Photo editing PC build: $600 budget?

Greetings, everyone,

As the title suggests, I am looking for some assistance in putting together a build within a budget of $1333.

This is actually for a friend of mine who has just started getting into photography. Essentially, she’ll be using it for photo editing—and potentially video work down the road—alongside standard tasks like web browsing, watching movies, and listening to music...
I don't believe playing any "hardcore" games is a priority for her 🙂.

So, am I mistaken if I assume she doesn't need a dedicated graphics card?

A monitor isn't strictly necessary right now; I plan to hand over my old Samsung SyncMaster 1440*900 to her. It would be ideal to include an HD monitor, though I'm unsure if we can fit that into the budget without compromising the rest of the specs. If not, she mentioned she's willing to hold off on the monitor and pick one up later once she starts earning some money from her work. 🙂

Unfortunately, the purchase has to be made exclusively at Best Buy in San Diego using credit card installments.

The ANTEC VSK-3000E mATX case... solid choice...
120.0 GB OCZ Vertex 450 SSD, recertified, comes with a 6-month warranty...
Power supply at 460W, LC POWER Silent Giant GREEN POWER LC6460GP3...
Intel Core i5 4460 box, socket 1150...
Toshiba DT01ACA050 hard drive, 500.0 GB...
RAM upgrade available... PC-12800, 8 GB, Kingston 1600MHz. Fast performance!
The BIOSTAR B85MG motherboard features an Intel B85 chipset... It’s a compact mATX design with an LGA 1150 socket...
The LG GH24NSB0 DVD±RW drive... solid 24x speed. It gets the job done...

Total amount... $1345(-$10 Case sale happening now...
Links...

dustyskipper77, thanks—so you're saying it’s not really worth dropping that much cash on a better monitor?
To be honest, I’m not even sure what would be a smart move here. Maybe an SSD? I know from my own experience how much of a difference an SSD makes for speed, but then again, a new monitor actually improves the visual experience 🙂

It looks like we found the right way to pay at futur.
If I’m reading their website correctly, they allow online payments via American Express with up to 6 installments. I wonder if their selection or pricing is any better than what you'd find at Best Buy?

Kimberly Richardson2 said:dustyskipper77, thanks—so you're saying it’s not really worth dropping that much cash on a better monitor?
To be honest, I’m not even sure what would be a smart move here. Maybe an SSD? I know from my own experience how much of a difference an SSD makes for speed, but then again, a new monitor actually improves the visual experience 🙂

It looks like we found the right way to pay at futur.
If I’m reading their website correctly, they allow online payments via American Express with up to 6 installments. I wonder if their selection or pricing is any better than what you'd find at Best Buy?

Yeah, cheaper and better selection:

1 x AOC LCD 21,5 Wide , 6ms, 16:9, IPS
1 x Patriot Signature DDR3 1600Mhz, 4GB, CL11
1 x Toshiba DT01ACA050 500GB 3.5"
1 x LG GH24NSB0 24x SATA black bulk
1 x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+, active, 12 cm
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 soc 1150
1 x MS PHOENIX case without PSU
1 x Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H,1150,iB85,D3,S3,U3,DVI,mA
Total: $1351
futur

Here’s what’s available at futur:

1 x Intel Core i5-4460 soc 1150 1 x MS PHOENIX
2 x Patriot Signature DDR3 1600Mhz, 4GB, CL11
1 x Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H,1150,iB85,D3,S3,U3,DVI,mA
1 x Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB 3.5"
1 x Intel SSD 520 (120GB, 2.5in SATA 6Gb/s, 25nm, MLC)
1 x LG GH24NSB0 SATA black bulk
1 x MS PHOENIX case without PSU
1 x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+, active, 12 cm

Total: $1316

You get a full terabyte drive instead of just 500 GB, plus a better motherboard, all for the same price. $17 🙂

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Yeah, cheaper and better selection:

