Need Advice On Custom Desktop Computer Build...

Fenwoodian · 11-11-2018, 07:13 PM - **1 Like**

.
Soon, I'll be building a new desktop computer. It will have a Windows operating system. Other than that, I have not yet decided on what specific components I'll be buying for it.

Price is not my main concern; rather I care most about performance and reliability. I'm willing to pay more for components that will last for years with little maintenance or downtime.

I'll be using it primarily for editing videos - some 1080p and some 4K.

Please feel free to share what your dream computer build would be - both the components and where you'd buy them.

Thanks,
Dave

.

**ramseybuckeye** · 11-11-2018, 08:14 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Fenwoodian

.
Soon, I'll be building a new desktop computer. It will have a Windows operating system. Other than that, I have not yet decided on what specific components I'll be buying for it.

Price is not my main concern; rather I care most about performance and reliability. I'm willing to pay more for components that will last for years with little maintenance or downtime.

I'll be using it primarily for editing videos - some 1080p and some 4K.

Please feel free to share what your dream computer build would be - both the components and where you'd buy them.

Thanks,
Dave

.

I bought my last PC because building was more expensive, I was shocked. That was a couple years ago and PC component prices change constantly. Buy the fastest processor you can and the most storage you can, definitely solid state drives. I haven't kept up but a drive array is something you want - at least a few years ago. You need a lot of hard drive space for processing and storage. Possibly solid state drives can be written fast enough to keep up with video processing without needing an array, I don't know. Sorry, I don't know much about this anymore, but I'm throwing this out so people that know can correct it. If you haven't already look at the specs on manufacturer site, such as Dell to see what they are specing out for video. There are several websites with information too, but just make sure it is current. Have fun with it and good luck.

Fenwoodian · 11-11-2018, 08:47 PM

Originally posted by ramseybuckeye

I bought my last PC because building was more expensive, I was shocked. That was a couple years ago and PC component prices change constantly. Buy the fastest processor you can and the most storage you can, definitely solid state drives. I haven't kept up but a drive array is something you want - at least a few years ago. You need a lot of hard drive space for processing and storage. Possibly solid state drives can be written fast enough to keep up with video processing without needing an array, I don't know. Sorry, I don't know much about this anymore, but I'm throwing this out so people that know can correct it. If you haven't already look at the specs on manufacturer site, such as Dell to see what they are specing out for video. There are several websites with information too, but just make sure it is current. Have fun with it and good luck.

Thanks!

Here's some specs someone else just suggested to me:

1 TB solid state hard drive, latest i7 processor, 32 Gigs of good quality RAM, high performance graphics card such as this: GeForce GTX 1080 Graphics Cards from NVIDIA GeForce

**Bruce Clark** · 11-11-2018, 09:24 PM - **1 Like**

Yes
Processor - Speed is vital
Memory - 8G minimum but more is better
Storage - Fast Solid State Drive for Operating System and Application. Storage on magnetic disk drives is ok but get good fast drives. One for storage of images another for backup. Consider using removable drive for the backup.

My system is a getting a bit old now 5 or 6 years at least so i am probably a bit behind the pack now. I use a Intel Core I7 processor at 3.4GHz
16G of RAM
250G SSD
Don't waste a lot money on an expensive Graphics Card unless you need it for gaming. On board video is usually acceptable or a cheaper card (NVidia GeForce GT 440) if your wish.

3 x 2TB Hard Drives First for Data including photo storage. The second is an automatic back up of the first. The third I use for junk (downloads and the like which I don't want or need to keep). I have a couple of spare drives which I may use if my photo collection gets too big. So far I have some 80,000 images occupying 1.18 TB. I am near the point where I install the second pair of drives dedicated solely to photos

I don't use an external drive for back up. I have tried them but I find them problematic. Big ones need external power. I forget to perform backups. I will carry a small one if I am traveling with a laptop but that is it. I have not really taken to the cloud for storage either. Perhaps I am too much of a dinosaur.
Monitor - Get as big as you can but make sure it is an IPS (In Plane Switching) model). These have a much wider viewing angle. Cheaper ones exhibit colour shift if you view them from an angle. Make sure it is calibrated

I run Lightroom and Photoshop as well as the usual Office Applications. Performance is adequate for my purposes.

