# Computer Build for Photoshop, Lightroom and Illustrator



## ricardovix (May 9, 2016)

Hello guys!

I'm creating this topic because I need your help to choose a new computer to my girlfriend.

She works with image editing (clothes prints and patterns) and the programs she use are Photoshop, Lightroom and Illustrator.

I don't understand anything about these programs, so I don't know what computer she should buy.

What I have in mind is:

Processor: i5 4440 or similar;
Motherboard: Something cheap, because it won't make any difference;
Memory: 8GB or 16GB 1600Mhz;
HD: 1TB ou 2TB (seagate or western digital);
SSD: 250GB (don't know which model yet, but I'm a fan of Samsung SSDs);
Graphic card: Necessary? I don't know if these programs use graphic card. If yes, which model?
Power Supply: Depends of the graphic card
Mouse: Which one? Cheap and with good precision
Monitor: Dell P2416D

I'll really appreciate any help!

Thanks!


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## micropage7 (May 9, 2016)

16gb ram and 64 bit OS dont forget
graphic card? yes 
just take mid range card


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## pigulici (May 9, 2016)

Cpu+ram are the most important for that(more=better), look at my pc, I work half a day in Photoshop, also, a graphic card can help a lot, I zoom and panning a lot, and use the 980m for that, it helps a lot, but it is better with a more powerful cpu and ram and no graphic card vs less powerful cpu and ram and graphic card...and I let the Ps to have the swap on ssd, it help too...as mouse, I have a mediocre one, most of time I use a Wacom tablet...as monitor, go with one that have at least IPS panel...


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## silentbogo (May 9, 2016)

When it comes to photoshop:

1) Photoshop scales badly when it comes to multiprocessing (very badly past 4 threads). A decent quad-core CPU, or the latest 2c/4t will get the job done.

2) Almost all effects and filters work on CPU, so GPU is not really a big deal
Here's a list of features, accelerated by GPU in Photoshop (Intel HD530 is also supported)
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/photoshop-cc-gpu-card-faq.html

3) RAM is getting cheaper every day, so might as well get her a 2x8GB set.

This is what I have in mind:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QGRVdC

i3-6100T will be a little slower than i5-4460 in photoshop, but it only has less than half of max TDP (35W vs 84W). Bitfenix Prodigy can be replaced with any girly case of her choice. You may even go with PicoPSU and some very tiny ITX case to make this build even lighter and smaller.

Furthermore, you can drop HDD and small SSD from my list, and invest into a 1TB Mushkin Reactor. Those are getting cheap too ($/GB).


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## jaggerwild (May 9, 2016)

Don't know photo shop n all them, but EVGA always has good price's on power supplies and the warranty is good.


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## n-ster (May 10, 2016)

I wouldn't cheap out on the CPU, why not go i5 6400/6500/6600 ? Might as well go 16GB DDR4 RAM. Don't think you need GPU, depends on her specific needs though. PSU-wise, 400W should do, don't go over 650W, as that is already overkill even with a GPU. EVGA 450B/500B or G2 650W are nice depending on how cheap you can get them and your budget.


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## peche (May 10, 2016)

how much money do you have?
Is there anything already done like an older computer so you could reuse parts?
Where are you from ? to see shops and stores....
is just a complete case? no monitor or peripherals to be added? 



Regards,


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## little cat (May 10, 2016)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

*CPU:* Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
*Motherboard:* ASRock B150M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 
*Memory:* Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($37.99 @ Newegg) 
*Storage:* OCZ TRION 150 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
*Case:* Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
*Power Supply:* EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($27.99 @ NCIX US) 
*Total:* $429.94
_Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-09 19:43 EDT-0400_


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## terroralpha (May 10, 2016)

for illustrator, the more RAM the better. 16GB is the minimum you should go with. especially if you are creating CADs with IA or opening files that were originally created on a Mac. and in your GF's field this WILL happen.

I work for a company that designs and manufactures women's swimwear and activewear. we are having serious problems with illustrator CC 2015 at work on our Windows computers. when a file is created in IA on a Mac then opened on our Windows computers (Dell Precision T3610s with six core Xeons, 16GB of ECC RAM and 10K RPM HDDs) the computers come to as complete stop for like 15 minutes. sometimes the files wont open at all! Illustrator starts eating up all the RAM and when it runs out it just crashes. it's a known issue and Adobe simply doesn't give a flying f**k.

GPU is a must. preferably AMD R9 if you can't shell out cash for a fire pro. on nvidia's side, anything short of a 980 Ti doesn't help at all! nvidia gutted their maxwell cards of general computing power and now they are mostly useless for anything other than gaming. and i'm not even being an AMD fanboy here. i have two gaming computers in different homes and both running 980 Tis

photoshop and photoshop lightroom require very little processing power. your main concern is illustrator.


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## SliceT (May 13, 2016)

This might be a good option:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XcRMf7
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XcRMf7/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: ASRock Z170M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($101.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($56.00 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.98 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($44.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($27.99 @ NCIX US) 
Total: $522.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-12 21:07 EDT-0400

Plenty of memory plus good storage options.


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