Which of the following is better for Lightroom/PS usage?

Yuxin_

Commendable
Mar 26, 2016
2
0
1,510
Hi folks!

I am planning to build a PC for Lightroom/PS usage under a certain budget. I have two lists in mind. Here they are:

1) Skylake Build:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QYtGsY
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QYtGsY/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($196.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ ARC 100 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($20.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell U2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($243.29 @ B&H)
Total: $719.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-26 22:46 EDT-0400

2) Xeon E3 Build:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/c9YsRB
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/c9YsRB/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($40.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($54.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6450 1GB Video Card ($24.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($20.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell S2415H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($179.00 @ Adorama)
Total: $676.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-26 22:44 EDT-0400

As you all can see, the main difference is the CPU used. I know that Xeon E3 V3 is a great CPU with an amazing performance equivalent to i7. If I choose the more expensive E3 then I will be compromising on other aspects, for instance, monitor. Vice versa, I can have more ram, better SSD, etc if I choose the less expensive i5-6500. (I don't do any gaming so don't blame me if you see Sapphire Radeon HD 6450 on the list XD.)

I am not a professional photographer, and my raw files are mostly 16 MPs. Performance-wise, I know E3 will out-perform i5 but I don't know if there will be a very noticeable difference when it comes to using Lightroom 6/PS CC. Benchmarks are useful, but sometimes do not really reflect what we will need in the real world, right?

Also, I am just concerned that whether entering Skylake platform with i5 6500 will be a smart move, since E3 V3 is relatively old in terms of architecture and I guess may not be so good a choice at this point in time in 2016, especially considering my PC will be built in August.

This will be my first build, so these questions may sound very stupid to a lot of you. Any comments are welcome, and I do hope anyone who have used i5-6500 on Lightroom/PS could kindly gimme some real-world feedback on this CPU. Of course, if anyone who could come up with a better list at this price range, that will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!
 

Yuxin_

Commendable
Mar 26, 2016
2
0
1,510


Yes, you are absolutely right.
Thank you for your kind suggestions!