Lightroom/Photoshop Editing Build - Component check please.

[Gandalf1969]

Hey guys! Looking to do my first build. Primary use will be Lightroom/Photoshop 2020 on Catalina. No plans for overclocking or fancy RGB stuff - I just need good, consistent performance without delays during the editing process. I’d appreciate any critique on the following selection:

Gigabyte Z390 GAMING X ATX
Intel i5 9400 6 Core 2.9Ghz 9MB Cache, LGA 1151 6 Core/ 6 Threads
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB M.2
Corsair Carbide 275R Black Glass Edition ATX MidTower Gaming Case
PSU EVGA 600 BR 600W Power Supply 80+ Bronze

Memory 32Gb: Either (2x) "Corsair Vengeance 16GB RAM 2x 8GB, DDR4, 3200MHz 16GB 2 x 288 DIMM, Unbuffered, 16-18-18-36, LPX Black Heat spreader, 1.35V" or (1x) "Corsair Vengeance Pro RGB 32GB RAM 2x 16GB, DDR4, 3200MHz 32GB 2 x 288 DIMM, CL16, Unbuffered, Black Heat spreader, 1.35v"

I figured the CPU a good balance of performance/budget based on local prices. I’d do the 9900k but it’s literally twice the price.

Can I get started with this project by using the onboard (CPU) Intel graphics vs an external GPU card? I’d like to see how much that basic platform provides without the additional $300 GPU. If nothing else it helps to spread out the $ and get going. Appreciate thoughts esp from anyone extensively using Lightroom specifically.

I'm also planning to use the cooling included with the CPU. I'm guessing Intel wouldn't sell it if it weren't up to the task (keeping in mind no immediate plans to over-clock).

I need to insure 970 EVO+ firmware is current and update if not.

Memory: Probably the thing I know least about. I'd ideally like to install 32Gb now and leave room for an additional 32Gb. Is it true that using 4 slots with smaller DIMM's is better and larger DIMM's in less slots? And I have no need for the RGB thing - can I just use the ram and not worry about the RGB?

Thanks
G.

 

[tedyun]

I made a rig out of similar components here.

The EFI that I am using is based on pastrychef's Z390M Gaming Golden Build. I customized it to the Z390 Gaming X, and it has been rock solid stable. I can really recommend this. Before discovering that his EFI could work on my mobo, I was regretting the purchase. But now I can wholeheartedly endorse it.

I am a hobby photographer as well. I am using Lightroom Classic (latest version) and I am happy with the performance. The lag on my system comes from the fact that my photos are stored on a USB 3.0 external 4TB drive, so there is a pause while the RAW file is being accessed. I don't mind it.

If you partition your 1 TB NVMe, you could cut down on the access time dramatically. I have a 1 TB NVMe for the system and applications, and I am only using 10% of the space. So I've thought about partitioning it into 2 x 500 GB and using one for temporary photo processing. But like I said, the lag hasn't really bothered me that much.

Good luck, and if you settle on this build, come on over to my thread and I can help you out! I just helped out Rynborg with enabling an iGPU version.

Hey guys! I have a 2015 MacBook Pro (i7 Quad 2.8 w/16Gb and 512Gb SSD and AMD GPU w/2Gb) running Catalina. It has (and does) serve me very well and I love it. The one app that jerks me around though is Adobe Lightroom. I know it has it’s own quirks and while I’m trying to ramp up my photography game, it does not help when I have to continually “wait” during the editing process and essentially fall out of my “creative flow”. This post is not about my MBP or tweaking them - have spent far too many days and weeks doing that. I’m wanting to build a dedicated platform for the app (and related creative tools) just to have a fixed, consistent (and hopefully higher performance) creative experience. No plans for overclocking or fancy RGB stuff - I just need it to work. After reading the available info on building my first Hackintosh, I’d appreciate any critique on the following components that I’m about to hit “Buy” on.

