Need opinion on my workstation setup!

Moritz · Aug 19, 2013

Hello everyone, I'm building a work station for my office job. I'd like it to be dependable, affordable and to handle the following tasks:

- Photoshop & Illustrator (20+ layers, potentially >100mb file sizes, web & mobile development )
- Multi tab browsing (>20 tabs)
- 9 hours daily of non-stop use
- Simple video editing

I'm going for a compact design, good for the office and doesn't take up leg space. Here is the system I'm thinking of:

Mobo: MSI B75MA-E33 (Mini ATX) (Link)
CPU: G2020 (2.9Ghz)
GPU: Donating my own AMD HD4650 (if it fits)
HDD: Western Digital Blue 500GB (For reliability)

I am thinking of the G2020 because my tasks are not demanding, and it's $100 cheaper than the i3-3220 which is the next up.

Thank you!

chiefsfan27129 · Aug 19, 2013

I assume from you comments that you plan on keeping your final price within $100 of where it is now. If that's the case, then what you've picked out is one of your best options for that price point.

However, I'd recommend spending a little more if you plan on video editing and photoshop. Either way, among other things, you didn't mention RAM, which is a core component of any build. I'm hoping you already picked some out

8350rocks · Aug 19, 2013

What is your total maximum build budget?

Moritz · Aug 19, 2013

chiefsfan27129 :

Hey! Thanks for replying! The board I pointed out supports 2 DDR3 slots, I am seriously considering 2 x 4gb since I'm thinking of the g2020. My problem is "a little more" points to $100 increase.

Also, photoshop/illustrator use GPU acceleration so I feel like g2020 would be alright considering my GPU is pretty good?

8350rocks · Aug 19, 2013

If you're looking at GPU acceleration...you should consider the HD 7750. The bang for your buck there as far as hardware acceleration goes is quite high. It's not terribly pricey either, and it would likely make a huge difference over your older GPU. You could even go to something like the HD 7730 if you wanted...though the cost difference won't be huge between the 2. GCN architecture is the most effective on the market for GPU acceleration in productivity tasks.

Moritz · Aug 20, 2013

8350rocks :

Thanks for the response. I'll definitely take a look at a better GPU, I am donating my old one to keep the cost down to an absolute minimum while being able to handle the task.

Here's a comparison for you, I've been running all my tasks on an older laptop running an AMD A6-3420M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics 1.5Ghz processor, and the laptop itself has another AMD Radeon HD 7670M card it can call on. Do you reckon my old laptop is actually better than the system I'm considering building?

Thank you!

8350rocks · Aug 20, 2013

Moritz :

8350rocks :

Thanks for the response. I'll definitely take a look at a better GPU, I am donating my old one to keep the cost down to an absolute minimum while being able to handle the task.

Here's a comparison for you, I've been running all my tasks on an older laptop running an AMD A6-3420M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics 1.5Ghz processor, and the laptop itself has another AMD Radeon HD 7670M card it can call on. Do you reckon my old laptop is actually better than the system I'm considering building?

Thank you!

No, desktop PCs are always greater for heavy work loads than laptop PCs. The hardware is capable of much more in a desktop because it's not trying to be mobile or constrained by battery efficiency. Especially for a workstation type situation.

RazerZ · Aug 20, 2013

I think the HD 4650 is a good choice for handling your tasks.If I were to upgrade the build I would definitly upgrade it to a core i3-3220 because it has performance that of which is double of the G2020. Also upgrading to 8GB DDR3 ram is a must if you multitask. Here I found the best parts for the cheapest price, so if you can manage to save around another $60, you should get these.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $168.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-20 10:23 EDT-0400)

Moritz · Aug 21, 2013

8350rocks :

RazerZ :

Hey Guys,

Thank you for your advice! I've decided to go with the G2120 CPU which was only a few dollars more than the g2020 but gives me a little extra kick, and bought the next upwards board which has 4 RAM slots rather than 2 (cost me an extra $10).

Based on your comments I'm going to see how it goes, and if I need to give it a boost I'll throw a better GPU at it.

Thank you again!

RazerZ · Aug 21, 2013

Moritz :

8350rocks :

RazerZ :

Hey Guys,

Thank you for your advice! I've decided to go with the G2120 CPU which was only a few dollars more than the g2020 but gives me a little extra kick, and bought the next upwards board which has 4 RAM slots rather than 2 (cost me an extra $10).

Based on your comments I'm going to see how it goes, and if I need to give it a boost I'll throw a better GPU at it.

Thank you again!

Hold up, if you didn't already buy the CPU and mobo DEFINITELY get the AMD Phenom II X4 965, it's way better than the G2120. It's only $30 more too.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-hdz965fbgmbox

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Need opinion on my workstation setup!

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8350rocks

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Moritz

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8350rocks

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Moritz

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