A very LONG read - essentially a 'what mobo should I get for photo-editing?' request. Go cheap or top end?

[philmar]

Considering a new build for a photo editing only ATX build and haven't looked at pc components in 10+ years.

 

My 11 year old i7 3700K build was masterful and while overkill at the time it still serves me well. When I built it, I took the time to understand the needs of a photo editing rig and the components that were available. Accordingly I have spent the last month studying the current components needed for a new photo-editing rig (heck I'd never heard of a NVMe drive) . I only process one raw photo at a time, no large event photography batches, no video and no gaming. For years I have been using the ASUS bios auto-overclock feature in my ASUS P8Z77 mobo and that has helped me get more performance from the build. I was even able to survive with only the onboard graphics until I purchased a second 1440p monitor. However I am noticing that it is now slowing me down in Lightroom & Photoshop when I make use of the newer adjustment mask features...and also when I occasionally use Topaz Suite (which taxes my Radeon RX460). I have recently retired so I have plenty of free time now to monetizing my hobby. I post on Facebook neighborhood groups and get weekly requests for prints from neighbors. I am going to buy a printer soon and also create photo books so I think the whole experience will be better on a snappier machine. My budget will be around US$2250 ....I have to purchase my components in inflated CDN dollars though.

I definitely will go with a i7 13700K though a i5 is probably the sweet spot. My decision is based on the fact that i7 has great single core performance and that is what is important in photo editing which simply 2D pixel pushing, not multi-core 3D gaming.  Furthermore, I have the funds to buy a better CPU and if this rig can last a decade like the last one it will be wise to go with the more powerful one. I have been agonizing over a costlier Z790 mobo with DDR5 vs. a cheaper mobo with DDR4. Seems like the builds would have no perceptible difference in performance (according to my usage) so why throw money away for nothing? However I am leaning towards 32 gb of DDR5 as it is the future. I will buy a K version of the i713700 as I MAY overclock but only conservatively using the mobo autoclock software. From what I read it looks like Intel and the mobos pretty much overclock the CPU now and that OC'ing headroom is smaller than it was when I OC'ed my 3rd gen i7. So if that is correct then I probably don't need a top of line VRM if I won't OC a lot.It is quite possible I will NOT OC if the Intel burst modes work sufficiently.

Most of the online mobo reviews seem to be from a gamers' or over-clockers' perspective where mobos are valued on their overclockability (VRM and heatsink arrays). Furthermore the few mobo reviews that I read from the perspective of content creators judge mobos based on ability to edit massive video files, or networking features or i/o connectivity to upload massive batches of wedding photos/videos. I don't want to pay for Thunderbolt, 10gb ethernet or even WIFI, don't need them.

What features do I need? I plan to purchase two new NVMe SSDs and a new 8-12GB SATA HDD spinner as well as include 4 drives from my current build: My Cdrive which is a Samsung 840 pro SATA 600, a Samsung 850 pro SATA 600 drive that I use as Lightroom catalogue/scratch drive and also 2 SATA HDD spinners with data. So my new mobo will need to support ALL of those (which will be 2 M.2 drives and 5 SATA drives). I'll want 4 M.2 slots for future expansion.
I first looked at the Z790 Taichi and Strix E because they seemed to have the best performance at stock. My reasoning was I can afford them so why not buy quality? But when I total up the cost of the new system it seems excessive because it looks like I could get a cheaper mobo and have the same perceptible performance. Why throw money away because Intel and mobo company marketing has seduced me? Do I need Gen 5 slots? excellent LAN?  I feel I was falling in to the trap of preferring an expensive high-end board based on Performance benchmark charts where the difference is single digit percentile. Will I even notice if my Strix processes a photo 6% faster than it would on an Aorus Elite? So I then start reading reviews and see that there are great value mobos like Gigabyte Z790 Gaming X and MSI Pro Z790-A. My head starts spinning as I get no closer to the mobo I should buy.
From the 13 gen i7 tests I've read I need a decent CPU cooler and VRM because the i7 13000K MultiCore Enhancement seems to run hot though I am not sure my usage will (no video or gaming). I know a good VRM will keep the i7 running better but don't really know what level of VRM I should settle for. Is 18 stages overkill? Will 14 stage VRM cause occasional throttling? Note that my pc is in a room that is NOT air-conditioned so in the summer it will be operating in a hot environment  - perhaps a top-end VRM is needed then?
My preference was for ASUS as they were rock solid in my 2006 and 2012 builds but ASUS seems to be way overpriced compared to the other companies..arrogance? I am suffering from analysis paralysis. At one stage I tell myself to stop spending hours trying to determine the sweet spot and just buy the Strix E - as I can afford it...but paying US$2500 for something that can perform as nice for $1500 seems foolish...I could use those funds to purchase a quality photo printer. I guess the cheaper Strix variants are something I could look at if the cheaper MSI/Gigabyte mobos are not sufficient.
Any help for this noob in cutting through the marketing and OCspeak to arrive at my Mobo will be appreciated.

