Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix etc)

K

KonfuSed

Disciple
Hi All,

Have been planning to upgrade from my existing setup of an old Laptop which is very slow to a better setup. My usage will be limited to photo editing with Photoshop, Canon DPP, Photomatix Pro and NeatImage and internet browsing. Will also use it for Download but that would probably only at night when I would be sleeping. Please advice me on a setup,

1. Q: What is your budget?

a. 25k (excluding OS cost)

2. Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)

1. Monitor - Dell U2311H

2. Existing Keyboard and mouse

3. Currently using a Core 2 Duo Laptop for editing but it's just too slow

3. Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)

All the above.

4. Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.

1. CPU - Intel Core i5 - looking for a quad core processor and it seems that i5 is VFM option compared to i7. I'm not sure for my work I would need Hyperthreading at all. i5 2500 should be a good option?

2. Motherboard - I think H67 would do as I don't see usage of P67 for photo editing work. Please correct me if I'm wrong

3. GPU - Do I really need a GPU? I won't be using the PC at all for gaming. But still advice me on one if needed.

4. SMPS - Please advice on a good SMPS

5. RAM - 8GB should be good enough

6. OS - Windows 7 Home Premium - anyone know the current price?

7. ODD - DVD writer most probably but as of now not so important and I can add one later.

8. HDD - Planning for 2 HDD's. 500GB (or even lesser like 320GB) but with faster speed, which will be used to load the OS and other software. 2nd HDD would be a 500GB/1TB drive to store the edited Photographs. I'll also be using another 1TB external drive to backup the photographs. A silly question, normally how many HDD's can I add to the PC? I'm also planning to use the PC for downloading but the downloads will directly go to another External drive. Please advice on good quality HDD's which won't crash so easily.

9. USB hub - Need a Cabinet which will give me as many as USB ports possible.

10. UPS - Please advice on a good UPS, something which won't die just after a year like my previous Intex. Backup for 15mins is enough

11. Cabinet - I really have no idea here. Please advice.

5.Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component

1. Yes, will be adding a high quality Sound Card for hi-def audio.

6. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)

1. Bangalore

7. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market

1. No - Actually not sure as of now about buying 2nd hand stuff.

8. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware

1. Photo Editing and browsing

5. Download rig but only will be used at night when nothing else is running.

6. Watching HD movies - Very rarely as I prefer to use my Home Theater setup for movies.

9.Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.

1. No

10. Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?

Not on PC. PS3 is sufficient for me.

11. Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage

1. For Photo editing - preferably at highest possible resolution.

12. Q: Are you looking to overclock?

1. No

13. Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?

1. Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

I did searched for such threads and found one here http://www.techenclave.com/pc-buying-advice/suggest-rig-for-photoshop-work-196236.html .I'm taking those inputs as the starting point for my quest and would like get more advice on my specific needs as I've mentioned above.

Thanks and Regards,
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

I would strongly suggest you to wait for a few days for AMD to launch it's Bulldozer CPU's and then decide what to get.
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

Thanks viralBug for the headsup. Yeah, it's not an immediate purchase and in all account I'll probably be purchasing it by end of this month only. Will surely lookout for the AMD release.

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

Guys, some inputs would be really helpful.
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

i5 2400 - 9300/-

4 GB DDR 3 - 1950/-

Gigabyte GA 65MA UD3H B3 - 5250/-

above Gigabyte motherboard having support for Sata 3 & USB 3
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

^Its H67 and not just GA 65. Its GA H67MA-UD3H.

