Photoshop PC Help

[TurtleFan]

I am in need to build my wife the best PC for photo editing (Photoshop, premiere, I don't know what else because I don't mess with those programs). a serious amateur/ college student in photography and needs a good PC for her work. I could build gaming PC's all day, but know nothing about what these programs require in a PC. My budget is $1000. Please help.

[TurtleFan]

I do not need a monitor. I have a 26" that I got from work I can use. I just need everything else,

[glc]

Build the same way you would build a gamer except you don't need a high end video card and you may want 2 hard drives - one for OS and software and one for data. Quad core may be advantageous and 4mb ram is just about mandatory now. A $50 video card should be plenty, I'd lean toward ATI for better 2d display quality.

[XenaWP]

I do a lot of photo editing and I agree with GLC's suggestion. Be sure to put plenty of RAM in. It's cheap and Photoshop and other image editing software love it.

A card/floppy reader built-in might be handy to avoid connecting the camera to the computer or using a detachable card reader (just one more thing sitting on top of the computer).

If you use ATI don't install Catalyst Control Center, it tends to conflict with any monitor profile that is installed with calibration devices.

[TurtleFan]

Thank you for your help. I am thinking about going with the following

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115017

MoBo: BIOSTAR TForce TP45HP LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138123

Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231190

HD: 2 x Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136218 (Would 32 MB cache be worth it?)

VC: EVGA 01G-P3-N870-AR GeForce 9600 GT 1GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130363

[shadowpr]

That mb doesn't take ddr3 ram.

I would get the asus p5q pro with 2x2gb ddr2-800.

I have also heard that ati cards provide better performance for 2d graphics.

Don't forget a dvd drive, and psu and case.

[glc]

Close, but not ideal in my mind.

Motherboard: P5Q Pro.
Processor: Q9550
Ram: Corsair 2x2gb DDR2-800 (standard CAS 5 1.8/1.9 volt, not the premium stuff)
Video card: HD3650 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121243
Hard drives: WD Caviar Black - a 500gb and a 1tb

That 1gb 9600GT is total overkill for your use. It's hard to get out of the gamer mentality! I picked that particular video card for you because it has dual DVI and it's HDCP ready, and it has a silent passive cooler. If you don't need that, HD3450's are half the price, but only one DVI and one VGA.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121259

You can save with a low priced case - and you do not need a powerful power supply - you just need one with a 8 pin EPS connector for the quad core. A Seasonic SS-400ET is plenty, it's 60 bucks. It even has 4 SATA power connectors.

[shadowpr]

A corsair 550 for a psu would work with that set up.

[glc]

At 40 bucks more.

[TurtleFan]

Here is the semi-final (pending legitimate suggestions):

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202
MoBo: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128375
Video: SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102770 (More than needed but, hey why not)
PSU: COOLMAX CUG-950B 950W ATX12V http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817159072 (Used in past and I really liked it)
Blu/Ray burner: LG Black 6X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 6X Blu-ray DVD-ROM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136155 (Why not )
HD's: Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136317
Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136283
Case: APEVIA X-Plorer ATXB8KLW-BL http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144104
Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231190
Card reader: SABRENT CRW-UINB 68-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Card Reader http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820300608

Total on everything is about $1430 after delivery. More than I wanted to spend, but the wife gave me a budget increase.

[glc]

Suit yourself, but I won't go near an i7 just yet. Nice gaming box though.