Question CPU for Photo Editing build ?

[csebasti]

I'm planning a new build which will be used for general web browsing, MS office products, and photo editing. Possibly a little video editing, but that really shouldn't drive my decisions. So really I'm focusing on photo editing with Lightroom, Photoshop, and some plugins like DxO or Topaz apps. I'm currently using what I built about 10.5 years ago with an i7-3770K and Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H motherboard. That was my only other build, and I don't keep up with the industry. So I've been researching a lot over the last couple months and now looking for some advise. It seems that either Intel or AMD would be just fine. But given that I'm more familiar with Intel and there are already so many options there, I've stopped looking at AMD. But I'm still totally open to using AMD if someone has suggestions.

My thoughts were that I'd stick with an i7, and I was leaning toward 12th gen. I have no interest in overclocking. I thought maybe I would with the last build, but never did. My understanding is that for photo editing higher clock speed is better than more cores. With that in mind, it seems that a K version processor is a better option than a non-K as they have higher clock speeds. So, that had me leaning to i7-12700K for 3.6GHz vs. an i7-12700 at 2.1 GHz. And the K version was cheaper when I looked at prices.

Doing more research though, it seems that I'm actually better off to go with 13th gen i5 over 12th gen i7. That then has me leaning toward an i5-13600K. Again, the K version over a non-K (like i5-13400) due to the clock speed of 3.5 GHz vs. 2.5 GHz.

So my questions are, does this make sense going with the i5-13600k? Are there better options or reasons to go with something else? Is there a better or equivilent AMD option? For the motherboard, I'm looking at the MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4. Mainly because from my research, MSI seems to have better reviews (looking only at Newegg) than other brands I've looked at (ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte), and for price vs. reviews, this semed like a good option. I'm more interested in good quality than budget since I plan to keep this build for quite a while.

Other info:

• Budget: Overall build I'm thinking in the $1,000 range, but in reality I don't have a hard budget so a bit more isn't an issue if I'm getting good quality, performance, and value.
• I don't really plan on near term upgrades, so I'm not really worried about LGA1700 socket end of life vs AM5 being anticipated to be around for a while
• I'm in the Seattle area, but no favorite shops. Just wherever I can get a good price.
• As noted above, no interest in overclocking

Thanks for any advise you can give.

 

[Lafong]

I'm planning a new build which will be used for general web browsing, MS office products, and photo editing. Possibly a little video editing, but that really shouldn't drive my decisions. So really I'm focusing on photo editing with Lightroom, Photoshop, and some plugins like DxO or Topaz apps. I'm currently using what I built about 10.5 years ago with an i7-3770K and Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H motherboard. That was my only other build, and I don't keep up with the industry. So I've been researching a lot over the last couple months and now looking for some advise. It seems that either Intel or AMD would be just fine. But given that I'm more familiar with Intel and there are already so many options there, I've stopped looking at AMD. But I'm still totally open to using AMD if someone has suggestions.

My thoughts were that I'd stick with an i7, and I was leaning toward 12th gen. I have no interest in overclocking. I thought maybe I would with the last build, but never did. My understanding is that for photo editing higher clock speed is better than more cores. With that in mind, it seems that a K version processor is a better option than a non-K as they have higher clock speeds. So, that had me leaning to i7-12700K for 3.6GHz vs. an i7-12700 at 2.1 GHz. And the K version was cheaper when I looked at prices.

Doing more research though, it seems that I'm actually better off to go with 13th gen i5 over 12th gen i7. That then has me leaning toward an i5-13600K. Again, the K version over a non-K (like i5-13400) due to the clock speed of 3.5 GHz vs. 2.5 GHz.

So my questions are, does this make sense going with the i5-13600k? Are there better options or reasons to go with something else? Is there a better or equivilent AMD option? For the motherboard, I'm looking at the MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4. Mainly because from my research, MSI seems to have better reviews (looking only at Newegg) than other brands I've looked at (ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte), and for price vs. reviews, this semed like a good option. I'm more interested in good quality than budget since I plan to keep this build for quite a while.

