i5 Photoshop Lightroom build - no gaming - m/b & video card help needed

CMPhotography · Feb 19, 2015

I'm in the process of choosing parts for a new PC (pending CFO approval

)
I'm upgrading because I'm still running Windows XP and can't upgrade Lightroom past version 3.x.

My budget is $1200 which needs to include Photoshop Lightroom ($140) and Windows 7 Pro 64-bit.
Due to that budget, I'm selecting a Core i5 4690K since I want to do a slight bit of OCing.

I was considering the Xeon E3 1246 v3 CPU but it's more money and would require a separate video card.

Here's what I've put together so far (although I'm hoping to drop the price)
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/CMPhotography/saved/MN7nTW

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600
HDD1: PNY XLR8 240GB 2.5" SSD
HDD2: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5"
HDD3: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Optical: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer (x2)

I'm especially looking for suggestions on the motherboard and video card.

I won't be doing any gaming but running Lightroom and Photoshop CS4.
As such, I'm wanting to stay with SSD for the OS drive and a separate SSD for the swap/page file and Lightroom previews. File storage will be on separate mechanical HDD.

Oh, and I'd like to do a bit of overclocking on the CPU.
Nothing aggressive so no watercooling will be necessary.
I'm not wanting a complicated or loud fan either.

1 last thing

The PC will be in my bedroom so I've chosen a case with NO windows, and don't want LEDs in the fans. I'm wanting this to run quietly.

USAFRet · Feb 19, 2015

I do a lot of the same use (Lightroom) and have a somewhat similar system. Mine is 2.5 yrs old. i5-3570k, 16GB ram, etc, etc.

Things I'd change
1 DVD drive instead of 2.
Different PSU. Seasonic or XTX.
Different secondary SSD. Samsung 850 instead of PNY.
Win 8.1 instead of Win 7.

Bossyfins · Feb 19, 2015

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.73 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($76.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($115.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY XLR8 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($75.75 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GT 740 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($86.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($83.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($48.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($135.99 @ NCIX US)
Other: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 ($140.00)
Other: Lexar Professional USB3 dual slot CF card reader ($37.00)
Total: $1211.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-19 12:20 EST-0500

When using lightroom/photoshop, you will be much more happy with an i7.
I got this with an i7

Bossyfins · Feb 19, 2015

USAFRet :

Why is windows 7 bad? Both will get free upgrades

USAFRet · Feb 19, 2015

Bossyfins :

Personally, I think a secondary SSD is just as much a benefit as an i7 over an i5.

Bossyfins · Feb 19, 2015

true, either way is good, but I would prefer the i7 ^,^

USAFRet · Feb 19, 2015

Bossyfins :

Win 7 isn't 'bad', as such. Just for a new build, 8.1 is probably a bit better/faster.
Cause it to boot directly into Desktop, and you never need see the Metro interface, unless you want to.

CMPhotography · Feb 19, 2015

USAFRet :

A 2nd DVD drive is only $20 and I prefer using 2 drives for when I need to copy/backup a CD/DVD.

What's your reason for a different PSU and secondary SSD?

Bossyfins · Feb 19, 2015

True, they are the same price. Maybe the OP likes windows 7 .-.

USAFRet · Feb 19, 2015

CMPhotography :

Primary SSD = OS and applications
Secondary SSD = working space for Lightromm files
Samsung over PNY, simply for reputation and performance.

Different PSU, because there are better ones for that same price. The Corsair 600 is so-so. I have one, and it has not failed, yet. But if I were buying today, I'd get something else.

USAFRet · Feb 19, 2015

If you do a lot of DVD-DVD copying, then sure. No problem.
Personally, I use my single one rarely. Never have I seen a case where not having 2 is a serious drawback.

CMPhotography · Feb 19, 2015

USAFRet :

That is true.
Thinking back, I really haven't done much of that lately.

CMPhotography · Feb 19, 2015

Any recommendations on a CPU cooler or will the stock OEM one be fine for slight overclocking?

USAFRet · Feb 19, 2015

CMPhotography :

Personally, I have a CoolerMaster 212 PLUS. Quiet, and does what it is supposed to.
Rather large, though. The case has to support it.

The big air coolers perform just about as well as the random liquid coolers, for less noise/price/complexity.

Bossyfins · Feb 19, 2015

212, themis, d14/14 14us etc

CMPhotography · Feb 19, 2015

Bossyfins :

I don't know what all that meant...

USAFRet · Feb 19, 2015

CMPhotography :

212 = CoolerMaster 212 PLUS (old), or 212 EVO (newer).
d14 = Noctua

Bossyfins · Feb 19, 2015

Hyper 212 EVO, Noctua D14/d15/U14S

Those coolers should be good enough for your needs.

CMPhotography · Feb 19, 2015

USAFRet :

Oh, it looks like that cooler isn't available any longer.
Newegg recommends the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO as a replacement but it's $50!

USAFRet · Feb 19, 2015

CMPhotography :

USAFRet :

Oh, it looks like that cooler isn't available any longer.
Newegg recommends the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO as a replacement but it's $50!

At Amazon (US), it's $35.
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI

CMPhotography · Feb 23, 2015

Will I run into any spacing/sizing issues with the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO and my Crucial Ballistix Sport ram?

Will there be any issues with the Hyper 212 Evo and my Fractal Design Define R4 case?

USAFRet · Feb 23, 2015

CMPhotography :

1. Case - it fits
"CPU coolers up to 170mm tall (when no fan is installed in the side panel)"

2. RAM - Since that does not appear to have the (largely useless) fins on it, it should fit just fine.

CMPhotography · Mar 2, 2015

I purchased all the parts Friday from Micro Center due to their excellent price matching policy on anything that was less money elsewhere.
I went ahead with a Fractal Design Define R5 case since they had them in stock.

Just need to figure out what all the little extras on the case are for.
All that's left is tweaking/overclocking and installing software.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

hclarkx · Oct 10, 2015

Personally I would not overclock a machine on which I'm doing LR or PS. There's just too much to lose if the machine crashes ... like all the edits since the last behind the scenes backup. Though on PS CC you can set the recovery save as low as 5 minutes. Also, recent LR's love the eight logical processors of the I7 cpus. Some things like zooming in to check focus or do editing are literally twice as fast on an i7 than on an i5 because of having twice as many threads. Often all 8 "logical cores" are at 100%. This is a real time saver when you are looking through a few hundred images looking for keepers.

Bossyfins · Oct 10, 2015

Old thread m8.

i5 Photoshop Lightroom build - no gaming - m/b & video card help needed

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