Thoughts on ~$1,050 build for Photoshop/after effects

[Tennis97]

Hi my friend is getting a new PC for after effects, photoshop and gaming and together we came up with these parts.

Computer Specs
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 200R Black Steel structure ...
Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turb...
Graphics: PowerColor AX7870 2GBD5-2DHPPV3E PCS+ Radeon HD 78...
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRA...
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G45 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS ...
Power: CORSAIR CX500M 500W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFir...
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD10EZEX - Newegg.com
Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Contin...
CD Drive: ASUS Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS 24X DVD Burner - Bu...
Windows 7: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - Newe...

We don't really want to spend any more so I wanted some opinion on any changes you would make.

Also, I'm aware there is no SSD, as we thought adding it later is better than sacrificing performance/quality now.

Are there any glaring issues or things you would change?

 

[brandonwh64]

Looks like a solid build. Only thing I would change if it were me is the motherboard to say a gigabyte or ASRock

 

[Tennis97]

Looks like a solid build. Only thing I would change if it were me is the motherboard to say a gigabyte or ASRock

I understand maybe Asrock, but I thought gigabytes more budget motherboards weren't great while I've heard good things about the G45

Which ones are you thinking of?

 

[brandonwh64]

I understand maybe Asrock, but I thought gigabytes more budget motherboards weren't great while I've heard good things about the G45

Which ones are you thinking of?

Asus's line has kinda declined lately, Gigabytes boards are very solid. the one most recommended now is the Z77X-UD3H

Or

ASRock Extreme4
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg...

 

[tokyoduong]

I've built a photoshop/video editor before. The difference between a Velociraptor vs a blue or black was night and day when you're moving a lot of raw pics and videos.

If you also do anything with audio, you probably want a quieter case. 200R is pretty small so I'm not sure you will fit a 212. I've played around with it at Microcenter, it was really light and doesn't look like it will stop any sound. It won't have that solid sturdy feel that an Antec 900 or 902 would have. It's light but by no means a flimsy case.

My Asrock extreme4 is pretty solid and transfer rate is pretty good.

Also, I would recommend that you have 1 working drive and 1 storage drive so you don't lose data. It also makes it a lot faster when you need to transfer files around and work at the same time.

the i5 can be bought for 190. It also comes with a $50 instant discount if you buy any z77 motherboard. I paid $226 total after taxes for my i5 3570k + asrock extreme4

http://microcenter.com/product/388577/Core_i5_3570K_34GHz_LGA_1155_Processor

i7 3770k is only 229 and i think you also get the $50 discount with motherboards.
http://microcenter.com/product/388575/Core_i7_3770K_35GHz_LGA_1155_Processor

The gigabyte and HIS version of the 7870 is only 229.
GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition ...

 

[Tennis97]

I must have been crazy not to choose the Asrock one, though the gigabyte ones a bit expensive

He's not doing much audio, and a velociraptor isn't cheap....right?

 

[Tennis97]

I'll look at the CPU+mobo combo, but the GPU I chose is a Tahiti LE, not Pitcairn

 

[blibba]

Hi my friend is getting a new PC for after effects, photoshop and gaming and together we came up with these parts.

Computer Specs
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 200R Black Steel structure ...
Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turb...
Graphics: PowerColor AX7870 2GBD5-2DHPPV3E PCS+ Radeon HD 78...
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRA...
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G45 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS ...
Power: CORSAIR CX500M 500W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFir...
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD10EZEX - Newegg.com
Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Contin...
CD Drive: ASUS Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS 24X DVD Burner - Bu...
Windows 7: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - Newe...

We don't really want to spend any more so I wanted some opinion on any changes you would make.

Also, I'm aware there is no SSD, as we thought adding it later is better than sacrificing performance/quality now.

Are there any glaring issues or things you would change?

Thoughts:

• You might want to consider going MATX.
• Why a 7870? CS6 makes great use of CUDA, which is Nvidia tech, but doesn't benefit from AMD cards (currently). Unless you're also doing some high-end gaming, the 7870 seems a waste of cash anyway.
• Do you really need a DVD drive?
• This build would really benefit from an SSD for your OS, software and scratch disk, but I understand if this is something you'd rather do down the road.

 

[tokyoduong]

Thoughts:

• You might want to consider going MATX.
• Why a 7870? CS6 makes great use of CUDA, which is Nvidia tech, but doesn't benefit from AMD cards (currently). Unless you're also doing some high-end gaming, the 7870 seems a waste of cash anyway.
• Do you really need a DVD drive?
• This build would really benefit from an SSD for your OS, software and scratch disk, but I understand if this is something you'd rather do down the road.