Good Luck

**AstroDave** · 11-11-2018, 09:25 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Fenwoodian

1 TB solid state hard drive, latest i7 processor, 32 Gigs of good quality RAM, high performance graphics card such as this: GeForce GTX 1080 Graphics Cards from NVIDIA GeForce

Can't argue against the first two. In fact, I've got 3 of the 1 TB SSDs in my current i7 machine, in addition to the 480 SSD boot drive. Almost every file I have is at least doubly, if not triply, backed up. You can't have too much disk space, IMHO. Depending on your situation (more than 1 pc/laptop/tablet/smart phone in the house), I would also recommend a local "cloud drive." We have an external Western Digital 1 TB drive on the home network. It is on the WiFi router, so my wife can access it with her Mac, and we can connect laptops and tablets to it as well. Great place to put things you might want to access with another computer without needing "sneaker net" flash drives to connect them.

Not sure if 32 GB RAM is overkill, though. But, it's probably not that expensive in the overall price of your system.

I don't do video, so won't comment on graphics cards.

Keep your eye on the Black Friday offerings now appearing!

photolady95 · 11-11-2018, 09:29 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Fenwoodian

GeForce GTX 1080 Graphics Cards from NVIDIA GeForce

If you don't play high end graphic games you don't need a high end graphics card.The higher end, the more expensive they get.

I'm with Tom. I've built my own systems for years, but lately I've been thinking to buy one off the shelf because most home built systems are getting expensive, and most motherboards you buy won''t let you still run Windows 7 and I refuse to run Windows 10 on my computers.

I have one here right now still waiting on my lazy butt to finish it.

No, high end anything but two internal harddrives including an SSD for OS and programs. I use one 1 TB internal for a scratch disk for Photoshop Elements because it runs better with one of those installed, and storage of photos. The second one also 1TB is for downloads and other junk. I have one, 1 TB external, I find no problems with externals, but don't keep them connected to computer continuously either, disconnected when not in use, I find they work just fine. I use them for off site storage. Since everything I want to keep isn't on the main drive, I don't worry about backing it up.

I run 16GB Corsair Vengance 1600MHz Ram. So far. A GeForce GT 710 Graphics P|CI-e 2GB video card. CPU is a AMD, 8 core, FX 8350. Fast enough for me.

Corsair 650W PSU.

Two DVDRWs Because sometimes, I want to copy a few of my own dvds from one to a new dvd to keep them fresh.

All in a nicely cooled case.

I build these because this is what I prefer. But that doesn't mean you have to build what I prefer, and you shouldn't have to build what others recommend you build either. Read what we say, take our advice if you want, but make up your own mind in the end.

disconnekt · 11-11-2018, 10:17 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Fenwoodian

Thanks!

Here's some specs someone else just suggested to me:

1 TB solid state hard drive, latest i7 processor, 32 Gigs of good quality RAM, high performance graphics card such as this: GeForce GTX 1080 Graphics Cards from NVIDIA GeForce

Yeah, 32GB of ram is pretty much a must when doing 4K video. For the processor, if you're going with Intel I-7 series dont go with the "K" version unless you plan to overclock, also take a look at AMD's Ryzen 7 series.

Snafu711 · 11-11-2018, 10:51 PM - **1 Like**

Good advice has been given already. I want to add just two thoughts.

First: if you need max processing speed there are Intel i9 processors available.

Second: regarding the disk space needed you might want to calculate how much you need. On my PC most of the storage is used for DNG and JPG. Depending on the number of pictures you take (and keep) that adds up.

I recently went for an additional internal 4TB HDD for picture storage plus an external backup HDD of 8 TB (latest USB 3.1 standard).

photolady95 · 11-11-2018, 11:44 PM - **2 Likes**

I'll say one more thing. Don't skimp on the power supply. Corsair, Thermaltake, Antec, Seasonic, are all good ones. and there are others, but I can't think of them off the top of my head right now. Tom's Hardware can help in that regard. Never buy Bestec. They'll crash and burn your computer in a short time and take every thing with it.

**brightseal** · 11-12-2018, 12:25 AM - **1 Like**

Do you know about this site?

Pick parts. Build your PC. Compare and share. - PCPartPicker

You can build your system before you build your system.

You basically need a gamers system without a gamers system (funky lights, liquid cooler and transformers looking case are not necessary)

Go with M.2 wherever possible

I would suggest against integrated graphics in your case, a good GPU has it's own RAM and won't pull from the system RAM and thus your system will run better. Speed and RAM is your best friend....

