New build thats as nice as a mac for Lightroom & Blogging

jozi

Girlfriend was looking at the 27" Mac recently (budget probably 1k -2k), they seem expensive for what you get. A quick look on Scan adding some random parts to a list and I think I can save a good bit of money, but shes' not convinced!

The main criteria for this build is that it has to look pretty, like pinterest pretty, and no visible wires (Ie just a monitor, no tower/case)

It will have to run Lightroom very well (and occasional photoshop)! (ram, gfx required?)
Monitor good for editing photo's (that looks sleek enough like a Mac) 23-27"

I was looking at using a Intel NUC but not sure how well this will work or mini-itx if these are small enough to be mounted behind a monitor?

Going by Mac spec or something similar,
Intel i7
Min 16gb ram
Large SSD for both Windows and storage of images although I hope to have a NAS at some point
Gfx card - is one required for Lightroom?
Mobo - mini-itx - if this can fit a case small enough to mount behind a monitor?

Just for my own added requirement, I value sounds also and has to be as silent as possible and as low power as possible to while we're at it.

It's been awhile since I've built anything so looking for some guidance on which parts to go for and where to look but mainly on building a pc which is nice enough to be a girly pc (no pink please, remember has to be pinterest friendly)?

Metric Tensor

I agree with your aim ... but two points:

1. No matter what you do it won't be a slick looking as a Mac without spending excessively. And even then it probably won't look as good. It's one of the reasons Apple can get away with charging what they do! They get the all in one custom cases made to measure. You won't be able to do that. You might be able to get close though.
2. The 5K (5120 x 2280) retina screen on the 27 inch imac is a thing of absolute beauty* - to buy a monitor like it will set you back close to half your budget if you can even get one - I tried to find the price for one but couldn't!

So honestly although it's possible to get something that you and I count as "as good" or "better" for the same price I don't think it will satisfy the particular requirements of your GF!


(* I am so jealous of that screen!)

P.S. Just to add - my post sounds really negative and I didn't mean it to. I'd love to see what you come up with! I'm a sucker for little mini itx cases stuffed with power myself!!

Matt Simis

Well I found your monitor!
http://www.adverts.ie/monitors/lg-ultrafine-27-inch-5k-monitor/13331623

Thats a "good" price for it, still $$.


GTX 1060 for GPU.
Case wise, there are bunch of knock-offs around but none will really compare to the real deal. The best looking PC original case and also the best built IMO was the old Dell XPS 720 series. Japanese aluminium!


Unlike Apple cases however they are huge, expandability and modularity are of course PC hallmarks but irrelevant on Apple's.

TerrorFirmer

NUC wise, you could buy a high end i7 model (proper quad model, not ULV as featured in most laptops/NUCs and mount it to the back of a superb frameless monitor of some type. You can easily compete with Mac on the hardware front for significantly less cost....but the aesthetic is a much harder one.

However the 27" imac starts at €2,200 from Apple - but to be fair, it offers far better value than some Apple products do for that price (beautiful all-in-one, proper quad i7, dedicated RX570 graphics, 5K screen).

Some of the older ones are still available much cheaper but they're significantly slower (i5, 8GB, etc)

Problem with the NUC option is that you're paying quite a bit for a tiny little form factor. If you can live with a very small Micro ITX build you would get much better value for money. i7-7700, 16GB, 500GB SSD, 4k monitor, 3GB GTX1060 in a nice, sleek case would set you back about €1,500 or so.

€800 or so less than the iMac and more powerful, more upgradable, though.... not quite as pleasing to the eye or as perfectly neat.

Effects

A number of companies do all in one computers.
Here's one of Dell's offerings: http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/xps-27-7760-aio?subID=UUwpUdUnU48758&dgc=ba&dgseg=dhs&cid=235888&lid=27867&acd=123092358882786740c101678832&VEN3=411503967698699993

K.O.Kiki

jozi wrote: »

Girlfriend was looking at the 27" Mac recently (budget probably 1k -2k), they seem expensive for what you get. A quick look on Scan adding some random parts to a list and I think I can save a good bit of money, but shes' not convinced!