[FI Fheonix]

7 minutes ago, philmar said:

Considering a new build for a photo editing only ATX build and haven't looked at pc components in 10+ years.

 

My 11 year old i7 3700K build was masterful and while overkill at the time it still serves me well. When I built it, I took the time to understand the needs of a photo editing rig and the components that were available. Accordingly I have spent the last month studying the current components needed for a new photo-editing rig (heck I'd never heard of a NVMe drive) . I only process one raw photo at a time, no large event photography batches, no video and no gaming. For years I have been using the ASUS bios auto-overclock feature in my ASUS P8Z77 mobo and that has helped me get more performance from the build. I was even able to survive with only the onboard graphics until I purchased a second 1440p monitor. However I am noticing that it is now slowing me down in Lightroom & Photoshop when I make use of the newer adjustment mask features...and also when I occasionally use Topaz Suite (which taxes my Radeon RX460). I have recently retired so I have plenty of free time now to monetizing my hobby. I post on Facebook neighborhood groups and get weekly requests for prints from neighbors. I am going to buy a printer soon and also create photo books so I think the whole experience will be better on a snappier machine. My budget will be around US$2250 ....I have to purchase my components in inflated CDN dollars though.

I definitely will go with a i7 13700K though a i5 is probably the sweet spot. My decision is based on the fact that i7 has great single core performance and that is what is important in photo editing which simply 2D pixel pushing, not multi-core 3D gaming.  Furthermore, I have the funds to buy a better CPU and if this rig can last a decade like the last one it will be wise to go with the more powerful one. I have been agonizing over a costlier Z790 mobo with DDR5 vs. a cheaper mobo with DDR4. Seems like the builds would have no perceptible difference in performance (according to my usage) so why throw money away for nothing? However I am leaning towards 32 gb of DDR5 as it is the future. I will buy a K version of the i713700 as I MAY overclock but only conservatively using the mobo autoclock software. From what I read it looks like Intel and the mobos pretty much overclock the CPU now and that OC'ing headroom is smaller than it was when I OC'ed my 3rd gen i7. So if that is correct then I probably don't need a top of line VRM if I won't OC a lot.It is quite possible I will NOT OC if the Intel burst modes work sufficiently.

Most of the online mobo reviews seem to be from a gamers' or over-clockers' perspective where mobos are valued on their overclockability (VRM and heatsink arrays). Furthermore the few mobo reviews that I read from the perspective of content creators judge mobos based on ability to edit massive video files, or networking features or i/o connectivity to upload massive batches of wedding photos/videos. I don't want to pay for Thunderbolt, 10gb ethernet or even WIFI, don't need them.

What features do I need? I plan to purchase two new NVMe SSDs and a new 8-12GB SATA HDD spinner as well as include 4 drives from my current build: My Cdrive which is a Samsung 840 pro SATA 600, a Samsung 850 pro SATA 600 drive that I use as Lightroom catalogue/scratch drive and also 2 SATA HDD spinners with data. So my new mobo will need to support ALL of those (which will be 2 M.2 drives and 5 SATA drives). I'll want 4 M.2 slots for future expansion.
I first looked at the Z790 Taichi and Strix E because they seemed to have the best performance at stock. My reasoning was I can afford them so why not buy quality? But when I total up the cost of the new system it seems excessive because it looks like I could get a cheaper mobo and have the same perceptible performance. Why throw money away because Intel and mobo company marketing has seduced me? Do I need Gen 5 slots? excellent LAN?  I feel I was falling in to the trap of preferring an expensive high-end board based on Performance benchmark charts where the difference is single digit percentile. Will I even notice if my Strix processes a photo 6% faster than it would on an Aorus Elite? So I then start reading reviews and see that there are great value mobos like Gigabyte Z790 Gaming X and MSI Pro Z790-A. My head starts spinning as I get no closer to the mobo I should buy.
From the 13 gen i7 tests I've read I need a decent CPU cooler and VRM because the i7 13000K MultiCore Enhancement seems to run hot though I am not sure my usage will (no video or gaming). I know a good VRM will keep the i7 running better but don't really know what level of VRM I should settle for. Is 18 stages overkill? Will 14 stage VRM cause occasional throttling? Note that my pc is in a room that is NOT air-conditioned so in the summer it will be operating in a hot environment  - perhaps a top-end VRM is needed then?
My preference was for ASUS as they were rock solid in my 2006 and 2012 builds but ASUS seems to be way overpriced compared to the other companies..arrogance? I am suffering from analysis paralysis. At one stage I tell myself to stop spending hours trying to determine the sweet spot and just buy the Strix E - as I can afford it...but paying US$2500 for something that can perform as nice for $1500 seems foolish...I could use those funds to purchase a quality photo printer. I guess the cheaper Strix variants are something I could look at if the cheaper MSI/Gigabyte mobos are not sufficient.
Any help for this noob in cutting through the marketing and OCspeak to arrive at my Mobo will be appreciated.

