I'm in the market for a new PC, and even considering building my own but I don't know if it would be cost effective. I don't post on many forums so I figured this would be the best place to ask for some advice. My main criteria is the ability to run raw image editing programs like Adobe Lightroom or Capture One. I'm not a PC gamer so I don't need a crazy graphics card or some tricked out tower. I'd like to budget around 600 dollars.
PC Part Picker is a good resource with guides and even some pre-configured builds at multiple price points. They have a $606.89 entry gaming build which is thus: CPU: AMD Ryzen5 3600 (3.6Ghz, 6core/12thread) - $157.97 Mobo: MSI B450 Pro-M2 MAX mATX AM4 - $74.99 RAM: Team T-Force Vulcan Z 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200 - $57.99 Storage: TCSunBow 480GB 2.5” SSD - $45.99 GPU: ASrock Radeon RX 570 4GB Phantom - $129.99 Case: Cougar MX330 ATX Mid Tower - $54.99 PSU: Corsair CXM 450Watt, 80+ Bronze semi modular ATX PSU - $78.98 If you can stretch say, another $55 you can throw a 2TB spinning disk in there for storage/games. Now I’m going to throw out there that video editing isn’t a strong point of mine but I’m lead to believe that a good GPU can be a big help in video editing/rendering because the application can offload tasks from the CPU to the GPU. An additional 16GB of ram, to take your total to 32GB may also help.
I'm not looking for a gaming rig, my requirements are pretty basic. I'm only editing 24mp RAW files, not rendering video. Also those prices don't include a Windows 10 license.
You can get a cheaper more basic GPU. Everything else should be fine. You are going to need some good CPU power. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R8WJMW...s=desktop+pc&qid=1596146676&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1
Get a good cpu and lots of ram, something along the lines of a z370 board and i5 anything in the last couple years will do you fine. 32gb of any ram will also do you fine.
Windows 10 home would run you about $140, going off the Windows site itself. Plus, for only $600 + tax and shipping, that computer Gordon linked you to should be more than enough for what you need for what is really quite a good price, and really you'd be better off with that and building it yourself than buying some off-the-shelf unit from a store as you're getting more bang for your buck. My personal tower rig off NewEgg (it too was a parts build though it has one or two additional parts like a more efficient processor fan) is higher end than that stuff, only cost me $1K, and I was more concerned about having the processing power for personal home app development (which didn't pan out but my life took a different direction than I thought I would be going at the time). Plus, you're running imaging software, so more power is a good thing. See, the way to efficiently look at computers is to consider how much processing power a computer needs and how long a computer needs that processing power. Optimally, you would only need a machine to have just enough resources to handle an absolute maximum processing load, and it shouldn't need to use resources any longer than necessary. In your case, you're using image editing software and that shit can bog down your computer even with high-end gaming components. I speak from experience but I've had GIMP slow to a crawl from a massive 130+ layer Adobe Illustrator file I ported in, because the computer was bogged down with having to handle that much at once. Go for the budget build Gordon linked you to and grab Win 10. It might put you a little over budget but at the same time, consider it future proofing because you'll have extra resources and expansion at the ready should things change and you need it, whereupon you can simply build upon your existing tower instead of having to buy new all over again.
System Builder Okay, this is slightly different build. Its an extra $130, but you end up with a better case, a better power supply and better storage AND a Win10 Home installation. I double checked the average size of 24 megapixel raw files; allegedly they trend from between 40MB to 60MB per image. Also before you or anyone else asks me if I've lost my mind about recommending a 5400rpm drive, for sheer dumb storage volume, they aren't a big deal. Anything you work on should be copied over to the NVME drive first, and further to that your OS and editing applications should also be installed on that drive to give you best performance. Also, the need of a dedicated GPU, even a 2GB potato peeler like the GT1030 is so A) you're not sharing your system RAM with an onboard GPU and B) so you can drive a decent display; which if you're working on images I'd expect to at least be running on a 2560x1440 screen. Last but not least, keep a record of what RAM you have bought, because I can guarantee you'll want to upgrade to 32GB so you need the exact same kit again. Mixing and matching RAM is the first exit onto the highway to IT hell. Of course, all of this is also excellent advice and warrants serious consideration.
I appreciate the responses and will take that into consideration. I'm going to do some more research, maybe even look at some cookie cutter PC's too.
At least i5 or better CPU equivalent, 32 GB ram. Dedicated GPU for not having to share the system resources (and you will need at least 2560x1440 to see whatever you're working on) and I don't think you need fancy raytracing so 4GB-6GB should be enough. Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable with only 450Watt power source, but it should be ok. What you need for a graphics workstation is fast motherboard and fast drive too because read/write for image and movie files is going to be an important bottleneck. No matter if it's 2d or 3d.
BAHAHAHAH. Now I can't get the image of fries shooting out the rear fan port of the case... But seriously, the other thing when working with photos is a good monitor, especially if you're doing colour matching.