The main criteria for this build is that it has to look pretty, like pinterest pretty, and no visible wires (Ie just a monitor, no tower/case)

It will have to run Lightroom very well (and occasional photoshop)! (ram, gfx required?)
Monitor good for editing photo's (that looks sleek enough like a Mac) 23-27"

I was looking at using a Intel NUC but not sure how well this will work or mini-itx if these are small enough to be mounted behind a monitor?

Going by Mac spec or something similar,
Intel i7
Min 16gb ram
Large SSD for both Windows and storage of images although I hope to have a NAS at some point
Gfx card - is one required for Lightroom?
Mobo - mini-itx - if this can fit a case small enough to mount behind a monitor?

Just for my own added requirement, I value sounds also and has to be as silent as possible and as low power as possible to while we're at it.

It's been awhile since I've built anything so looking for some guidance on which parts to go for and where to look but mainly on building a pc which is nice enough to be a girly pc (no pink please, remember has to be pinterest friendly)?

Literally the only difference in cables between an iMac & a tower PC is 2 cables (1 power, 1 monitor).
All those press shots are meaningless once you realise you can get wireless mice/keyboards for Windows.

The reasons to avoid iMac for a professional workstation:

• Thermals: These thin-and-lights throttle performance once their puny cooling systems can't keep up
• Upgradability: You can't repair / replace / upgrade ANYTHING in the 27" iMac
• AppleTax: everything is more expensive to factory-upgrade than it should be

Looking through PugetSystems' tests (link), I'd go Intel i7 7700K (ignore 7800X/7820X as they run too hot)

A mildly loaded iMac (27", 512Gb SSD, no HDD, 16Gb DDR4, 4.2GHz i7, Radeon Pro 575 4Gb) would run €3,299

Comparably:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (€329.90 @ Caseking)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L12 37.8 CFM CPU Cooler (€49.90 @ Caseking)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z270N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (€136.17 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (€132.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (€163.73 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: XFX - Radeon RX 470 4GB HS Black Edition Video Card (€190.01 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case (€69.90 @ Caseking)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - 660W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (€112.42 @ Mindfactory)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro Full - USB 32/64-bit (€160.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Keyboard: Microsoft - Sculpt Comfort Keyboard for Business Wireless Ergonomic Keyboard (€40.00)
Mouse: Logitech - MX Master Bluetooth Wireless Laser Mouse (€60.00)
Other: ASUS ProArt PA329Q 32" Professional 4K Monitor (€1319.45)
Total: €2764.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-19 16:02 CEST+0200

*edit*
@OP:
I just realised you said budget 1-2k

You can't get a new 27" iMac for that budget

K.O.Kiki

To hit your 2k max budget (and allowing that AMD RX GPUs are still hard to find), you just need to lower performance a bit:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor (€299.90 @ Caseking)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z270N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (€131.84 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (€144.84 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (€163.73 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: Inno3D - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Compact Video Card (€159.90 @ Caseking)
Case: Antec - ISK600 Mini ITX Tower Case (€58.97 @ Mindfactory)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (€75.33 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro Full - USB 32/64-bit (€160.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Monitor: BenQ - SW2700PT 27.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor (€663.92 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Keyboard: Microsoft - Sculpt Comfort Keyboard for Business Wireless Ergonomic Keyboard (€40.00)
Mouse: Logitech - MX Master Bluetooth Wireless Laser Mouse (€60.00)
Total: €1958.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-20 10:59 CEST+0200

*edit*
Swapped case to an easier-to-build-in case.

BeerFarts

Don't do it. If the requirement is to look pinterest pretty and she's set on a Mac then get a Mac. You'll be hearing about it whenever there's a slight niggle or problem for the next few years otherwise.

I definitely would advise against a NUC, they can be quite loud when put under the slightest load (unsure if they've fixed this in the most recent ones)

Pelvis

jozi wrote: »

The main criteria for this build is that it has to look pretty, like pinterest pretty....

Jesus wept..

