PC for Photo and video editing for 45k

spm

Journeyman
Guys here goes the questionnaire for the my system.
1. What is the purpose of the computer? What all applications and games are you going to run? (Be exact. Which games? Which applications? Avoid the word 'et cetera.' Vague answers like 'gaming' or 'office work' will not work.)
Ans: Image editing (photoshop, lightroom, luminar), online trading, web browsing (25-50 tabs on an average in chrome), have started Video editing nothing too complex right now but most probably will become a regular workflow within a year(if everything goes as planned), Software used for the same are Davinci Resolve, Filmora & Shotcut

2. What is your overall budget? If you can extend a bit for a more balanced configuration, then please mention.
Ans: 45k. Can extend upto 50k for a balanced system of better upgrade path

3. Planning to overclock?
Ans: No

4. Which Operating System are you planning to use?
Ans: Windows 10

5. How much hard drive / solid-state drive space is needed?
Ans: Already have a Samsung 860 Evo 256 GB which will be used as system drive and in total 3 HDDs for data.

6. Do you want to buy a monitor? If yes, please mention the screen size and resolution you prefer. If you already have a monitor and want to reuse it, then do mention the screen size and resolution of the monitor you have.
Ans: No monitor required. Will be using a 2 monitor setup with 1366x768 (I know its very low) each for now. Will upgrade to a better colour accurate monitor as and when required. (thinking of 1080p monitor right now, may go for 2k or 4k if budget permits at the time)

7. Which components you DON'T want to buy? i.e. which components you already have and plan on reusing?
Ans: Have a wired Keyboard and a wireless mouse, and as stated earlier have the SSD and HDDs. UPS wont be necessary as I have invertor

8. When are you planning to buy the system?
Ans: within 2 weeks if possible. Don't know about the parts availability right now

9. Have you ever built a desktop before? Or, will this be done by an assembler?
Ans: Have built desktops before as long time ago. Will be building it myself.

10. Where do you live? Are you buying locally? Are you open to buying stuff from online shops if you don't get locally?
Ans: Kerala. Open to buy online or any credible source as stock is pretty scarce right now

11. Anything else which you would like to say?
Ans: If it worthwhile to wait for the AMD renoir 4000 desktop APUs ?
Is this a credible store. TheITWares - One Stop for ALL Gizmos . Few parts are in stock in there. Have checked the other 4 major sites (mdcomputers, theitdepot, primeabgb & vedantcomputers) mentioned by you guys.
If going with an APU or a low powered graphics card I would like to upgrade the graphics card to enable better performance in video editing(please Advise on this bit). So would like to accommodate that in the PSU power rating now itself.
Have now liking of RBG. Form always follows functionality. If RGB is present not problem as far as It can be turned off or unplugged
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
ryzen 3600--17500
all good value for money mobo out of stock, best B450 value for money mobo is asrock b450 pro 4 for ~8k & used by many members here also with no issues.
Buy Online HyperX FURY 16GB (1x 16GB) 3200MHz DDR4 RAM HX432C16FB3/16 - in India --5800
Corsair CX550 psu--5k
I don't know which graphics card will work better with editing software you mentioned but stock availability is low & prices are high so better buy a used graphics card like RX580/1060 from techenclave forum classifies/bazaar section for ~9-10k.
 
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spm

Journeyman
Thank you. As per the suggestion from previous thread I was also looking for Asrock B450 Pro4. But they are either out of stock or for 13k.

*www.theitwares.com/asrock-fatal1ty...a-6gb-s-usb-3-1-hdmi-atx-amd-motherboard.html
Found this. How is the MBD and what about the store.
Also Asrock B450 Steel legend is available for 10k. Is that a Good option.
Is it a good option to go for 1650 graphics card for 12k
 

ico

Super Moderator
Staff member
Ans: If it worthwhile to wait for the AMD renoir 4000 desktop APUs ?
Is this a credible store. TheITWares - One Stop for ALL Gizmos . Few parts are in stock in there. Have checked the other 4 major sites (mdcomputers, theitdepot, primeabgb & vedantcomputers) mentioned by you guys.
AMD APUs for system builders will take more time to release. Right now they are only available for pre-built PCs.

