Need Advice for a Photoshop CS5 first time build

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Need Advice for a Photoshop CS5 new build

This is my first build, and your advice is greatly appreciated. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the advice you have given others, and while I did see previous posts for building a computer for Photoshop, I did not see any recent posts.

This computer is primarily for editing photos with Photoshop CS5, with a bit of video editing. It will also be used for the internet, and at times for watching TV (cable). It will not be used for games.

I also use (rarely) an old Nikon negative scanner that uses SCSI. (Nikon Coolscan III)

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next month or two

Budget Range: $1000 - $1500 (although it is flexible)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Photoshop CS5, Internet, watching TV/Cable

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, speakers, and monitor (For now, I do not need a monitor, although I would be happy to hear your suggestions for good 24- 30" monitors that have excellent color representation (not a gaming computer)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, ncix.com, TigerDirect

Country of Origin: Canada

Parts Preferences:

CPU I was originally thought of the Intel Core i5-2500, but I am now leaning towards the i7-2600 as it seems photoshop will take advantage of the extra cores. I was not thinking of the K series, as I will not be overclocking.

Heat Sink As this is my first build, I am hoping for a heat sink that is easy to install and does not get in the way of adding memory, etc. (I have been getting worried reading reviews how the stock heat sinks are either not good enough, or how heat sinks are awkward to install, or get in the way of adding memory)

MOBO A reliable motherboard is my main concern. I had thought of Intel's DX58SO2 board, but I do not see it available for purchase. Various ASUS boards have also caught my eye. I must admit, while it was an education to read the comments on the various boards, I am getting a bit worried about people having troubles installing heat sinks or a second set of memory, etc. Your advice here is greatly appreciated.

Memory Good reliable memory, at least 8 Gigs, perhaps 16

Hard Drive Good and reliable hard drive

Removable Hard Drive Bay For quick and easy back up of my images

Graphics Card This is not a gaming computer, but I do want a good card that will drive a single monitor. (I will be getting a new 24 - 27" monitor in the coming months, maybe 30")

Tuner Card Unless there is a good all in one graphics card

SCSI Card I have an old Nikon negative scanner that I rarely use, and thus I am not ready to buy a newer one. It connects to a SCSI card, and the cable that connects to the computer is a 25 pin connector.

Card Reader For compact flash cards, as well as SD and SD-H cards

Power Supply Again a good and reliable power supply. I do not plan on adding a second graphics card, and the only addition I can foresee is doubling the memory in the future.

Case Another place I had a good time reading. Ideally an easy to work with case, that is not too big. I have thought of the Antec 300, but I am open to suggestions. Having front USB 3.0 ports would be nice for the future, but not essential.

OS Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No

Thanking you all in advance.
 
Solution
S
Hello there I was also considering building a new comp for some cs5 and some exploration in video editing here's what I've figured so far, I believe you may find it very helpful.

Adobe has some good advice at:
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404439.html#main_Use a fast enough processor
* http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2010/09/how-to-set-up-a-great-photoshop-machine.html

Toms has some confusing advice at:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/adobe-cs5-cuda-64-bit,2770.html


High Points:

Uuse the 64 bit version of Photoshop. Very important performance wise.


CPU:
i2600, cpu is most important for Photoshop. If you're only using Photoshop as a hobby and spend less then 5 hours a week on your computer using doing Photoshop or video...
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Stick to i5 unless you plan (and know how) to do real overclocking

SandyBridge_Benchmarks.png


There is only a 6% increase in performance with the i7, but you're adding 90$ in cost. As I was also told, you would be better served just buying a better graphics card.

-------------------------------

Here's a combo deal available on the CPU and a Z68 Motherboard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.652042

Here's another combo deal available on the CPU and 8GB RAM
http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&key=984ed3ed6aa9a69986f88d56d10e7616&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tomshardware.com%2Fforum%2F311651-31-solved-build-review-1000-purpose&v=1&libid=1306181682900&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2FProduct%2FComboDealDetails.aspx%3FItemList%3DCombo.644341&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tomshardware.com%2Fforum%2Fforum-31-322.html&title=First%20Build!%20Need%20Review%20(%241000%20All-Purpose%20PC)%20%5BSOLVED%5D&txt=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2FProduct%2FComb%20%5B...%5D%20mbo.644341

------------------------------------

I'd really recommend reading through this thread.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/311651-31-solved-build-review-1000-purpose

Towards the bottom I ended up with my final build options. Since you have a higher budget you should be able to take mine and just amp up the graphics card.
 