Don't go cheap. But also don't go high end. Get a good CPU like a 13700K and maybe get a ASUS Z790. 

[P e r s e p h o n e]

First, I'm a fellow photographer. Second, I only skimmed your thread, sorry.

 

Quick update on boards:

These days motherboards are more expensive for current generations because of all the features they pack onto the board. For most use cases, these features will not make a big difference in usability and virtually no difference in performance. In terms of reliability, I recommend sticking with the major brands, but it's all about the same there too. Though it's been my experience that midrange Gigabyte boards are where it's at. That said, there's nothing wrong with your old favorite Asus across the board (pun intended). 

 

You seem to focus a lot on the VRM, and I can say with some confidence that, unless you're cheaping out all the way and getting sketchy boards, the average motherboard VRM will run cooler than it's ceiling even in warm environments. I run a 12900K on a Asus Z690-A sometimes in 80-degree weather and it's just fine. In fact, the bigger problem is the PCH since I have so many PCIE devices. Though it's not a problem there either. I also happen to run heavier loads than any photo editing software could possibly your system. So, there's really nothing to worry about.

 

Overclocking headroom isn't really limited to VRMs these days it's more on cooling, power, and the quality of your silicon. That said, there's almost no point in dialing in your own overclocking. The onboard dynamic frequency (turbo 2.0-3.0 in the case of Intel) will be more than enough. All you might want to do is unlock power limits in the BIOS should you find it necessary. Personally, I find there's little advantage to this. 

 

Things that might matter as a photographer:

 

Transfer speed

As a photographer who shoots on the Canon R5, I get huge files. I regularly dump 128GB-1TB of data at a time from a mixture of 45MP photos or 4K-8K RAW video. If you're working with large files, then you'll want boards (and maybe front I/O) that support at least USB 10Gbps. Most card readers for CFExpress or UHS-II cannot go faster than this anyways. 

 

Storage & I/O

If you store a lot on your PC, you might also want to look into the number of M.2 slots and their PCIE config. If you're an old school SATA person, then you might really want to check that if you have a lot. There is less of a focus on packing in the SATA ports these days as everything moves to M.2. Don't forget to check if your internal USB headers have what you need for front I/O. A lot of cases now come with front USB 10Gbps Type C. Lastly, you'll probably want some decent networking if you're storing things off of a NAS. Personally, I just use the onboard WiFi 6 and it's fine. 

[Somerandomtechyboi]

Youd usually wanna go on the cheap end, higher end boards only offer useless gimmicks like stupidly overpowered vrms that wont even get warm even with an oced 13900k or whatever the hell dimm.2 is

 

and proper oc boards that arent just glorified content creator boards disguised as oc boards (looking at you maximus boards) are meant more for xoc and subzero shenanigans or just max ram freq (ex z6/790 dark) and even with oc real world difference is miniscule to none vs a lower end board atleast on ambient cooling

 

 

Id suggest looking at z690/790 around the 200$ range, maybe boards like the z690 pg riptide, steel legend, a pro, maybe even an n5 if you can find one cheap

[philmar]

2 hours ago, jagtendonutice said:

It's awesome to hear that you're looking to build a new photo-editing rig. It's been a while since you've dabbled in this stuff, but I'm here to help! It sounds like you've done your homework and have a good idea of what you want in a new build. You definitely don't need to spend an arm and a leg on the latest and greatest components, but I agree that going with a more powerful CPU is a smart move if you want this rig to last another decade. As for the mobo, it's totally understandable to feel overwhelmed by all the options out there. But as long as it supports all the drives you want to use, you should be good to go! Don't stress too much about the VRM - a good one will definitely help with heat dissipation, but you don't need to go overboard. ASUS has always been a solid choice, but there are plenty of other great brands out there too. I'm sure you'll find the perfect mobo for your needs.