K.O.Kiki

BeerFarts wrote: »

Don't do it. If the requirement is to look pinterest pretty and she's set on a Mac then get a Mac. You'll be hearing about it whenever there's a slight niggle or problem for the next few years otherwise.

I definitely would advise against a NUC, they can be quite loud when put under the slightest load (unsure if they've fixed this in the most recent ones)

Eye of the beholder, but the iMac literally has no design interest to me - it's just a monitor with an ugly bulge on its hump.

Phanteks Enthoo ITX, Raijintek Metis or Cougar QBX look better to me.

Effects

Pelvis wrote: »

Jesus wept..

It's often a consideration. My mate got one as it was in his kitchen and had to look nice. It was just for family use in the kitchen though and he had a decent PC in his home office.

-l-Z3k3-l-

I'll be cheeky and pimp the NUC I'm selling


http://www.adverts.ie/desktops/gigabyte-brix-pro-nuc-i7/13338344

Effects

-l-Z3k3-l- wrote: »

I'll be cheeky and pimp the NUC I'm selling


http://www.adverts.ie/desktops/gigabyte-brix-pro-nuc-i7/13338344

What size screen is built into that?

frozenfrozen

just get the imac

if she is making money from her blog type thing just do the usual cost of it depreciating over 3 years, makes no difference how upgradable it is if it is powerful enough for her now. If she will be placing it in a nice looking office that will be filmed / photographed it would be worth the premium if that's the style she's going for (to be seen with an imac)

You could make a more powerful pc but if she isn't building it herself / really into the idea then what's the point, any time anything goes wrong or slows down "the mac wouldn't have done it" etc..

there's a time and a place for apple stuff and this is probably it

Lu Tze

frozenfrozen wrote: »

just get the imac

if she is making money from her blog type thing just do the usual cost of it depreciating over 3 years, makes no difference how upgradable it is if it is powerful enough for her now. If she will be placing it in a nice looking office that will be filmed / photographed it would be worth the premium if that's the style she's going for (to be seen with an imac)

You could make a more powerful pc but if she isn't building it herself / really into the idea then what's the point, any time anything goes wrong or slows down "the mac wouldn't have done it" etc..

there's a time and a place for apple stuff and this is probably it

Yeah, realistically the only alternative I could think of is the HP Envy 34" all in one, but that is likely more expensive, and if she wants an iMac, nothing else is really going to do!

-l-Z3k3-l-

Effects wrote: »

What size screen is built into that?

No screen. its a NUC. the machine is around 4"x4" with a vesa mounting plate so you can put it onto the back of screens

Bacchus

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

To hit your 2k max budget (and allowing that AMD RX GPUs are still hard to find), you just need to lower performance a bit:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor (€299.90 @ Caseking)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z270N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (€131.84 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (€144.84 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (€163.73 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: Inno3D - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Compact Video Card (€159.90 @ Caseking)
Case: Antec - ISK600 Mini ITX Tower Case (€58.97 @ Mindfactory)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (€75.33 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro Full - USB 32/64-bit (€160.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Monitor: BenQ - SW2700PT 27.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor (€663.92 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Keyboard: Microsoft - Sculpt Comfort Keyboard for Business Wireless Ergonomic Keyboard (€40.00)
Mouse: Logitech - MX Master Bluetooth Wireless Laser Mouse (€60.00)
Total: €1958.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-20 10:59 CEST+0200

I quite like that build. Here's a build I've been piecing together. I've only been pricing on Amazon UK at the moment but will shop around.

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2 GHz (€350 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix Z270I (€210 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4 (€145 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 960 EVO M.2-2280 250GB PCI Express 3.0 (€145 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB (€180 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Computer Case "RC–130–KKN1, USB 3.0, Mini–ITX (€50 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Cosair RM550x 550W (€90 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Have already
Monitor: Have already.... DELL U2515H 25-Inch (€300 @ Amazon UK)
Keyboard: ??
Mouse: ??

Total: €1470 (including the monitor which I already have)

I still need to pick a second larger 2TB drive though and a keyboard + mouse.

