Building a PC for Video and Photo Editing

Dinarius

A recommendation for elsewhere on boards.ie has brought me to here.

I'm considering building a PC for photo and video editing. I've taken the liberty of copying and pasting the questionaire from the sticky thread on this forum. So, here goes, and apolgies in advance for any ommisions.

1. What is your budget? Up to €1500

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Photo and Video editing. But, for example, I want to be able to move around a multi-layered image file in Photoshop (2-4GB in size) without blinking. No spinning wheels!

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? I have Windows 10 Pro x64 on my existing machine. Can I use that?

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? No

5. Do you need a monitor? No

5a. n/a

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1920x1080] [No]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? No

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? No

8. How can you pay? Bank transfer or Credit Card

9. When are you purchasing? Well, I want to build, so I'll be purchasing the parts. But, in the next month.

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [South Dublin City]

On the issue of storage, I'd like one drive for OS and programs (SSD?), and two other drives for storing image files - one RAW, one Edited. That's the setup I've had for the last few years and it works very well. Each of these two other drives would need to be 2TB.

Any other questions?

Thanks in advance.

D.

K.O.Kiki

Something like this?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant[..........]
[see below]

Total: €1135.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-21 17:27 CEST+0200
+whatever case you want.

Not sure where you stand on your Win10 Pro license - AFAIK if you have full version install discs, you can transfer it, but if it's pre-installed/OEM you can not.

Digital Solitude

I'm not going to pick on all your builds Kiki but do you need 32gb RAM OP? How much are you rocking atm.

Regardless, Xeon is an i7 without an integrated GPU, makes no odds here. You'll have a cooler, quieter PC with very high quality parts if you follow Kikis links.

My main gripe would be to get a Skylake CPU and DDR4 but I'll wait for someone who knows more to have a word on that befor I recommend it.

K.O.Kiki

Digital Solitude wrote: »

I'm not going to pick on all your builds Kiki but do you need 32gb RAM OP? How much are you rocking atm.

Regardless, Xeon is an i7 without an integrated GPU, makes no odds here. You'll have a cooler, quieter PC with very high quality parts if you follow Kikis links.

My main gripe would be to get a Skylake CPU and DDR4 but I'll wait for someone who knows more to have a word on that befor I recommend it.

I was going by PugetSystems' RAM recommendations:
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Adobe-Photoshop-CS6-Memory-Optimization-182/page4
also
https://www.pugetsystems.com/recommended/Recommended-Systems-for-Adobe-Photoshop-139/Hardware-Recommendations

However I will revise it based on further articles.
*edit*
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant[.....]

[see new post]

Expandable to 64Gb RAM in future.
Might be worth it to look at price/power usage of AMD RX 470/480 4Gb (out next week)

Dinarius

Thanks a million for the spec.

In terms of quality (as opposed to speed/capacity/performance etc.) how do the individual parts rate? I would be happy to spend more in order to ensure inbuilt longevity and reliability. (I know this is never guaranteed no matter what you spend, but nevertheless.) For example, I currently store RAW files (far more important than Edited files) on an internal 2Tb drive. They are also stored on an external 10Tb LaCie drive, and some files are stored in the Cloud. The 2 x 2Tb I have are both Western Digital and have served me very well. How do Seagate compare?

Can you please add a sound card to the spec.

Is there a headphone socket?

How many USB points would it have? What would be the 3.0/2.0 breakdown?

When it says "taxes included", does that include VAT for importing the parts? Or, indeed, is there any Irish VAT applied?

What's my next step? Order all the parts and then....look dazed and confused...? Seriously, I'm really getting into this. My summer project!

Thanks again, Kiki.

D.

Edited: Also, DVD/CD reader/burner combo. Though I could probably survive on just DVD.

mordeith

Dinarius wrote: »

Can you please add a sound card to the spec.

Is there a headphone socket?

That motherboard comes with 8 channel on board audio.

