Need advice on new rig

[windforce86]

Hi there,

After going down to SLS and searching on some HWZ, i read recommendations mainly for gaming rigs but not so much on photo editing rigs. So here is my question.

Main uses:
1. Dual monitor 23" surf web/ video streaming
2. Photo editing, Adobe Lightroom (D800E 50mb raw files)
3. Occasional light photoshop

I need:
MOBO + CPU
RAM (dunno 8 or 16)
SSD (some say buy from amazon )
HDD (2/3 TB, depends which is bang for the buck)
PSU
Casing

Rough budget $1000-1500, looking for a rig that will last me 5 years and one that is bang for the buck.

Thank you pros.

 

[royfrosty]

So you have the monitors?

MSI B85M G43 + i5-4570 ~ $347
Gskills Ripjaws 1600mhz 2x4gb kit ~ $110
WD Green 2tb ~ $107
Crucial m500 240gb Amazon Set ~ $165 approx
Zotac GTX760 2gb AMP! + Superflower HX500 500w 80+ Gold ~ $429
Sharkoon BD28 ~ $77
Samsung ODD ~ $21
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM ~ $115

Total ~ $1371 Buy at tradepac. DIY.

 

[MoneyFace =p]

CPU+MB: Intel Core i7-4770 + ASRock B85M Pro4 @ $474
RAM: ADATA Premier DDR3-1600 CL11 8GB X2 @ $170
GPU: PowerColor R9-270 2GB @ $241
SSD: Crucial M500 240GB @ $213
HDD: Western Digital Green 2TB @ $107
ODD: Samsung 24X CD/DVD Writer [OEM] @ $21
PSU: Super Flower Golden Green HX-500 [80 Plus Gold] @ $88
CASE: Sharkoon REX3 Value @ $69
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit [OEM] @ $115

Total: $1498

Buy and Build from Tradepac, #05-18.

 

[windforce86]

Thank you all for the recommendations.

I do have the monitors. Ill probably get a i5 with 16gb ram.

How does the MSI 760 2gb match up to the Zotac? Haven heard much about Zotac before.

 

[royfrosty]

Thank you all for the recommendations.

I do have the monitors. Ill probably get a i5 with 16gb ram.

How does the MSI 760 2gb match up to the Zotac? Haven heard much about Zotac before.

Zotac is a very old reputable graphics card manufacturer. They have been in the market for quite a long time. Despite their disappearance a few years back. They have been taken over by tech dynamic to bring in to sg. Their AMP! Edition cards offer a slightly decent bAse OC out of the box. Their cooler design is one of the smallest design as compared to other brands other than msi gtx760 mini.

Their 5 years warranty offered is pretty quite unique. First 2 years they will swap out for you if it is deemed faulty. After the 2 years it will depends whether they have stocks or not. If they do have stocks they can do an exchange for you. Else they would have to send it back overseas to get it rma for you. With that it will take a long time to replace it.

Msi on the other hand is also another good coy. Their cards are the most dead silent card in market as compared to other brands. Their dual "helicopter" blade designs makes the fans silent, even at max speed it is audible but not as loud as others. Msi twin frozr cards are based on a reference pcb design with new/better components made by them. Giving users a slightly better overclock experience and yet able to keep it cool. Gpu boost is also available if you have an msi mobo to connect with. And they do have preset functions like gaming mode, silent mode and cooling mode.

Msi offers 3 years warranty instead of 5. The price is a bit on the high side. And it is pretty much quite close to buying a r9 280x which is in terms a gtx770 competitor.

 

[windforce86]

Appreciate the detailed explanation. Since lightroom (which i use 90% of the time comapred to PS) doesn't use opencl or cuda, ill probably go with the cost efficient r9-270. Doubt ill need to go for the 280x.

Thanks!

Zotac is a very old reputable graphics card manufacturer. They have been in the market for quite a long time. Despite their disappearance a few years back. They have been taken over by tech dynamic to bring in to sg. Their AMP! Edition cards offer a slightly decent bAse OC out of the box. Their cooler design is one of the smallest design as compared to other brands other than msi gtx760 mini.

Their 5 years warranty offered is pretty quite unique. First 2 years they will swap out for you if it is deemed faulty. After the 2 years it will depends whether they have stocks or not. If they do have stocks they can do an exchange for you. Else they would have to send it back overseas to get it rma for you. With that it will take a long time to replace it.

Msi on the other hand is also another good coy. Their cards are the most dead silent card in market as compared to other brands. Their dual "helicopter" blade designs makes the fans silent, even at max speed it is audible but not as loud as others. Msi twin frozr cards are based on a reference pcb design with new/better components made by them. Giving users a slightly better overclock experience and yet able to keep it cool. Gpu boost is also available if you have an msi mobo to connect with. And they do have preset functions like gaming mode, silent mode and cooling mode.

Msi offers 3 years warranty instead of 5. The price is a bit on the high side. And it is pretty much quite close to buying a r9 280x which is in terms a gtx770 competitor.