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Thank you afhaque for your advice.

If I was building a gaming computer, I agree, that the i7 does not add that much more than the i5, and a good gaming rig wants the best graphic card one can afford.

But from what I have read, this is not the case for photoshop.

Perhaps I am wrong, but from what I have read, photoshop relies more on the CPU rather than the graphics card, which is why I was leaning towards the i7.

And I am definitely NOT planning on overclocking.

I am still interested in all the advice I can get.

My biggest worry is getting my old Nikon SCSI negative scanner to work with the new computer.

Thank you again.
 
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Right but even if this is the case. The graph I sent you earlier shows that the i7 no overclocking (i.e. i7-2600K T HT) only goes 6% faster than the i5 with no overclocking (i.e. i5-2500K). That's not worth 90$ in my opinion. i7 only makes the difference when you know how to overclock.
 
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Although a gaming case, I love silent builds

NZXT H2 H2-001-BK Black Steel / Plastic Classic Silent ATX Mid Tower Chassis
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146072

Great PSU and HDD Combo. TX650 from Corsair (80+ Bronze) and 2 TB Hitachi HDD

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

bundled with:

HITACHI Deskstar 5K3000 HDS5C3020ALA632 (0F12117) 2TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.638779

Another Combo for CPU and Motherboard. Z68 chipset for better perfomance over P67 and i7 2600k

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K

bundled with:

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3P-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.652035

16GB of RAM, because photoshop needs A LOT!

CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233143

GTX 570..a little overkill but a)we are under the budget and b)it offers full support and gpu acceleration for photoshop!

EVGA 012-P3-1571-KR GeForce GTX 570 HD w/Display-Port (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130613

and Intel SSD for obvious reasons (smart cache, reliability, perfomance)

Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) SSDSC2MH120A2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167042

SUM 1514$ with MIR 1424$. For me the best you can get with budget!
 
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Well one thing is for sure, you're not getting any extra physical cores with the 2600 not sure about virtual. HT does help, but not so much in Photoshop, the most useful thing to Photoshop is the use of physical cores, not the logical that HT creates. So I would personally go with an i5 2400 and save yourself some money.

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/806048?tstart=0

i5 2400 to i5 2500 is no different, the only being that the 2500 has a higher stock clock which really doesn't matter, just stick with the 2400 it'll perform the same practically.

i5 2400 $187
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12200BD5176&vpn=BX80623I52400&manufacture=INTEL

G.Skill 8GB DDR3 1600 $80
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15380BD5211&vpn=F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL&manufacture=G.SKILL

Asrock H67M $100
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10520BD8970&vpn=H67M%20%28B3%29&manufacture=ASROCK

Best SSD you can buy right now (SATA-wise) Vertex 3 120GB MAX IOPS Ver. $260
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227714&cm_re=vertex_3-_-20-227-714-_-Product

Seagate 7200.12 1TB $55
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950AC9713&vpn=ST31000524AS&manufacture=Others

XFX 550 Core Edition $60
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180AC2961&vpn=P1550SXXB9&manufacture=XFX

Antec 902 V3 $115
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10370AC9501&vpn=NINE%20HUNDRED%20TWO%20V3&manufacture=ANTEC

Liteon IHAS124 $21
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12640DR2162&vpn=IHAS124-04&manufacture=LITEON

Total: $797 including Shipping.
DirectCanada offers free shipping on all orders over $50 which would make it immensely cheaper than Newegg. The things are cheaper than Newegg anyways. Another thing, you should get the card reader separate, meaning external. SATA card readers are a hassle and are really annoying because many report that they break easy. So I just suggest that you get an external one. You don't need a video card as the i5 2400 paired with an H67 board uses the integrated graphics plus you have the option to use Quick Sync when you transcode for the minor Video editing you plan on doing.
 
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@Mich, where does it say in Photoshop it gains anything from CUDA at all? Please enlighten me, the only thing I've seen using it is the small plugin NVIDIA made for PS5 that no one uses anymore.