Thanks!!   It's been a decade since I looked in to pc components and I'm surprised by what seems to be the increased useless gimmickry and marketing hype. Was shocked to see mobos to be rated on their RGB lightshow...but I'm old - LOL. I won't stress over VRM until I know what a decent VRM would be....is 14 stage ok or 16 stage sufficient for a i7 13000 that won't be under a huge load for more than 10 minutes?

Also I am having a hard time wading through marketing crap. Will Gigabyte boards implement MultiCore Enhancement the same as ASUS? Will the cheap boards do it as well as the expensive boards? I don't want buyer's remorse and find out the Gigabyte Elite has crappier electrical components, cheaper connections than a Strix-E.

[philmar]

1 hour ago, P e r s e p h o n e said:

Though it's been my experience that midrange Gigabyte boards are where it's at. That said, there's nothing wrong with your old favorite Asus across the board (pun intended). 

ASUS was my favorite but I am getting the impression they are overpriced now. That said the Strix does seem to be a good performance and safe choice....pricy!...Gigabyte seems to be the brand I am most impressed with. The Elite and Gaming X are well revie

 

1 hour ago, P e r s e p h o n e said:

You seem to focus a lot on the VRM, and I can say with some confidence that, unless you're cheaping out all the way and getting sketchy boards, the average motherboard VRM will run cooler than it's ceiling even in warm environments.

Good to know. So a 14 phase VRM is sufficient? It seems like computing suffers from the same marketing the cameras have. Manufacturers over-engineering specs that appeal to a small segment of the population. I don't need 50+ megapixels nor do I need 20 phase VRM....I just don't know what the proper level of VRM would be for my i7 13000.

 

1 hour ago, P e r s e p h o n e said:

In fact, the bigger problem is the PCH since I have so many PCIE devices. Though it's not a problem there either. I also happen to run heavier loads than any photo editing software could possibly your system. So, there's really nothing to worry about.

I must confess this is my first encounter with PCH.What is PCH?

1 hour ago, P e r s e p h o n e said:

Overclocking headroom isn't really limited to VRMs these days it's more on cooling, power, and the quality of your silicon. That said, there's almost no point in dialing in your own overclocking. The onboard dynamic frequency (turbo 2.0-3.0 in the case of Intel) will be more than enough. All you might want to do is unlock power limits in the BIOS should you find it necessary. Personally, I find there's little advantage to this.

Guess I need to learn more. I assumed the VRM was part of the cooling. it usually mentioned in conjunction with the heat sink but in hindsight that is simplistic. It is related to voltage. I'll read further. I have concluded that OC'ing manually is beyond my interest (maybe intellect) because the headroom is not there due to Intel and the mobos already implementing excellent turbo boost (core enhancement). However even at stock I get the impression the Intel MultiCore Enhancement will try rev the i7 at warm temps and that good cooling will keep it from thermal throttling under heavy load. But that's what 2 weeks of reading has concluded. I may be wrong. Interestingly Puget Systems recommends turning off the MultiCore Enhancement https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/intel-core-i9-13900k-impact-of-multicore-enhancement-mce-and-long-power-duration-limits-on-thermals-and-content-creation-performance-2375/#Is_MultiCore_Enhancement_and_Unlocked_Power_Limits_Worth_it_for_Content_Creation

 

 

 

[P e r s e p h o n e]

29 minutes ago, philmar said:

ASUS was my favorite but I am getting the impression they are overpriced now. That said the Strix does seem to be a good performance and safe choice....pricy!...Gigabyte seems to be the brand I am most impressed with. The Elite and Gaming X are well revie

 

Good to know. So a 14 phase VRM is sufficient? It seems like computing suffers from the same marketing the cameras have. Manufacturers over-engineering specs that appeal to a small segment of the population. I don't need 50+ megapixels nor do I need 20 phase VRM....I just don't know what the proper level of VRM would be for my i7 13000.

 

I must confess this is my first encounter with PCH.What is PCH?

