New Photo/Video Workstation

skipiggy · Jul 29, 2013

Please feedback on the following build. I'm looking to order in the next few days.

Please check details like power supply, slots, etc.

I run Adobe Lightroom 5, Adobe Production Premium CS6 (Photoshop, Premier) and am looking for a very fast system for these activities.

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: this week

Budget Range: 2400-3200 After Rebates; After Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Photo and video editing

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: entirely new build

Do you need to buy OS: Yes. Windows 8 Pro upgrade

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg and microcenter

Location: Bethesda, Maryland

Parts Preferences: by brand or type : Intel CPU, AMD Graphics, Seagate HDDs

Overclocking: No, unless you think that will be better

SLI or Crossfire: No, don't think required for Photo/Video

Your Monitor Resolution: currently 1920x1080, plan to buy 4k monitor in 1 year

Additional Comments: Quiet PC would be nice

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I buy a new computer every 4 years. It's been 4.5 now.

Case Elysium-Window Black Full Tower ATX Computer Case
http://www.microcenter.com/product/364204/Elysium-Window_Black_Full_Tower_ATX_Computer_Case

Mobo MSI Z87 MPOWER Max LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Extreme OC Flagship High Performance Triple CFX/ SLI Platform Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130690

CPU Core i7 4770 3.4GHz Boxed Processor
http://www.microcenter.com/product/413249/Core_i7_4770_34GHz_Boxed_Processor

RAM Crucial Ballistix Sport 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model BLS4KIT8G3D1609DS1S00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148666

PSU CORSAIR HX Series HX850 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

CPU Cooler ARCTIC COOLING Alpine 7 GT (UC-AR7GT-AC-01) 80mm CPU Cooler for Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186090

HDD 2 x Barracuda EP 3TB 7,200RPM SATA 6.0Gbps 3.5" Internal Hard Drive STBD3000100
http://www.microcenter.com/product/373127/Barracuda_EP_3TB_7,200RPM_SATA_60Gbps_35_Internal_Hard_Drive_STBD3000100

Card Reader Koutech IO-FPM530 Multi-in-1 USB 3.0 Multifunction SuperSpeed Front Panel Card Reader with eSATA / HD Audio Ports (5.25")
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820162031

BDR 14x Internal Blu-ray Burner WH14NS40 - Bare Drive
http://www.microcenter.com/product/398053/14x_Internal_Blu-ray_Burner_WH14NS40_-_Bare_Drive#tab-specs

SDD OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 series RVD3X2-FHPX4-240G PCI-E 240GB PCI-Express 2.0 x4 MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227744

Video Card DIAMOND 7970PE53GV2 Radeon HD 7970 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103235

Sound Card ASUS Xonar D1 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132007

Already owned:
2x3TB Seagate Barracuda
3x1TB Seagate Barracuda
1x Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

LeMonarque · Jul 29, 2013

Before I start configuring a build, I'd like to mention that for Adobe CS6 you're going to want an Nvidia card to take advantage of OpenGL and CUDA technology, which massively speeds up workflows.

It's only in Adobe *CC* that you can use AMD cards for sped-up workflows.

You have a great budget. This is going to be fun to choose

TheBigTroll · Jul 29, 2013

id pick up something like this
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1m0ag

if you can wait, ivy bridge e looks promising but otherwise, haswell is the way to go. sandy bridge e isnt really a good choice given the 400 dollar price hike for 3-5 seconds of speed improvment. not worth it if you ask me

skipiggy · Jul 29, 2013

I read the same thing, but then I heard that was before OpenGL was utilized. So with CS6, AMD is just as good.

LeMonarque · Jul 29, 2013

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1m0vC

Like TheBigTroll said, if you can wait, then wait for the i7-4930K. But if you can't wait and you have the budget, I don't see a reason to dig in to the i7-4770K for another 4.5 years.

Boot + app drive is the 256GB, data drive is Seagate enterprise-class 2TB drive, and the 128GB SSD is for your media cache files (64 for Premiere, 64 for Photoshop). Fractal Design is known for its silent designs, as is Noctua, so there you go on that. Platinum PSU for energy efficiency on the power-hungry LGA 2011 platform, and a GTX 780 for GK110 on-the-cheap. If you want, you can swap that out for a Quadro K2000, which would place you further under your budget.

EDIT: Care to point me to where you heard that AMD cards are supported in CS6? Everything I have found for a long time says otherwise, and a lot of people are getting CC instead solely because it supports AMD cards.

skipiggy · Jul 29, 2013

Will the 4930 work in the mobo I've picked? If so, I can just upgrade later.