Also, Why does Photoshop need 16GB of ram? I use 4GB and I've fine with heavy Panorama stitching using PTgui, Video creation, HDR creation (Photomatix) and Photoshop retouching. 8GB is enough already. 16GB is retarded and a waste of money.

Smart Cache doesn't work with SF controller SSDs? Since when was that? Please show me where the 510 Elm Crest beats a Vertex 3.

Why does Z68 perform better than P67 if he isn't gaming? Plus Z68 just has features that P67 doesn't not that it performs any better because honestly, it doesn't.

 
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Z68 perfoms better thanks to smart cache. I choose intel ssd because 1)http://download.gigabyte.asia/FileList/ssd/isrt-ssd-support.pdf and not OCZ because of that http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd8zGVEJxjQ&feature=player_embedded


He can afford 16GB so why not? You can use it with 4gb but we build something new here and obviously the more Ram you have the better it is!


As for GPU I said it's overkill but he's still in budget..he can use a 550ti or 560ti or CPU Graphics..
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/tech-specs.html

 
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^ That's the Vertex 2 And even then 25nm doesn't perform that bad with the Firmware update.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ocz-vertex-2-25nm-ssd,2867-8.html

Also here is your 510 getting kicked in the butt by the Vertex 3.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-510-solid-state-6gbps,2881-4.html

As for GPU, the link you linked me shows me nothing. I mean the 570 is WAY overkill even a GPU is overkill, CPU graphics is sufficient, which you do state. I don't think he needs to waste money on a GPU. Might as well spend that money, if he wants, on a Revodrive or something.

Right here is shows Cache is useless, well not COMPLETELY useless, but only useful if you have a drive smaller than 64gb, otherwise whats the point? You don't even get that huge of an increase in performance.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-z68-express-smart-response-technology-ssd-caching,2938-7.html
But in OPs case, he doesn't need to, he can afford a larger sized SSD.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-z68-express-smart-response-technology-ssd-caching,2938-3.html

 
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Thank you again for all the helpful advice.

I am more than happy to build a good system for much less than I budgeted. And you seem to have convinced me to go for an i5 and perhaps 8 gigs of memory for now.

I had always considered a P67 board as I assumed that I would need a dedicated graphics card even if not a high powered one.

From what I am hearing from you all, is that the integrated graphics is more than adequate for Photoshop. ( And if I got a tuner card, I could run a tv channel while editing my photos with the integrated graphics? Or would trying to do both, make it better to get a GPU?)

So I am now looking at the H67 boards which I never thought of before. (BTW, I know if I add a graphics card it will disable the integrated graphics on the H67 board. I hope if I add a tv tuner card, it will not disable the integrated graphics as well???)

Any thoughts on Intel's BOXDP67BAB3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121510

Some of you have mentioned the newer Z68 chipset boards. If I am not going to game or over clock, are they worth it?

I had not considered getting a SSD, but I guess I could get one to load the OS and my programs, and then use the HDD drive for my images and files.

Any thoughts on a good hard drive bay to swap hard drives?

What about a SCSI card so that I can plug in my old Nikon negative scanner? Any suggestions here?

Once again, thank you all for your time and help, and I look forward to your thoughts on my queries above.
 
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Rule of thumb. Intel motherboards suck.

As for Z68 and P67 it's unreasonable for a user like yourself. You have the money for a larger SSD so you don't need smart Cache, and P67 is stupid because you don't need a dedicated card. The build I posted would be fine. I posted all the things you'd need for that build other than your SCSI card and TV Tuner. The TV tuner wouldn't effect anything since it isn't a GPU as such the mb won't recognize it as such.
 
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Hello there I was also considering building a new comp for some cs5 and some exploration in video editing here's what I've figured so far, I believe you may find it very helpful.

Adobe has some good advice at:
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404439.html#main_Use a fast enough processor
* http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2010/09/how-to-set-up-a-great-photoshop-machine.html

Toms has some confusing advice at:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/adobe-cs5-cuda-64-bit,2770.html


High Points:

Uuse the 64 bit version of Photoshop. Very important performance wise.