Dinarius wrote: »

How many USB points would it have? What would be the 3.0/2.0 breakdown?

4 x USB 3.0 and 2 x USB 2.0

Dinarius

mordeith wrote: »

That motherboard comes with 8 channel on board audio.



4 x USB 3.0 and 2 x USB 2.0

mordeith,

Thanks for the reply.

So, I take the headphone socket as a given.

Is USB 3.0 backward compatible?

Thanks.

D.

mordeith

Dinarius wrote: »

mordeith,

Thanks for the reply.

So, I take the headphone socket as a given.

Is USB 3.0 backward compatible?

Thanks.

D.

Yes and yes

Digital Solitude

Have a look at a few "How to build a PC" videos on YouTube and get your hands on a Philips screwdriver, that's all you need to build a PC

K.O.Kiki

I'll have another look at the hard drives, think i may have messed up the recommendation.

K.O.Kiki

After looking at Backblaze's reliability charts, I will switch my HDD recommendation to Hitachi-brand.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V5 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (€270.45 @ Mindfactory)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 45.0 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler (€20.71 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X150M-PRO ECC Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€111.82 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: Crucial 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (€109.33 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€212.52 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 7K3000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€66.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 7K3000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€66.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB Superclocked Video Card (€195.89 @ Mindfactory)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (€85.82 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (€90.92 @ Mindfactory)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer (€14.59 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €1245.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-22 15:37 CEST+0200

Dinarius

Kiki,

Many thanks for the update.

I presume you feel the same way about the other components - i.e. no need to review.

I would still be interested in some further input from others on this forum.

Many thanks.

D.

Digital Solitude

All solid as far as I'm concerned.

Why a 960 though?

K.O.Kiki

Digital Solitude wrote: »

All solid as far as I'm concerned.

Why a 960 though?

OP mentioned using 2-4Gb Photoshop files, and Puget Systems recommends a 3-4Gb VRAM GPU in such scenarios.
This also informed the recommendation for a 4core/8HT Xeon CPU, and 32Gb RAM (expandable to 64Gb).

However I would also reiterate it might be worth it to wait on prices/power consumption of the 4Gb AMD RX 470 / RX 480.

challengemaster

I don't know where Puget are getting their info, but AFAIK Photoshop doesn't use GPU processing at all, or if it does it's minimal - as in like a few filters might use it. I've edited a 4-5gb PSD on my macbook pro which has a 2012 i5 with Intel HD4000 graphics.

I'd agree with the high RAM and decent CPU alright. I believe the GPU would probably be more beneficial in video editing, although I've no experience with this so can't really comment.

On a side-note - I'm curious how you'd be hitting such large file sizes on a regular basis in PS. The image I mentioned above was something along the lines of a 70-image RAW stack, with probably another 30 layers for good measure.

Dinarius

Thanks for your input.

My basic photo file size would be 220Mb. It's easy to stack up from there.

As for video, as far as I can see, the more grunt all round, the better. So, I'm happy to over spec a little.

D.

K.O.Kiki

challengemaster wrote: »

I don't know where Puget are getting their info, but AFAIK Photoshop doesn't use GPU processing at all, or if it does it's minimal - as in like a few filters might use it. I've edited a 4-5gb PSD on my macbook pro which has a 2012 i5 with Intel HD4000 graphics.

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Adobe-Photoshop-CS6-GPU-Acceleration-161/

GPU processing started with CS6.

zbluebirdz

Re Samsung SSD, is there much performance/longevity difference between the 850 Evo vs 850 Pro?
- The Evo is about 35% cheaper...

K.O.Kiki

zbluebirdz wrote: »

Re Samsung SSD, is there much performance/longevity difference between the 850 Evo vs 850 Pro?
- The Evo is about 35% cheaper...

There's a reason the Pro is more expensive

It should (theoretically) last ~2x longer.

