Advice on custom build PC for Photo & film editing?

fxt1 · March 12, 2013

I'm currently trying to build a new PC to replace my current workstation - I need a really powerful machine that's going to last a few years... any advice on the following components would be greatly appreciated.. feel rather clueless about modern tech! (And yes, I'm definitely getting a PC, not a mac.. unless anyone can find something with equivalent spec for the same price!)

Primary Usage: many hours of intensive photo editing of large files (RAW & jpg), bulk conversions, potentially film editing and rendering.. a lot of intense, memory consuming work... (no gaming)

Primary Needs: A chassis with as many 3.5HDD slots as possible - I've got at least 6 archived 1TB WD HDs which I'd like to be able to slot into the new PC, I may build a server in the future, but this is more urgent as I've run out of space! Lots of ram, super fast processor, hdmi, dvi and if possible VGA output.. Also - USB 3.0, and plenty of space inside the case.. I have an issue with my current machine in that there's not enough space between the HDD slots and the graphics card to fit an extra HDD into my only remaining slot...

This is my current quote: <a href="http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-ivy-bridge-pc/aomhrIADOr/" target="_blank">http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes...pc/aomhrIADOr/</a> the budget (£1700) is about right, but I'm flexible.

(I've put in bold the things I'm unsure about!)

Case FRACTAL DEFINE R4 BLACK PEARL QUIET MID-TOWER CASE - I think this is the best option for the most 3.5HDDs? I've had a look through all the others, and there doesn't seem to be any offering more than 8, which should be fine realistically. What's important is that I am genuinely able to expand the number of HDDs in future..

Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-3770K (3.5GHz) 8MB Cache - This seems to be the most powerful one? I guess i7 is the best for my needs?

Motherboard ASUS® SABERTOOTH Z77: USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, THERMAL ARMOR - no idea what this is like, but I like that it's called sabertooth! Does the fact that it has usb 3.0 mean that I don't need the extra pci card (below)?

Memory (RAM) 32GB KINGSTON HYPERX BEAST DUAL-DDR3 2400MHz X.M.P (4 x 8GB KIT) - I want to future proof myself as much as possible, so the more RAM the better, unless anyone can tell me a reason why I shouldn't?

Graphics Card 1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 610 - DVI, HDMI, VGA - 3D Vision Ready - I know nothing about graphics cards... all I need is an HDMI, vga and dvi port.. I use multiple monitors on an extended desktop.. I guess this can do that, right? I currently have an ATI Radeon 4800 that has behaved very well for the past 5 years..

Memory - 1st Hard Disk 240GB INTEL® 520 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW) - this will be for my OS, and programs, no files..

2nd Hard Disk 4TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD4001FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

Power Supply CORSAIR 1050W PRO SERIES™ HX1050-80 PLUS® GOLD MODULAR (£159) - I know this is rather inefficient, but I want the option of being able to put up to 8 4TB wd caviar black HDDs in this machine.. (currently have 5 1TB WD Caviar blacks that need a new home, going to slowly copy their data and swap them over to 4TB drives)... does anyone know how big a PSU you might need to feed 8 4TB Caviar black drives? Happy to downgrade if I really don't need 1050...

Processor Cooling Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler (£19)

Sound Card ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Network Facilities 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs

USB Options 2 PORT USB 3.0 INTERNAL PCI-EX CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS - do I need this if the motherboard already has USB 3.0?

Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£109)

Total: £1661 inc vat & delivery.

