mini-ATX or mico-ITX - What's the most compact case that suits my needs?

[Lightroom]

Building a system for professional photography needs.

I will be using i5 or i7, 16gb ram, SSD and HD. GPU???? (see below)

5 questions:
1 - Given my needs is there a distinct advantage to ATX vs ITX?

2 - What's need for Lightroom (mainly) and Photoshop (not currently being used) in terms of GPU? Seems I',ve seen some builds not even requiring separate GPU.

3 - Given the result of THAT scenario, what is the smallest case you would recommend?

4 - MOBO recommendations?

5 - i5 vs i7? Any need to use i7? (budget not a problem if there's an advantage)

Thanks

 

[lxgoldsmith]

You don't need to build a pc for photo editing unless they're really large photos.

micro-ATX and mini-ITX

1. micro atx is bigger and has more expansion slots for when you need to add something to your PC. It is also easier to work with the atx cases

2. For photo editing, you don't need much of a gpu. Only really for video editing

3. your case depends on your style. It's fun to add LED fans as well. check out the parts at pcpartpicker.com

4. Asus, asrock and gigabyte are the top brands

5. i5 unless video editing.

again, if it's just photos, there's no need for the power of a gaming desktop. You might be better off buying a good business computer.

 

[Blaise170]

Mini-ITX is a bit smaller than uATX. There's really no advantages either way. If you are doing professional work, you'd want either a FirePro or Quadro for a GPU, but these may not fit in a mini-ITX or uATX case. I can't recommend a case since I don't know if you are wanting a professional card or not. If doing professional work, you want an i7 for sure.

Micro-ATX motherboard: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z87mplus
Mini-ITX motherboard: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz87nwifi