Also 4GB DDR3 1333MHz costs just ~ 1.3k these days.
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

Thanks guys for pitching in. Well, I guess I'll have to make a quick decision now as the situation demands so. My Laptop has conked (basically running super duper slow when I connect the U2311H monitor for photo editing, probably it's not able to handle all these processing along with handling dual monitor setup that I'm using, it's a stupid old Centrino Duo proc).
I was considering the following option for my initial setup,

Processor Intel Core i5 2500 9300
Motherboard Intel DH67BL(B3) 5100
CPU Cooler Not Needed I guess?
RAM 8GB -Corsair 4GB DDRIII 1333MHzx2 2600
HDD 1TB Seagate + 320GB 2750+
GPU Do I need a dedicated GPU?
Monitor Dell U2311H
Cabinet CM-180 or what else? Need help
PSU Need help here
Key Board Existing LogitechK200
Mouse ExistingMicrosoft
ODD
Speakers NA

Also I need a UPS which is very important for the setup. A good decent UPS should do (APC?). Please consider the fact that it's not for gaming but will be used for downloading overnight (occasionally). Please do let me know if I'm going wrong somewhere and add your input. Please please please help..
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

^^

Yep you will not need a third party heat sink package, but if you are going to run the system for a prolonged duration of time get the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ ~1850/- you will not be dissappointed by its performance.

For cabinet, suggested you get the NZXT Gamma ~ 2200/- from Golccha Inter-trade. As for SMPS get the Corsair CX V2 430W ~ 2200/- a good SMPS is an insurance against a bad power graph -- which is a reality in India].

Rest your configuration is well balanced and good for your purpose. If you want to add a professional series graphic card, get the Quaddro FX-310 ~ 8000/-, but this is not a must have.

For UPS get the APC BR-1KVA IN ~ 4600/-, should serve your purpose well. Hope this helps you Sire, Cheers!!
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

One correction with your config, the i5 2500 costs 10200. It's the i5 2400 that costs 9300. Go for the i5 2500 if you can spend 1k more, otherwise the i5 2400 is good enough too.

Get a good cabinet like the NZXT Gamma or NZXT Source 210.

SMPS - Corsair CX 430W v2

I don't think you need a GPU as such. Also since you can't overclock this CPU, an aftermarket cooler is also not required.
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

Thanks a lot guys, so after adding your suggestions the configuration looks like this,

Processor Intel Core i5 2500 10200
Motherboard Intel DH67BL(B3) 5100
CPU Cooler NA
RAM 8GB -Corsair 4GB DDRIII 1333MHzx2 2600
HDD 1TB Seagate + 320GB 2750
GPU NA
Monitor Dell U2311H
Cabinet NZXT-Gamma 2200
PSU Corsair CX V2 430W 2200
Key Board LogitechK200
Mouse Microsoft
ODD
Speakers NA
UPS APC BR-1KVA IN 4600

Total 29650
I can add GPU later if needed. I won't be using the rig for prolonged duration with high demand jobs(3-4 hours for Photoshop work would be the highest demanding job I guess). For normal browsing and downloading, even if this runs for 8-9 hours sometime, will there be any issue? These jobs are not so CPU intensive and it should be running cool, right?

It has crossed the initial budget of 25k but I'm ok with it (unless something can be done to reduce the budget without hampering the performance too much). BTW, any idea how much Windows 7 Home Premium would cost? So that I would get an idea of how much my total budget would be.
Overclocking is not at all necessary for Photoshop or even movie watching jobs, right? That's the domain for gaming if I'm not wrong?
Regards,
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

Better buy the Seasonic S12II 430w ~ 2650 by spending some 450 bucks more... Its better than the CX430 V2 in every aspect and comes with 5 years warranty as compared to CX430w 3years warranty... You can buy the PSU that i have mentioned from TheITWares (Our Official TE Dealer)

BTW, any idea how much Windows 7 Home Premium would cost? So that I would get an idea of how much my total budget would be.
Click to expand...

6.5k... You can buy it from here : http://www.techenclave.com/time2shop/microsoft-windows-7-os-genuine-sealed-184635.html & here : http://www.microsoftstore.co.in/microsoft/93/product/Windows-7-Home-Premium.aspx
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

^ Yup the Seasonic would be great if you can spend a little more for it.

Also have a look at this. Gskill SNIPER F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR2

One day offer. Grab it fast. ;)

Also, the G.Skill RipjawsX 8gb is listed at 2700. You can get those too.

