New Mid-Range System for Photo-editing

[fullerbuckyr]

Hi all. I would like to build my wife a system primarily for photo-editing. It will be a gift -- she's been wanting a home desktop for some time (we currently use our work laptops at home). I've looked around, but did not see any recent threads on this type of build (mostly the other threads cover systems for gaming). Your suggestions for the build below would be much appreciated!

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

-- Primarily photo editing for my wife as well as microsoft office stuff for work for both of us.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

--Willing to spend around $1300 including the software that we can't get cheap. Note, I can get Microsoft office Pro for like $25 through work. I do not think I can get an operating system (maybe I can pull out that old XP disk I have .... don't think I have the code for it though).

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
--USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.
--None

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
--Yes, I have two monitors, a mouse and keyboard that I like. The build would have to accomodate two monitors.


7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
- default


8. What resolution will you be using?
--Not sure what this question means.


9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

-- Around New Years.

Let me know what you suggest. Also, if you could suggest PC photo editing software that would be great. Should I just get Photoshop?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Termie]

So, a couple of quick responses to start things off:

(1) Resolution refers to your monitor's resolution. In your case, it doesn't matter as much, because only gaming loads really differ by resolution. I assume you have 1080p monitors, but regardless, you should be able to get by with the built-in graphics capabilities of an Intel processor.

(2) How serious is your wife about photo editing? What type of camera is she using, and does she intend to shoot photos in RAW? There's a wide range of uses that all fit under the umbrella of "photo editing," so it really depends how sophisticated you want to be. $1300 is A LOT to spend to do basic editing of family photos in a free editor. On the flipside, it might not be enough if you actually intend to buy a Photoshop license with part of that $1300.

 

[fullerbuckyr]

Thanks for the queries Termie! Thanks for putting so much thought into the software questions.

I had to go back to my wife to get the answer to the RAW question, because I had no idea what that was.

(2) My wife is a fairly serious amateur photographer, but isn't that serious of a photo editor. She focuses more on the photography end (aperatures, lighting, etc.), than on the back end of extreme editing. She has a Nikon D90. She does not normally shoot in RAW, but has in the past and might on occassion do so in the future. Editing such photos would not be the primary use of the computer.

Overall, she is a fairly serious amateur who took numerous photography classes in high-school and college, but has done less in recent years due to the confines of being employed.

 

[Termie]

Thanks for the queries Termie! Thanks for putting so much thought into the software questions.

I had to go back to my wife to get the answer to the RAW question, because I had no idea what that was.

(2) My wife is a fairly serious amateur photographer, but isn't that serious of a photo editor. She focuses more on the photography end (aperatures, lighting, etc.), than on the back end of extreme editing. She has a Nikon D90. She does not normally shoot in RAW, but has in the past and might on occassion do so in the future. Editing such photos would not be the primary use of the computer.

Overall, she is a fairly serious amateur who took numerous photography classes in high-school and college, but has done less in recent years due to the confines of being employed.

Given your wife's usage pattern, I think Adobe Lightroom might be a good compromise in terms of editing. It has enough power for her to get more sophisticated with her editing, without being overwhelming in regard to use or price(!). Here it is for $100: http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-65164937...dobe+lightroom

In this case, I would cut the budget quite a bit, maybe bringing it down to $800 or so, including the Lightroom software. You do not need a discrete video card for this system - the built-in graphics on an Intel processor will suffice. I'd aim for the $180 quad-core i5 Intel CPU (the 3330 is in that range). The four cores will speed up photo processing significantly.

I'll let others chime in on the build, as I have to run for now, but can give specific build suggestions later today.

 

[Termie]

Ok, I'm back to give you some specific build advice:

(1) Intel i5 CPU (~$215): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...CE&Pagesize=20

I list the entire range, because they are so close in price I honestly can't say it makes sense to buy the 3330 for $190 when a 3570K is $215. Just make sure you don't buy a "P" version, as they don't have built-in graphics.

(2) Motherboard - AsRock H77 ($70): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157303

This micro-ATX H77 board has all the features you want (HDMI, SATA 3, USB3, etc.), in a compact form factor and at a great price.

(3) RAM - Mushkin 2x8GB ($60): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820226261

You can get 2x4GB for about half the price, but the motherboard only has two slots, and so I'd max it out now for $60, especially given the intended purpose (photo editing). You don't need high speed RAM, so this $60 set will work just fine.

(4) Case - Fractal Core 1000 ($40 + $7 shipping): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811352009

Your wife will appreciate the smaller size of this mATX case - it will hold and cool your components just fine.

(5) SSD - 120GB Kingston V+200 ($90): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820239374

This is where you'll store the OS and applications.

(6) Hard drive - Western Digital 1TB Blue ($70): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822236339

This will hold all of her photos for a long time to come.

(7) Power Supply - Seasonic Gold 360w ($60 + $7 shipping): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151117

This will provide all the power you need with very high efficiency.

(8) DVD burner ($15AR) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106352

All DVD burners are essentially the same, and this one is very inexpensive.

(9) Lightroom ($100) - linked above.

(10) Windows 8 ($100) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832416550

Since this is a new build, your wife will probably appreciate having the newest operating system. It's not loved by power users, but it might be preferable for more casual users.

TOTAL: $834AR shipped.

 

[mfenn]

Ok, I'm back to give you some specific build advice:

(1) Intel i5 CPU (~$215): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...CE&Pagesize=20

I list the entire range, because they are so close in price I honestly can't say it makes sense to buy the 3330 for $190 when a 3570K is $215. Just make sure you don't buy a "P" version, as they don't have built-in graphics.

IMHO the 3470 is the best deal right now at $185 AP. It's only 200 Mhz off the top end 3570, but saves you $15.

(7) Power Supply - Seasonic Gold 360w ($60 + $7 shipping): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151117

This will provide all the power you need with very high efficiency.

Alternatively, you can get the Corsair CX430 for $35 AR. It's certainly not as quiet as the SSR, but you can save about $25.

 

[fullerbuckyr]

Thanks! I will put this in the works very soon!