CPU:
i2600, cpu is most important for Photoshop. If you're only using Photoshop as a hobby and spend less then 5 hours a week on your computer using doing Photoshop or video editing an i2500 is probably acceptable. but if it's a job, or very serious hobby you'll want the time saved by upgrading to a i2600. And I would take a i2500 over a i2400 for the fact that its faster and has the integrated video, which, while you'll see much better performance with a discrete(video card) option. Articles show on toms, that for encoding video it's currently the fastest option, even over a video card. So converting a video you made so you could play it on the web or on an iphone or somesuch device would go much faster with the integrated video. And while you'll definitely want a video card in addition, it seems feasible with the help of the Virtu software from Lucidlogix that you could set up so that when you do the encoding you could use the integrated for faster speed, but when using photoshop you could take use of the video card for better results there.

Mother Board:
ASRock Z68 PRO3 LGA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157251
- you could get away with a H67 but with a z68 you'll get faster ram and that will matter in Photoshop

Ram:
G.SKILL Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231461
-low voltage is good for less heat. Approved by motherboard manufacturer if you wanted to add 8gs more of this stuff for a total of 16(might be good for video probably not necessary for just Photoshop.)

(again if you spend less then 5hours a week or so on photoshop, just tooling around you could go with an h67 and DDR3 at 1333mhz and save about 50 bucks, but with the video editing, especially, it's probably worth it for faster ram to go with the z68)

Video:
EVGA 01G-P3-1450-TR GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) 1GB $89.99 currently on newegg with mail-in rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130572


-Photoshop does take advantage of a graphics processor.
-You don't want to go with the integrated graphics alone. Integrated graphics share System memory with your cpu. so your 8gigs will be more like 7 or 7.5 gigs. System Ram is also slower then then the Ram found on current graphics cards.

-You'll want a nVidia card in case you actually use a plug-in that would take advantage of CUDA.
-If you're using Premier Pro cs5 for you video editing, then you absolutely want nVidia for use of CUDA with that and would want to consider a 560ti, but that's only if you're using adobe Premier Pro cs5, other video editing software would likely not take advantage of CUDA.

(really for your video card you, just want a discrete option with 512 gbs of ram, or 1gbs(if you use the 3d tools in photoshop), made by nVidia(for cuda) that is a 200 series or better. anything much above a 400 series will probably not make a noticeable difference in Photoshop and a 200 series is probably perfectly adequate. Given that a 200 series runs for about $89 and I found a 450 1gb for $89 after rebate, thats probably the better deal)


Case:
I have a Antec 900 and love it, pretty blue lights and more airflow then I could ever need. Also a bit roomier then say a 300, so getting into it is a bit more pleasant to clean out and for part exchanges. It's the only case I have had recent experience with see no need to replace it, so I thought I'd mention it.

Power Supply:
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
-Plenty of power for your needs, and has great feedback on newegg. could find something cheaper perhaps, but seems a viable option.


Just some thoughts. Anyways good luck.
 
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Solution
I have a question, as I understand it the Intel i7 2600 max ram speed is 1333 why then would you use ram rated at 1600? I thought you can only use the faster ram with the i7 2600k because you can overclock.
Is this information wrong?




 
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A timely Bump !

Sorting out my last minute options for a nearly identical build for the identical usage.
CM HAF 922
i2500k
ASRock Z68 Pro 3
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX v2.0
16 GB GSkill 1600 CAS9
CM 212+ Cooler
Seagate 2TB SATA III

I was planning on using the integrated graphics as well but the GTX450 series looks good.
 
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A question about the graphics used for Photoshop: If you get a 27 or 30" monitor it will probably have 30 bit color (3 x 10 bit), instead of the common 24 bit (3 x 8 bit). Photoshop will certainly use 30 bit color if it is available. As far as I know, gaming cards only support 24 bit color. Perhaps you should look at some of the professional cards (e.g. Quadro, FirePro). Unfortunately, they are expensive. You will need display port to drive a high end monitor,but that is common on most cards.
If you go for an i5 solution, the 2500K should be far better than the 2500, for graphics. The 2500K has Intel 3000 series graphics, the 2500 2000 series. I have not been able to find out if the INtel integrated graphics supports 30 bit graphics
 
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