Best desktop build for photo editing, video production, and graphic design under $1,200?

Hey everyone.

I'm looking for a reliable desktop MK520 (+ monitor + keyboard and mouse + speakers + SD card reader) to handle photo editing, graphic design, and—for now—some amateur video work.

I'd prefer to buy everything from Micro Center, so that’s my main constraint.
A 23'' monitor, a 1 TB drive, an Intel processor, and 16 GB of RAM are pretty much non-negotiable.

My total budget for the whole setup (including the monitor, speakers, mouse, and keyboard) is $2833.

The guys over at Micro Center put together this quote for me:

CPU i5-4570 3.2GHz/1150 Haswell comp
Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3
DDR3 16 GB (2x8GB) Kings
WD 1TB SATA3 64MB EZEX
MSI GTX650 1GB GDDR5 OC
XFX Core edition 80 450W
Thermaltake Spacecraft VF-I
MSI CR-85
ASUS XONAR D-KARA
Monitor DELL U2312HMB 3g. 23in LED IPS
Logitech wireless Combo MK520

Total price: $850.00

Let me know what you think or if you have better ideas. 🙂

1 x Intel Core i7-4770 3.40GHz Processor, Haswell
2 x 8GB DDR3 Kingmax (1x8GB), 1333MHz, non-ECC, CL9.0
1 x Asrock B85 Pro4, s1150, Haswell
1 x WD 1TB HDD, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3, 64 MB, 3.5", 24mj
1 x SILVERSTONE Redline RL04B Midi Tower Case, 1x ATX, 7 slots
1 x Corsair CX Modular Series CX500M Power Supply, 500 Watt, ATX, ATX12
1 x DELL U2312HM 23in wide 1920x1080 IPS panel, black, 8ms
1 x ASUS XONAR D-KARA, karaoke, 8-channel, PCI
1 x Logitech wireless Combo MK520, Advanced 2.4 GHz wireless
1 x MSI CR-85 Card reader, MS-ind, supports CF, MMC, MMC micro slots
1 x MSI GTX650 1024 GDDR5 128 bit, N650-1GD5/OCV1, Core Clock 1071 MHz

$2761

+ maybe this too...
http://www.newegg.com/product-info/details/10841

1 x Nvidia GTX 450 450W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x Intel Core i7-4770 3.40GHz, Haswell
1 x Asrock s1150 B85M Pro4, S 1150, Supports 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7
2 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz, non-ECC, CL9.0
1 x HDD WD 1TB, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3,64 MB, 3,5", 24mj
1 x Spira Maverick 6009, kućište ATX/micro ATX
1 x Genius zvučnici SP-HF500A, 14W RMS, wood
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo,2011,1366/1156/775/AM3/ 626g,13-32dB
1 x DELL U2412M, 24", 1920x1200, IPS, UltraSharp
1 x MSI GTX650 1024 GDDR5 128 bit, N650-1GD5/OCV1, Core Clock 1071 M
1 x Logitech K230 wireless Keyboard, Bežična tipkovnica
1 x Logitech M185 red, bežični RF, USB, optički, 1000 dpi

$2806

1 x Dell P2414H (24", 1920x1080, IPS, Height Adjustable, Pivot
1 x Intel Core i7-4770 3.40GHz, Haswell
1 x Asrock B85M, 1150, Intel ® B85, DDR3, 2 slots, 2 years
1 x Kingston SSD 120GB V300, 2.5" 7mm, SATA 3 6G, 7mm to 9.5mm
2 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingston, HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, CL10
1 x HDD WD 1TB, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3, 64 MB, 3.5", 24mj
1 x Palit GT630 2GB + Torchlight, Nvidia GeForce GT630, PCIe 2.
1 x XFX Core edition 80 450W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x Spira Maverick 6009, ATX/micro ATX case
1 x Samsung SH-224DB sat Bulk Black, SATA
1 x Genius speakers SP-HF500A, 14W RMS, wood
1 x Logitech MK220, Wireless Keyboard (K220) + Mouse (M150)
1 x MSI CR-85 Card reader, MS-ind, Supports CF, MMC, MMC micro slots
1 x ASUS XONAR DG PCI 5.1, 6-channel, Analog Input Jack

$2826

Here is a more budget-friendly option (it definitely leaves room for an SSD)

1 x Intel Core i7-4770 3.40GHz, Haswell
1 x Asrock s1150 B85M Pro4, S 1150, Supports 4th Gen Intel® Core™ i7
2 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingmax, 1333MHz, non-ECC, CL9.0
1 x Spira Maverick 6009, ATX/micro ATX case
1 x WD 1TB HDD, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3, 64 MB, 3.5", 24mo
1 x Kingston SSD 120GB V300, 2.5" 7mm, SATA 3 6G, 7mm to 9.5mm
1 x Samsung SH-224DB sat Bulk Black DVD burner, SATA
1 x CORSAIR 430W PSU, CX Series 80+ Bronze, EPS12V v2.3, 80+
1 x MSI GTX650 1024 GDDR5 128 bit, N650-1GD5/OCV1, Core Clock 1071 M
1 x LG 23EA63V-P, 23", 16:9, 1920x1080, IPS panel, 250 cd/m2
1 x MSI CR-85 Card reader, MS-ind, supports CF, MMC, MMC micro slots

$2570

Feel free to pick out your own keyboard, mouse, and speakers

EDIT - Just realized it wasn't 8, it was 8,500. You could probably grab a Dell monitor with that extra cash instead.

