Rate my build for a professional photographer

Hey everyone. I've been a member for some time, but mostly a lurker. I've come out of my bat cave for some help! I'm a professional wedding and landscape photographer.

What I use my computer for:
1. Photo editing full 21mp RAW files in lightroom and photoshop.
2. often simultaneously running photoshop/lightroom/indesign/dreamwaver/firefox/itunes
3. Heavy editing in photoshop, often 20+ layers (with 25% of those being ACR smart objects), ~file sizes in excess of 2GB.

I don't game anymore unfortunately, but I figure if I want to I *should* be able to just fine.

cpu: Intel i5 2500k overclocked to 4GHz.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
$220

ram: 16GB G.SKILL Ripjaw DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231315
$85

mobo: GIGABYTE GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 LGA 1155
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128495
$115

primary working drive: Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441
$114

gpu: I just received a replacement ATi HD4850 card from VisionTek, as my old one died. AFAIK, this will be more than sufficient for non-gaming applications.
$0

psu: (just purchased last week) OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W Modular
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016&Tpk=OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W
$0

case (this is important to me since clients see it): LIAN LI Silver Aluminum PC-V353A
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112340
$160

monitor: Dell UltraSharp U2711 27-inch
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-UltraSharp-U2711-27-inch-Widescreen/dp/B0039648BO
will not include this in price

TOTAL: $693
Budget: Looking for VALUE, so if that means I spend ~$1,000 then no problem.

other notes:
A. I will use the SSD drive for my OS, programs, and as a temp area for editing photos and psd files. otherwise everything else is all on large 2TB HDD's via eSATA.
B. I use USB 3.0 external drives (the case i selected has USB 3.0 and eSATA which is a big plus for me)
C. already have a sata DVD drive
D. I own win7 64bit.
E. I am based in the US.

QUESTIONS:
1. Should I consider more ram (24gb or 32gb) OR faster ram (DDR3 1866 or 2133). I realize going triple channel will force me to change some components, which is totally fine if it's worth it.

2. Will I *need* a special heatsink for an average overclock to 4ghz? My case does *not* come with any fans. my goal is a very QUIET pc.

3. have to ask.. go with the 2600K?

4. Should I wait another 6 months for Ive Bridge?

5. I know nothing about SSD's. so please point me to whichever one is the fastest that is reliable (if one exists). i'm thinking 64GB is fine for starters. I can always add another one.


thanks SO much for ANY help!! I feel like a kid in a candy store since I haven't built a pc in 3 years. Upgrading from a q6600 and 4gb of ram.

I wouldn't be surprised if you needed more vram on the video card for photo editing. But, I don't have any experience and that may work.

1. No, you do not need more or faster RAM.
2. Yes, get the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ heatsink, it's the cheapest HSF for good performance (don't pay more than $25).

3. NO. 2600k is not worth it.
4. Are you willing to put up with your old machine for another 6 months?
5. Crucial M4 is best choice. Get the 128GB, it'll be worth it.

Thanks J Macker!

I'll look into the heatsink.

I could wait another 6months, yeah. If there is something worth waiting for... which I'm not privy to. Fill me in!

Also are you recommending the 128GB SSD because of increased capacity, or speed?

I'm also really surprised 16GB will be enough.. may I ask why I see people here purchasing 24gb and 32gb? What kind of work consistently utilizes that much ram?

Ivy Bridge will supposedly have a 20% performance increase over current Intel Sandy Bridge CPUs. Up to you if the wait is worth that performance increase.

I'd recommend the Crucial M4 128GB for both speed and size reasons.

Case wise, I recommend taking a look at these other cases:
$100 - Lian Li PC-A04A Silver mATX Case
$130 - Lian Li PC-V354A Silver mATX Case

Also, is it too late to return that PSU? I ask because it's a so-so PSU that's not entirely 100% trustworthy for your planned setup. With that said, if it's too late to return, then that PSU should work but just don't OC past 4Ghz or add a higher end video card.

Oh and people are getting 24GB to 32GB of RAM for a number of reasons:
- Extensive use of virtual machines
- Really extensive use of Photoshop
- Video editing/rendering
- 3D work

Danny,

I think if I can get $60 off the 2500k and Z68 board tonight at microcenter, i'll get those two parts.

regarding the PSU, I plan on overclocking to 4Ghz, so I'm hoping i'll be ok.

I will be using Photoshop pretty extensively (I do commercial work as well), so perhaps I should look into 32GB of memory considering how cheap it is. What about too much memory?, i heard it can actually slow down your computer. is this true these days?

thanks again!

js09 said:

I will be using Photoshop pretty extensively (I do commercial work as well), so perhaps I should look into 32GB of memory considering how cheap it is.

Click to expand...

Actually going to 32GB of RAM would require you to change platforms entirely and/or would also dramatically increase the cost of the build.

Case in point: If you were to stick with your current planned platform, you would have to use 8GB sticks of RAM, the cheapest of which is $110. So to get 32GB of RAM, you would have to spend $440 on RAM alone or ~5 times the cost of the RAM you're getting now. Then there's the very small possibility of compatibility issues.

If you want to use cheaper RAM, you would have to switch platforms from the LGA 1155 to LGA 2011 which has eight RAM slots. However the cheapest LGA 2011 mobo with 8 RAM slots is ~$310 alone. Not to mention that the cheapest LGA 2011 CPU is $600. So a total cost of $910 for just the mobo and CPU. But 32GB of RAM using 4GB sticks of RAM would only cost $170. However the LGA 2011 motherboards and CPUs are newly released so there may be possible teething issues and such.

js09 said:

What about too much memory?, i heard it can actually slow down your computer. is this true these days?

Click to expand...

Not really true AFAIK.

I would also second the larger SSD. Especially if you plan on running a page file. Initial Win7 install with 16GB ram is going to be in the ballpark of 28-36GB depending. That's initial load, before you install programs and your profile starts adding to it.

twice I have purchased 60ish gb SSD's and both times I regretted it. Don't make that mistake.

picked up a 2500K and the motherboard I listed for $235 BEFORE a $15 rebate last night.

microcenter ftw!

I will also get the larger SSD. Thanks again everyone.

just wanted to bump this and say thank you thank you THANK YOU to those that recommended i get a larger SSD drive. I'm loving my new build and if i would have opted for the smaller 64gb drive i would have screwed myself.

If you don't already have one, consider buying a Spyder3Pro or similar calibration tool to ensure accurate color reproduction.

Jordan1 said:

If you don't already have one, consider buying a Spyder3Pro or similar calibration tool to ensure accurate color reproduction.

Click to expand...

Quoted for emphasis.

And don't bother with the entry-level version of said calibration tool.

If you don't have one already, you should consider saving up for an IPS panel monitor. Monitors using IPS panels generate better, more accurate color reproduction than the TN panels that most consumer monitors use. However, a good (professional quality) IPS monitor can cost upwards of $600. That said, there are (cheaper, albeit lower quality) e-IPS panel monitors that are available for at least $300.