.. does that sound like a sensible sort of machine for my needs? You can click the link above to configure the quote, incase anyone has any better suggestions? Many thanks in advance!

tudor_apmadoc · March 12, 2013

I would recommend the I7-3930. It has 6 cores, 12 threads. The nvidia GEforce GTX 670 is way faster. Video and photo

editing programs will use the processing power of the GPU

For the ssd look at the iops rating of your Intel drive you list, then look at the OCZ Vertex 4

For a monitor, check out one of the Eizo monitors with the built in calibration

tonybynum · March 12, 2013

Add Bluetooth and wifi. . .

tonybynum · March 12, 2013

Add Bluetooth and wifi. . .

tonybynum · March 12, 2013

Add Bluetooth and wifi. . .

tonybynum · March 12, 2013

Add Bluetooth and wifi. . .

walter_degroot · March 12, 2013

what about something to back up the 16tb of data.

if you plan on a RAID controller. what happens if one drive fails.,

will all drives be purchased at the same time all the same lot

and same age.

what about extra cooling fans

will you have a UPS and a good surge suppressor.

what about off site storage of critical data.,

what about protection against theft or vandalism.

what protection against fire flood or natural disaster.

If young children are present, what safeguard against random " finger poking"

Possibly I could think of ten more.

fxt1 · March 12, 2013

Hi Walter, yes - I'm definitely doing that. This is a separate system. This is just a new editing PC, not a storage solution.

I'm going to buy an external NAS server for that.. and also going to keep the current HDDs (which although the same make - were purchased separately at different times, so not all the same batch/age) as extra backup in the current machine. I just need to be able to stick them in there and copy a lot of the photos to new HDDs initially.. then I shall have 3 backups! I do have a good surge protector.. and critical data is hosted on my web server..

Any feedback on the componants listed above?

MichaelChang · March 12, 2013

Some issues I see with a loaded system like that are noise, heat dissipation, and dust accumulation. These parameters are related and I'd probably consider adding some memory coolers, make sure there are enough large diameter fans and consider CPU/GPU liquid cooling.

It's sometimes difficult to optimize these parameters compared to name-brand prebuilt systems where these issues are carefully considered; things like cooling tunnels and fans strategically located to optimize thermal gradients across the entire interior of the case, but it's doable.

tom_mann1 · March 13, 2013

You might want to also get suggestions & a quote from http://www.pugetsystems.com/ . They are very good & support their customers. re Michael's comment, Puget is especially good when it comes to thermal management, sound dampening, etc. They even take mid-IR thermal images of your system after it is built to ensure there are no thermal problems.

WRT the configuration you stated, others have already made some good comments, but you should also consider adding a 2nd SSD for things like your Photoshop swap file. I know one shouldn't do a lot of write cycles to an SSD, but it really speeds things up, and if some memory locations on it eventually fail, serious impact is essentially zero, and the bad sites can easily be mapped out.

For your 2nd HD, you might want to consider a hybrid with at least 20 Gig of SS memory. I'm guessing that this will be primarily used for temporary storage of files you are working on, so, unless one of your PS files exceed 20 Gig, the data will buffer very quickly.

As suggested above, you should also seriously consider your backup options. At minimum, I would use a bit of the 4T to house a local image of c:, the OS drive. Backup to an internal drive will be very quick and you won't hesitate to back up the OS, pgms, etc. every time you come to a new stable configuration. That way, if you run into a problem with your OS, you can blow in a perfect working version in the blink of an eye.

Obviously, this does not remove the need for off-site backups, but it will cover the more common problems that don't require off-site backups.

HTH,

Tom M

Wouter Willemse · March 13, 2013

Since I'm about to order a bunch of new parts myself, I've recently looked around a lot... I think there are quite some points where you can save decent money without loosing performance.

The Asus motherboard is a 'gamer' motherboard with loads of extras that you really have to wonder about whether you need them. There are much cheaper motherboards which will do just as fine (Gigabyte, MSI, Asus) for a whole lot less money. Indeed you do not need an additional USB 3 card, there are already USB3 ports on any motherboard with Intel 7-series chipsets (Z77 chipset is your best bet).

The Powersupply is way overrated. You need ~600W for this system (=i7-3770K CPU-based), even with that many HDDs (they do not consume all that much power). Something like a 700W or 850W PSU will give you more than enough headroom, and ensure the PSU runs far more efficient too.

