New Photo Editing General Use Build

[aujames]

Hello,

I am looking my first new system in about 5 years, any input would be appreciated.

Thanks..

1. What YOUR PC will be used for.
Photo editing, Lightroom and Photoshop. Otherwise just general tasks email web browsing etc...
2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
$700-800
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
US
5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.
Intel
6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Currently have a monitor and a 1TB internal HD
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Running system at default speeds
8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
1920 x 1200
9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
In the next two weeks
10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
No

 

[Ken g6]

OK, here's a build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($215.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: *Patriot Viper 4 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: *Transcend 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.59 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Case: *Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: *XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: *LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $745.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-18 17:21 EST-0500

 

[Burpo]

With keyboard, mouse & Windows 10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...097&cm_re=core_i5_6500-_-83-230-097-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...104&cm_re=core_i5_6500-_-83-230-104-_-Product

 

[aujames]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

One question I have had as I have researched this is how beefy a video card I need. I am not a gamer, but I want to be able to play high-res videos and stuff. Ken, on your suggestion is there a potential to save a little on the video card? I don't want to cheap out, but I don't buy more than I really need.

Burpo, very good suggestions but I wanted to build it out myself, just for my own satisfaction.

 

[lehtv]

The integrated GPU in i5-6500 is fine for video playback - even 4K video should play smoothly. So you can leave the dedicated GPU out. Spend more on the CPU if you want (i7-6700).

I'd suggest a 400W-450W power supply - 650W is grossly overkill for this build. Even so, you'll have room to add a dedicated GPU later. E.g. Seasonic G360.

Not so sure about Transcend SSD's... I'd probably stick with Crucial BX100 or Samsung 850 EVO.

 

[Seba]

I'd suggest a 400W-450W power supply - 650W is grossly overkill for this build

Correct in principle, but that XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold (Seasonic S12G internals) for $45 is a very good choice.

 

[lehtv]

Not only in principle, but also in practice. XFX TS 650 is still unnecessarily overkill. There's maybe a one percent chance he'll ever need those 200-300 extra watts. I'd rather avoid the unnecessarily large number of fixed cables. Also, Seasonic G360 will have much better efficiency at the level of power consumption we're looking at - it's like comparing Gold to Bronze:

XFX TS650 - http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story3&reid=426
82.4% efficiency at 65.4W DC
87.8% efficiency at 131.8W DC

Seasonic G360 - http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story2&reid=313
86.2% efficiency at 74.1W DC
89.4% efficiency at 143.4W DC

Also, EVGA 550GS is a better pick than the XFX TS650 - $50 AR AP @ newegg. While it also has unnecessarily high capacity, it maintains better efficiency than XFX 650W at low loads and it's fully modular, which basically means you can make it any size unit you like up to the full 550W.

EVGA 550GS - http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story3&reid=438
84.2% efficiency at 50.8W DC
89.5% efficiency at 112.6W DC (surprisingly surpasses G360)

 

[Seba]

A modular power supply is a bad thing from my point of view. One more contact that can have higher resistance.

And you suggest a more expensive power supply and of lower quality (look at johnnyguru's performance and build quality scores for both) just so it has lower power?

82% efficiency instead of 84% efficiency at 65 W load means extra 2W wasted. That means 17.5kWh for non-stop running for a year (24/7/365).

 

[lehtv]

A modular power supply is a bad thing from my point of view. One more contact that can have higher resistance.

Can you elaborate, so it doesn't seem like you're just making things up? I've never heard any reviewer or 'expert' say modularity is bad due to "higher resistance".

And you suggest a more expensive power supply and of lower quality (look at johnnyguru's performance and build quality scores for both) just so it has lower power?

Obviously, lower power wasn't the motivation for suggesting GS550 - it was higher efficiency and modular cables. Mostly the modular cables.

82% efficiency instead of 84% efficiency at 65 W load means extra 2W wasted. That means 17.5kWh for non-stop running for a year (24/7/365).

Very true, yet it mostly pays back the unit's higher initial cost over its 5 year warranty period, so it cancels out that 'more expensive' argument.

This means we're left with EVGA's modularity vs. XFX's higher performance - which is the more meaningful benefit? XFX is not modular at all, while EVGA is fully modular - this gives EVGA better ease of use and adaptability to different setups with minimal effort when it comes to hiding and routing cables.

What practical impact does XFX's higher performance have? None - in both units, voltages are well within ATX specification limits and won't have any impact on anything in practice, especially in a rig that isn't aiming at maximum stable overclocks.

Regarding the build quality, that half a point difference between the units was down to mistakes in soldering - JonnyGuru shrugged this off as an "off day" at Seasonic's factory rather than something inherent to the reviewed PSU model, which means that for all we know, it's just as likely you'll find soldering mistakes in any other Seasonic-built unit. There is zero difference in build quality, both are made from high quality components and produced by the same manufacturer.

 

[Seba]

Can you elaborate, so it doesn't seem like you're just making things up? I've never heard any reviewer or 'expert' say modularity is bad due to "higher resistance".

A soldered joint should have lower resistance than a joint which uses a connector with pins. Also, a connector can get dirty, corrode, deform (bent pins), etc.

 

[fralexandr]

I think pc power and cooling used to not make modular psus for those reasons, but they eventually put out some modular psus after a change in ownership.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=263
Quite an interesting read on where it came from.

