Recommendations for a new PC build

[Fred Salamon]

Looking for recommendations for a new PC build.

This would be for Photoshop CC and Lightroom Classic, no video or gaming.

I would like to put together a PC that will serve me for many years, my last build was in 2011.

Obviously things have changed quite a bit and I would appreciate any advice.

Does Photoshop still need a separate scratch disk or do the current SSD’s and larger RAM capacity eliminate the need for one?

I am thinking one NVME SSD for the OS and programs and one for data, images etc. Backup and long term file storage to my existing external hard drives.

Any features or options I am overlooking, please feel free to point out. I would also welcome any brand recommendations.

I plan to order all the components and then have a local shop assemble it all and install the OS.
Here is what I am considering so far.

CPU: Intel Core i9-10900K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor

CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler

Motherboard: Asus ProART Z490-CREATOR 10G ATX LGA1200 Motherboard 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory

Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive

Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive

Video Card:  GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB Video Card

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit


Thank you for any and all advice and suggestions.

[geneo]

That list looks good. Only two things I might rethink. Phiotoshop uses OpenCL, and from what I have seen, even weaker AMD graphics cards perform better with OpenCL. The other is the cooler. I would go for a Noctua NH-D15 cooler for that many cores - the processor will run hot. The Noctua  has a better capacity and is quieter. Make sure you get a case that can clear the cooler you choose.

https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15-chromax-black

With HDD, a separate scratch area  was needed because disk head contention would kill the performance. SSD do not have this problem. You may want to get a pro instead of EVO, they can sustain high transfer speeds for a longer time, which can make a difference for large file transfers.

[kers]

I have an older 10 core ( i9 7900x) and i use a watercooling system on the processor. (It is also very quiet)
That is a good idea, for it runs hot. T junction is at 94º .  The i9's with more cores have a lower max temperature so need even better cooling.
Aso maybe it is faster to use 16 GB ram modules for you use more lanes to address them ( 4 x16)
and it will be cheaper, -  that depends on the total amount you expect to use in the future.

[geneo]

Also would not skimp on the power supply unit. A Seasonic prime series would be good around 750W.

[tastar]

How about an HP workstation:

HP Z4 Workstation

- it has an i9-10900X, an NVMe SSD boot drive (only 512GB, but big enough), 16GB 2933MHz RAM (upgradable to 256GB), a Quadro RTX 4000 w/ 8GB of memory, a 1000 watt power supply, room to add an additional SSD or more, and a 3 year warranty.

I would guess that it would be less expensive than building your own and there wouldn't be issues with component compatibility. Our experience is that HP's are very reliable.

Tony

[kers]

How about an HP workstation:

HP Z4 Workstation

- it has an i9-10900X, an NVMe SSD boot drive (only 512GB, but big enough), 16GB 2933MHz RAM (upgradable to 256GB), a Quadro RTX 4000 w/ 8GB of memory, a 1000 watt power supply, room to add an additional SSD or more, and a 3 year warranty.

I would guess that it would be less expensive than building your own and there wouldn't be issues with component compatibility. Our experience is that HP's are very reliable.

Tony

Indeed a not very expensive and capable machine.
You can see Intel needed to slash their multicore CPUprices by 50% to compete with AMD.

[mdelrossi]

Why not a Ryzen processor?

I built one and it was faster than the 9900k that I'm using now. I was making a Hackintosh and couldn't run adobe on it so I switched.

I also suggest the Noctua D15, and Noctua fans nice and quiet

I was running a Powerspec(micro center brand) PS cause it was cheap, didn't have a problem except for the PS fan noise. I upgraded to
a Corsair HX1200 and its silent even when I run Foolding at home at full speed.

[BFD]

Why not a Ryzen processor?

I built one and it was faster than the 9900k that I'm using now. I was making a Hackintosh and couldn't run adobe on it so I switched.

I also suggest the Noctua D15, and Noctua fans nice and quiet

I was running a Powerspec(micro center brand) PS cause it was cheap, didn't have a problem except for the PS fan noise. I upgraded to
a Corsair HX1200 and its silent even when I run Foolding at home at full speed.

I 2nd the Ryzen route: https://nine-volt.com/blogs/news/building-a-mac-pro-killer-for-a-less-than-one-third-of-the-price

[simon.garrett@iee.org]

I also went AMD (Ryzen 3900X) as it appears to beat the i9-10900K for Lightroom work.  See https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Lightroom-Classic-CPU-performance-Intel-Core-10th-Gen-vs-AMD-Ryzen-3rd-Gen-1761/  (May 2020).

It's also 20% cheaper.  And includes a heatsink and fan (another £60/$70 or more).

Puget rate the Intel slightly faster in their Photoshop benchmarks, but that's less important to me. 

[armand]

See also here: https://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=131651.80