Other info:

• Budget: Overall build I'm thinking in the $1,000 range, but in reality I don't have a hard budget so a bit more isn't an issue if I'm getting good quality, performance, and value.
• I don't really plan on near term upgrades, so I'm not really worried about LGA1700 socket end of life vs AM5 being anticipated to be around for a while
• I'm in the Seattle area, but no favorite shops. Just wherever I can get a good price.
• As noted above, no interest in overclocking

Thanks for any advise you can give.

You compared 3.5 ghz on the 13600k versus 2.5 on the 13400.

That's a 40% advantage to the 13600k. (3.5/2.5).

Without getting into the gory details, that doesn't accurately reflect the real world difference. It's related to what actually happens on recent generation Intel processors when you stand on the throttle.

The well known Passmark benchmark of those 2 processors suggests a single thread performance difference circa 11%.

You might consider the 13500. There is a 13600 also, but it might not be in the stores yet.

Motherboards: do you have an over-riding need for ATX form factor rather than mATX?

 

[csebasti]

You compared 3.5 ghz on the 13600k versus 2.5 on the 13400.

That's a 40% advantage to the 13600k. (3.5/2.5).

Without getting into the gory details, that doesn't accurately reflect the real world difference. It's related to what actually happens on recent generation Intel processors when you stand on the throttle.

The well known Passmark benchmark of those 2 processors suggests a single thread performance difference circa 11%.

You might consider the 13500. There is a 13600 also, but it might not be in the stores yet.

Motherboards: do you have an over-riding need for ATX form factor rather than mATX?

Yes, you're right, I don't really have a feel for real world or what benchmarks are worth looking at. So thanks for pointing out the Passmark benchmark. I didn't realize there was an i5-13600 since I hadn't seen it available. But looking at it on intel's site and the passmark benchmark, that seems like a good option. Any idea when that will be available? The 13500 seems good as well with only about 6% lower than 13600k for single thread.

For motherboards I don't have a reason to go with ATX over mATX. I've been looking at ATX only because that is what I have now. But I don't need a ton of expansion slots, so mATX would be fine. I'm planning on probably only using one M2 SSD and maybe a lower/mid range graphics card if any of my photo editing software will use it. I'll go with probably 16 GB RAM, maybe 32 GB. I also thought ATX was more common and would have more choices. Seemed on Newegg there are way more reviews of ATX vs mATX and I generally feel more comfortable buying things that have a lot of reviews. But I'm open to mATX for sure if there are some good recommendations.

 

[Lafong]

Random thoughts:

If you were spending 1500 or 2000, maybe you automatically go with ATX and a K processor....if for no other reason than "why not, someday I might need the features this ATX has rather than an mATX". But you are at circa 1000 and I'd think it makes sense to consider how the last dollar is allocated.

I don't know how you can gauge build quality/reliability between ATX and mATX. You takes your chances on them all. I think of it mostly as features differences and not much else. How many USB ports you need, how many slots, how many M.2 drives, etc.

What are your plans for case and cooler and power supply? Not sure what parts you need to buy.

I wouldn't pay a lot of attention to review comments on Amazon or other vendors. Give more credence to full scale reviews if you can find them.

Most mid-level mATX will include 2 NVMe ports.

You need to confront the DDR 4 versus 5 choice sooner or later. Price difference for 32 GB now is under 100 the last I looked. Circa 40 for 16 GB.

You need to decide whether you need Z series motherboard. B series would save a decent chunk and may have all the features you need. Check the spec sheets.

Ditto air cooling versus liquid. Some people factor in aesthetics on that.

MSI and Gigabyte each have 3 or 4 plausible mATX choices within B series boards. DDR 4 and DDR 5 varieties. Prices circa 200. More choices if you want ATX. 13th gen board availability a little thin, but expected to improve. Reviews quite scarce now, but might show up shortly if major retailers have them in stock.

 

[csebasti]

Random thoughts:

If you were spending 1500 or 2000, maybe you automatically go with ATX and a K processor....if for no other reason than "why not, someday I might need the features this ATX has rather than an mATX". But you are at circa 1000 and I'd think it makes sense to consider how the last dollar is allocated.