CS6 support OpenCL in their engine so AMD is good too.
Yes he would need a dvd drive. Not often but he will especially with photography.

http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/photoshop-cs6-gpu-faq.html#Tested video cards for Photoshop CS6
It says 7000s series is supported.

 

[Tennis97]

Thoughts:

• You might want to consider going MATX.
• Why a 7870? CS6 makes great use of CUDA, which is Nvidia tech, but doesn't benefit from AMD cards (currently). Unless you're also doing some high-end gaming, the 7870 seems a waste of cash anyway.
• Do you really need a DVD drive?
• This build would really benefit from an SSD for your OS, software and scratch disk, but I understand if this is something you'd rather do down the road.

•the extra space isn't a problem, and there's not many mATX cases around the 200r's price that are equal quality and ease of use (at least I thought, I could be wrong)
•would a 660 really be much faster than a Tahiti LE? And he wanted the best card under 250 so I thought it would be a good deal for overall use
•their so cheap, so why not?
•my thoughts exactly

 

[tokyoduong]

660 is not faster than a tahiti LE. They are relatively the same performance. I think the Tahiti actually faster.

Velociraptor is cheap. I see them on sale like every other week. Just subscribe to newegg, tigerdirect and microcenter. Check amazon once in a while too. I bought my 1 TB for $80 new.

Buy the 500GB if you can't afford the 1 TB. I think the 500 GB may actually be faster since it is 2 333GB platter short stroked. The 1TB version has 3 platters.

 

[Tennis97]

660 is not faster than a tahiti LE. They are relatively the same performance. I think the Tahiti actually faster.

Velociraptor is cheap. I see them on sale like every other week. Just subscribe to newegg, tigerdirect and microcenter. Check amazon once in a while too. I bought my 1 TB for $80 new.

Yeah ik for game the Tahiti LE is much faster. I was just unsure about CS6

And I'll look into the velociraptors, though that may be a later upgrade just like the SSD if we don't get one on sale

 

[tokyoduong]

Yeah ik for game the Tahiti LE is much faster. I was just unsure about CS6

And I'll look into the velociraptors, though that may be a later upgrade just like the SSD if we don't get one on sale

check the links i added to my previous posts. I can't write full posts cause im at work. But I often come back to add additional information.

With the money I just saved you from overpaying for your cpu+mobo combo. You could definitely afford one.

 

[Tennis97]

True, but aren't they in store pickups?

If I can get that deal for him I will definitely replace the i5 with i7 and add in a good drive

 

[remixedcat]

Get the Antec Three Hundred Two case if you are going with the Hyper 212 cooler. I have both and it works great and fits with a lil breathing room. See my specs for more other details.

 

[tokyoduong]

True, but aren't they in store pickups?

If I can get that deal for him I will definitely replace the i5 with i7 and add in a good drive

They are an online store too. Go to the top, there's a drop down menu. I don't think they would try to limit their sales with no shipping policy.

Worst case is that you find a store locally near you that sells the i5 or i7 and tell them to price match it
The 189 and 229 price is actually Microcenter's regular price for those processors. It's been like that for months. It actually used to be $160 and $199 for over a month before they bumped it up.

Also this is interesting bit.

The Mercury Graphics Engine (MGE) represents features that use video card processor, or GPU, acceleration. In Photoshop CS6, this new engine delivers near-instant results when editing with key tools such as Liquify, Warp, Lighting Effects, and the Oil Paint filter. The new MGE delivers unprecedented responsiveness for a fluid feel as you work.


MGE is new to Photoshop CS6 and uses both the OpenGL and OpenCL frameworks. It does not use the proprietary CUDA framework from nVidia.


MGE requires a supported video card and updated driver. If you do not have a supported card, performance is degraded. In most cases, the acceleration is lost and the feature runs in the normal CPU mode. However, there are some features that don't work without a supported video card.

 

[Tennis97]

Get the Antec Three Hundred Two case if you are going with the Hyper 212 cooler. I have both and it works great and fits with a lil breathing room. See my specs for more other details.

212 evo should fit I thought, and I recently read a comparison of 200r and 300 v2 and the 200r was favored for some pretty good reasons

 

[brandonwh64]

Also if you want to save some money use the NZXT source 210.

 

[remixedcat]

The corsair case looks a bit like mine. It might work for the 212....

 

[Fourstaff]

Probably Nvidia graphics card, it supports more things (with CUDA) even if a comparably priced AMD is cheaper and on paper, faster. No point getting something slightly fast but with less compatibility unless you have a clear picture of what you want to do and what you need.

 

[brandonwh64]

From other sources, the AMD drivers seem to have broken OpenGL support. We use all Nvidia cards here at work for graphic design.

 

[Tennis97]

Really? I was not aware