$5k Photo Editing Build Recommendations

So I need to build a PC for about $1667 (maybe an extra $50 if I really have to), mainly for photo editing.
Also looking for some advice on which monitor to grab, but that’s not part of this $750 budget.
THX!

Dennis Lopez11 said:So, I need to build a PC. $1667If I really have to stretch it, maybe an extra $30 or so, but only if it’s mainly for photo editing.
Also, I'd want some advice on monitors (what should I pick up?), but that's going to be outside this $800 budget.
Thanks!

One Asrock AB350M PRO4, AM4, mATX.
One 450W 80+ Bronze power supply from EVGA.
One MS Panthera gaming case.
Just one stick of 8GB Crucial DDR4 2400 MT/s CL17.
One 1TB Dell Latitude hard drive.
One 120GB Kingston A400 SSD, 2.5", 7mm. About $35 at Walmart.
One AMD Ryzen 5 1400 AM4, 3.2GHz, boxed CPU.
One Gigabyte GTX 1050 Ti D5, 4GB GDDR5.
Total: $1780

Either go with a weaker GPU and a beefier CPU, or vice versa. It’s like choosing between a heavy engine and a light chassis—you can't have both at full tilt.
One Asrock AB350M PRO4, AM4, mATX.
One 450W 80+ Bronze power supply from EVGA.
One MS Panthera gaming case.
Just one 8GB stick of Crucial DDR4 at 2400 MT/s CL17.
One 1TB Dell Latitude hard drive.
One 120GB Kingston A400 SSD, 2.5", 7mm. It’s about $35 at Walmart.
One AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (6 cores, 12 threads, 3.4 to 3.6GHz boost, 19MB cache, 65W) in the box, including the Wraith Spire 95W cooler.
MSI GeForce GTX 1050 OC. It's got 2GB of GDDR5, a 128-bit bus, and runs at 1404MHz/7008MHz via PCI-E 3.0 x16. Comes with DP, HDMI, and DVI-D. Uses a single Noctua fan Cooler in a double slot design. Sold at Walmart.
Total: $1813

Futura. 😉

This would be an excellent choice for you, provided you aren't specifically hunting for something with a larger footprint, a higher brightness level—perhaps upwards of 300 cd/m²—or a sharper resolution. It comes factory-calibrated with 99% color coverage, boasts solid build quality, and I haven't noticed any screen flickering at all; plus, the ergonomics are great since you can rotate and tilt it however you see fit. If those specific technical requirements aren't dealbreakers for you and the available ports suit your setup, this monitor feels as though it were designed specifically for photo and video editing work. https://www.nabava.net/monitori__90/...-led__21993731

Forgive my ignorance here, but how exactly does a graphics card assist with photo processing?

Wouldn't an Intel integrated unit be more than enough? I know those cores do a fine job with video, but I'm not quite certain about photos.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:1 x Asrock AB350M PRO4, AM4, mATX
1 x Fortron Hexa 85+ 450W, 80+ Bronze
1 x MSI gaming case
1 x DDR4 Crucial 8GB DDR4 2400 MT/s CL17
1 x Dell Latitude 1TB 3.5" Hard Drive
1 x Kingston SSD A400, R500/W320,120GB, 7mm, 2.5"
1 x AMD Ryzen 5 1400 AM4, 3.2Ghz, box cpu
1 x Gigabyte GF GTX1050 Ti D5, 4GB GDDR5
Total: $1780

or just go weaker on the GPU and get a better CPU?
1 x Asrock AB350M PRO4, AM4, mATX
1 x Fortron Hexa 85+ 450W, 80+ Bronze
1 x MSI gaming case
1 x DDR4 Crucial 8GB DDR4 2400 MT/s CL17
1 x Dell Latitude 1TB 3.5" Hard Drive
1 x Kingston SSD A400, R500/W320,120GB, 7mm, 2.5"
1 x AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (6C/12T, 3.4/3.6GHz Boost,19MB,65W,AM4) box, with Wraith Spire 95W cooler
1 x MSI Video Card GeForce GTX 1050 OC GDDR5 2GB/128bit, 1404MHz/7008MHz, PCI-E 3.0 x16, DP, HDMI, DVI-D, single Noctua fan Cooler (Double Slot), Walmart
Total: $1813

future proof 😉

Thanks for the help. Also, how much does the GPU actually matter for photo editing? THX!👍