I don't know how you can gauge build quality/reliability between ATX and mATX. You takes your chances on them all. I think of it mostly as features differences and not much else. How many USB ports you need, how many slots, how many M.2 drives, etc.

What are your plans for case and cooler and power supply? Not sure what parts you need to buy.

I wouldn't pay a lot of attention to review comments on Amazon or other vendors. Give more credence to full scale reviews if you can find them.

Most mid-level mATX will include 2 NVMe ports.

You need to confront the DDR 4 versus 5 choice sooner or later. Price difference for 32 GB now is under 100 the last I looked. Circa 40 for 16 GB.

You need to decide whether you need Z series motherboard. B series would save a decent chunk and may have all the features you need. Check the spec sheets.

Ditto air cooling versus liquid. Some people factor in aesthetics on that.

MSI and Gigabyte each have 3 or 4 plausible mATX choices within B series boards. DDR 4 and DDR 5 varieties. Prices circa 200. More choices if you want ATX. 13th gen board availability a little thin, but expected to improve. Reviews quite scarce now, but might show up shortly if major retailers have them in stock.

As far as other components, I figure I need all new, probably. I'm working with a 10.5 year old system with all original hardware. The only upgrade I ever did was to add an SSD about 7 years ago.

My PSU is a PC Power and Cooling 500W 80 plus bronze. Still works fine, but I figure it's so old, I should probably start new. Or is it ok to reuse it?

My case is an Antec Three Hundred. I figured I'd reuse that. I assume that isn't a problem. It was cheap though, and maybe there is a better option for airflow? I do plan to reuse a DVD drive, HDD hot swappable dock, and card reader which all go into the front drive bays.

My cooler is a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus. I figured I'd need a new one with the right mount but haven't looked at those in too much detail yet. I plan to stick with air, not liquid.

I need new RAM for sure as I have DDR3 now. I was planning DDR4 since I've read that DDR5 isn't going to give me great value at this point, but I could be sold on DDR5 if it makes sense.

I'll look more at mATX mother boards. I don't think I need a Z series, B should be fine for me. I'd prefer if it is ready to go for 13th gen. vs. needing to flash the BIOS first. So I need to pay attention to that too.

I'm not worried at all about aesthetics. It'll all be buttoned up in a case with no windows. No need for RGB lighting or any of that either.

 

[Lafong]

Case: maybe live with what you have if budget forces; external DVD drive bays are getting rare in modern cases. Don't know if dimensions matter, but unfortunately most "mATX" cases are nearly as large as "full ATX". Consider Fractal Design; Lian Li, but external drive bay requirement may frustrate you

PSU; I'd certainly get a new one. If you have a modest GPU requirement, maybe 650 watts. Semi modular or full modular. Seasonic, some Corsairs, Super Flower, maybe others. Probably 100 give or take?

Cooler; Hyper 212 would be at the low end of tolerable if it had the right mount, but it doesn't, so likely replace. Maybe 50 to 80 bucks; Deepcool or Noctua brand. Ensure it is short enough to fit in whatever case you end up with.

Board; generally agree with B series; shop for features you need among Asus, MSI, Gigabyte. Quite possibly mATX. 170 to 250?

RAM; if DDR 4, look at 3200 or 3600 speed; if DDR 5, look at 5600. Total cost could be anywhere from 50 to 200 depending on amount and DDR 4/5 decision.

Drives? Not much advantage for PCIe 4.0 over 3.0 if you go with M.2 NVMe drives. Nothing at all wrong with standard 2.5 inch SATA. Maybe 2 drives? A smaller 4.0 for boot and a larger 3.0 for storage? You can now get 4 TB drives for around 250 to 280 if you need that much capacity.

 

[sonofjesse]

Drive to MC get the 7900x or the 13600 deal!!!!!!!!!!

Be a huge upgrade.

 

[Why_Me]

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mtmmP6/intel-core-i5-13500-25-ghz-14-core-processor-bx8071513500
Intel Core i5-13500 $249.98

https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-24m-cache-up-to-4-80-ghz/specifications.html

https://pcpartpicker.com/search/?q=DeepCool+AK500
DeepCool AK500

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/deepcool-ak500-review

 

[Lafong]

Drive to MC get the 7900x or the 13600 deal!!!!!!!!!!