Digital Solitude

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

There's a reason the Pro is more expensive

It should (theoretically) last ~2x longer.

Ah go away, in two years my gaming SSD, which has seen a lot of chopping and changing of files has had about 3Tb total written to it. At that rate I have another 98 years minimum before the drive goes tits up according to Samsung. Even if it was to fail in a third of the time it should be good for I'd still have 30 years left.

Save yourself the few euro OP, it can be better spent elsewhere.

I understand OP will be writing to disk a lot more than I will but even at 10x the rate I do he still has 15 years from an Evo

Dinarius

Ok guys and gals, for various reasons I haven't been able to address this issue over the last two months.

Now that summer is over and I have the time, I want to go ahead and put together a new computer.

For convenience, here is KO Kiki's build spec from his post of June 22nd last. (Thanks)

Am I right in thinking that, in the intervening period, the cost of the build has fallen from €1245.85 (as mentioned in his post) to €861.36 now?

If so, happy days. Equally, should I be reconsidering anything in the spec? (I'm looking for a Porsche with a keyboard! )

Thanks in any advance for any feedback.

D.

Digital Solitude

Your RAM, GPU and PSU aren't in that price

Dinarius

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Your RAM, GPU and PSU aren't in that price

Doh! Silly me! :rolleyes:

Anyway, back to the drawing board...spec still ok?

Thanks.

D.

Digital Solitude

Looks good to me. I'm on mobile so can't fix the list sorry

K.O.Kiki

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V5 3.4GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor (€267.84 @ Mindfactory)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 45.0 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler (€24.92 @ Mindfactory)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X150M-PRO ECC Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€111.77 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (€140.37 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€148.94 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Hitachi 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€148.22 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Hitachi 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€148.22 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 460 4GB Video Card (€135.12 @ Mindfactory)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (€86.32 @ Mindfactory)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (€51.80 @ Mindfactory)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer (€18.89 @ Mindfactory)
Total: €1282.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-11 18:23 CEST+0200

*Buy the case on Amazon*

SterlingArcher

Maybe swap the evga psu for the be quiet 7 500w. Is 6 euro more.

Dinarius

SterlingArcher wrote: »

Maybe swap the evga psu for the be quiet 7 500w. Is 6 euro more.

Not sure what you're referring to.

Thanks.

D.

SterlingArcher

Dinarius wrote: »

Not sure what you're referring to.

Thanks.

D.

In koki's build above . The power supply is evga 500w bronze. Swap for the be quiet 7 500 silver. Is only a few euro more.

Dinarius

SterlingArcher wrote: »

In koki's build above . The power supply is evga 500w bronze. Swap for the be quiet 7 500 silver. Is only a few euro more.

Thanks for the clarification. I didn't realize that 'be quiet' is a brand!

Please indicate which one you're referring to on the be quiet website.

Thanks.

D.

SterlingArcher

Be quiet system power 7 500w silver.

Or just type in geizhals.de be quiet 7 500w you will get a hit.

57.85 mindfactory.

Don't forget as koki said get the case on Amazon. There is a hefty premium for buying on Mindfactory.

Speaking of computer case. Get the fractal design define r5 instead of r 4. Pretty much same price on Amazon. Around 105 euro.

Above is all just nit pickey but slight improvements on an otherwise solid build. if the budget is getting tight leave it as is.

Dinarius

Thanks for the advice.

No issue with budget - within reason - this is a total tax right-off. So, any further suggestions, I'm all ears!

Thanks again.

D.

K.O.Kiki

Dinarius wrote: »

Thanks for the advice.

No issue with budget - within reason - this is a total tax right-off. So, any further suggestions, I'm all ears!

Thanks again.

D.

EVGA SuperNova G2 on AmazonUK is a steal for one of the best PSUs you can buy right now.

Also, you could swap the Xeon + X150 for an i7-6700 (same performance) or 6700k (superior performance) on a Z170 motherboard.

