Budget Photo Editing Build

[timswim78]

My last build was in 2011/2012, and I have basically not touched the system other than to upgrade storage a few times. So I'm looking for a fresh start. I'm in the U.S., my budget is $700-$1,200, and I plan to build within two months.

Here is my usage. My hobby is photography, and I use Lightroom for organizing and editing my photos. Occasionally (fewer than 10 times per year) I run PhotoShop, and occasionally (three/four times per year) I edit a multi-cam video in Premier. Other than that, my PC is used for video streaming, remoting in to my work PC, basic MS Office stuff, and that is it. I use a single 27" monitor at 2560x1440.

Here is what I have now:
- Intel Core i5 2400s
- ASUS P8Z77-V PRO/THUNDERBOLT (Sandy Bridge)
- MSI Radeon HD 7700 Series 1GB
- 16GB DDR3 RAM
- 250GB SSD
- 4TB and 2TB 7,200 hdd for photos, documents, etc.

So, here are my basic thoughts. I'm interested in your general thoughts and specific recommendations. I'm open to building or buying a pre-built system and upgrading RAM, storage, etc.

CPU: AMD Ryzen seems to be a good bang for the buck. I am not interested in overclocking.
MOBO: Not sure, other than having NVME, supports 32GB RAM, and maybe USB-C.
OS/Applications Drive: NVME 240GB or so.
Data Drives: 4TB 7200RPM x 2. Maybe upgrade to SSD in the future.
Video Card: Not sure. I just want something that will drive my monitor at a high FPS for online video and can support GPU-assisted photo-editing. I do not play video games. Would it be foolish to reuse my current video card until a great deal comes along?
PSU: Something with enough power (Maybe 600W) that is reasonably efficient.
Case: I do not really care. It will be on the floor.
Optical: I only occasionally need a DVD/CD drive. I might just re-use what I have or get a Blu-Ray drive.
RAM: 32GB seems sufficient. I'm not too sure about what speed/timings I need.

Here is a potential build for about $925, without a case. https://secure.newegg.com/Wishlist/SharedWishlistDetail?ID=744489hAngro6pJVHDQ3fA==

 

[UsandThem]

I'd wait until Ryzen 2 reviews come out on July 7th, and then decide on whether to go Intel or AMD.

As far as the rest of your build questions:

1. Go with at least a 512 GB NVMe drive (lower capacities than that perform worse). Maybe a drive like the HP EX950, Corsair MP500, or BPX PRO. Heck, you probably can still nab a HP EX920 by that point as well, and save a few bucks over the newer version (EX950, and not really that much difference in performance).

2. You can reuse your GPU since you don't game, it will be fine. You can always get a more current one for under $150 if you feel your old one is holding you back with your stated use. This article should be a good read for you: https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Photoshop-CC-2018-NVIDIA-GeForce-GPU-Performance-1139/

3. A quality 550w - 650w gold efficiency PSU is plenty for your build. Seasonic Focus Plus, EVGA G3, and Corsair RMx are all good choices that go on sale pretty often. Even the Corsair TX-M units would be a good choice if on sale (and you are OK with a semi-modular cable design).

4. Pick up whatever case you like. Plenty of choices from $30 to $100 if you're not picky.

5. 32 GB of RAM is good, and just make sure whatever motherboard you pick out, that the RAM is on the QVL list (or use RAM manufacturer's online guides to tell you what will work with your motherboard choice). For example: https://www.gskill.com/en/configurator

 

[timswim78]

I appreciate all of this very good advice. I did a little research, and it looks like I should definitely upgrade my video card to take advantage of GPU acceleration in Lightroom.

I'd wait until Ryzen 2 reviews come out on July 7th, and then decide on whether to go Intel or AMD.

As far as the rest of your build questions:

1. Go with at least a 512 GB NVMe drive (lower capacities than that perform worse). Maybe a drive like the HP EX950, Corsair MP500, or BPX PRO. Heck, you probably can still nab a HP EX920 by that point as well, and save a few bucks over the newer version (EX950, and not really that much difference in performance).

2. You can reuse your GPU since you don't game, it will be fine. You can always get a more current one for under $150 if you feel your old one is holding you back with your stated use. This article should be a good read for you: https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Photoshop-CC-2018-NVIDIA-GeForce-GPU-Performance-1139/

3. A quality 550w - 650w gold efficiency PSU is plenty for your build. Seasonic Focus Plus, EVGA G3, and Corsair RMx are all good choices that go on sale pretty often. Even the Corsair TX-M units would be a good choice if on sale (and you are OK with a semi-modular cable design).

4. Pick up whatever case you like. Plenty of choices from $30 to $100 if you're not picky.

5. 32 GB of RAM is good, and just make sure whatever motherboard you pick out, that the RAM is on the QVL list (or use RAM manufacturer's online guides to tell you what will work with your motherboard choice). For example: https://www.gskill.com/en/configurator