New system approval or advice (primarily for Adobe Photoshop)
New system approval or advice (primarily for Adobe Photoshop)
Hi there,
Here’s a setup I created to swap out my old PC, mainly used for photo editing with Adobe Photoshop. Gaming isn’t a priority. Any advice from fellow system builders would be appreciated.
🙂
Estimated Purchase Date:
Before September 2025
Budget Range:
Around 2800 Swiss Francs (about 3350 US$) – shipping is free in Switzerland, though it’s not a problem if it’s cheaper.
System Use From Most to Least Important:
Photo editing in Adobe Photoshop, possibly some basic film editing later. Not a top concern.
Are you purchasing a monitor?
No
Do you need an operating system?
No – it will run on Windows 11
Preferred Purchase Sites:
www.digitec.ch
Location:
Zürich, Switzerland
Parts Preferences:
AMD Ryzen
CPU: MSI or Gigabyte motherboard, Corsair or Seasonic power supply, Noctua CPU coolers
Overclocking:
No
SLI or Crossfire:
No
Monitor Resolution:
1920x1080 or 1920x1200
Additional Notes:
I’m not sure about my GPU choice yet.
Prefer air cooling over water cooling. RAM modules were selected because they’re compact enough to fit under the CPU cooler.
Most importantly, why am I upgrading?
My current system is 10 years old and still running Windows 10. I need to switch to Windows 11 by October 2025. It also has some issues when editing large photo files.
The System:
Motherboard
Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER
CPU
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
RAM
2 x 32GB Kingston FURY Beast
M2 SSD
2 x Samsung 990 Pro 2000GB with heatsink
Second HD for storage
4GB WD Blue
GPU
Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Twin Edge
PSU
Seasonic Prime PX
CPU Cooler
Noctua NH-D15 Chromax
Case
Fractal Define 7 Black
Thank you very much and best wishes,
Littlelupo
Other options to explore include the following products and links:
https://www.digitec.ch/en/s1/produc...lg...s-49745683
MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI 265.00 CHF
or ...
ASUS TUF GAMING Z890-PLUS WIFI 263.00 CHF
https://www.digitec.ch/en/s1/produc...se...--53974721
Intel Core Ultra 9 285 556.00 CHF
https://www.digitec.ch/en/product/be-qui...s-54955429
be quiet! Pure Rock PRO 3 50.90 CHF
https://www.digitec.ch/en/product/samsun...d-22097721
Samsung 990 Pro 2TB 154.00 CHF (x2)
https://www.digitec.ch/en/produc...0w-at...c-52432720
Seasonic Core GX-850-V2 850W ATX 3.1 129.00 CHF
The system I suggested closely matches the one I developed in 2022 for PhotoShop and Topaz Video AI (7950X, 4070, 64GB Fury, NH-D15 Chromax Black). I opted for the 7950X instead of the 13900K since it generates less heat and my old Lian Li case lacks proper airflow.
I use three M.2 NVMe drives: one for Windows applications, another for the Adobe swap file, and a third for ongoing projects. This setup may be too many for heavy Photoshop use, but it could help speed up Premiere Pro and Topaz Video. If budget is a concern, a Thermalright cooler would be a better choice than the Noctua model.
The Phantom Spirit 120 SE with seven heatpipes is a good option and remains affordable. It performs at least as well as the NH-D15 but may lack the aesthetic appeal. Ensure your case has sufficient depth for an effective air cooler.
https://www.digitec.ch/en/s1/producttype...lright-497
For a comparison of component performance in Photoshop, check the charts on Puget Systems. Unlike video editing setups, Photoshop doesn’t require an extremely powerful GPU.
https://www.pugetsystems.com/soluti...on...endations/
It’s possible our requirements are different. I installed five hard drives in my system (two 8TB, one 6TB, two 4TB). Each vacation generates over 600GB of RAW/JPG files, and the available storage quickly runs out.
Thank you for your assistance. Your guidance was very useful, especially regarding the link to Pugetsystems. It was fascinating to notice how the benchmarking on the 9700 Ryzen performs better in Photoshop.
Our requirements are quite different from what I expected. Are your vacations lasting six months or do you take photos with the Hubble telescope? :-DDD.
The components were ordered, and overall the build arrived about 400 dollars cheaper than before. I plan to share a build I need for 18 PCs at work, which is a charitable organization with limited funds—every bit of savings matters. Your help and expertise are greatly appreciated.
Thank you once again and best regards.
Littlelupo
As you'll notice if you explore Puget's recommended options, both Intel and AMD products are available. I selected AMD in 2022 since the AMD 7950X generated less heat compared to the Intel 13900K. For affordable video editing setups, Intel CPUs equipped with H.265 HEVC encoding and decoding can offer benefits.
If by "AMD is somewhat better" you're referring to graphics cards, some users prefer Nvidia over AMD GPUs because Nvidia often provides stronger support for OpenCL and OpenGL. However, this difference likely won't significantly impact Photoshop performance unless you rely heavily on it—such as processing thousands of images daily. Unless your work involves intensive photo editing, the choice shouldn't be a major concern.
[Link to article]
I currently own an NH-D15 paired with the 7950X, an NH-D14 with the 3800X, and several smaller Noctua heat sinks on older Intel and AMD systems. While some dislike the traditional brown color of Noctua, Chromax black is a viable alternative for newer models.
Recently, I've started purchasing Thermalright products, including the Peerless Assassin 120 SE for an Intel LGA2011-3 Xeon server and an SI-100 low-profile unit for a home cinema setup. Noctua is appreciated for its design and build quality, but if your case lacks transparent side panels, a Thermalright will function similarly—or even better—for a lower cost.
I'm uncertain about the longevity of my Thermalrights after ten years, but if they become one-third the price of Noctua, I won't be too concerned.
My travel time is limited to 3 to 4 weeks, but during longer trips or festivals, I can easily capture over 1,000 photos daily. I usually take 2 to 3 shots at various focal lengths for each subject and select the best one for printing. On quieter days, I might only manage 100 shots when it's raining heavily or traveling.
I previously donated nine Dell laptops from a college to schools in rural areas where I work as a photographer. This experience likely explains my ability to take significantly more photos than other tourists—returning with over 1,200 prints from past events.
If you're interested in desktop PCs, consider suppliers offering refurbished office computers that are 3 to 4 years old. Brands like HP, Dell, and Lenovo still have substantial lifespan left, though an upgrade from Windows 10 to 11 might be necessary. For users still using older versions of Photoshop (CS5.1/5.5 or CS6), modern hardware is less critical. Not everyone requires the full suite of CC and A features.
Using Topaz Photo AI (Photoshop plugin) for bulk rendering on my new RTX 4070 has proven faster than my previous RTX 3060.
When buying systems via eBay, I restrict my search to a 25-mile radius so I can inspect them in person. For large purchases, you might need a van to transport 18 computers and monitors!