Guess I need to learn more. I assumed the VRM was part of the cooling. it usually mentioned in conjunction with the heat sink but in hindsight that is simplistic. It is related to voltage. I'll read further. I have concluded that OC'ing manually is beyond my interest (maybe intellect) because the headroom is not there due to Intel and the mobos already implementing excellent turbo boost (core enhancement). However even at stock I get the impression the Intel MultiCore Enhancement will try rev the i7 at warm temps and that good cooling will keep it from thermal throttling under heavy load. But that's what 2 weeks of reading has concluded. I may be wrong. Interestingly Puget Systems recommends turning off the MultiCore Enhancement https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/intel-core-i9-13900k-impact-of-multicore-enhancement-mce-and-long-power-duration-limits-on-thermals-and-content-creation-performance-2375/#Is_MultiCore_Enhancement_and_Unlocked_Power_Limits_Worth_it_for_Content_Creation

 

 

 

Eh, idk I still buy Asus cuz they look poggers LOL. Plus I'm used to their BIOS and features. That said their BIOS time is sooooo slow and Gigabyte is like zero BIOS time.

 

The number of phases doesn't really matter as much as the quality of those phases. That said yes, the number of phases is fine. If you're really that concerned about it, you can look into whatever board that has the features you want and do a quick google search for a review on its VRM performance. Though, it's really not necessary. Virtually any of the Z series boards are more than enough. 

 

As for your confusion with VRM and cooling, I meant more specifically cooling the CPU die itself. The VRM simply changes the voltage supplied to the scale that the CPU needs while keeping it stable. Again, the quality of VRMs on anything but the cheapest boards these days are fine even for flagship CPUs. If you're spending at least $150 and up you'll probably be fine. 

 

As for PCH that stands for Platform Controller Hub it's a chip underneath the heatsink on the bottom right of most motherboards. They regulate any I/O tasks for the board that is not directly connected to the CPU. 

[philmar]

On 3/13/2023 at 1:21 PM, Somerandomtechyboi said:

Id suggest looking at z690/790 around the 200$ range, maybe boards like the z690 pg riptide, steel legend, a pro, maybe even an n5 if you can find one cheap

Prices are not as good here in Canada but I can get a reasonably priced Gigabtye Z790 Gaming X or Elite. I think they have the i/o and M2/sata I require...price is good.

Edited March 15, 2023 by philmar
spelling

[Somerandomtechyboi]

Just now, philmar said:

Prices are not a good here in Canada but I can get a reasonably priced Gigabtye Z790 Gaming X or Elite. I think they have the i/o I require...price is good.

Price?

Any cheaper options available?

[philmar]

On 3/13/2023 at 3:21 PM, P e r s e p h o n e said:

Eh, idk I still buy Asus cuz they look poggers LOL. Plus I'm used to their BIOS and features. That said their BIOS time is sooooo slow and Gigabyte is like zero BIOS time.

Yeah I know what you mean. Every time I look at the ASUS boards I feel at home.Their look and BIOS are like an old friend. But their Z790 line are ridiculously overpriced compared to the other brands and I cannot stomach it. I probably could have stomached it if memory and GPU prices also weren't so crazy.....not to mention cases are crazy priced.

I figure I'll probably spend the sum total of 1 hour in the bios once it is up and running so I will save CDN$200 by going with a Gigabyte Elite over a Strix-E. The Aorus Elite has downgraded their audio to help attain a cheaper pricepoint but that actually works for me.

Now I just need to figure out what DDR5 RAM to get.....studying about speed and latency now. Thanks for your help.

[DocYoda]

I do PS, LR, indesign, sketchup, and some premiere, aftereffect stuff. I have an old X99 and still does the job for photoediting. I upgraded when ryzen came, then I got the 6800XT hoping to game and do productivity, but damn AMD drivers for the GPU is such a pain for productivity and with some games. I just use my X99 for photo and some renders and transport to my ryzen 9 setup to do some final touches. I am looking forward with an intel system and nvidia pairing pretty soon. 7950X and X670E is coming aboard and Ive read a lot about instability, and if this is not stable, I highly suggest the intel+nvidia route. 

[philmar]

On 3/13/2023 at 12:54 PM, P e r s e p h o n e said:

Storage & I/O

If you store a lot on your PC, you might also want to look into the number of M.2 slots and their PCIE config. If you're an old school SATA person, then you might really want to check that if you have a lot. There is less of a focus on packing in the SATA ports these days as everything moves to M.2. Don't forget to check if your internal USB headers have what you need for front I/O. A lot of cases now come with front USB 10Gbps Type C. Lastly, you'll probably want some decent networking if you're storing things off of a NAS. Personally, I just use the onboard WiFi 6 and it's fine. 

I shoot with an EOS R so the files aren't as big but I know I will have a 50megapixel camera at some point within the life of this build. The Elite AX has 4 M.2 slots.