Yes, TheITWares is reliable. I bought some stuff from them 8 years ago.
 
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spm

Journeyman
*www.theitwares.com/motherboards/am...o-atx-motherboard.html?sort=p.price&order=ASC

*www.theitwares.com/motherboards/am...x-amd-motherboard.html?sort=p.price&order=ASC

*www.theitwares.com/motherboards/am...x-amd-motherboard.html?sort=p.price&order=ASC

*www.theitwares.com/motherboards/am...x-amd-motherboard.html?sort=p.price&order=ASC

These seem to be the only options within 10k for the motherboard. But utterly confused. Please help. Any other good choices are more than welcome
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
I haven't heard much about theitwares in recent times so don't know how good their current service is but it will be my least preferred option after the known usual online sites.
*www.theitwares.com/motherboards/am...x-amd-motherboard.html?sort=p.price&order=ASC

You can check amd mobo vrm tier list here:
*linustechtips.com/main/topic/1137619-motherboard-vrm-tier-list-v2-currently-amd-only/
 
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spm

Journeyman
I haven't heard much about theitwares in recent times so don't know how good their current service is but it will be my least preferred option after the known usual online sites.
*www.theitwares.com/motherboards/am...x-amd-motherboard.html?sort=p.price&order=ASC

You can check amd mobo vrm tier list here:
*linustechtips.com/main/topic/1137619-motherboard-vrm-tier-list-v2-currently-amd-only/

Tier C in the linustechtips MBD tier list
MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon, Tomahawk (& Max), Gaming Plus ATX (& Max), B450-A Pro (& Max) (ATX), Mortar (& Max), Gaming Plus mATX, Bazooka Plus, Gaming Plus ITX

Tier D in the linustechtips MBD tier list
ASUS B450 TUF Pro (mATX and ATX), B450-E, B450-I,
Asrock B450 Pro4 (mATX and ATX), Pro4-F, K4, M/AC, Steel Legend, ITX,
MSI B450 Pro-VDH (& Max & V2), Bazooka (& V2)
Gigabyte B450 Aorus Elite (mATX), Gaming

So I guess all these MBDs will perform similarly in the VRM department. So should go for the one with required features and lowest price from these. Am I correct. Please correct me if I am wrong. Asrock Pro4 fits the bill but is not available. K4 and M/AC wifi are available for similar price. Feature wise I think the K4 is similar to Pro4. None of the other ones seems available. Please shae links if any other ones are available from reputable sites.
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
So I guess all these MBDs will perform similarly in the VRM department. So should go for the one with required features and lowest price from these. Am I correct. Please correct me if I am wrong. Asrock Pro4 fits the bill but is not available. K4 and M/AC wifi are available for similar price. Feature wise I think the K4 is similar to Pro4. None of the other ones seems available. Please shae links if any other ones are available from reputable sites.
Personally I rate asrock B450 Pro 4 a bit higher than steel legend because I have read many good reviews about it & it is the most suggested B450 mobo here. At least 3-4 members bought this mobo based on recommendations here & posted a small review afterwards saying they were happy with it(processor was ryzen 3600) so I know for a fact that this mobo performs well with ryzen. B450M Pro 4 is very similar to B450 Pro 4 so their performance should also be almost same. You can go with either of them based on your preference. Their availability though currently seems to be limited to only this theitware site. This is really the worst time to assemble a pc or buy a mobile.
 
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spm

Journeyman
*www.theitwares.com/motherboards/am...x-amd-motherboard.html?sort=p.price&order=ASC

Is it same as the Asrock B450M Pro4. The name they have given in the title seems little confusing. This thing has wifi. So I assumed this was Asrock B450 M/AC Wifi.

I know The B450 Pro4 is the most recommended Board here and for that reason its my first preference. I am currently using a loaner laptop from my friend for work and have no other system with me. So maybe the max I can extend the purchase 2 weeks. thats the maximum I can do. If the Pro4 comes back in stock I will go for that otherwise I would need a plan B. I think there is no chance of the supply issue becoming worse than this. Dont know for sure. I guess nobody does.
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
Is it same as the Asrock B450M Pro4. The name they have given in the title seems little confusing. This thing has wifi. So I assumed this was Asrock B450 M/AC Wifi.
It is basically B450M pro 4 with extra wifi module from what I got from some online comments on reddit & pics also look almost same.