The memory - DDR3-2400 isn't going to give you a lot more performance than DD3-1600, while costing a lot more. For my new PC (to be ordered these weeks), I go with 32GB of DDR3-1600 Corsair XMS3. These modules have a good reputation for compatibility, and are fair priced. Note that 32GB is the maximum this CPU supports, so no upgrade path left.

Video and photo editing programs will use the processing power of the GPU

</blockquote>

Very limited so, and it surely doesn't need (or favour!) a high-end GPU to do that (especially for Photoshop there are no clear benchmarks showing off the advantage). So I would never get a large and more noisy GTX670 just for this. In fact, if you do not do any gaming, I would completely skip the dedicated graphics card. The intel-integrated graphics can do video-transcoding really well, really fast - plus they offer 3 outputs directly on the mainboard (DVI and HDMI are standard present).

I'd stick with the Core i7-3770K, simply because the other Core i7 models are socket 2011 which ramps up the price very very considerable. In terms of performance per pound, I don't think that's a great deal. If I'd be spending that level of money, I'd look at dual Xeon E5 instead (really costly, but insanely powerful).

For the SSD, I'd have a look at the Samsung 840 Pro 256GB. It costs about the same as the Intel, and is even faster. But, Intel SSDs are a safe and sound choice. Tom's idea to add a second one as Photoshop swap-file is a nice idea, but for that I'd take a (much cheaper) 64GB drive.

Do note that to hook up all these hard disks internally, you might really need an additional PCI-Express card with SATA ports. Most mainboard have 6 SATA connectors only. But I'd look for an external exclosure for the older 1TB drives, and hook them up via eSATA or Thunderbolt; in real life both these interfaces are faster than USB3.

waltflanagan · March 13, 2013

The "K" version of the CPU means the multiplier is unlocked which makes it easier to overclock. You can save some money with the normal i7-3770. The 6 core CPUs use socket LGA 2011 and motherboards for that are quite a bit more expensive. Also, the 6 core have no onboard graphics which is good and bad.

The motherboard is mostly flash for gamers. You can save some money. The 2400 speed RAM is also a waste unless you're overclocking. Unless you're playing games the graphics card is overkill. The built in Intel GPU is fine for everything but games. That power supply is only needed if you put 3 of those graphics cards in at the same time and play a demanding video game. You would be fine with a 400W. The board already has USB3, you don't need an extra card.

Buy a SATA dock, this will let you hot plug your external bare drives without having to put them inside your case.

richard_george_herrmann · March 13, 2013

Intel LGA 2011 processor in an LGA 2011 socketed Motherboard. I'd recommend one of the ASUS P9 series boards with the features you need.

Why? Four channel memory access to up to 64GB of RAM.

I have a system ready to go in my Newegg wish list for under $1500 USD.

-Richard

geoffs1 · March 13, 2013

The details of a desktop system I built about a year ago are below.

I also have tons of disks, so I got a 3-bay SATA dock. I have a bunch of permanently mounted disks internally, and then I can choose which of my (many) extra disks I want to have spinning at any given time.

I choose a huge case mostly to make assembly easier. The other reason was the huge number of fans to keep the CPU cool. The Ivy Bridge processors have a high Tj and seem to like to run hotter than I like with the stock cooler (although well under Tj), so I went a bit overkill on cooling...

The LGA 2011 i7-3990 can be a faster processor that the LGA 1155 i7-3770, so you might want to consider Richard's advice on that count. OTOH, the improvement isn't 100% "cut and dried"; there are some tasks the 3770 does faster: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/551?vs=552

Since LR doesn't use any GPU, I stuck with the on-chip GPU in the i7-3770K (another benefit of the "K" is a faster GPU).