Motherboard
Gigabyte Z390 GAMING X ATX Form Factor, For Intel 8th/9th Gen LGA1151, Z390, 4XDDR4 DIMM, 2x M.2, 2XPCIE X16, 4XPCIE X1, 8XUSB, LAN, HDMI, Internal I/O: 1XUSB3.1, 1XUSB2.0, 1X 12V RGB Header,1XTB Header

*** As recomended.


CPU
Intel Coffee Lake Core i5 9400 6 Core 2.9Ghz 9MB Cache, LGA 1151 6 Core/ 6 Threads, , Intel 300 Series Motherboard required

*** A good budget-friendly way to get similar<?> performance to my current i7 in the MBP give or take. I’d do the 9900k but it’s litterally twice the price and arguably (for lightroom) probably won’t give twice the performance

*** One question I do have: Can I get started with this project by using the onboard Intel graphics vs an external GPU card? If it’s an issue, I can add for more money down the track but I’d like to see how much that basic platform provides without GPU. If nothing else it helps to spread out the $ and get going. Appreciate thoughts esp from anyone extensively using Lightroom specifically.

*** Also planning to use the included cooling. I'm guessing Intel wouldn't sell it if it weren't up to the task (keeping in mind what I said above about no plans to over-clock etc.


Drive
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB M.2 (2280),NVMe SSD R/W(Max) 3,500MB/s/3,300MB/s, 600K/550K IOPS, 5 Years Warranty

*** I need to insure firmware is current and update if not.


Memory
Corsair Vengeance 16GB RAM 2 X 8GB, DDR4, 3200MHz 16GB 2 x 288 DIMM, Unbuffered, 16-18-18-36, LPX Black Heat spreader, 1.35V

*** Probably the thing I know least about. I’m hoping this RAM speed/config is ok to use for OSX. Also planning 64Gb eventually so just wanting to use the 2 slots for now.


Case
Corsair Carbide 275R Black Glass Edition ATX MidTower Gaming Case Tempered Glass with CPU Cooler Supports Upto 170mm, Grpahs Card Supports Upto 370mm, 360mm Rad Supported, 7XPCI Slots, Front 2XUSB3.0 HD Audio, NO PSU

*** Figure it is what it is.


PSU
EVGA 600 BR 600W Power Supply 80+ Bronze, Single +12V Rail , 120mm Fan , Retail Box , MEPS Ready

*** Figure it is what it is.

Again, any critique appreciated. These components are all in-stock & available at a local supplier. All going well, I’ll consider a GPU, additional memory and a possible CPU upgrade when I can afford them.

Thanks
G.

 

[Gandalf1969]

I made a rig out of similar components here.

The EFI that I am using is based on pastrychef's Z390M Gaming Golden Build. I customized it to the Z390 Gaming X, and it has been rock solid stable. I can really recommend this. Before discovering that his EFI could work on my mobo, I was regretting the purchase. But now I can wholeheartedly endorse it.

I am a hobby photographer as well. I am using Lightroom Classic (latest version) and I am happy with the performance. The lag on my system comes from the fact that my photos are stored on a USB 3.0 external 4TB drive, so there is a pause while the RAW file is being accessed. I don't mind it.

If you partition your 1 TB NVMe, you could cut down on the access time dramatically. I have a 1 TB NVMe for the system and applications, and I am only using 10% of the space. So I've thought about partitioning it into 2 x 500 GB and using one for temporary photo processing. But like I said, the lag hasn't really bothered me that much.

Good luck, and if you settle on this build, come on over to my thread and I can help you out! I just helped out Rynborg with enabling an iGPU version.

Thanks for that feedback esp on the Lightroom specific info. Yes, likewise have RAW's stored on external USB3 drives and lag is expected and acceptable.

I'll check out your thread for sure! Thanks

 

[Gandalf1969]

Edited original post for clarity - would love some feedback on the memory and on-CPU graphics choices.

Thanks.

 

[scottkendall]

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[scottkendall]

I'm also planning to use the cooling included with the CPU. I'm guessing Intel wouldn't sell it if it weren't up to the task (keeping in mind no immediate plans to over-clock).