Be a huge upgrade.

Google says 1170 miles from Seattle to Tustin CA.

Hmmmm.........

 

[sonofjesse]

Not close, but man the deals are GREAT right now.

https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/bundle-and-save.aspx

Got any family close get them to ship it lol.

7700x be a good fit and give you room to upgrade later
13600k or would be good but not much upgrade path.

 

[csebasti]

Case: maybe live with what you have if budget forces; external DVD drive bays are getting rare in modern cases. Don't know if dimensions matter, but unfortunately most "mATX" cases are nearly as large as "full ATX". Consider Fractal Design; Lian Li, but external drive bay requirement may frustrate you

PSU; I'd certainly get a new one. If you have a modest GPU requirement, maybe 650 watts. Semi modular or full modular. Seasonic, some Corsairs, Super Flower, maybe others. Probably 100 give or take?

Cooler; Hyper 212 would be at the low end of tolerable if it had the right mount, but it doesn't, so likely replace. Maybe 50 to 80 bucks; Deepcool or Noctua brand. Ensure it is short enough to fit in whatever case you end up with.

Board; generally agree with B series; shop for features you need among Asus, MSI, Gigabyte. Quite possibly mATX. 170 to 250?

RAM; if DDR 4, look at 3200 or 3600 speed; if DDR 5, look at 5600. Total cost could be anywhere from 50 to 200 depending on amount and DDR 4/5 decision.

Drives? Not much advantage for PCIe 4.0 over 3.0 if you go with M.2 NVMe drives. Nothing at all wrong with standard 2.5 inch SATA. Maybe 2 drives? A smaller 4.0 for boot and a larger 3.0 for storage? You can now get 4 TB drives for around 250 to 280 if you need that much capacity.

Thanks for the additional thoughts. Still lots for me to look into.

 

[csebasti]

Drive to MC get the 7900x or the 13600 deal!!!!!!!!!!

Be a huge upgrade.

Google says 1170 miles from Seattle to Tustin CA.

Hmmmm.........

Yeah, a bit far of a drive unfortunately.

Not close, but man the deals are GREAT right now.

https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/bundle-and-save.aspx

Got any family close get them to ship it lol.

7700x be a good fit and give you room to upgrade later
13600k or would be good but not much upgrade path.

Well, I do have family in Denver and there appears to be a MC there. And I'll be in Baltimore later this week and there is one there. I may have to look into that.

 

[csebasti]

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mtmmP6/intel-core-i5-13500-25-ghz-14-core-processor-bx8071513500
Intel Core i5-13500 $249.98

https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-24m-cache-up-to-4-80-ghz/specifications.html

https://pcpartpicker.com/search/?q=DeepCool+AK500
DeepCool AK500

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/deepcool-ak500-review

Yes, the i5-13500 does seem like it may be a good choice. Though from what I can find online, it seems like the i5-13600 would be just a bit better. But I can't find anything saying when it'll be available. Anyone know?

Thanks for the tip on the cooler. I'll take a look.

 

[sonofjesse]

7900x ,asus+ 32gb for 600 is pretty smoking deal

or some of the intel deals too

 

[GarrettL]

Yeah, a bit far of a drive unfortunately.


Well, I do have family in Denver and there appears to be a MC there. And I'll be in Baltimore later this week and there is one there. I may have to look into that.

I hope you do. If you have never been it's a cool pc store.

But more importantly no one will save you more money when it comes to bulding a pc than Micro Center

 

[csebasti]

Yes, looks like some great deals, and some not sold out yet at a couple stores relatively close to where I'll be. Just need a plan for getting it back home on the airplane, or I suppose I could ship it home.

 

[KyaraM]

Not close, but man the deals are GREAT right now.

https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/bundle-and-save.aspx

Got any family close get them to ship it lol.

7700x be a good fit and give you room to upgrade later
13600k or would be good but not much upgrade path.

Even in the US, you pay more in gas than you would getting the CPU locally, or at least online... and let's not even start about the time and environmental impact. Also, when you upgrade only every 10 uears, or even just every 5 or 6 years, "upgrade path" means jack.