Question Build Advice - Photo Editing, Mid-Range UK

[PC Tailor]

I'm a little more out of touch with the best value to performance hardware nowadays so always appreciate some advice or guidance! This is a potential build for a friends photo editing PC. Not video editing, just photo editing, but potentially on the more intense side of photo editing.

Main requirements:

• Build will be for more intense photo editing, not video editing, nor gaming.
• Budget isn't an issue, but I will always aim for value to performance.
• Mid-range is optimal, I don't think there is any need to go high end here.
• We want the rig to be really quiet, perhaps even silent if this is feasible without sacrificing thermal efficiency. That is why we are willing to pay more to ensure components are good quality and quiet.
• 1080p dual monitors will be the screens used.
• Bought and build in the UK - I will be putting it together.
• Will be purchasing probably in the next week or 2.
• Storage isn't needed as they already have this and we will transfer these over.

Currently I've got something like this. I'm debating whether to go lower on GPU and higher on CPU.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor (£139.10 @ NeoComputers)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler (£77.99 @ Box Limited)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard (£158.47 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory (£77.11 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 6600 8 GB Video Card (£199.99 @ AWD-IT)
Case: Fractal Design Define 7 ATX Mid Tower Case (£146.95 @ MoreCoCo)
Power Supply: Corsair RM550x (2021) 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£83.99 @ AWD-IT)
Total: £883.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-07-22 13:29 BST+0100

On top of this, I am also configuring a micro ITX/mini PC for another colleague who requires it for professional video editing, mainly Da Vinci resolve with graphics pad on 1080p monitors. You don't have to configure one for this too, but I'll take any thoughts on what CPU/GPU combinations to prioritise in todays market. I know what will work well, but can't verify the cost/performance as well.

Any guidance or thoughts is warmly appreciated.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hey there,

IMO, that's a pretty solid build. I'd prob only change one thing, which would be the CPU to a 5800x or higher. The CPU is key for most Photo Editing software AFAIK, so more cores will help. The build is pretty well balanced in terms of the other parts. The GPU will allow some gaming if needed for a distraction

Some will argue this is an older arch/tech, and doesn't have much by way of potential upgrades, other than same CPU's of that gen, or the GPU which wouldn't bring as much to the type of load. That's true.

Intel offer some good value CPU's plus a lathering of course, so much so, that Intel offer same or better performance at nearly every price point.

A Raptor lake build, would be a really good option for you. Say for example a 13600k based system. Beats the 5600x in everyway, and lots of cores to throw at the editing.

 

[Nighthawk117]

Looks good for a small photo editing build. Just in case you are not aware, AM4 is not the latest platform. AM5 will have drop in upgrades available for the next 2 or 3 years. AM4 is cheaper though and the 5600X is relatively easy to cool.

For a video editing build for Da Vinci Resolve I would go for more than a 6 core CPU. It's difficult to recommend something without knowing more about budget and use case. iTX though places limits on what sort of CPU you can install, particularly if it is for a silent workstation.

If you were to step up to an 8 core on AM4, I would go 5700X rather than 5800X. I know the 5800X is quite cheap these days, however it's significantly more difficult to cool, not lending itself well to a small build.

 

[Nighthawk117]

Rocket lake build

Think you mean Raptor Lake, though I did always like the name Rocket Lake

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Think you mean Raptor Lake, though I did always like the name Rocket Lake

Yes!! 🤣

 

[Nighthawk117]

I misread that, I thought they were both iTX builds, the first one you are largely free to choose on the CPU.
Also you don't necessarily need noise dampening for a quiet build, picking components that allow for low fan speeds will also be quiet. The GPU max RPM looks like it should be quite quiet.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

I would go 5700X rather than 5800X

Good point. Nearly the same performance for a few quid less!

 

[Nighthawk117]

Good point. Nearly the same performance for a few quid less!

It's a tiny bit cheaper, it was more the additional heat I was concerned with. Most gamers would probably go for the 5800X as every extra frame counts, it's just the 5700X may lend itself better to a quiet build.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

It's a tiny bit cheaper, it was more the additional heat I was concerned with. Most gamers would probably go for the 5800X as every extra frame counts, it's just the 5700X may lend itself better to a quiet build.

True!

 

[PC Tailor]

Thanks @Roland Of Gilead and @Nighthawk117 - the reason why I went with AM4 over AM5 for originally; it would be easier to cool, and therefore theoretically more likely to stay quiet with a good cooler, AM4 was cheaper, and due to the fact that this is going to someone who won't be interested in the upgradability side, and by the time they would actually upgrade, we'd be talking several years if not more...

