2/3 ports, should be able to do SLI of some sort, plenty of internal SATA2/3 ports, raid compatibility, good stock cooling solution, etc.
Ok, so basically I need an ultra reliable mobo that can pack plenty of ram, a CPU that will be able to handle 100% load server-like stress from renders that may last up to two weeks and will be at least sort of future-proof.
Eventually this comp may become part of a render farm, so the better the quality, the more I'd prefer it.
Thanks.
Current specs:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P Rev 2.0 LGA 775
Xeon X3770 (quad core @ 3Ghz)
8GB DD2
My current mobo is limited to 8gb total (which I have now) which seemed like a lot a few years ago and when I was still on XP but now that I have it on Win7 it's just simply not enough for the programs I use daily.
Here's a list of the programs I use every day that will eat up 8GB of ram in less than a minute if I let it:
- Sony Vegas
- Vue
- Poser 2012
I also use photoshop and several other programs that are memory hogs but they don't sap the memory like Vegas and Vue can. Poser just uses a lot when I'm rendering but it can take more than 75% of my ram up if the scene is big enough. I can't really edit my 1080p files on my current set-up, there's just not enough free memory to allow me to smoothly scrub/edit/mask the clips and Vegas will crash if I run out of ram, the same goes with Vue.
RAM: I think my starting point would be 16GB and since DDR3 is very cheap right now it would be very stupid of me to not take advantage of the upcoming holidays.
CPU: I really have no idea. I have a Xeon X3370 which has failthfully never given me any trouble, but I'm sure the latest CPU's from intel could make mine look like nothing. What I'm looking for is a CPU of equal or greater on-paper specs than what I currently have, I'm sure clock for clock, a newer CPU will be faster at the same speed than my current CPU. Another concern is that this is for graphics work and video editing, larger cache sizes will make a HUGE difference in my work flow so 12mb cache or greater is needed.
Mobo: I'm very partial to Gigabyte, I've been using their mobo's for years and never had a single problem, so I want to be a good fan boy and stick with what I know, but if there's something better I won't hesitate to go for it. Plenty of USB2/3 ports, should be able to do SLI of some sort, plenty of internal SATA2/3 ports, raid compatibility, good stock cooling solution, etc.
Ok, so basically I need an ultra reliable mobo that can pack plenty of ram, a CPU that will be able to handle 100% load server-like stress from renders that may last up to two weeks and will be at least sort of future-proof.
Eventually this comp may become part of a render farm, so the better the quality, the more I'd prefer it.
Thanks.