Also also, I keep forgetting that the Hitachi drives are expensive AF; feel free to drop down to a WD drive (different colours explained).

Dinarius

Thanks again.

Two things I use a lot are the front USB ports on my existing DELL tower - iPhone, iPod, camera card reader, portable HD etc...etc...

Will the above setup have front USBs?

Thanks.

D.

SterlingArcher

Dinarius wrote: »

Thanks again.

Two things I use a lot are the front USB ports on my existing DELL tower - iPhone, iPod, camera card reader, portable HD etc...etc...

Will the above setup have front USBs?

Thanks.

D.

Far as I can see 4 front usbs.

Dinarius

Hi guys,

I'm back.

Due to family illness, I haven't been able to address this issue. I can now.

1. Would someone be so kind as to update the spec for me..?
2. For argument's sake, if you had €500 extra to spend, would you change anything?
3. While I mentioned video in the thread header, we haven't discussed it. I'm assuming that any spec recommended is OK for video?

Thanks all for you patience and input.

D.

Dinarius

I've bought a laptop from this crowd in the past and found them excellent.

Interesting to compare.

D.

Dinarius

For the hell of it, just put this build together.

Including VAT (I think!) which I can reclaim, it comes in under €1000.

Given how Sterling has tanked since I started this thread, it is well within my budget.

Any comments appreciated.

Thanks.

D.

Ps. I couldn't see 2TB Seagate drives. But, at that price, I'm happy with the extra 1TB. It would be good to have 2 x 3TB.

K.O.Kiki

Have a read of this article:
http://www.logicalincrements.com/articles/videoediting

I'd recommend to change to Z170 motherboard (for overclocking the CPU) and a Gold-rated PSU (specifically EVGA Supernova G2)

Dinarius

Kiki,

Thanks as always for the feedback.........

Here's what I did.

As per you recommendation, PSU and Motherboard are changed - I think for what you recommended.

Also, I had a look at your video editing link. How close am I to his $2000 build found on this page?

Finally, I changed the tower case I had chosen earlier for the Phanteks case (again, I think it's the right one) that he chose for his $1200 video build. I like the look of it!

One last thing; all prices seem to be inclusive of VAT. Does anyone have any experience of buying from abroad this way? If I give my VAT number, can I avoid paying VAT at the point of purchase?

Thanks again.

D.

K.O.Kiki

This RAM is better value
https://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/bj2rxr/gskill-memory-f42400c15d32gvr

Faster (DDR4-2400) and cheaper.

The $2000 rig is using a 6-core/12-thread i7-6800k, which (along with an X99 motherboard + CPU cooler) would add €180 to the base cost.

regarding VAT, found this old thread:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=229200

Dinarius

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

This RAM is better value
https://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/bj2rxr/gskill-memory-f42400c15d32gvr

Faster (DDR4-2400) and cheaper.

The $2000 rig is using a 6-core/12-thread i7-6800k, which (along with an X99 motherboard + CPU cooler) would add €180 to the base cost.

regarding VAT, found this old thread:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=229200

Kiki,

Thanks.

Understood re the VAT.

When I choose a couple of components that have no price next to them - in my case the PSU and the Optical Drive, what happens then?

Thanks.

D.

Ps. I can't see a 6800k listed.

K.O.Kiki

Dinarius wrote: »

Kiki,

Thanks.

Understood re the VAT.

When I choose a couple of components that have no price next to them - in my case the PSU and the Optical Drive, what happens then?

Thanks.

D.

Ps. I can't see a 6800k listed.

PC Partpicker sometimes can't get the current prices because of stock issues or various other reasons; just click on the item & it should give you a link to the shop where (hopefully) there is a price.

re: 6800k, you're probably not seeing it because you have compatibility filter ticked.
Note that the i7-6800k needs a LGA-2011-3 socket/ X99 chipset motherboard.