I thought AM4 offered better value for performance for now. But equally as I said, if AM5 can offer similar for not a big price increase then it would make sense. I'm happy to be mistaken for my reasons above though!

Going up to a 5700X could be a good shout, so I will look at that. I will also look at the Intel options you've stated too, with the sheer amount of generations released it became less interesting for me to stay up to date with best price/performance/power ratios now!

 

[Nighthawk117]

Thanks @Roland Of Gilead and @Nighthawk117 - the reason why I went with AM4 over AM5 for originally; it would be easier to cool, and therefore theoretically more likely to stay quiet with a good cooler, AM4 was cheaper, and due to the fact that this is going to someone who won't be interested in the upgradability side, and by the time they would actually upgrade, we'd be talking several years if not more...

I thought AM4 offered better value for performance for now. But equally as I said, if AM5 can offer similar for not a big price increase then it would make sense. I'm happy to be mistaken for my reasons above though!

Going up to a 5800X could be a good shout, so I will look at that. I will also look at the Intel options you've stated too, with the sheer amount of generations released it became less interesting for me to stay up to date with best price/performance/power ratios now!

That's a good reason, the newer stuff is more difficult to cool. If the PC is going to be used for such a long time, then the extra 2 cores of the 5700X might not be such a bad idea. To be honest, it's another 20 quid, so might be a no brainer.

All the modern CPU's run extremely hot, in fact they actually target 90C on the AMD side and adjust the clocks accordingly. Intel will boost up until it's power limit so long as the CPU temp is below 100C. It's supposed to be safe but it's on the edge of my comfort zone personally.

It's considered sacrilege and I will probably be burned for it, but it is possible to bring the temps and power consumption of modern CPU's down significantly by reducing the clocks slightly and/or undervolting. AMD has a mode in the bios called 'Eco Mode', it comes in 105W and 65W flavours. On 105W on a 7950X you lose about 7% in performance terms if I remember correctly but drop the temps from 90C to around 70C. If you run it at 65W I think you lose 29% performance but the temperature drops to around 50C. If you were building an iTX system, that could be a way of fitting in a more powerful CPU without much loss (105W) in performance.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Thanks @Roland Of Gilead and @Nighthawk117 - the reason why I went with AM4 over AM5 for originally; it would be easier to cool, and therefore theoretically more likely to stay quiet with a good cooler, AM4 was cheaper, and due to the fact that this is going to someone who won't be interested in the upgradability side, and by the time they would actually upgrade, we'd be talking several years if not more..

Yeah, that's not a bad option. Ryzen 5xxx + DDR4 are still very efficient, and pack a punch.

I thought AM4 offered better value for performance for now. But equally as I said, if AM5 can offer similar for not a big price increase then it would make sense. I'm happy to be mistaken for my reasons above though!

AM5 will be more costly, but that gap is reducing with DDR5 dropping in price. So more viable now. Still the mobo costs are rather high and don't seem to fluctuate much.

Going up to a 5800X could be a good shout, so I will look at that. I will also look at the Intel options you've stated too, with the sheer amount of generations released it became less interesting for me to stay up to date with best price/performance/power ratios now!

Yeah, it's a stellar CPU and still potent in gaming/productivity and multicore useage.


Raptor Lake seems a lot more expensive in the UK. So maybe the current set up with small changes may be suitable for your friend.

 

[Why_Me]

This puts you into a Ryzen 7 5700X.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor (£161.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: *Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler (£59.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard (£158.47 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory (£77.11 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 6600 8 GB Video Card (£199.99 @ AWD-IT)
Case: *Fractal Design Focus 2 ATX Mid Tower Case (£63.64 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair RM550x (2021) 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£83.99 @ AWD-IT)
Case Fan: *ARCTIC P12 Max 84.04 CFM 120 mm Fan (£8.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £812.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-07-22 16:03 BST+0100

A better look at that cooler, cpu and case.

AK620 - DeepCool

Achieve dominant cooling and silent efficiency with the DeepCool AK620 High Performance CPU Cooler equipped with six copper heat pipes stacked with a dense dual-tower fin array and two 120 FDB fans. - DeepCool was founded with the mission of providing professional, innovative, high-performance...

www.deepcool.com

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/deepcool-ak620-review

https://www.amd.com/en/products/cpu/amd-ryzen-7-5700x

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr5V1lgctYw


https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/focus/focus-2/black-solid/

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIG4vFQbDn4