~$500 Custom Desktop Build Help

mattspeer01

Reputable
Aug 28, 2014
2
0
4,510
My wife needs to be able to multitask a few programs for her art design
work. She uses Photoshop, CorelDraw, and some vinyl design software (often
simultaneously). She wants to be able to use those programs with little to
no lag. I built myself a gaming rig two years ago, so I have some experience
building a rig, but not at the low end of the market. I'm not sure what
parts would be best.

Approximate Purchase Date: next few weeks.

Budget Range: as close to $500 as possible, including tax/shipping. Budget
is for tower only, not OS or peripherals.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: multitasking those three programs
above, no gaming or video editing.

Are you buying peripherals: No

Do you need to buy OS: Yes, Windows 8.1 Pro.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg and Amazon

Location: Las Vegas, NV

Parts Preferences: I normally use Intel CPUs, but have no problem with AMD.
Shouldn't need a GPU.

Overclocking: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 (already own this part)

Additional Comments: Needs an optical drive. A small SSD (256 GB or less)
should be sufficient for storage. I don't need a huge case with
expandability.
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
You probably still could go with a GPU since for Photoshop it will make things run faster. Plus it also gives you the ability to output to multiple monitors if you so desire. Try something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 1GB Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12G 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $490.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-29 17:11 EDT-0400

The Pentium G will pretty much annihilate the FX-4300 and Athlon X4-760K: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pentium-g3258-b81-cheap-overclocking,3888.html