# Photoshop Rig Build advice



## bonehead123 (Mar 30, 2019)

Hello all,

I will be building a rig for a customer who wants it primarily for Window 10pro & photoshop work (semi-pro), and would like opinions on the current state of the software, in terms of multi-core/thread capabilities, memory/scratch disk usage, and graphics needs for the best performance overall, so I put his money to best use when buying the hardware components.  *I am not looking for specific hardware recommendations, but rather opinions on what PS will need to work most efficiently without going overboard.*

At this point he has stated he will want to keep the rig for 2-4 years, but has not given me a specific budget, so I will have to put together 2 or 3 lists of parts at various price points to see how much he wants to spend vs. what he will be getting for his money, while also factoring in my fee for the work into the final price too....

Although I am an accomplished rig builder, it has been a long time since I last used photoshop and am not up on it's current state of affairs so to speak. And yes, I have prime accounts at da 'Zon & da 'egg and a few other places, and know how to use pcpartspicker.com 

All input appreciated !


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## Bill_Bright (Mar 30, 2019)

bonehead123 said:


> I am not looking for specific hardware recommendations, but rather opinions on what PS will need to work most efficiently without going overboard.


Did you check with Photoshop?

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements/tech-specs.html

If you want more specifics, you need to specify the budget.


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## cucker tarlson (Mar 30, 2019)

https://pclab.pl/art79001-21.html
https://tpucdn.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i5_9600K/images/photoshop.png

9600k or 9700k budget depending
gigabyte's z390 gaming x/sli/aorus elite budget depending
ram-the more ,the better
nvme ssd,look at ex920 or sx8200 pro,cheaper alternatives to 970 evo,perform the same


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## oxrufiioxo (Mar 30, 2019)

This may help. 

Benchmarks from actual people who build systems for this purpose.

https://www.pugetsystems.com/recomm...obe-Photoshop-CC-139/Hardware-Recommendations

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Photoshop-CC-2019-CPU-Roundup-Intel-vs-AMD-vs-Mac-1295/


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## bonehead123 (Mar 30, 2019)

Bill_Bright said:


> Did you check with Photoshop?
> 
> https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements/tech-specs.html
> 
> If you want more specifics, you need to specify the budget.



Yes, that was my first step, but as I said "*I am not looking for specific hardware recommendations, but rather opinions on what PS will need to work most efficiently without going overboard.*

In other words, I would like user feedback from anyone using the current version of PS, what works, what doesn't and why etc


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## Bill_Bright (Mar 30, 2019)

The Photoshop website does not recommend specific hardware. It clearly is very general.


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## Abaidor (Mar 30, 2019)

oxrufiioxo said:


> This may help.
> 
> Benchmarks from actual people who build systems for this purpose.
> 
> ...



I'll second that..

I am using both Photoshop & Illustrator professionally along with other Adobe Creative Cloud applications and I have to say that Single Core performance is very important too. Hence the benchmark results from Puget Systems. 

Recently, I delidded my 7940X and went with direct die cooling so it is now running @ 4.8GHz all cores. I can say that there is a big difference in Adobe apps vs stock but then again there is a big difference in everything. 

In your case I would go the 9900K route (or 9700K for lower budget) + 32 or even 64GB RAM depending on the files your client is using and the amount of multitasking. 32Gb should be enough unless you open multiple files at once in several applications. I rarely exceed 32GB RAM usage and that is with A LOT of appliations open + a virtual machince.


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## bonehead123 (Mar 30, 2019)

cucker tarlson said:


> https://pclab.pl/art79001-21.html
> https://tpucdn.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i5_9600K/images/photoshop.png
> 
> 9600k or 9700k budget depending
> ...






oxrufiioxo said:


> This may help.
> 
> Benchmarks from actual people who build systems for this purpose.
> 
> ...