Dennis Lopez11 said:Thanks for the help. I'm also curious about how much the GPU actually matters for photo editing. THX!👍

The GPU is in there because that Ryzen doesn't have integrated graphics, so you need one regardless. And if there's enough room in the budget for a card that can actually run some games, why wouldn't you? 😁

Robert Rodriguez2 said:I included the GPU because Ryzen doesn't have integrated graphics, so everyone needs a dedicated card. Plus, if the budget allows for a card that can actually handle some gaming, why wouldn't you 😁

Personally, I think a GTX 1030 paired with a larger or faster SSD might serve his specific needs better. It really depends on what kind of photo editing he's doing.

In my estimation, if you're looking at that specific use case, sticking with an i3 or an i5 featuring integrated graphics would be the most logical route. Alternatively, one might consider a newer AM4 A8 from AMD.

An SSD is an absolute necessity to ensure reasonable read speeds for RAW files and general system responsiveness. You'll also want a standard HDD alongside a dedicated external hard drive for backups.

It would also be helpful to specify which programs are being used

Timothy Kim60 said:It would be helpful to know which specific software is being used here.

Most likely Adobe Lightroom or something similar. I doubt he's using anything else; that’s the industry standard, the gold standard.
As a photographer myself, I can't really imagine what else he'd be running.
Maybe some extreme version of PaintShop Pro, but honestly, it's basically just Photoshop at that point.
What matters most to him is how fast those RAW files load if he's shooting RAW. So, he needs a solid CPU, plenty of RAM, a fast SSD, and obviously, a reliable HDD for backups.

Yeah, that GPU shouldn't really be a dealbreaker. As long as they aren't planning on gaming, the GTX 1030 is plenty fine enough.

So, I’ve been reading about some issues people are having with Ryzen—basically AMD chips—when they're running Photoshop, specifically when using brushes. Apparently, Intel handles it a bit smoother.
I haven't used Photoshop heavily since I picked up my R5 1600, but I have noticed a little bit of stuttering when I'm working with brushes. Other than that, this processor has been pretty much perfect for me.

I'm not sure if the newer Intel processors run into the same thing, so I can't really say... If anyone could give me some specifics on this, that would be awesome.

Did you perform a clean install of the OS after switching platforms, or are you just running Windows from your old configuration?

Clean

Give this a shot:

I also ran into some sluggishness issues with the 2018 version. What eventually sorted everything out for me was nuking the AAMUpdater folder and the OOBE folder located in C:\Users\[your username]\AppData\Local\Adobe. You might hit a snag trying to delete the AAMUpdater folder entirely because AAM is active in the background. In my case, I ended up triggering a reinstall of AAM—since it was already there, I just wiped parts of it, and the system offered a repair option, which I took. I can't quite put my finger on why that did the trick, but it worked.

https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2402272

Either way, if there's an actual issue here, it isn't a hardware failure within the processor itself. It’s clearly a software-side problem that should be addressed via a patch or a future update.

I’m looking for something for a similar purpose, so I’ve been browsing different builds. Given how fast tech moves—if I were planning to pull the trigger on a new setup in maybe 4 or 5 years—how would that look? I know it’s a bit of a stretch, but roughly how long can someone actually stay satisfied with their rig before it starts feeling dated? 😁

Look, "satisfied" is a pretty subjective term. One guy might be looking to upgrade in two years, Mark might wait three, while Joseph could easily stick with the same setup for five. 😁

Think about hardware from five years ago that was top-tier back then—maybe an i5 2500K or a Core i7. A lot of people would still be perfectly happy running those today. Ultimately, it all comes down to the individual, the software they run, and how much they want to push their limits.