1 x LG 23EA63V-P, 23", 16:9, 1920x1080, IPS panel, 250 cd/m2
1 x Intel Core i7-4770 3.40GHz, Haswell
1 x Gigabyte GA-B85-HD3, Socket : 1150, Intel® B85, 4xDDR3 1333/1600
2 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingston, HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, CL10
1 x HDD WD 1TB, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3,64 MB, 3.5", 24mj
1 x ASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA, DVD-R 24x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD+R 24x
1 x Spire Maverick 6009, ATX/micro ATX case
1 x SILVERSTONE Strider 500W, Essential ST50F-ES AC 90-264V, 47/63Hz
1 x MSI GTX650 1024 GDDR5 128 bit, N650-1GD5/OCV1, Core Clock 1071 M
1 x Genius speakers SP-HF500A, 14W RMS, wood
1 x Logitech Desktop MK120, Keyboard + Mouse, USB
1 x MSI CR-85 Card reader, MS-ind, Supports CF, MMC, MMC micro slots
1 x Thermaltake Contac 21, 775, AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, 1155, 1156
1 x Kingston SSD 120GB V300, 2.5" 7mm, SATA 3 6G, 7mm to 9.5mm

$2827

Hey everyone, back again.

Between work trips and catching a bug, I haven't had much time to actually pull the trigger on this build, but I’m hoping to get things sorted in the next few days.

Looking at the feedback, it seems everyone agrees that skipping the initial offer from Micro Center and going with the Intel Core i7-4770 3.40 is the smarter move. I'm on board with that.

Most of you are also pushing for the Asrock s1150 B85M Pro4 over the Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3. Is there a specific reason for that? Does ASRock just hold up better in the real world?

Regarding the case, the consensus points toward the Spira Maverick 6009 instead of that Thermaltake Spacecraft suggested by Micro Center. From what I can tell, the Maverick is quite a bit cheaper. Are we just trying to save a few bucks, or is the quality actually comparable?

Thanks for all the input.

Honestly, any B85 board in the $50-$$200 range should do fine since you aren't planning on overclocking; there isn't really a noticeable difference in quality.

I see the Spacecraft 600 is listed at over $90, but it only comes with one fan and it's nothing special. These days, Zalman makes some really solid, budget-friendly cases. I'd grab the Z3+ instead of the Maverick (+$33).

http://www.amd.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=14011

If you don't mind me pointing you toward another shop that’s got a way better selection, here’s my full list of recommendations:

i7 4770
SPIRE KEPLER R2.0
ASRock H87 Pro4
Just picked up a pair of Kingmax 8GB sticks—1600 MHz, so that's 16GB total on my hands now.
Kingston V300 120 GB SSD
Just looking at the WD Blue 1TB SATA 3—solid little drive, but definitely nothing crazy. It gets the job done if you just need some extra breathing room for files or a basic storage setup. Nothing flashy, but honestly, sometimes simple is better.
POV: You’re rocking an NVIDIA GTX 650 with 1GB of DDR5.
LG GH24NS95 SATA drive... anyone else messing around with this?
XFX 450W 80+ Bronze
Zalman Z1 ATX cases... man, talk about a blast from the past. I was just looking at some old specs and thinking about how much things have changed. It’s funny how certain hardware just sticks in your head, you know? Still holds up in spirit, even if we've moved way past those builds.

So, I’ve been looking into the AOC 23" Professional IPS lately—it's one of those monitors that just seems to hit that sweet spot if you're trying to balance work and play without breaking the bank. Since it uses an IPS panel, the colors stay pretty accurate even when you're viewing it from an angle, which is huge if you're doing any design stuff or just hate those weird color shifts you get with cheaper screens. It's not exactly a high-end gaming beast, but for everyday tasks and some light media consumption, it feels solid. Just a decent, reliable little setup for a desk.
Logitech MK 270 tips + misc.
Man, those Genius SP HF-500A speakers are absolute legends. Seriously—total classic.
Spire card reader... anyone else messed around with these?

Total: $2848 Everything's set—assembly and delivery included via FedEx.

Honestly, you might be better off just grabbing a hybrid drive instead of messing around with separate SSD and HDD setups—it'd probably be a smarter move. Seagate BarraCuda 1 TB HDD And I'll throw in some extra stuff too. I need a better monitor. I’d go with a more natural aspect ratio and higher resolution, especially given what you're trying to do here. And since you mentioned this is just an amateur setup for now, you don't really need to drop the cash on an SSD—but if you want a little extra kick, a Seagate BarraCuda 1 TB HDD would definitely give you better performance than your standard old-school hard drive.

Looking at that same build, I noticed nobody’s actually suggested an aftermarket cooler for the 4770 yet—and man, that thing runs hot as hell. Especially for your setup, since you're gonna be pushing it under heavy load constantly, it's definitely worth looking into if you want to keep things stable.

You’re getting a solid monitor here—one that actually comes with decent ergonomic features like tilt, swivel, and pivot—plus it's paired with a modern AH-IPS panel for really high-quality image reproduction (and honestly, that goes for the more expensive option I suggested, too).

So, I went ahead and leveled up your case and peripherals, plus swapped in an Intel H87 Chipset motherboard—it gives you way better specs for basically the same price as those slightly pricier B85 boards. I also made sure the whole setup stays dead quiet—that’s why I picked out this specific CPU cooler, that awesome silent XFX unit (which is actually just a repackaged Seasonic, by the way), and a POV NVIDIA GTX 650 that comes with that super quiet Arctic Cooling Accelero L2 heatsink.

Honestly, if you're planning on adding a second monitor down the road or eventually moving into more demanding 3D work, you might want to start thinking about upgrading to a beefier GPU with at least 2GB of VRAM—but for what you're doing right now? You definitely don't need to rush out and buy one just yet.