New Build! For image processing and more...

[techbob]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
The most demanding thing will be Lightroom 4 and Photoshop.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Under $500

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
USA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU - I've used AMD in the past, will consider INTEL this time around
Motherboard - I don't want to skimp here
GPU - something low end should do since not for gaming.
RAM - 8GB minimum
Will pick up one or new drives for RAID 1 (mechanical not SSD, and this will not come from the $500 budget)
CPU Cooler - maybe liquid cooled but that's a whole 'nother thread!

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
CASE - Antec Solo (ATX)
PSU - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W 80 PLUS Certified
Keyboard, mouse, DVD Drive, etc.

6) Will you be overclocking?
Maybe - open to it

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Lenovo 1680x1050? 23" have to double check

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
In the next month.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
*RAID (will use RAID 1 for OS)
*USB 3.0
*APU - would be nice but AMD not there yet...

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Will buy OEM Win7 64bit.

I'm looking for low power and quiet.

Thanks!

 

[Dangman]

Is the cost of the OS part of that $500 budget?

 

[techbob]

Is the cost of the OS part of that $500 budget?

No, the $500 is for the CPU, MB, graphics card and memory. What I need help with is the CPU, MB and GPU.

 

[Q1DM6]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504 3570k with hd4000 for graphics $250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128545 Gigabyte Z77 UD5H motherboard $190
or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128544 Gigabyte Z77 UD3H for $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233196 Corsair vengeance 8gb ddr3 1600 1.5v $50

if you get the UD3H motherboard and save that $30, I would put it into this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 Hyper 212 Plus heatsink/fan $30

$490(with high end mobo) + whatever shipping.

 

[Dangman]

$313 - Intel Core i5 3450 + Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H Intel Z77 ATX Motheboard Combo
$76 - 2 x G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$60 - Galaxy 43GGS8HX3SPZ GeForce GT 430 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
---
Total: $479 shipped

Notes:
- That combo expires on the 31st of this month
- Liquid isn't the best option if you want something quiet. The all-in-one liquid coolers you see from Antec or Corsair aren't actually that quiet due to the noisy pump they have. The actual water cooling are quiet but costs $300 to $400 minimum. So from a price to performance standpoint, you're better off with an air cooler. The Hyper 212+ is fairly quiet and is well priced.
- Adobe software can take advantage of Nvidia's CUDA tech. As such the inclusion of an Nvidia card should speed up your Adobe applications in some way.

 

[Q1DM6]

Honestly I assumed he would be using CS6, which is more widely accelerated. Guess I should have asked.

 

[techbob]

This is great info - thanks so much!

Are there suggestions for an AMD CPU based system?

 

[Prav]

Are there suggestions for an AMD CPU based system?

8120 CPU and a 970 or 990 based motherboard. AMD would actually be a decent option based on your usage and budget except for the fact that you requested a low power system. AMD CPUs use significantly more power than their Intel counterparts

 

[techbob]

8120 CPU and a 970 or 990 based motherboard. AMD would actually be a decent option based on your usage and budget except for the fact that you requested a low power system. AMD CPUs use significantly more power than their Intel counterparts

This is for a home pc and will be idle most of time.

Idle wattage according to:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/amd-fx-8120-6100-4100_8.html
FX-8120 43w
i5-2500 46.6

So it's a wash for idle power consumption. Everything considered - the Intel processors are looking good overall.

 

[Sowexly]

That idle seems a little high must not be using any power saving features.

I know my 2500k idles at around 10w and same goes for my old 965 BE

 

[Prav]

According to the [H] review BD use more watts at idle at stock speeds but less watts at idle versus Intel when overclocked. All the new CPUs are very efficient at idle. My real issue with AMD is load power usage when overclocked.
AMD Bulldozer / FX-8150 Desktop Performance Review = Power Consumption