Dinarius

Kiki,

Thanks again.

After some research, I'm going for the 6700K.

Meanwhile, I like this step-by-step guide.

D.

Dinarius

Taking on board a few caveats about wattage and graphics, I've made a few changes.

Here is the new spec.... (yes, I know it's more expensive, but net of VAT it will cost me about €1300, for an awful lot of computer)

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/user/Dinarius/saved/#view=wKkdCJ

The graphics choice was based on test from http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-workstation-graphics-card,3493-30.html a site that is well regarded in the photography game.

Any feedback appreciated, as always.

Thanks.

D.

Digital Solitude

1000w is over twice what you need

K.O.Kiki

Dinarius wrote: »

Taking on board a few caveats about wattage and graphics, I've made a few changes.

Here is the new spec.... (yes, I know it's more expensive, but net of VAT it will cost me about €1300, for an awful lot of computer)

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/user/Dinarius/saved/#view=wKkdCJ

The graphics choice was based on test from http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-workstation-graphics-card,3493-30.html a site that is well regarded in the photography game.

Any feedback appreciated, as always.

Thanks.

D.

I'm not sure if you're just trolling us now...

Anyway, build is utter crap.

AMD HD 7970 is a 5 year old card which will be bested by pretty much any new GPU >€100.

1000W PSU is overkill and will actually be less efficient overall.

Lu Tze

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

AMD HD 7970 is a 5 year old card which will be bested by pretty much any new GPU >€100.

Yeah stupid in this context and buying new, but the hd7970 is still a decent card at 1080p, its mental they are going for less than €90-100 second hand. It easily out performs 750ti and the rx460, if they are the cards you are talking about in the €100+ price range.

K.O.Kiki

Lu Tze wrote: »

Yeah stupid in this context and buying new, but the hd7970 is still a decent card at 1080p, its mental they are going for less than €90-100 second hand. It easily out performs 750ti and the rx460, if they are the cards you are talking about in the €100+ price range.

I will rein in my hyperbole:
http://www.futuremark.com/hardware/gpu
(also I was thinking of the 7950, which beats RX460/750Ti but is outclassed by GTX 960)

As it stands though, buying a HD 7970 is ludicrous when you consider that it eats >200W at load.
RX 470/RX 480 is what you would want for that price.

Dinarius

Thanks for the feedback.

After looking at HD tests here> https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-reliability-stats-q1-2016/

and graphics card tests here> http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

I've made a few more changes.

I've also downrated the PSU.

New spec is here> https://de.pcpartpicker.com/user/Dinarius/saved/#view=ZY8YJx

Thanks.

D.

Dinarius

Kiki,

I would have thought that "hyperbole" was part and parcel of any thread debate?

Anyway, needless to say, I have put the question to a few anoraks in my game also, and you can read their replies here and here.

My most recent build edit is here.

As always, feedback appreciated.

I'm looking for closure on this in the next few days.

Many thanks.

D.

K.O.Kiki

Dinarius wrote: »

[...]

My most recent build edit is here.

As always, feedback appreciated.

I'm looking for closure on this in the next few days.

Many thanks.

D.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (€339.65 @ Amazon Deutschland)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (€36.44 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A GAMING M5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€142.45 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (€183.99 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€162.84 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive (€128.99 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive (€128.99 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB WINDFORCE OC 6G Video Card (€276.87 @ Mindfactory)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case (€107.83 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (€116.48 @ Mindfactory)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-209DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (€70.40 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit
Total: €1694.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-23 17:57 CEST+0200

CPU: LOCKED
Cooler: LOCKED
Motherboard: LOCKED
RAM: LOCKED
Storage: LOCKED
GPU: Upgraded to GTX 1060 6Gb
Case: LOCKED
PSU: Changed to XFX XTR 750W (full load: 360/750W = 48%)
Optical Drive: Changed to Pioneer (faster BD Write speed)
OS: LOCKED