CPU Choice for photo editing

Bill Chambers · May 29, 2014

I will be building my first computer soon. I AM NOT a tech guru by any means, but I am mechanically proficient so I believe building it will be no great problem. I'm having difficulty deciding on the CPU and Motherboard combo.

For CPU my choices are Intel i7-4770k vs. Intel i7-4790

For motherboard, if I go with i7-4770K, I will go with ASUS Sabertooth Z87 board.
If I go with i7-4790, i've narrowed my options down to 3 ea. ASUS Z97 boards - the pro, pro w/wi-fi ac, and the Sabertooth.

Usage will be 98% photo editing using Photoshop CS6 and Capture One software, both 64 bit. There will be NO gaming on this system.

Other components will include a gaming case for extra ventilation, 550 w 80+ Gold PS, Cooler Master T4 CPU cooler, 32 GB DRAM3, 512GB Samsung SSD, 2 ea. Seagate 2 TB hard drives.

Any opinions and reasons for those opinions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

CTurbo · May 29, 2014

Xeon e3-1230v3, 1231v3, 1240v3, or 1241v3 assuming you will using some type of video card.

If no video card, e3-1245v3 or 1246v3

Any of them paired with a H97 motherboard.

i7Baby · May 29, 2014

Or i7 4770 or i7 4790.

CTurbo · May 29, 2014

Nah no reason to pay so much more for a 4770 or 4790

Bill Chambers · May 29, 2014

CTurbo :

Thanks for the info, but I'm pretty determined to go with either the 4770K or the 4790.

Bill Chambers · May 29, 2014

i7Baby :

Thanks for the info. Which of those two would you prefer or recommend?

Hagaxe · May 29, 2014

This is an EXTREMELY good question. I would go with the 4770k purely for it's over clocking ability. I also suggest getting an ATI video card.

Bill Chambers · May 29, 2014

Hagaxe :

Thank you! I don't anticipate overclocking the CPU. I had originally planned on the 4770K, but someone suggested the 4790 since it was 4th Gen. Any need for that, or might it be better for the future? Thanks again.

CTurbo · May 29, 2014

1230v3 - 3.3/3.7ghz - $244
1231v3 - 3.4/3.8ghz - $245
1240v3 - 3.4/3.8ghz - $262
1241v3 - 3.5/3.9ghz - $266
1246v3 - 3.5/3.9ghz - $279
i7 4770 - 3.4/3.9ghz - $299
i7 4790 - 3.6/4.0ghz - $305

Bill Chambers · May 29, 2014

Hagaxe :

There will also be NO video editing, strictly digital imaging.

I was planning on a Gigabyte 2GB video card, even though that might be overkill since no games or video editing will be done.

Bill Chambers · May 29, 2014

CTurbo :

True enough - actually the 4770K is $339 at Newegg. I'll do some research tomorrow but pretty determined to stick with 4770K. What can I say, there's one born every minute! LOL.

CTurbo · May 29, 2014

You do realize that all of those Xeons are i7s in sheep clothing right? They're too good of a value to pass up IMO. I would never pay so much extra for the 4770k even to overclock. You can pair any of the above cpus with a motherboard that supports Multi-Core Enhancement that will let all four cores run at maximum turbo speed all the times.

i7Baby · May 30, 2014

Bill Chambers :

The 4790 - its newer - the Haswell refresh (better TIM) and should run cooler.

CTurbo · May 30, 2014

The 1231v3, 1241v3, and 1246v3 are all Haswell refresh models as well

i7Baby · May 30, 2014

CT is Intel's best Xeon salesman.

It's just not a choice that would sit comfortably with me. I suppose because I haven't ever gone down the Xeon path.

If you feel more adventurous than me, then look at CT's proposal.

You can see on - http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

that the i7 4770 (9949) and Xeon 1231 (9920) nearly perform the same. And that the 4790 is only a small jump above them (10258).

CTurbo · May 30, 2014

I have personally used the Xeon e3 1230v2 once and the 1230v3 twice. They are awesome. I don't really see what is "adventurous" about them.

i7Baby · May 30, 2014

Sorry CT. I'm not a convert yet. Send me a Xeon that will fit my X79 and I'll give it as try though. lol

CTurbo · May 30, 2014

This works in your X79

http://ark.intel.com/products/79209/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E7-8895-v2-37_5M-Cache-2_80-GHz

i7Baby · May 30, 2014

Well I appreciate the loan CT. It should do a wonder for my video editing.

Hagaxe · May 30, 2014

The 4770k will be best out of the two - if you want to overclock it then get an aftermarket cooler. If you want to edit videos then get a video card.

Google pcpartpicker and choose all of the computer parts there, once finished post the permalink on here so I can see it.

Bill Chambers · May 30, 2014

CTurbo :

No, I didn't realize that, but will check into the Xeons today. Thanks.

Bill Chambers · May 30, 2014

Hagaxe :

Thanks. I was reading this morning that the 4790K should be out within a short period of time. The reason I'm building a computer instead of just buying one is two-fold. One, I will be able to purchase components all along as my budget allows and, two, I want a better computer for less money. That being the case, it won't hurt me to wait until the 4790K comes out IF that will be a better solution.

Another question if you don't mind. You mentioned buying a video card if I'm going to edit videos. I will NOT be editing videos, but I've heard it's a good idea to buy a video card anyway because it takes a load off the CPU. Is that correct?

i7Baby · May 30, 2014

You don't need a video card to edit videos. You can just use the integrated graphics - oh - but not if you got a Xeon! lol

Anyway - the video card is for watching, not editing.

CTurbo · May 30, 2014

lol the 1245v3 and 1246v3 have integrated graphics and are still cheaper than the 4770 and 4790

Getting a mid-range video card will definitely take some load off of your cpu though

Hagaxe · May 30, 2014

If you end up getting a video card, it will indeed take load off of the CPU, but I'm sure you'll be fine without.

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