A first timer made this for $10K : https://pcpartpicker.com/b/WT3bt6

mannyquinto · 11-12-2018, 02:05 AM - **2 Likes**

I believe in having the right specs without going over board on the budget, I suggest an AMD Ryzen CPU, Gigabyte motherboard w/ 4 RAM slots, 2 x 8GB RAM (total of 16GB then you can buy another pair if you want to upgrade in the future), 500GB SSD (for OS and programs), 4 TB Western Digital Red SATA drive (for files and storage) and a not too expensive video card. If you want redundancy, pick a motherboard with RAID 1/ mirroring capability and just use two 4 TB WD Red SATA drives so you won't have to worry about losing files if you ever experience a failure in one of the drives.

**Bruce Clark** · 11-12-2018, 03:34 AM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by photolady95

I'll say one more thing. Don't skimp on the power supply. Corsair, Thermaltake, Antec, Seasonic, are all good ones. and there are others, but I can't think of them off the top of my head right now. Tom's Hardware can help in that regard. Never buy Bestec. They'll crash and burn your computer in a short time and take every thing with it.

Very sound advice, a quality power supply is essential. This is one good reason for building your own PC. A good case also is essential. These are not glamorous components but cheap can end up costing a lot more.

noelpolar · 11-12-2018, 04:22 AM

Always a full backup stored somewhere else.... useful for when your robbed.... even if only done a few times a year.

CiaranCraigPhoto · 11-12-2018, 04:34 AM - **1 Like**

Hard to recommend without knowing budget ( if you diont care just buy an iMac) personally for a custom build I would go for an AMD processor they seem to be ahead of Intel atm and cheaper too.
Heres a link for some build advice your looking at probably 16gb ram and a good graphics card
Kit

Search youtube for video editing builds you will see what others are doing then go to pcparts builder or Pick parts. Build your PC. Compare and share. - PCPartPicker United Kingdom to see the price of your build.

If you have not done this before following a build on youTube will really help it did for me so the more you stick to similar components the less problems you will have good luck with it had fun building mine.

**Hattifnatt** · 11-12-2018, 06:08 AM - **1 Like**

Few thoughts:

Processor: I would go for the best i7 that I can afford; I would not go for the latest release as those tend to be more expensive with minimal increase in performance;
RAM Memory: 16 GB minimum, operating frequency is also important;
Storage: I would go for one SSD for operating system and applications (including Lightroom catalog) and some HDD's for storage of actual photography files. I would consider a back-up solution, either as a separate HDD or some online backup service; for online backup you need to be prepared to pay a monthly or annual fee and also good internet connection is required;
Power supply: don't be cheap on this one, get a good reliable power supply from a dedicated brand;
Video card: Not sure about this one, I settled for something in the upper-average segment because I'm not sure if applications such as Lightroom or Photoshop make the best use of the graphic card; maybe the situation is different now, it has been a while since my last build;
Cooling fan: You might wanna pay attention to this one also - when I'm processing my photos I don't like to be disturbed by a noisy processor fan; Noctua for instance makes some good fans which are also quite silent;
Case: Make sure that the case is able to fit the motherboard/videocard/fan combo; also it would be nice to get something with the option to easily replace/change HDD's;

I would not consider a DVD unit at all neither for reading or writing CD/DVD, I think CD/DVS's are a bit obsolete and not stable in time. There were plenty of times in the past when I stored my data on DVD's and they got scratched or something and I couldn't read the data. I don't think they are reliable on a long term. Nowadays I just use high capacity USB sticks if I want to transfer programs, for back-ups I just use HDD's or just store my data online.

11-11-2018, 07:13 PM - 1 Like	#1
Fenwoodian Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,875	Need Advice On Custom Desktop Computer Build... . Soon, I'll be building a new desktop computer. It will have a Windows operating system. Other than that, I have not yet decided on what specific components I'll be buying for it. Price is not my main concern; rather I care most about performance and reliability. I'm willing to pay more for components that will last for years with little maintenance or downtime. I'll be using it primarily for editing videos - some 1080p and some 4K. Please feel free to share what your dream computer build would be - both the components and where you'd buy them. Thanks, Dave .