Nothing to lose by waiting for 2 more weeks then.
 
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spm

Journeyman
Will look into that board. I need wifi but was thinking of getting a cheap usb adapter as the internet plan I have is for 50Mbit/sec. So a 802.11n usb adapter should be enough.

Anyways will wait a little for stocks to arrive.

For the rest of the system, I was thinking CPU: Ryzen 5 3600 (another option is Ryzen 2700. Which is good for my purpose)

CPU cooler: will stock cooler be enough. Please advise

RAM: 16 GB of 3200MHz ( dual channel is possible) ( should I increase this now or keep for later upgradation)

Case: MSI MAG Forge 100M (suggestions are welcome)

PSU: ANTEC NE650 or Corsair CX550 ( please help me choose)
 
Try wired connection, if possible, otherwise, a USB dongle from TP-Link or D-Link should be good.

Stock cooler of R5 3600 isn't that great, but is generally considered just sufficient with a good case. So try it. If your area is hot one in terms of ambient temps, then maybe idle temps will be bit high as well. Generally, temps in Kerala are fine, not as bad as say Chennai. Say ambient temp + 25C is ok-ish for idle temps.

Dual-channel has some performance advantage over single channel, but if you buy 1x16GB now, you can go up to 64GB without trying to sell off any old RAM. IF you feel you might get into serious video editing, maybe you will require 64GB. I am not very sure though. If you can buy another 16GB stick after 6-12months, maybe get 16GB now & add another later. 32GB is generally recommended for creator's PC build.

Get Corsair CX550, good choice & usually easily available.
 
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spm

Journeyman
Wired connection wont be possible. so will go for USB dongle.

I think will stick with the Stock CPU cooler for now and monitor the temps. and If and when required will upgrade the CPU cooler.

I think I will stick with 16 GB Single slot for now. and add 16 GB after 6-12 months. As there is a possibility that the Video editing gig will take off.

CX550 seems good. Will 550W become a limiting factor for future upgrades?

For the GPU side am looking for 2nd hand market deals locally and in Techenclave forums. Will update if I find any good deal. Should I stick with Nvidia as I have heard that it has better support for video editing than AMD.
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
CX550 seems good. Will 550W become a limiting factor for future upgrades?

For the GPU side am looking for 2nd hand market deals locally and in Techenclave forums. Will update if I find any good deal. Should I stick with Nvidia as I have heard that it has better support for video editing than AMD.
550W is enough for a processor like 3600/3700x with a high end graphics card like RTX2070. You only need 650W psu if planning on doing some serious overclocking in future but that in itself require a good mobo+good cooling solution besides a good capacity psu.

I am not familiar with pros & cons of video editing using amd/nvidia but nvidia cuda cores are in use for a long time now & nvidia cards are definitely much more power efficient than similar amd cards.
 
Wired connection wont be possible. so will go for USB dongle.

I think will stick with the Stock CPU cooler for now and monitor the temps. and If and when required will upgrade the CPU cooler.

I think I will stick with 16 GB Single slot for now. and add 16 GB after 6-12 months. As there is a possibility that the Video editing gig will take off.

CX550 seems good. Will 550W become a limiting factor for future upgrades?

For the GPU side am looking for 2nd hand market deals locally and in Techenclave forums. Will update if I find any good deal. Should I stick with Nvidia as I have heard that it has better support for video editing than AMD.
Good choices on cooler & RAM. CM Hyper 212 Black is a good relatively budget cooler.

As said by whitestar, 550W is sufficient. In future if you go for something like 8+ core CPU with pretty high-end GPU (like RTX 2070+ level), then get a 650W gold PSU at that time.