----------
off topic, but a more realistic potential issue with modular psus is they can be somewhat problematic if the case is small, and limits PSU length.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9757/the-cougar-qbx-mini-itx-case-review/3

Meanwhile even if the PSU is exactly 140 mm long, as recommended, if there are modular cable connectors near the left side of the PSU, they will limit the length of the graphics card.

I remember a few other small cases having similar issues with modular psus.

 

[lehtv]

A soldered joint should have lower resistance than a joint which uses a connector with pins.

Why does this matter? EDIT: checking out the link fralexandr posted, turns out it doesn't matter

Also, a connector can get dirty, corrode, deform (bent pins), etc.

Sure, but you'll have connectors on the other end of the cable anyway, the same "can" happen to them but I've never heard of this being enough of a problem that anyone should care.

 

[Seba]

Even in that link it does not say that it doesn't matter. Only that it very rarely happens (under certain circumstances, according to them).

It is more likely to have problems at the connectors than somewhere along the conductors (wires). I saw melted/burnt power connectors on PC components, but I do not remember to have seen burns along the uninterrupted power wires. The connector at the end of the cable can not be eliminated. The connectors somewhere on the cable can be eliminated (by using non-modular power supplies). I know that in the vast majority of situations the modular cables are not a problem. But since for me the ability to disconnect cables from the power supply is irrelevant (so I do not see any advantage in that), I prefer non-modular power supplies.

 

[lehtv]

Even in that link it does not say that it doesn't matter. Only that it very rarely happens (under certain circumstances, according to them).

Yes, that it doesn't matter was my own assessment based on what the reviewer wrote: "But it's been found that the amount of resistance that a connector introduces is negligible and that failures only occur after an unusually high number of disconnections and reconnections eventually wearing out the connectors." My emphases.

But since for me the ability to disconnect cables from the power supply is irrelevant (so I do not see any advantage in that), I prefer non-modular power supplies.

It's not productive to make recommendations based purely on your own preferences. Others can have different preferences. Granted, you didn't directly recommend a non-modular unit, but you thought your preference was relevant to the recommendation I made. It really isn't - I wasn't recommending a unit to you but to the OP.

 

[Seba]

Rhetoric question:
If my preference for non-modular PS is "not productive", then why it is your apparent preference for modular PS (since you saw that as a plus) "productive"?

Until now at least, OP did not state a preference on this matter.

 

[lehtv]

I've said nothing about my personal preferences. What I've said about modular units is objectively true, which is all anyone should need to make informed decisions for themselves

 

[ddpaulb]

The integrated GPU in i5-6500 is fine for video playback - even 4K video should play smoothly. So you can leave the dedicated GPU out. Spend more on the CPU if you want (i7-6700).

I'd suggest a 400W-450W power supply - 650W is grossly overkill for this build. Even so, you'll have room to add a dedicated GPU later. E.g. Seasonic G360.

Not so sure about Transcend SSD's... I'd probably stick with Crucial BX100 or Samsung 850 EVO.

I've been using a Transcend SSD370 as a system drive for 1.5 years without a single glitch.

 

[lehtv]

I've been using a Transcend SSD370 as a system drive for 1.5 years without a single glitch.

Congrats. What's your point

 

[ddpaulb]

Congrats. What's your point

You said:Not so sure about Transcend SSD's.
I'm just giving reassurance that they are ok.

 

[lehtv]

You said:Not so sure about Transcend SSD's.
I'm just giving reassurance that they are ok.

The user experience of but one individual over mere 1.5 years is not reassuring :\

edit: I should add - I didn't even imply that there might be something wrong with Transcend SSD's. I'm just not sure how good quality they are compared to other SSD's. No amount of user reports of Transcend SSD's working "without a glitch" can possibly convince me that their quality and technology is comparable to, say, Samsung 850 EVO or Crucial BX100. It's just not a question that you can answer with "it works fine".

 

[ddpaulb]

The user experience of but one individual over mere 1.5 years is not reassuring :\

edit: I should add - I didn't even imply that there might be something wrong with Transcend SSD's. I'm just not sure how good quality they are compared to other SSD's. No amount of user reports of Transcend SSD's working "without a glitch" can possibly convince me that their quality and technology is comparable to, say, Samsung 850 EVO or Crucial BX100. It's just not a question that you can answer with "it works fine".

Understood.

 

[Ken g6]

I based my Transcend recommendation on this article. The main thing I'm unsure about is reliability.

 

[ddpaulb]

I based my Transcend recommendation on this article. The main thing I'm unsure about is reliability.

I am hoping mine will be reliable.
I'm not sure if ssd's just die or what happens when they have problems.

 

[aujames]

Hey guys,

I completed my build, as shown below. The power supply was one I had bought previously, everything else is new. I decided to go with an SSD, the the G.Skill memory, but the other items were based on recommendations seen here. System has been up and running for almost a month with no issues.

Just wanted to follow-up and say thanks for all the suggestions.

James

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($159.75 @ OutletPC)
Case: *Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($38.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: *LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $647.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-11 10:27 EST-0500

 

[Conroe]

I have an older version Transcend SSD in my old main rig and I've had no problems for the few years I've had it.

I helped a friend of mine pick out parts for a rig for him and his photographer wife. I thought 16 gb memory would be enough but she can use it all up. You may be better off getting 32 gb.