Thanks to both of you, this is they type of info I need


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## pigulici (Mar 30, 2019)

I work in Ps(2/3 of my income are from there) and as tech at an pc shop, from my personal view, Ps like: single core more than multi core, so a high intel i7/i9 will do(at least 4 core, I have i7 8700), second , a lot of ram, I have 32gb(I had 16gb before, not enough for me), then fast and large storage(going from ssd to nvme, I felt, samsung 1Tb 970 pro), and a good vga(are a some parts of Ps that are hardware accelerated, the zoom it is most used), after I tested amd and nvidia, I got a nvidia gtx1080(although amd tend to be faster in opencl, they driver give me BSOD from time to time, so better a little slower but no bsod), the rest are a big UPS(cyberpower)+big case+big cpu cooler+mechanical keyboard(if you use a lot Ps, you will use key shortcuts, most of 20$ keyboards die after 6 months of work)+IPS monitor(dell, factory calibrated)+tablet(wacom)...


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## cucker tarlson (Mar 30, 2019)

pigulici said:


> I work in Ps(2/3 of my income are from there) and as tech at an pc shop, from my personal view, Ps like: single core more than multi core, so a high intel i7/i9 will do(at least 4 core, I have i7 8700), second , a lot of ram, I have 32gb(I had 16gb before, not enough for me), then fast and large storage(going from ssd to nvme, I felt, samsung 1Tb 970 pro), and a good vga(are a some parts of Ps that are hardware accelerated, the zoom it is most used), after I tested amd and nvidia, I got a nvidia gtx1080(although amd tend to be faster in opencl, they driver give me BSOD from time to time, so better a little slower but no bsod), the rest are a big UPS(cyberpower)+big case+big cpu cooler+mechanical keyboard(if you use a lot Ps, you will use key shortcuts, most of 20$ keyboards die after 6 months of work)+IPS monitor(dell, factory calibrated)+tablet(wacom)...


that is what I found in the benchmarks on various sites. a 4 core intel is pretty much as good as a 6/8 core ryzen,although I'd advise against getting an i3 these days as a rule.

9600k would be best recommendation but only if the customer knows his way around oc.if not,get a 2600X,no point in buying a locked i5,all the advantage that 9600K will have comes from core speed it seems so 2600x will be as fast as a locked 4GHz i5 but with extra threads and on more upgradable platform.Ryzens usually take a little hit on nvme speeds though,especially on smaller size files


Spoiler















if he gets intel,he might as well look into finding an optane stick if he can get a reasonable price and putting the software there.


when it comes to gpu,it seems like getting somehting better than intel's uhd can be very beneficial,but then the difference between 580 and 1080Ti is rather small.
therefore getting a rx570/580 or,if he can spend some more,a 1660/Ti would be perfect.


performance oriented option:
9600K OC
z370
32GB DDR4
optane+nvme
1660Ti


value oriented option
2600X
B450
32GB DDR4
nvme
RX570


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## notb (Mar 30, 2019)

bonehead123 said:


> *I am not looking for specific hardware recommendations, but rather opinions on what PS will need to work most efficiently without going overboard.*


CPU:
4-6 cores, ideally with high clocks or large boost. Nothing beats 9900K at the moment, but 9600 is awfully close.

RAM:
16GB+, unless the files are huge.

GPU (if you fancy some acceleration):
Photoshop 2019 shows very little gain above 1070 / 1660Ti, so that's the sweet spot.
Mind you: the boost is quite small (Intel IGP does this quite well too) and GPUs are expensive, so this is not the best way to spend money...

Storage:
If you can afford it, keep the files you edit on an SSD. I work with ~30MB RAWs and the difference between HDD and SSD is clearly noticeable. If this PC is going to edit big projects (500MB etc), HDDs will be irritating.

But you know... the only thing core parts give you is performance. And simple fact is: unless you're doing batch processing of hundreds of photos and you're on schedule, this extra performance doesn't mean much.
Spending money on better monitors and more comfortable peripherals will always make more sense for a Photoshop user. 

From personal experience: the hardware that had the biggest impact on my photo editing comfort... was a very fast SD card reader.


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## Wavetrex (Mar 30, 2019)

Almost any computer can run Photoshop, especially if not doing very hardcore professional work.

Still, for optimum performance, these are basically the ingredients:
- SSD, especially if working with smart layers
- LOTS of RAM, as PS can swallow quite a lot of memory.

I recommend minimum 32 GB of RAM even for learning Photoshop. 64 ideal.
CPU doesn't matter, as for GPU, PS can use CUDA, but it's very low demanding so even a GTX 1030 will do.