Any comments on the superfast OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 series that will hold OS and Adobe?

Should I get the K CPU? Sure, I can overclock, but is that necessary with this application? Furthermore, the K has less optimization features.

LeMonarque · Jul 29, 2013

Ahhh, okay I get it now. An AMD card will work, but only for *Photoshop*. Premiere Pro CS6 does not support AMD cards.

TheBigTroll · Jul 29, 2013

the 4930k will work fine, just that i dont recommend the rampage board

revodrives are a waste of time. they dont help you that much

k series chips are meant to be overclocked. the optimization features found on non k chips are to save power. the k series dont need that. and all lga 2011 chips are pretty much k chips

LeMonarque · Jul 29, 2013

The 4930K will NOT work in a Z87 board.

How much an overclock will help you depends on how much you overclock. If you take a 4770K to 4.0 or 4.2GHz, I'd say no, it's not worth it. Skip it for the 4770, and now that you have a non-overclocking chip you can save even more money by getting an H87 board, using the stock Intel CPU cooler, and taking out radiator fans as well as overall electricity bill savings.

If you're taking it to 4.5GHz, I'd say it's worth it. But in either case, if you need a system *right now* then I would still get the 3930K. You're keeping this system for 4 whole years, so I see no reason to dig into the 4770 if your budget can afford a 3930K.

One thing to note is that you can't apply 4770-reasoning to the 3930K. It doesn't come with a stock Intel cooler, so you'll need to get an aftermarket one. And again, if your budget allows it, then I'd get a good one that can take an average 3930K to 4.5GHz (not directly comparable to a 4770K @ 4.5GHz).

skipiggy · Jul 29, 2013

I'm having trouble determining the differences between 4930 and 4770. Sounds like 3930 is the 3rd gen, and I'd like the 4th gen. Will the extreme models (4930) really be that much better for my non-gaming system than the 4770? Is overclocking really worth the cost and the cooling?

How about this for the video card:
GIGABYTE GV-N760OC-4GD GeForce GTX 760 4GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready WINDFORCE 3X Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125470

LeMonarque · Jul 29, 2013

Intel Extreme and Intel mainstream generation numbers are not directly comparable. A 3930K is a stronger piece of kit than a 4770K, but not the 4930K. They are separate Intel derivatives, much like Nvidia's GTX and GT lines. A GT 600 series is far less powerful than even a GTX 200 series.

Whether or not you want to overclock depends on what your workflow time is worth. If you're on crunch-time all the time, then overclocking is just one thing you can do to speed up your workflow.

The GTX 760 is a nice card for gaming. It can be used for Premiere, but other than price, I see no reason not to get at least the 770 (of which the MSI Lightning is a top performer) if you're cost-wary or a 780 if you want the best within your budget.

On that note, it seems from what you've said that what you're willing to spend is somewhere in the $2000 range, not in the $2400-$3200 range.

TheBigTroll · Jul 29, 2013

the 3930k is a second gen part. the 4930k is a third gen part. the 4770k is a fourth gen part

the difference between the 6 core 3930k and the 4770k 4 core is around 3-5 seconds. not worth it by any means. if you want to invest in 2011, wait for the 4930k

LeMonarque · Jul 29, 2013

The real-world difference between the processors depends highly on skipiggy's source material. Is he editing 720p 24 fps or 4K Red RAW or something in between? Is he going to be adding layer after layer to his images? Is he going to composite six video frames in a single output, each with its own set of compositions and color grading? Is his output going to be a 2 minute clip or a 10 minute video? Source material and the type of work matters.

TheBigTroll · Jul 29, 2013

not really. both usage scenarios will require the power of individual threads and the number of threads

skipiggy · Jul 30, 2013

Maybe I missed a part or found bad prices, but the current cost of the system is 2650. I picked graphics cards based on the highest model number that was capable for 4k, at least according to newegg. Maybe their specs are wrong.

My choice on CPU was more focused on generation and haswell, which is the advice I got from this forum about 8mo ago when I suggested at 3930 and it was recommended that I wait for haswell. So here we are. In which case, I could get the 3930 and then upgrade to 4930 when the time makes sense.