1 x AOC LCD 21,5 Wide , 6ms, 16:9, IPS
1 x Patriot Signature DDR3 1600Mhz, 4GB, CL11
1 x Toshiba DT01ACA050 500GB 3.5"
1 x LG GH24NSB0 24x SATA black bulk
1 x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+, active, 12 cm
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 soc 1150
1 x MS PHOENIX case without PSU
1 x Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H,1150,iB85,D3,S3,U3,DVI,mA
Total: $1351
futur

Yeah, if you skip the SSD and make a few compromises, you can squeeze in a monitor too. Honestly, I think this route makes way more sense for you—if she’s going to be doing photography, having a decent monitor is going to be huge. Obviously, 🙂 just grab an SSD later once you've saved up enough cash.

You both set her up with a budget build, yet she's already hunting for graphics cards 😉

Kimberly Richardson2

Intel Core i5 4460 box
ASRock H81M HDS
KINGSTON 8GB 1600 MHZ
Intel SSD 520 120 GB SATA 3
Toshiba DT01ACA050 3,5 500 GB SATA 3
LG GH24NS95 SATA
FORTRON HEXA+ 400W 80+ ACTIVE
MS PHOENIX MIDI ATX

= $1345 for the GPU.

She should definitely just grab a dedicated card once she saves up a little cash—something like an AMD R7 250 DDR5 or a GTX 740 DDR5. And tell her to hang tight on the monitor situation; once she's got maybe $100-$$400 ready, she can pick up a decent Dell, AOC, LG, or Samsung with an IPS/PLS panel.

graniteharbor85 said:You both set her up with a budget build, yet she's already hunting for graphics cards 😉

Kimberly Richardson2

Intel Core i5 4460 box
ASRock H81M HDS
KINGSTON 8GB 1600 MHZ
Intel SSD 520 120 GB SATA 3
Toshiba DT01ACA050 3,5 500 GB SATA 3
LG GH24NS95 SATA
FORTRON HEXA+ 400W 80+ ACTIVE
MS PHOENIX MIDI ATX

= $1345 for the GPU.

She should definitely just grab a dedicated card once she saves up a little cash—something like an AMD R7 250 DDR5 or a GTX 740 DDR5. And tell her to hang tight on the monitor situation; once she's got maybe $100-$$400 ready, she can pick up a decent Dell, AOC, LG, or Samsung with an IPS/PLS panel.

Maybe you could have grabbed an MSI board with at least a DVI port, since that would work with integrated graphics 😬

This one just has VGA...

My bad, I totally misremembered it having HDMI just like the MSI H81 P33, so I didn't even bother checking—maybe just swap it out for an ASRock H81M HDS, an Asus H81M k, or a Gigabyte H81M S2V instead.

Here we go—featuring a hybrid drive that’s significantly faster than a standard one, plus an IPS monitor...😉

1 x Intel Core i5-4460 soc 1150 1 x MS PHOENIX
1 x MSI H81M-P33,1150
1 x Patriot Signature DDR3 1600Mhz, 4GB
1 x MS PHOENIX case
1 x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+
1 x AOC LCD 21,5 Wide , 6ms, 16:9, IPS
1 x SEAGATE HDD DESKTOP SSHD 3.5" / 1TB

$1329

Well, if graniteharbor85 is telling the truth, those prices are strictly cash-only. 😢

So, it's basically an "either-or" situation—either you get the monitor without the SSD, or vice versa. Honestly, maybe it’s better to skip the monitor entirely; that way, while I'm busy getting used to the setup, I can actually save up some real money for a decent new screen. 🙂

graniteharbor85, what's the deal with waiting on the graphics card?

Look, that GPU boost is basically just icing on the cake—she won't even really feel the need for it until she moves on to something way more demanding, like actual 3D work, which might be a year or two down the road. Plus, integrated graphics don't have their own dedicated RAM; they just siphon off about 512MB to 1GB from the system depending on how you set it up. That can actually drag down performance if she's used to heavy multitasking where having extra RAM is a lifesaver. Personally, I’d say wait on the monitor. It’s much more important to build a solid foundation now so she doesn't run into upgrade headaches later. For her needs, the priority list should be: CPU — RAM — SSD — GPU.

edit: actually, here's a solid used option for a monitor if she wants to grab one now — click.