Even though the 1600Mhz will run at 1333Mhz on your board, the prices are virtually the same so doesn't hurt getting these instead. :p

As for overclocking, you don't need to overclock at all for your needs. And anyways, if you want to overclock, you need a K series CPU and a P67/Z68 motherboard to overclock it. 2500K costs 10.8k and the P67/Z68 motherboards start at 8k range.
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

Hades. said:
Better buy the Seasonic S12II 430w ~ 2650 by spending some 450 bucks more... Its better than the CX430 V2 in every aspect and comes with 5 years warranty as compared to CX430w 3years warranty... You can buy the PSU that i have mentioned from TheITWares (Our Official TE Dealer)
Click to expand...
Thanks, will change the PSU to Seasonic instead of CX430 v2. BTW, where can I find the difference between these PSUs?

6.5k... You can buy it from here : http://www.techenclave.com/time2shop/microsoft-windows-7-os-genuine-sealed-184635.html & here : Windows 7 Home Premium, Buy Windows 7 Home Premium Online in India,Buy Windows-7-Home-Premium Onlin
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. So anothre 6.5k to the rig :)

viralbug said:
^ Yup the Seasonic would be great if you can spend a little more for it.

Also have a look at this. Gskill SNIPER F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR2
One day offer. Grab it fast. ;)
Also, the G.Skill RipjawsX 8gb is listed at 2700. You can get those too.
Even though the 1600Mhz will run at 1333Mhz on your board, the prices are virtually the same so doesn't hurt getting these instead. :p
Click to expand...
Hey, these RAMs are supposed to be supported in P67 or Z67 boards it seems. Can I use them in a H67 board? Price is awesome though. BTW, the voltage is rated at 1.25V, how does this matter? How reliable are the GSkill RAMs compared to other options? Sorry if I'm asking too many questions.

As for overclocking, you don't need to overclock at all for your needs. And anyways, if you want to overclock, you need a K series CPU and a P67/Z68 motherboard to overclock it. 2500K costs 10.8k and the P67/Z68 motherboards start at 8k range.
Click to expand...
I guess I'll stick to H67 mobos. Already the budget is overshooting. But I'll get a 2500k processor instead of 2500, so that I can have the option later on.
And can someone comment on using a smaller capacity but faster HDD for just the Operating system and using another 1TB or larger drive for storing the data? Is this needed or I should just use logical partition? And what options suggested for a faster HDD?
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

The rams will run on H67 without any problems. Only thing is H67 supports 1066/1333 Mhz rams only, so they will run at 1333Mhz instead of 1600. The low voltage means lesser heat dissipation which in turn means possibly longer life and also lower power consumption (though that would hardly make a difference in your bill).

If you're getting a 2500K, remember that you won't be able to overclock at all on the H67 motherboard. IMO it would be wasted. The 2500K is advisable only if you plan on getting a P67/Z68 motherboard soon. But then if you are planning to overclock, might as well get the motherboard now itself. :p

The Seagate 7200.12 1TB is a good drive for OS. If you want an even faster drive, you can get a WD Black 1TB, but it's pricey at 4.3k and the difference in performance may not be justify the premium. Getting a smaller drive won't have any difference in performance, infact these newer 1 tb drives would be faster than the 500gb ones. Also the cost/GB favors getting a 1TB instead of the 500gb, 2700 for 1TB while 2000 for 500GB. Get 2 1TB drives. If you strictly want a 500gb drive, the Western Digital Blue 500gb or Seagate 7200.12 500GB either are good choices.
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

^ First link for Corsair review is broken.

Second link is for the older version of the Seasonic I think. The newer version is 80 plus bronze certified. :D
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

viralbug said:
The rams will run on H67 without any problems. Only thing is H67 supports 1066/1333 Mhz rams only, so they will run at 1333Mhz instead of 1600. The low voltage means lesser heat dissipation which in turn means possibly longer life and also lower power consumption (though that would hardly make a difference in your bill).