Reference: I use it every day for my work

---
As some stated above, getting a HIGH QUALITY MONITOR is preferable to any investments in horsepower.
QHD IPS with at least 1000:1 contrast and true 8bit is minimum.


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## notb (Mar 30, 2019)

Wavetrex said:


> Almost any computer can run Photoshop, especially if not doing very hardcore professional work.
> [cut]
> - LOTS of RAM, as PS can swallow quite a lot of memory.


Photoshop is very flexible and ubiquitous - hardware needs will vary from user to user. OP hasn't really specified what workflow we're talking about.

For someone doing graphics design, it could be very RAM-hungry.
For photo editing that doesn't involve combining multiple files in any way (panoramas, focus stacking etc), few GB of RAM will be enough.

Performance issue is simpler. Since this is a creative software for static graphics, any modern CPU will be faster than the person using it. 
The only concern is batch processing.


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## bonehead123 (Mar 31, 2019)

Thanks to everyone for the info.  I have now confirmed what I already suspected as far as the hardware is concerned, and it seems that not much has changed with PS's from back in the day when my ex-wife used verson 4 & 5....ie big, fast drives, gobs of ram, a reasonably fast 4-8 core CPU and a recent mid-level GPU...

So therefore I will propose the following:

a.  9600k or 9900k with appropriate upper-range mobo (I will o.c. for him)
b.  Gtx 1070ti
c.   32-64gb ram
d.  2x 1 or 2TB nvme + 1 or 2x 8TB 7200rpm hdds
e.  2x - 32" Pro grade monitors.
f.  thunderbolt/usb3 card reader 
g. other peripherals to his personal preferences

Did I miss anything ?


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## pigulici (Mar 31, 2019)

IPS monitor


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## Wavetrex (Mar 31, 2019)

bonehead123 said:


> (expensive stuff)
> Did I miss anything ?


Way overkill imho. But if money is no concern, heck, why not...

What I would go with:
- Ryzen 5 2400G
- 32GB DDR4-3000 CL16 (no use for CL14 for work, only gaming benefits a bit)
- No GPU for now (can buy one later after he really starts to get money out of working on this machine)
(ALT: Ryzen 5 2600 with GTX 1060 6GB - they are very cheap now, for 2x DisplayPort to connect two 4K monitors at once, if really needed)
- 512GB NVME drive (Sammy 970 Evo or Pro or the new Corsair MP510) - No need for more, finished work can be stored on the HDD's. You only need a bit of space for the active scratch-space.
- an X370 or X470 board with DisplayPort output
- USB 3 card readers are dirt cheap these days, literally dirt cheap, got one from Amazon last month for just 8 Euro. It transfers at over 90 MB/s from a SDXC card.
- Basic 450W "80+ Bronze" PSU. This system will barely consume 150W under max load, or the ALT version with GTX 1060 will go no more than 250W in Photoshop during heavy processing. This isn't a gaming workload !!
- Case: Fractal Design Define R6 with Glass, because it's awesome (And can also hold 6 HDDs and convert to watercooling if he's tired of Photoshop and wants to go gaming)

*Important:*
- GOOD f*kin *mouse* ! Otherwise graphics work is a pain. I recommend reading reviews on best precision "gaming" mice out there.
If the mouse is good for aiming headshots in CS:GO, it should be good for Photoshop.


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## micropage7 (Mar 31, 2019)

Wavetrex said:


> If the mouse is good for aiming headshots in CS:GO, it should be good for Photoshop


yeah, the only reason i use gaming mouse is the sensor, i use photoshop often and jaggy sensor is pretty annoying


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## oxrufiioxo (Mar 31, 2019)

I'd probably go with a 9700k.... The 120$ you save over a 9900k can go into something else and the performance difference for PS is relatively Small. It also seems much easier to cool. 

The 9600k seems like it's about on par with a 2700X given that you get 8 cores and 16 threads with the AMD CPU I would probably choose it if you can find it around 280-300$ for a slightly more budget option.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 31, 2019)

These monitors imo
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Ultrasharp-UP3216Q-Monitor-3840/dp/B016IBVKNU?tag=makeawebsitehub-20

%99.5 Adobe RGB, %100 Rec. 709 and sRGB, %87 DCI-P3


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## bonehead123 (Mar 31, 2019)

pigulici said:


> IPS monitor



Thanks, I got that covered re:  *"2x 32" Pro grade Monitors"*



Wavetrex said:


> Way overkill imho. But if money is no concern, heck, why not...
> 
> What I would go with:
> - Ryzen 5 2400G
> ...