The CPU will just slow down if the fan isn't doing its job. no O.C. you should be fine.

I need to insure 970 EVO+ firmware is current and update if not.

Yes I have two of them.

I’d like to see how much that basic platform provides without the additional $300 GPU.

You could probably get RX 570 in the $150 range, I would never rely on intel graphics alone. However, I tested the world of warcraft on a 2018 Mac Mini intel GPU only and it ran @30 FPS on like the worst settings.

You could also likely go with a z490 and 10500

 

[Gandalf1969]

The CPU will just slow down if the fan isn't doing its job. no O.C. you should be fine.

Yes I have two of them.

You could probably get RX 570 in the $150 range, I would never rely on intel graphics alone. However, I tested the world of warcraft on a 2018 Mac Mini intel GPU only and it ran @30 FPS on like the worst settings.

You could also likely go with a z490 and 10500

Thanks Scott - appreciate the feedback.

Yeah - as long as the Hackintosh/OSX supports the Intel on-chip graphics I thought I'd start with that. If no go - I have my eye on a Gigabyte Radeon RX570.

I'm not in the US so component availability isn't ideal (and prices on those that are can get scary). That combo is $150 more - is there a significant advantage over the Z390/9400 combo and Hackintosh will work ok?

Cheers.

 

[scottkendall]

Thanks Scott - appreciate the feedback.

Yeah - as long as the Hackintosh/OSX supports the Intel on-chip graphics I thought I'd start with that. If no go - I have my eye on a Gigabyte Radeon RX570.

I'm not in the US so component availability isn't ideal (and prices on those that are can get scary). That combo is $150 more - is there a significant advantage over the Z390/9400 combo and Hackintosh will work ok?

Cheers.

Yea I forget a lot of people are not in the US so prices are not the same... the Z490 or Z390 setup is somewhat the same cost. The z490 has PCI-E 4 though it is not active till 11th gen CPU and it will allow at least one CPU upgrade. And since it will be the last generation apple uses from intel figured you might want to get the one that has the longest life left on it. Also the 10 gen chip has hyperthreading on all chips. So the I5 in the 10 gen has 12 threads vs 6 threads from the 9th gen.

 

[tedyun]

@Gandalf1969

About the RAM -- check on this list if it is supported. If it's not, there is still a good chance that it can run, but if you don't want to take the chance, I would stick with the tested memory.

https://download.gigabyte.com/FileList/Memory/mb_memory_z390-gaming-x_20191108.pdf

I've never tested a single RAM module and I've always run dual channel because it supposedly improves the performance by increasing the bandwidth. But I've been running dual channel since they invented it . So I've never benchmarked performance or anything. I'm not sure if you'll notice the difference, but to be on the safe side, just get two sticks.

The only thing I would caution is that if your eventual goal is to fill out all 4 slots, I would bite the bullet and do that now. You should match all 4 modules. I tried to use my RAM from my previous build, and that worked initially. But when I had the urge to up it to 64 GB, I couldn't find the same modules that matched my older ones. So I simply bought two new modules, but they didn't match the speed or timing. Together, the old and new didn't match and I ended up buying another two new modules!

 

[justseeby]

Edited original post for clarity - would love some feedback on the memory and on-CPU graphics choices.

Thanks.

Photographer here, working with 46MP RAW files in Adobe suite every day.

I think for Lightroom Classic (and Photoshop) your main areas of focus should be: 1) RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM, 2) fast storage 3) CPU — particularly single-threaded CPU performance... in that order.

Max out the RAM you can afford to put into your build — not really sure about 2 slots vs. 4 but I believe for still image editing it's not going to make enough difference to matter either way. Would suggest only using two slots to leave yourself options for later. I see you're set on one or more PCIe nvmes for working storage & scratch disk space; that's good. From there, more CPU is better, a powerful GPU can help accelerate some tasks, but those are a distant #3 & #4 to the other two factors.

Good luck!