Photo Editing Machine under $800

[Berethorn]

Hey guys, a friend is looking to build a new computer for photo editing - no gaming - with a budget of around $700-750 (sorry, I made a mistake with the thread title). This is in Canada.

AMD was recommended to her, but I thought Intel had cornered the market for this type of PC. Am I wrong? Any reason to go with AMD right now?

Also, are onboard Intel graphics good enough for photo editing and movie-watching on a 27" monitor?

I put this list together but it's just a starting point - let me know if there's anything amiss or if you have better ideas:

CPU:
Newegg.ca - Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

MoBo:
Newegg.ca - ASUS P8Z77-M LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

RAM:
Newegg.ca - CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10B

Hard Drive:
Newegg.ca - Western Digital WD Black WD5003AZEX 500GB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

PSU:
Newegg.ca - CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

DVD:
Newegg.ca - ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - CD / DVD Burners

Case:
Newegg.ca - COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN2 CM690 II Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - $99


Total is $800..


Am I forgetting anything? I know I'm overbudget already...where would be the best place to start cutting the cost?

Thank you, I always appreciate your feedback. :-)

[Jbc223456]

Well, since this is a photo-editing machine, you are missing a video card. I don't think the on-board graphics will be very effective. With that being said, you could substitute the i5-3750K with the i5-3350P to save a little bit of money. The 3350P doesn't have on-board graphics, so is a bit cheaper. You could also cut the cost a bit by looking at the B75 series boards (ASUS preferred).

Another method would be to look at an i3-3220 or perhaps one of the new Celeron (G540/G550) processors by Intel.

That PSU is one of the low end Corsairs and isn't recommended. Look to substitute it for a TX/HX/AX series.

Another way to cut cost a bit is to downgrade from 16GB to 8GB of RAM, and I'd switch to the Low Profile version of that Corsair Vengeance.

You could also cut the cost a bit by choosing a different case. That case you have chosen is $90 with $35 in shipping charges. I'd look at something like Antec Three Hundred or the Cooler Master HAF 912. Both are very good cases and more than half the price of that case you have there.

I'm sure the reason why AMD was suggested is because it is more cost effective than Intel builds (perhaps not so much so now with the newer Celeron processors). If you are looking for an AMD build, jdeb is the guy to ask.

Hope this helps.

[Berethorn]

Hmn, so there's no recommended power supply under $90? :-\

Good suggestions for the case - I had choosen the case I just bought and like, but you're right, this computer probably won't need the same amount of space.

Thanks for the suggestions, JBC, I'll take a look at those alternatives!

[Nucious]

Fix the PSU to a TX model. perhaps the 80 dollar one that's an enthusiast 600w I think. and also the RAM could be reduced into two four Gb sticks of chair vengeance low profile RAM

[Nuclear Krusader]

What do you mean by 'photo editing'? As in, which particular software is she gonna be using.

FWIW, do not go below an i5 and 16 GB of RAM. Better to wait till she's got more dough than purchase a dud now. I've experienced slow downs and even full halts with an i7 and 16 GB; you can imagine with 8 GB.

Again, tell us which programs she'll use and it'll help aim the recommendations a mite better: there's also the video card to consider. (No, you can't expect to do serious photo editing with onboard.)

[Nucious]

Originally Posted by Nuclear Krusader What do you mean by 'photo editing'? As in, which particular software is she gonna be using. FWIW, do not go below an i5 and 16 GB of RAM. Better to wait till she's got more dough than purchase a dud now. I've experienced slow downs and even full halts with an i7 and 16 GB; you can imagine with 8 GB. Again, tell us which programs she'll use and it'll help aim the recommendations a mite better: there's also the video card to consider. (No, you can't expect to do serious photo editing with onboard.)

You heard that because their Ram obviously wasn't any good in the first place.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Originally Posted by Nucious You heard that because their Ram obviously wasn't any good in the first place.

Uh?

I am not talking about a particular brand here, but anent amount only; and I didn't hear anything: I've seen it in my own system.

[Berethorn]

Thanks for the help, guys!

It would be Photoshop and Lightroom, mostly, but probably not both right away, since she doesn't have either program yet. If money needs to be saved, 8GB might be enough RAM to start, since it's easy to add another two sticks at any point in the future. And the same with the graphics card, I think. Both are as easy to upgrade as they are to start out with.

However, I certainly agree that 16GB+ and a dedicated GPU are ideal, I'm just not sure they're necessary to start off with, especially if it means cheaping out of the other, less upgradable parts. Does that make sense?

[birddog_61]

As was stated by nuclear, don't skimp on ram and cpu with a photoshop build. Photoshop likes quad core and really likes quad core with hyperthreading, it also eats ram like potato chips. If you cant spend the money on the gpu right now then just don't expect things to go blazing fast, however if this were this machines main purpose I would go with an i7 ivy bridge and stick 8gb of ram in it until you can afford to upgrade. Then start saving the pennies and buy the nvidia card with the most cuda cores you can afford.

[Nuclear Krusader]

+1

CPU and RAM are your primary concerns here. You really need an i7, chiefly with the newest versions of PS and LR. Even the i5 is not recommended in this situation: more cores really help here, even if they're virtual. You can wing it with 8 GB, maybe if you don't open more than 3 documents in PS and tweak LR a bit. But don't expect frustration levels to take long in skyrocketing.

If she's not going to be using the 3D features of PS (or if she's not buying the Extended version of PS), then you can do without the graphics card for the time being; but do consider throwing it in as soon as it's possible.

CUDA is more used by Premiere and animation, BTW. But, yes, having a nVidia card is the way to go.

It also depends on the kind of photography she's doing. The needs of a hobbyist are very different than the needs of a pro.

[glc]

Does the latest version of this software benefit from Intel Quick Sync? If so, you can use that instead of CUDA and build it without a video card. You would need a Z77 board and ideally an Ivy Bridge with 4000 graphics.

A good CUDA card for the money is a GT640. You only need a 400 watt PSU with that. A Seasonic S12II 430B would suffice.

Ram - get the low profile version of Vengeance.

[Berethorn]

Thanks for the ideas, everyone! I think the important thing here is that she's a hobbyist and new to the post-processing and won't be jumping into editing huge files in Photoshop right away, and no 3D editing or extended, so as long as the computer can actually run all of the programs and is easily upgradeable, then I think it will be fine. It'll save her some money right away to start without a GPU and with only 8GB of RAM.

As for i5 vs i7, what big advantages does i7 bring for that extra $100? I went through the same decision process when I bought my most recent computer (also for photo editing) and decided the i5 3570k would be enough.

[glc]

The i5 would suit a hobbyist fine.

[birddog_61]

Yep, I was thinking this was for a professional and that they would be making money from this computer. If that is the case then every second counts and an i7 is just faster when the program can utilize hyperthreading. Also hobbyist tend to work with much smaller files, and don't go as deep into post processing so there really isn't a need for the extra horsepower of an i7 or more than 8gb of ram. If she starts getting into it heavily then you can always add the ram if she starts using all of the 8gb.

[Nuclear Krusader]

The extra cores get you faster rendering. It also depends on what camera she's using: the more megapixels a camera has the slower the rendering. For anything under 14MP, the i5 is quite fine.

[Berethorn]

In that case I think the i5 will be plenty. I should have been more clear from the outset about the specific needs for this computer. :-)