Consider if you require a graphics card for your build.
Consider if you require a graphics card for your build.
And if so, how much VRam?
I mainly run solar system simulations that require a lot of power and CPU usage. I also handle light video editing with Adobe Premier and Power Director 365, some image editing in Photoshop, and use astronomy programs like SkyTools Pro, C2A, Cartes du Ciel, Stellarium, and MegaStar. I also use Office Pro and occasionally stream movies in 4k. No gaming is involved.
There seems to be no necessity for additional power compared to the on-board integrated GPU.
My plan is a system setup that would function well:
PC Build with 7 Components by Guest on 12 Jul, 2025 at 07 AM - PC Builder
This rig uses an Intel Core i7-14700K processor, ASUS TUF GAMING Z790-PLUS Wi-Fi motherboard, a quiet Dark Rock Slim CPU cooler, NZXT CC-H61FB-01 case, Corsair CMK64GX5M2B5600C40 RAM, plus Corsair Force MP510 storage and Cooler Master MPE-8501-AFAAG-US power supply.
I also handle basic video editing with Adobe Premier and Power Director 365. Light video editing refers to reducing the time needed for tasks using these tools, especially leveraging Nvidia GPUs as they are optimized for performance on such hardware. For memory, a dual channel DDR5-6000MHz setup works best. Comp Aided Astronomy doesn't require a dedicated GPU, while Cartes du Ciel is suggested to use GTX1060. Stellarium is available at the provided link.
PCPartPicker has compiled a list of components.
CPU options include an Intel Core Ultra 7 265K 3.9 GHz 20-core processor priced at $259.00 on Amazon.
For cooling, the ID-COOLING FROZN A620 PRO SE with 58 CFM is available for $29.99 on Amazon.
The MSI MAG B860 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX LGA1851 motherboard costs $159.99 from MSI.
Memory selections feature Patriot Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 RAM at $157.99 on Newegg.
Storage choices include the MSI SPATIUM M461 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD for $89.99.
A Zotac GAMING Twin Edge GeForce RTX 3060 12GB video card is listed at $256.98 on Newegg.
The case recommended is the Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower model priced at $64.98 on Amazon.
Power supply options feature the MSI MAG A750GL PCIE5 750 W unit, certified 80+ Gold and fully modular, costing $79.98 on Amazon.
The total comes to $1098.90, with all prices covering shipping, taxes, and applicable discounts.
Selected items reflect the best match according to predefined criteria.
This list was generated by PCPartPicker on 2025-07-12 18:06 EDT-0400.
Light video processing is already running smoothly on my current desktop setup. It handles 4K GoPro footage, trimming, and adding sound tracks efficiently. In Photoshop, I can remove people, adjust colors and saturation, etc., without issues. The K620 2Gb card has worked well so far. Power consumption is around 45 watts. My son has an AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 with 4GB GDDR5 PCIe 3.0 x16 (8 electrical) at 65 watts. I can use either card in the new build.
If I add a video card to this configuration, I need to know the required PSU power rating. Any recommendations?
C2A performs adequately on a Toshiba L505D AMD Athlon II dual core M300 with 3Gb DDR2. Cartes du Ciel also works fine.
Hats off! I admire you for coping with such an old GPU in 4K editing. What version of Premiere Pro are you using, if you don't mind saying?
I have a Quadro K620 2GB in an old rig which I recently upgraded from 2-core Pentium G3258 to i7-4770K, but there's no way I'd edit my GoPro Hero 11 4K footage in Premiere Pro with a K620.
As
@Lutfij
says, NVidia cards are more commonly used in video (and photo) work due to their CUDA support. As a result, I switched from an AMD RX580 8GB to an NVidia RTX 3060 12GB back in 2022.
https://cybertechnosys.com/does-amd-gpu-have-cuda/
The Minimum and Recommended specifications for a GPU in Premiere Pro on the Adobe web site are quite modest (2GB VRAM minimum, 8GB VRAM recommended).
https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/premiere-pro/...ml#windows
This is borne out by Puget Systems' recommendation for Premiere Pro:
https://www.pugetsystems.com/soluti...be...tions/#gpu
Sequence Resolution
1080p
4K
6K
8K+
Minimum VRAM capacity
4GB
8GB
12GB
16GB+
DaVinci Resolve is a lot more demanding of Video RAM according to Puget, although some might see 20GB+ as excessive:
https://www.pugetsystems.com/soluti...da...tions/#gpu
Timeline Resolution
1080p
4K
6K/8K
Minimum VRAM capacity
8GB
12GB
20GB+
After processing nominal 50MB RAW files in Photoshop, I run Topaz DeNoise AI to "improve" digital noise. Topaz makes big demands on the GPU and it used to take 25 to 30 seconds per image on my RTX 3060.
I switched to an RTX 4070 last Black Friday and Topaz Denoise now takes 15 seconds per image. It makes a difference when processing hundreds of images. The main reason for buying the RTX 4070 was to improve transcoding, upscaling and stabilzing old DAT videos in Topaz Video AI.
https://www.topazlabs.com/denoise-ai
https://www.topazlabs.com/topaz-video-ai
You might find this article of interest if you're considering an Intel 265K.
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articl...on-review/
Alternatively, if you're getting a 14700K, read this:
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/a...am...-14th-gen/
Regardless of what CPU you choose, a modern (admittedly expensive) GPU will make the system a pleasure to use. Modern photo/video apps can make
huge
demands on both CPU and GPU. My CPU uses 210W and my GPU up to 200W during long video transcodes.
For the time, if a new GPU is out of the question, use your son's 4GB AMD GPU, but if finances allow, buy a GPU with at least 8GB RAM (preferably 12GB+) at a later date.
Don't skimp on the PSU. Buy a "quality" product with a decent warranty (at least 7 years). Avoid cheap PSUs with a 3 year or shorter warranty. If they go bang, they may damage the rest of the computer.
I may have made a mistake earlier. It wasn’t Adobe Premier Pro; I was struggling with it and after some driver adjustments, it finally functioned just enough. It’s actually Adobe Premier Elements version 18. I moved to Power Director 365 and it significantly improved things. For intensive photo editing, I rely on Affinity Photo. Otherwise, I use Adobe Photoshop Elements or IrfanView.
I might consider the AMD Ryzen 9 9700 because of its strong GPU performance and test different cards. I could try the k620 2Gb or the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 4GB card. Then only would I buy a card under $200, similar to the NVidia RTX 3060 12GB.
I’ll need to determine the right PSU size, but not knowing the system’s wattage makes it tricky. Something around 450-550 watts seems appropriate. A reliable Corsair RMX550x model would be ideal.