Used GTX 1060 will be a good used GPU for cheap, maybe 6-7k. There's something called NVENC which helps with video editing some way, not much idea. Maybe that's why people say Nvidia is better. Research on it :
Nvidia NVENC - Wikipedia
 
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spm

Journeyman
Was reading up quite a bit about the Nvidia and AMD GPU support for video editing. The AMD side has the openCL technology for GPU acceleration and VCE for video encoding and decoding. Nvidia has Cuda cores for GPU aceleration and NVENC for Encoding/decoding. Then there is the Intel Quicksync which is one of the best encoding/decoding implementation considering the speed and power efficiency. The thing is all these are highly software dependent. So if the software does support the implementation then it goes back to using general purpose CPU cores for all these computations. Even though OpenCL is almost universally supported in both Nvidia and AMD platforms and supported by almost all softwares, its not as efficient as the CUDA implementation for GPU acceleration. So for GPU accelerated tasks CUDA is far better than OpenCL and for Encoding/Decoding Quicksync is better than NVENC which is still better than VCE in terms of software support and implementation. Now the GPU accelerated tasks include filters, effects, stabilizing, AI based tools and so on.
Of course to further complicate things there are multiple versions of all these technologies in different version of the hardware with different capabilities and software support. What I said earlier is an overview of what understood from my reading.

This is a nutshell of the the rabbit hole I went into today and I guess I will go with Nvidia graphics card.

Please correct me if am wrong
 
Was reading up quite a bit about the Nvidia and AMD GPU support for video editing. The AMD side has the openCL technology for GPU acceleration and VCE for video encoding and decoding. Nvidia has Cuda cores for GPU aceleration and NVENC for Encoding/decoding. Then there is the Intel Quicksync which is one of the best encoding/decoding implementation considering the speed and power efficiency. The thing is all these are highly software dependent. So if the software does support the implementation then it goes back to using general purpose CPU cores for all these computations. Even though OpenCL is almost universally supported in both Nvidia and AMD platforms and supported by almost all softwares, its not as efficient as the CUDA implementation for GPU acceleration. So for GPU accelerated tasks CUDA is far better than OpenCL and for Encoding/Decoding Quicksync is better than NVENC which is still better than VCE in terms of software support and implementation. Now the GPU accelerated tasks include filters, effects, stabilizing, AI based tools and so on.
Of course to further complicate things there are multiple versions of all these technologies in different version of the hardware with different capabilities and software support. What I said earlier is an overview of what understood from my reading.

This is a nutshell of the the rabbit hole I went into today and I guess I will go with Nvidia graphics card.

Please correct me if am wrong
I have heard of Quicksync & NVENC, but that's it. I'm just a gamer with interest in PCs. Go further down the rabbit hole :p
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
I am also not a gamer but used to use intel quicksync decoder for hardware accelerated decoding of some high bit rate h264 videos but later bought nvidia 1050Ti so used its cuda decoder instead as it is more powerful & compared to my old processor(intel G620) my graphics card always has spare capacity available. Intel & Nvidia definitely have better software/driver support as far as decoding/video processing is concerned. :)
 
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spm

Journeyman
I was trying to arrange another PC or Laptop for my work for the time being but was not able to do that. So I need a system asap and with the imminent release of AMD 4000 series and the next gen GPUs coming next month or so, and all these supply issues I thought I would get a base system where I can upgrade the CPU or GPU as per which one of this is bottlenecking my workflow. And by that time the next gen parts will release and I might get better deals for current gen parts too.

So I thought I would go with the following configuration now. The CPU ryzen 5 3600 and the GPU has been swapped out and replaced with Ryzen 2400G. I have kept all other components including the case and PSU same as per the recommendations. I think this will allow me to directly upgrade to a renoir APU (after release of AMD 4000 series) or a better GPU once next gen parts are available. So here goes the base config.

CPU - AMD R5 2400 - 10.9k

Mobo - Asrock B450 Pro4 - 8.6k

RAM - G.Skill RipjawsV F4-3200MHz 16GB DDR4 - 6k

GPU - integrated

PSU - Corsair CX550 - 4.6k

Cabinet - MSI MAG Forge 100M - 4.6k

Wifi adapter - TP-Link TL-WN823N - 0.6k

SSD - Samsung 860 Evo 250 GB - already own this

HDD - Western Digital BLACK SERIES 750 GB 7200RPM - already own this


Total - 35.3k

Please suggest any changes to this if needed. I know this is not the best system for me right now. but I guess this will serve as a base system for up gradation. I wanted to make sure that I can straight away swap the CPU or add a GPU to this without changing the any other components (say PSU or cabinet or MBD).
 
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