Agreed on most of this, but the client has stated the following:

A)  Wants Intel cpu only. 
B)  He will do some gaming, so wants a discrete GPU, of which a 1060 may suffice.  I have a spare one he can start out with & save the cash now, and then get something better later on if he wants to....
C)  Ram - already discussed - will start with 32 & can add 16/32 later if needed (mobo will have 4 slots)
D)  Wants mega drive space from Day 1, with no need to buy more any time soon... 
E)   I already sold him one of my previous cases & an almost-new 650w PSU for a good price 
F)   He already has a hi-precision mouse & other peripherals and will use them to start with.



oxrufiioxo said:


> I'd probably go with a 9700k.... The 120$ you save over a 9900k can go into something else and the performance difference for PS is relatively Small. It also seems much easier to cool.



Agreed, I will spend the saved cash on the cooling system, which I left out of my initial list, silly me 

Thanks to everyone for your inputs, I will begin ordering some things next week, so hopefully in a few weeks, the rig will be ready for prime time


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## notb (Mar 31, 2019)

bonehead123 said:


> b.  Gtx 1070ti


Definitely get an RTX, because Adobe is working on algorithms that utilize tensor cores. At this point it's hard to say which Adobe software will benefit (there's clearly more demand in the video branch), but at least your client won't be cut off.
2060 is cheaper than 1070Ti.



oxrufiioxo said:


> The 9600k seems like it's about on par with a 2700X given that you get 8 cores and 16 threads with the AMD CPU I would probably choose it if you can find it around 280-300$ for a slightly more budget option.


In Photoshop there's hardly any gain from more than 4-6 threads and most graphics algorithms are inherently sequential (single-threaded). It's almost a miracle Adobe managed to utilize so many threads anyway...

It's definitely better to go for Intel's high single-core performance.


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## Bill_Bright (Mar 31, 2019)

bonehead123 said:


> Did I miss anything ?


Don't dink with the page file settings - let Windows manage it. Make sure there is plenty of free disk space on the drive. If a hard drive, don't dink with the "Optimize Disk" settings. Let Windows manage it as it will automatically defrag the drive, if necessary.


bonehead123 said:


> A) Wants Intel cpu only.


And nothing wrong with that. Both brands make excellent and very capable processors.


bonehead123 said:


> He will do some gaming, so wants a discrete GPU


And that's fine too but remind him that the best gaming rigs do not make the best graphics editing and design "workstations". And the best graphics editing and design workstations do not make the best gaming rigs.

That's why there are great graphics cards optimized for "gaming", and there are great graphics cards design for "workstation" graphics design and editing. They clearly are not the same. You can haul gravel around in your Maybach S 560 and you can carry people around in a F-550, but that does not mean they are optimized for the job they are doing. A luxury SUV can do both well, but with compromises all around.

Manage expectations.


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## Wavetrex (Mar 31, 2019)

Ah, I get it... this isn't a rig purposed for work, it's basically a gaming PC that can also do a bit of graphics work...
... which is basically every PC out there.

Gaming is MUCH more demanding today than any semi-professional work.

Nice title though...


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## notb (Mar 31, 2019)

Wavetrex said:


> Ah, I get it... this isn't a rig purposed for work, it's basically a gaming PC that can also do a bit of graphics work...
> ... which is basically every PC out there.


I don't understand this argument.
What exactly is wrong with the PC he's envisioned? What would make it become "purposed for work"? 

It was obvious from the start this PC is meant to be used for something outside of Photoshop. Otherwise OP's client would simply buy a laptop, which would be a MUCH more sensible choice.


> Gaming is MUCH more demanding today than any semi-professional work.


I'm not sure if you actually know how computers are used professionally. Not true either way.


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## Wavetrex (Mar 31, 2019)

notb said:


> I'm not sure if you actually know how computers are used professionally. Not true either way.


Yeah, I don't know anything.
I just use my gaming PC for 8-10 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, to earn a living. Obviously I know nothing about professional work on a PC.