Looking at your picks K.O.Kiki, I see a few places I could save... CPU (€50 cheaper), Motherboard (€80 cheaper) and you're getting more Gb/€ with your SSD. What's the difference between the 960 series and 850 cause I can double my SSD storage with your choice and not pay anything extra.

Bacchus

-l-Z3k3-l- wrote: »

No screen. its a NUC. the machine is around 4"x4" with a vesa mounting plate so you can put it onto the back of screens

Thought about the NUC as well but when you add in the cost of the SSD and RAM, they work out pricey enough, they are limited on the graphics front and there not made to be upgraded. Happy to be convinced otherwise as they are very neat little machines

K.O.Kiki

Bacchus wrote: »

I quite like that build. Here's a build I've been piecing together. I've only been pricing on Amazon UK at the moment but will shop around.

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2 GHz (€350 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix Z270I (€210 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4 (€145 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 960 EVO M.2-2280 250GB PCI Express 3.0 (€145 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB (€180 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Computer Case "RC–130–KKN1, USB 3.0, Mini–ITX (€50 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Cosair RM550x 550W (€90 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Have already
Monitor: Have already.... DELL U2515H 25-Inch (€300 @ Amazon UK)
Keyboard: ??
Mouse: ??

Total: €1470 (including the monitor which I already have)

I still need to pick a second larger 2TB drive though and a keyboard + mouse.

Looking at your picks K.O.Kiki, I see a few places I could save... CPU (€50 cheaper), Motherboard (€80 cheaper) and you're getting more Gb/€ with your SSD. What's the difference between the 960 series and 850 cause I can double my SSD storage with your choice and not pay anything extra.

7700K requires an aftermarket cooler. In the Elite 130, you're limited to either Scythe Shuriken series / Cooler Master GeminII or a 120mm AIO watercooler.

SSD: no need for the fastest drives (e.g. 960 Evo) unless you're working with huge (500mb+) files (video editing, 3D rendering, etc).

Bacchus

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

7700K requires an aftermarket cooler. In the Elite 130, you're limited to either Scythe Shuriken series / Cooler Master GeminII or a 120mm AIO watercooler.

SSD: no need for the fastest drives (e.g. 960 Evo) unless you're working with huge (500mb+) files (video editing, 3D rendering, etc).

Thank you and thank you I'll go for the 850 Evo SSD instead so.

So, would the i7 7700 + cooler that you listed fit in the Elite 130?

I was looking at this cooler for €35... Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Air CPU Cooler

At the risk of hijacking the thread (though I'm sure the OP can benefit from the info), what's a good 2TB drive these days? Though if I'm going for a 500Gb SSD, 1TB would be fine.

K.O.Kiki

Bacchus wrote: »

Thank you and thank you I'll go for the 850 Evo SSD instead so.

So, would the i7 7700 + cooler that you listed fit in the Elite 130?

I was looking at this cooler for €35... Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Air CPU Cooler

At the risk of hijacking the thread (though I'm sure the OP can benefit from the info), what's a good 2TB drive these days? Though if I'm going for a 500Gb SSD, 1TB would be fine.

Hyper 212 will not fit in Elite 130, as it's 159mm high; the Elite 130 only has 65mm clearance.

Water AIO: Cooler Master MasterLiquid Lite 120
Air: Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev.B

Zalman CNPS8900 Quiet would work too, but it's not in stock.

challengemaster

Overkill...but...

https://www.digitalstorm.com/aura.asp

-l-Z3k3-l-

Bacchus wrote: »

Thought about the NUC as well but when you add in the cost of the SSD and RAM, they work out pricey enough, they are limited on the graphics front and there not made to be upgraded. Happy to be convinced otherwise as they are very neat little machines

Did you see the spec of the one I listed

Core i7-4710HQ
8GB of Ram
SSD + HDD
GTX 760

Bacchus

-l-Z3k3-l- wrote: »

Did you see the spec of the one I listed

Core i7-4710HQ
8GB of Ram
SSD + HDD
GTX 760

4th gen i7, only 8GB RAM, 750GB storage. Nice little machine but just not what I'm looking for to last me the next 5 years.