I, personally, am leaning towards the idea of saving the monitor for a better time down the road. 🙂
Since this is her first PC—the one she’s actually buying for herself—she doesn't really care about the specifics. I suppose she'll eventually notice the difference once she starts hauling Wind from home and the office. 😉

Anyway, I'll walk her through it tomorrow when I see her, and we'll see if she changes her mind.

Thanks, everyone. 👍

Edit: thanks graniteharbor85 for the link, but I could barely convince her to stretch the budget up to $1333; everything else will just have to wait until those six monthly installments are cleared.

Alright, folks—today is the day I finally head out to pick up some components.

Here is what I have settled on so far (note that these prices reflect credit card payments):

$176 -> Intel SSD 520 (120GB, 2.5in SATA 6Gb/s, 25nm, MLC)
$130 -> Toshiba DT01ACA050 500GB 3.5"
$48 -> LG GH24NSB0 SATA black bulk
$107 -> Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+, active, 12 cm
$55 -> MS PHOENIX case without PSU
$129 -> Gigabyte GA-H81M-DS2V,1150,iH81,D3,S3,U3,DVI,mA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total: $1,936.51

I am still missing a processor and some RAM.

The specific CPU you all suggested isn't available at my local Best Buy—does anyone know of a comparable alternative?
Also, the motherboard only has two RAM slots. Is it smarter to go with 2x4GB to take advantage of dual channel, or should I just grab 1x8GB now and potentially add another 8GB stick later?

I guess you could just grab the cheapest i5 with a socket 1150 (so an i5-4***) and one 8GB stick of RAM, just so you aren't totally stuck if you decide to upgrade later.

$176 -> The Intel SSD 520—specifically the 120GB variant, the 2.5-inch SATA 6Gb/s model utilizing that 25nm MLC architecture—is back on my radar. It’s a modest little drive, certainly not anything to write home about if you're looking to build a high-end workstation, but for basic utility? It serves its purpose. Just a standard, reliable component for those who prefer stability over flashy, overpriced specs.
$130 -> Toshiba DT01ACA050 500GB 3.5"
$48 -> LG GH24NSB0 SATA black bulk—just a standard internal drive if you’re still living in the era of physical media. It’s basic, functional, and does exactly what it says on the tin. Honestly, at this stage in my life, I’m mostly just looking for hardware that doesn't make a racket every time it spins up—nothing ruins a quiet evening like a screaming optical drive. If you need to burn a disc or move some old files around, this should get the job done without any unnecessary bells and whistles.
$107 -> The Fortron Hexa+ 400W—an 80 Plus rated unit, active cooling, featuring a 12 cm fan—is essentially the "reliable sedan" of power supplies. It isn't going to win any drag races, nor will it impress anyone looking for high-end enthusiast specs, but it gets the job done without making too much of a fuss. It’s a decent, no-frills option if you just need your system to stay powered up and quiet enough that you don't notice it's there.
$55 -> The MS PHOENIX case—just the chassis, mind you—without the power supply unit.
$129 -> Gigabyte GA-H81M-DS2V—LGA 1150 socket, iH81 chipset, DDR3 support, featuring S3, U3, and DVI options. Just some specs to keep things moving.
$531 -> Intel Core i5 4440—clocked at 3.1 GHz with 6MB of cache, utilizing the LGA 1150 socket. Just the basics, really.
$224 -> Kingston 8GB 1600MHz DDR3L Non-ECC CL11 DIMM 1.35V
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$1401 Grand total.

Well, there goes the budget—blown completely out of proportion. $1333Does this look alright now, or should I consider swapping something out?

Thanks, crimsonstag84—but tell me, is this Gigabyte motherboard actually any better? Given how much I'm already stretching my budget to the limit here at $67 🙂
.

Everything looks good on your end.

Alright, it’s officially ordered from futur.
Thanks for all the help, everyone—really appreciate it! 🙂