Anyway, I'm done here.
Take care.


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## Bill_Bright (Mar 31, 2019)

notb said:


> What exactly is wrong with the PC he's envisioned? What would make it become "purposed for work"?


Nothing is wrong with it. In fact, it is a very nice system.

But no computer is (or can be) optimized to be ideally suited for every computing task. The tasks are just too varied. Can you play games on a file server? Sure. But will you get the best game play? No. Can a gaming machine be used as a file server? Sure. But will it be the optimal server? No.

The OP stated the intended purpose is for Photoshop work. Can a gaming rig do Photoshop work? Sure. But it is important to understand a gaming rig may not be the optimal "tool" for the job.

As a consultant and when asked similar questions, I recommend users have two computers. One optimized for work and one optimized for play. Of course, budgets don't always allow for two computers optimized for specific tasks. And in those cases, compromises must be made. As long as the client/OP are aware of those before spending their money, no problems.


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## SoNic67 (Mar 31, 2019)

I am amazed of the number of gamers that recommend gaming cards for professional work.
Nobody talked about 10 color, 10 bit monitors... things that a Quadro card does better inside PS than a GTX card. As far as I know, GTX cards have 10 bit only in DirectX applications, OpenGL is still 8 bit.
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/system-requirements.html
Quadro P2000, mandatory with DP connection, is all he needs for pro work in PS. Plus a 10 bit monitor that can handle advanced color profiles. Ah, and turn off Aero if you are still in Windows 7.

If he games on his production PC... then that's not a professional, it's just a amateur. You don't expose your bread maker to issues that can derive from gaming. You don't waste storage space on games. Heck, you don't even have time to waste on gaming anymore, time is money for a pro. Personally, after being 8-10 hours a day in front of a computer screen, I feel like I want to relax differently.

https://photographylife.com/what-is-30-bit-photography-workflow


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## Bill_Bright (Mar 31, 2019)

SoNic67 said:


> I am amazed of the number of gamers that recommend gaming cards for professional work.


I know . And sadly, many folks (gamers and others) are not even aware there are such things as "workstation" graphics cards - that are optimized for graphics design and editing, CAD/CAE work. An old client of mine is a professional architect of commercial buildings and luxury custom homes. He claims spending $5000+ on a workstation card was well worth it. A bit out of my budget, however!


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## SoNic67 (Mar 31, 2019)

Yeah, no need for super expensive Quadro cards if only doing PS. But they are a must. I have tested Quadro VS GTX on other pro level software and... there is no comparation. Is this due to drivers being gimped? Probably... but it is what it is.

Adobe tested Quadro P2000 with PS, so that's why I recommended it (link it's in the above post).


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## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 31, 2019)

Anyone spending that much money on a work rig for PS, would probably have a separate machine for games.


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## Bill_Bright (Mar 31, 2019)

You would hope, but that is not an assumption I would ever make!

That is especially true if self-employed and/or the work machine budget comes out of one's own pockets. I know when I first started up my own consulting and repair business, I had very little left to spend even for my own personal/family necessities for the first few months until I picked up enough clients and contracts to make me feel comfortable enough to know I didn't make the biggest financial mistake of my life!


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## SoNic67 (Apr 1, 2019)

I had tried to save money by using a GTX in a Revit PC, when I upgraded from AutoCAD, instead of Quadro.
Big performance penalty, and Revit is supposedly DirectX! Back to Quadro...

I don't know if it was because certified drivers or because they are "colluding" but the reality is that gaming cards don't do well generally in pro rigs.


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## Bill_Bright (Apr 1, 2019)

Don't force me to get out my tin-foil hat!  I am sure there is no colluding going on. The only time that serves any purpose is when consumers have no choice but to buy from those doing the colluding. And that is not the case as consumers have plenty of options from other sources.


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## SoNic67 (Apr 2, 2019)

Bill_Bright said:


> And that is not the case as consumers have plenty of options from other sources.


Exactly. Two sources are not "plenty", especially when the other source plays the same game.


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## Gersonh (Apr 3, 2019)

In my opinion is z390 gaming x/sli/aorus elite budget depending, ram-the more ,the better nvme ssd,look at ex920 or sx8200 pro


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