Photo Editing Build ($1100?)

[andyhan]

Hi.

I am going to be building a PC which will ONLY be used for editing photos in Photoshop. My budget is approximately $1100.

Currently, I am thinking of using an Intel Core i7-3770 (I do not intend to overclock), 16GB of 1600MHz CL10 memory (two sticks of eight), a 250GB Samsung 840 SSD (for OS, software, and temporary files), a 2TB Seagate Barracuda (7200rpm, 64MB cache, two one-terabyte platters), a 2GB Radeon 7850 from Sapphire, etc.

Would you recommend any changes? The computer must be able to handle huge RAW files from a Canon 1D-X with ease. Also, it will be hooked up to one (and possibly two, in the future) 1080p monitor. Will 1GB of video memory be enough for editing photos on a dual 1080p monitor configuration or was I wise to select a 2GB card? OS will probably be Windows 7 64-bit due to software compatibility.

Also, will the fact that the Samsung 840 has somewhat slow write speeds affect my workflow, or will I be fine with such SSD. I chose the 250GB 840 SSD because it has the best price to capacity ratio in the market.

Thanks a lot guys!

[Guest]

I can't remember how this will tie into your budget but you may want to have a look at the 660TI - I am personally unsure if Photoshop will be affected but I know there are a number of Adobe products that benifit from the CUDA cores on nVidia cards. For SSD's - you may want to have a look at the Kingston Hyper K's.

[razersum]

the build seems good. although 3770 is one of the best in its class, for workstation computer, i would prefer a cpu design for workstation processes, like the 3930k, its a bit costly, but if its not in the budget, 3770 is way to go.

ram looks good, 16gb is enough.

ssd, i am not sure, since there will only be windows, photoshop and some project files there[which, i assume, you will transfer them to your storage drive] i would prefer going with 120gb ssd,

as for the graphics card, i have a gtx 550ti 1gb, and it was able to support 2x1080p monitors without any problems.

one last thing, you will need a motherboard that has atleast 4x6gb/s sata 3 ports, although you will use only 3, but i kinda doubt whether there is any motherboard that has 3 x 6gb/s sata ports.

[razersum]

I can't remember how this will tie into your budget but you may want to have a look at the 660TI - I am personally unsure if Photoshop will be affected but I know there are a number of Adobe products that benifit from the CUDA cores on nVidia cards. For SSD's - you may want to have a look at the Kingston Hyper K's.

photoshop still uses open cl or maybe open gl technology :(

[andyhan]

the build seems good. although 3770 is one of the best in its class, for workstation computer, i would prefer a cpu design for workstation processes, like the 3930k, its a bit costly, but if its not in the budget, 3770 is way to go.

ram looks good, 16gb is enough.

ssd, i am not sure, since there will only be windows, photoshop and some project files there[which, i assume, you will transfer them to your storage drive] i would prefer going with 120gb ssd,

as for the graphics card, i have a gtx 550ti 1gb, and it was able to support 2x1080p monitors without any problems.

one last thing, you will need a motherboard that has atleast 4x6gb/s sata 3 ports, although you will use only 3, but i kinda doubt whether there is any motherboard that has 3 x 6gb/s sata ports.

LGA 2011 CPUs are a little bit too much for my budget, but I can understand what you're saying about it being designed for workstation processes.

I think I may swap to a higher performance 120~128GB SSD rather than a slower 240~256GB SSD. Thanks.

[Bill Cosby]

If you have switch from the 240gb to the 120gb, you may have enough room to step up to an Asus P8-Z77 WS. This board is built specifically for people who use editing and coding applications to help increase overall speed and reliability. The only other thing that you have to realize, is that if you are only using photoshop, your MONITOR may be actually more important than your computer. Photoshop isnt that heavy of a program. When i switched from a 260ti to a 550ti, i couldnt even tell a difference in performance. So you may want to adjust your budget a little.

[AMICLG]

Motherboard : MSI Z77-G45

CPU : Intel core I 7 3770k

Ram : kingston HyperX 16gb (2 x8gb)

GPU : MSI N600 TF (GTX660)

SSD : Samsung 840 Pro 128gb

HDD :Seagate Barracuda 2tb 7200 rmp

CPU Cooler : Corsair H100i

Newegg price $1,111.93

[andyhan]

i tweeted linus asking him whether an HD7770 or the nvidia equivalient (something like a 650ti) would be sufficient for dual monitor photo editing and he responded back telling me that even onboard intel hd graphics would be sufficient. because i won't be gaming at all on this particular pc.

i feel like i should trust the ultimate tech master's wise advice, but i'm scared that the shared memory and other cut corners put forth by integrated intel hd graphics wouldn't cut the cake :/ any thoughts?