 

 

CPU:

1. 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2A_CPU)

Chipset:

1. 2 x M.2 connectors (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2P_SB, M2Q_SB)
2. 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 SATA and PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD support) (M2M_SB)
3. 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors

I think that means 4 M.2 fast slots - no PCIe 5 for M.2. There is a PCIe 5 x16 expansion slot for a future GPU which I don't think I'll need, I don't process video.

However due to shared resources i will lose 2 SATA ports if a specific M.2 slot is used.

[philmar]

3 minutes ago, DocYoda said:

I do PS, LR, indesign, sketchup, and some premiere, aftereffect stuff. I have an old X99 and still does the job for photoediting. I upgraded when ryzen came, then I got the 6800XT hoping to game and do productivity, but damn AMD drivers for the GPU is such a pain for productivity and with some games. I just use my X99 for photo and some renders and transport to my ryzen 9 setup to do some final touches. I am looking forward with an intel system and nvidia pairing pretty soon. 7950X and X670E is coming aboard and Ive read a lot about instability, and if this is not stable, I highly suggest the intel+nvidia route. 

TBH I have been fine with my ancient Radeon RX 460 and i7 3770K. Maybe by 'fine' I mean 'accustomed'. I turned off GPU Acceleration and process worm in Develop mode is fine in Lightroom even when using local adjustment tool. Where I see a problem is in the long process times with the Topaz AI programs.....but I rarely use them. I use them only when printing a photo for sale. Everything else is for web view and the sharpening/noise reduction in LR is sufficient for that. I suspect a better GPU will improve Export times but I rarely export more than 3 shots at a time with the occasional HDR shot.

2D photo editing is all I do - no 3D or video and anything with sound.

I was able to photo-edit using onboard graphics for years. only when I added a second monitor did I need a discrete GPU. i am happy with 1440p displays.

I am going to cheap out on the GPU - nvidia are ridiculously expensive even though I know adobe plays well with them. I might go with an Intel Arc A770 which are really cheap because they have such a poor reputation...but their driver updates fixed their issues.

[philmar]

Thanks everyone for all of your help...I asked a lot of questions....a few dumb ones in hindsight. But I feel I have arrived at a build.

I couldn't stomach the higher ASUS prices though every time I looked at the Strix I felt at home. The bios, the look of the board, their bloatware was like family but I decided since I won't be overclocking this CPU that I can get almost as good performance with a much cheaper mobo. I tend to not want to cheap out on the mobo but the sticker shock of the other components made me do it. I decided against an upper-tier overclocking mobo because it seems the 13 Gen Intel CPUs are already OC'ed sufficiently with their burst modes which is a change from my last 3rd gen build.

 

I settled on the 6400-CL32 G.Skill Ripjaws because I feel it will be accepted easily by my XMP enabled mobo and that any higher speed RAM would only give small incremental performance improvement...and they don't have RGB and a low profile which is important if I air cool. 32 gb will NOT be enough one day - especially of I get a larger megapixel camera 5 years from now. But I can add RAM later when DDR5 is cheaper.

 

CPU cooler: I may go with Noctua if it fits however I've seen rave reviews with the Thermalight. My PC usage doesn't tax the CPU for extended periods so I don't think I should be too concerned about CPU throttling. I don't game or process video.

 

My thinking on the SSDs is that my OS and programs should go on the best fast SSD (and it should be on the CPU connected slot). With the 2nd SSD I reasoned that 3rd gen SSD is imperceptibly slower but cheaper. It is never the bottleneck so this is a good spot to shave off money.

 

GPU: My thoughts are I may build it with my current Radeon RX 460 and see how it performs. If I need the increased GPU power I can add a new GPU. I just added the Sapphire to the list as a place holder. My usage with LR does not hold me back. I have GPU acceleration turned off and I am able to use the local adjustment tools without delay. A GPU would improve the export time...It takes 15 seconds to export a photo. I'll see how must faster it gets with the better CPU. I may not need to spend CDN$600 to shave a few seconds off of the export time. My time isn't THAT valuable now that I'm retired -LOL. But it is a decision I can make once I see how my new build functions.

Power supply - I know I need to think more about that as it is a crucial part .

 

So here is what I've designed so far. Any further words of advice or warnings would be appreciated. Thanks for all of your great help!!

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/XwYFjZ

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 AORUS ELITE AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP33 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
Video Card: Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 6600 8 GB Video Card 
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000x (2021) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply 
 

....plus some internal fans for air flow