<ul>

<li>CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K</li>

<li>Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6</li>

<li>Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced Blue Edition ATX Full Tower</li>

<li>PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V PLUS BRONZE</li>

<li>CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO</li>

<li>Thermal Paste: ARCTIC COOLING Arctic Cooling MX-4</li>

<li>Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)</li>

<li>Disk: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"</li>

<li>External SATA Bays: KingWin Multi-Bay Internal Rack with 3 Drives (KF-3001-BK)</li>

<li>Monitor: HP ZR24w 24" IPS Monitor</li>

<li>OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit</li>

</ul>

abbas_haider · March 13, 2013

I have built a AMD bulldozer 3.6 GHz 8 cores and

Asus motherboard and it work great. I

have read so many bad reviews in the net

but when I used it it was very good at

that price

I think these reviews are more likely

advertising issue and not performance

Stock-Photos · March 17, 2013

RAID 0 drives. Super-fast read write times. Back-up is more important with RAID 0. RAID 0 makes a big difference when I when I open 100, 15MB tif files at once in Photoshop at my slide scanning business.

dave404 · March 17, 2013

I will build this in the next few days - assuming work, kids will let me. I have all the parts. I will reuse the cooler, power supply and the chassis from what I am working on now. I will put in 3, 2-Tera drives plus the SSD with the external NAS backup. The ASROCK MB should rip. My current system is ready for dissolution. Windows 7 I prefer to 8. Do pcpartpicker if you are custom building.

<tbody>

<tr>

<td><a href="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637i73770k">Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core</a></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td >CPU Cooler</td>

<td><a href="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/arctic-cooling-cpu-cooler-freezer7prorev2">Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 45.0 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing</a></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td >Motherboard</td>

<td><a href="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z77extreme4">ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155</a></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td >Memory</td>

<td><a href="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f314900cl10d16gbxl">G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866</a></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td >Storage</td>

<td><a href="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st2000dm001">Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM</a></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td><a href="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7td250kw">Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" SSD</a></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td >Video Card</td>

<td><a href="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn65toc1gi">Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB</a></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td><a href="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-case-twelvehundred">Antec Twelve Hundred ATX Full Tower</a></td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

john_reynolds10 · March 18, 2013

Actually video editing does use the video card extensively and the more GB the better and make sure it is GDDR5 rather than GDDR3 which knocks out all the GT cards - go with GTX. Also, Corsair Obsidian series are big roomy cases.

steven_clark · March 28, 2013

Here's my tweaks:

$60 - Corsair Carbide 200r case (if you can find it, otherwise $10 more after rebate for 300r)

$45 - Corsair Builder CX-430 (a well reviewed power supply with enough capacity, instead of a big power supply)

$240 - Samsung 840pro SSD 256GB (I'd choose an OCZ Vector myself but Samsung's less controversial, what I would NOT choose is anyone who uses Sandforce with the current stock firmwares that tend to have broken TRIM support, so Intel or OCZ Vertex 4 only if using Sandforce)

$180 - Intel Core i5 3350p (most of the performance of the i7 3770 chips, unless you're doing scientific sim or 3d rendering, no integrated graphics, $100 less, The Sandy Bridge E 6+ core chips tend to NOT outperform the Ivy Bridge chips in Photoshop)

$130 - ASUS HD7770-DC-1GD5-V2 Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB (this is the cheapest AMD 7770 card I could find on Newegg with 2 DVI ports for better monitor compatibility, also AMD is chosen for potentially better OpenCL compute performance in Photoshop)

$250 - 4 x 8GB Crucial Ballistix memory 1.35v 8-8-8-24 (a little premium for better memory timings and lower voltage for more reliability/overclocking headroom, but not overclocked to start with)

$125 - MSI Z77A-GD55 motherboard (I usually go with PC Perspective's leaderboard for MB recommendations, there's also a $240 model if you want extras like Thunderbolt)

$140 - 3TB WD Caviar Green (good sweet spot for size-price, we have the SSD for performance, if you want more build a NAS so the files can be available on other systems)

$50 - Blu-ray DVD-burner combo drive (You're not producing video so there's probably little or no reason to write a Blu-ray, but someone may want you to read one someday)

$100 - Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium (no reason to get more unless you need to connect to big corporate networks, or want a dvd decoder built-in)

Total from Newegg: about $1330

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