My work in Lightroom is mostly cataloging and simple editing. Speed of the storage system is key here. My work in Photoshop is layers, touch ups, and noise reduction, but the intensive part is photomerge, either for HDR or panorama. Some of the panoramas are in the 80 photos x 36 MP (I work with a D800). Video editing is simpler, mostly warp stabilizer, exposure compensation and other RAW-type adjustments including colour grading, some editing is also done, but layers and multi source are rare. Source is mostly 1080p24 with some occasional 1080p60. I expect to do 4k video in the next 1-2 years, and I really want the 4k monitor for photo editing. Output is mostly 2m clips, but also 10m video.

TheBigTroll · Jul 30, 2013

that would be stupid. you spend 600 dollars now and spend another 600 on a new CPU within a months time?

you are more than fine with haswell

AxlFone · Jul 30, 2013

No you are not. Not in video editing work anyway.
The difference in video editing was 3930k vs 3770k about 5min for whole rendering time.
And 4770 is not working so much better that is makes that time drop to 5s
You really do need the 3930k or 4930k to video editing. 4770k is not good for that.
It is just too slow. Not enough cores or treads. And if moderator says things like that I think it his personal opinion.
Not what Id call a good suggestion.

TheBigTroll · Jul 30, 2013

if you were rendering hours of video then the difference would be 5 mins. there is in no way that a 4770k is "too slow" for video work. its almost as fast. dont know where you have been.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i7-4770k-haswell-review,3521-13.html

LeMonarque · Jul 30, 2013

He edits photo panoramas with 80+ raw images, all with layers and at 36 MP... He wants to render 4K footage in the next 1-2 years, which is in-between his 4-5 year PC refresh cycle. He says speed of output is a must and he also edits raw format 1080p24 footage NOW. He's going to have this system for FOUR YEARS. 5 minutes several times a day for 4 years adds up, especially when the nature of his work is apparently so storage-critical (which means he processes a lot of material, ie lots of work to be done).

Don't pigeon-hole yourself into a 4770K when the 3930K is already there. It's in your budget. People suggested you wait for Haswell (ie, 4770K) because we didn't know how exactly it would perform. Now we know. FOUR YEARS is not a time period where you try to save every penny. Four years is where you realize your PC will be outdated by the time you get your next upgrade, and you want it to have the best fighting chance possible.

TheBigTroll · Jul 30, 2013

if you want your performance to last, then it would make sense to wait for the 4930k. the difference between the 3930k and the 4770k isnt close to being worth the extra 400 dollars you throw into the platform

AxlFone · Jul 30, 2013

4770k works fine if you render 200Mb video file or small photo files. But if work is bigger then only way do it is 3930k or new 4930k
Sure 3930k / 4930K expensive but it is only thing that works.
Gaming rigs are total difrent story.

TheBigTroll · Jul 30, 2013

they are just as effective for any type of work. the only valid reason of getting a 3930k now is if you do at least 6 hrs of rendering per day.

otherwise haswell is the way to go if you arent going to wait for the 4930k

LeMonarque · Jul 30, 2013

There's also the max 64GB quad channel RAM vs. max 32GB dual channel RAM factor to consider. If he ever expands into After Effects, RAM previews are going to eat his memory capacity to bits. And with the volume of work he has, a RAMdisk scratch disk would certainly be helpful as well.

TheBigTroll · Jul 30, 2013

i have yet to encounter someone using all 64gb for rendering. for a scratch disk, probably, but otherwise there isnt much reason to have 64gb of ram

skipiggy · Jul 30, 2013

I have checked the NVIDIA websites and they show that the 780 can to 4k, so I'll pony up for that. How does this look: EVGA ACX Cooler 03G-P4-2784-KR GeForce GTX 780 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130918

The mobo I planned had access to 64Gb, but I couldn't find 16Gb sticks. The plan was to upgrade in the future. I agree that it will not be used for rendering, but I was planning a RAM disk / scratch disk setup.

According to http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_i7/Intel-Core%20i7-4930K.html the 4930K is coming out in the first week of Sept. The reason that I wanted to purchase the system now is that I am heading back to the US for a bit and I wanted to pick up the parts there so that I didn't have to worry about language issues or compatibility issues since I now live in Europe. What I think I will do is purchase most of the parts on the upcoming August trip and then order the mobo and 4930K in Sept from a UK company. I think computer parts are standard and there should be no issue with mixing entirely US sources materials with UK sourced mobo and processor.

Question> Will X89 mobo's be out at that time, or am I totally misunderstanding the upgrade path and what goes with what?

As well, the case is out of stock. Any suggestions for a full tower that holds a lot of drives, preferably some hot swap?

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