If you're getting a 2500K, remember that you won't be able to overclock at all on the H67 motherboard. IMO it would be wasted. The 2500K is advisable only if you plan on getting a P67/Z68 motherboard soon. But then if you are planning to overclock, might as well get the motherboard now itself. :p
Click to expand...
Or may be I can buy a different MOBO later if I feel like overclocking? But I guess and I'm sure that I won't be doing that. Although the price for the Sniper looks too good to resist. I hope these guys (abgb) are reliable? (I've never bought anything from them so I've no idea).
The Seagate 7200.12 1TB is a good drive for OS. If you want an even faster drive, you can get a WD Black 1TB, but it's pricey at 4.3k and the difference in performance may not be justify the premium. Getting a smaller drive won't have any difference in performance, infact these newer 1 tb drives would be faster than the 500gb ones. Also the cost/GB favors getting a 1TB instead of the 500gb, 2700 for 1TB while 2000 for 500GB. Get 2 1TB drives. If you strictly want a 500gb drive, the Western Digital Blue 500gb or Seagate 7200.12 500GB either are good choices.
Click to expand...

Actually I was thinking in terms of WD VelociRaptors but they seem to astronomically priced :(
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

viralbug said:
^ GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1155 - GA-HA65M-UD3H-B3 (rev. 1.0)

It's a H61 motherboard with a chip for Sata 6Gbps support.

Not worth it at all at that price. Better to get an H67 motherboard instead. The Intel DH67-BL costs 5k.

Anyways, since the OP doesn't need to buy it right now, he can wait for Bulldozer to launch. :)
Click to expand...

Didnt google the name. Thought it was a typo. My bad.

But what a stupid naming scheme from Gigabyte :S They could have just used a H67 chipset instead of H61+ Marvell controller.

But the specs are impressive for the price. Anyways it has all the features of the DH67BL and also bests it with all solid caps :D

Anyways does it matter whether is H61 or H67 until there is both SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0. This mobo even has internal USB 3.0 headers. My vote goes for this Gigabyte mobo over the Intel one. But availability might be an issue.

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 32/64 Bit (Full Pack): Flipkart.com: Microsoft Operating Systems - Rs.6364.
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

Small update, placed an purchase order for the GSkill Sniper 8GB (2X4GB) kit at PrimeABGB. Hope I'll get them soon. Price looked really good and I couldn't resist. Thanks ViralBug for posting about the deal. Only thing is that they would not be performing at their top due to the Mobo I'm going to purchase (no, can't buy a P67 mobo at this moment as that would mean another 3-4k, right?).

BTW, guys, thinking about assembling the whole thing myself but I don't have any prior experience of assembling a PC :p. So should I try that or stick to some installers? Is there any tutorial kind of thing which you guys would suggest (I'll surely google it myself). I would love to do it myself but surely I might face some issues will be while installing the OS and I'm slightly worried about wrecking it.
 
Re: Need suggestion for Intel i5 based rig for Photo Editing (Photoshop/Photomatix et

^^ Look Sire it is very hard to muck up while assembling your PC with your own hands the RAM will only go into the DIMM slots.

The CPU will only seat in the CPU-socket in a particular alignment, so in a sense DIY set-ups are fool-proof, but for sake of the warranty let the shop guys slap the parts together, later go home and install the OS yourself, is is like installing any other software, just that you'll need to format your drive during the install.

Having faster RAM roll-back to a lower speed doesn't mean the performance will be lost, later when you can upgrade your system this feature will come in handy and the latent performance will shine through. Although if the G.Skill SNIPER modules you've purchased are rated @1.25v then you'll be unable to over-clock them, so tough luck on that one.

Here are a few links to assembling your own system --

Guide - How TIM Works & How To Apply It Correctly | bit-tech.net / Building Your Own PC, Part 2: Assembly Step by Step : Guidelines For Building Your Own PC / How To Assemble A Desktop PC/Assembly - Wikibooks, open books for an open world / How To Assemble A Desktop PC/Software - Wikibooks, open books for an open world.

Hope this helps, Sire and happy RIG hunting.
 
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