11-11-2018, 09:29 PM - 1 Like	#6
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712	Originally posted by Fenwoodian GeForce GTX 1080 Graphics Cards from NVIDIA GeForce If you don't play high end graphic games you don't need a high end graphics card.The higher end, the more expensive they get. I'm with Tom. I've built my own systems for years, but lately I've been thinking to buy one off the shelf because most home built systems are getting expensive, and most motherboards you buy won''t let you still run Windows 7 and I refuse to run Windows 10 on my computers. I have one here right now still waiting on my lazy butt to finish it. No, high end anything but two internal harddrives including an SSD for OS and programs. I use one 1 TB internal for a scratch disk for Photoshop Elements because it runs better with one of those installed, and storage of photos. The second one also 1TB is for downloads and other junk. I have one, 1 TB external, I find no problems with externals, but don't keep them connected to computer continuously either, disconnected when not in use, I find they work just fine. I use them for off site storage. Since everything I want to keep isn't on the main drive, I don't worry about backing it up. I run 16GB Corsair Vengance 1600MHz Ram. So far. A GeForce GT 710 Graphics P\|CI-e 2GB video card. CPU is a AMD, 8 core, FX 8350. Fast enough for me. Corsair 650W PSU. Two DVDRWs Because sometimes, I want to copy a few of my own dvds from one to a new dvd to keep them fresh. All in a nicely cooled case. I build these because this is what I prefer. But that doesn't mean you have to build what I prefer, and you shouldn't have to build what others recommend you build either. Read what we say, take our advice if you want, but make up your own mind in the end. Last edited by photolady95; 11-11-2018 at 09:49 PM.

11-12-2018, 12:25 AM - 1 Like	#10
brightseal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 629	Do you know about this site? Pick parts. Build your PC. Compare and share. - PCPartPicker You can build your system before you build your system. You basically need a gamers system without a gamers system (funky lights, liquid cooler and transformers looking case are not necessary) Go with M.2 wherever possible I would suggest against integrated graphics in your case, a good GPU has it's own RAM and won't pull from the system RAM and thus your system will run better. Speed and RAM is your best friend.... A first timer made this for $10K : https://pcpartpicker.com/b/WT3bt6 Last edited by brightseal; 11-12-2018 at 12:47 AM.

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11-11-2018, 08:14 PM - 1 Like	#2
ramseybuckeye Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hampstead, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 17,295	Originally posted by Fenwoodian . Soon, I'll be building a new desktop computer. It will have a Windows operating system. Other than that, I have not yet decided on what specific components I'll be buying for it. Price is not my main concern; rather I care most about performance and reliability. I'm willing to pay more for components that will last for years with little maintenance or downtime. I'll be using it primarily for editing videos - some 1080p and some 4K. Please feel free to share what your dream computer build would be - both the components and where you'd buy them. Thanks, Dave . I bought my last PC because building was more expensive, I was shocked. That was a couple years ago and PC component prices change constantly. Buy the fastest processor you can and the most storage you can, definitely solid state drives. I haven't kept up but a drive array is something you want - at least a few years ago. You need a lot of hard drive space for processing and storage. Possibly solid state drives can be written fast enough to keep up with video processing without needing an array, I don't know. Sorry, I don't know much about this anymore, but I'm throwing this out so people that know can correct it. If you haven't already look at the specs on manufacturer site, such as Dell to see what they are specing out for video. There are several websites with information too, but just make sure it is current. Have fun with it and good luck.

11-11-2018, 08:47 PM	#3
Fenwoodian Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,875 Original Poster	Originally posted by ramseybuckeye I bought my last PC because building was more expensive, I was shocked. That was a couple years ago and PC component prices change constantly. Buy the fastest processor you can and the most storage you can, definitely solid state drives. I haven't kept up but a drive array is something you want - at least a few years ago. You need a lot of hard drive space for processing and storage. Possibly solid state drives can be written fast enough to keep up with video processing without needing an array, I don't know. Sorry, I don't know much about this anymore, but I'm throwing this out so people that know can correct it. If you haven't already look at the specs on manufacturer site, such as Dell to see what they are specing out for video. There are several websites with information too, but just make sure it is current. Have fun with it and good luck. Thanks! Here's some specs someone else just suggested to me: 1 TB solid state hard drive, latest i7 processor, 32 Gigs of good quality RAM, high performance graphics card such as this: GeForce GTX 1080 Graphics Cards from NVIDIA GeForce

11-11-2018, 09:24 PM - 1 Like	#4
Bruce Clark Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Ocean Grove, Victoria Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,458	Yes Processor - Speed is vital Memory - 8G minimum but more is better Storage - Fast Solid State Drive for Operating System and Application. Storage on magnetic disk drives is ok but get good fast drives. One for storage of images another for backup. Consider using removable drive for the backup. My system is a getting a bit old now 5 or 6 years at least so i am probably a bit behind the pack now. I use a Intel Core I7 processor at 3.4GHz 16G of RAM 250G SSD Don't waste a lot money on an expensive Graphics Card unless you need it for gaming. On board video is usually acceptable or a cheaper card (NVidia GeForce GT 440) if your wish. 3 x 2TB Hard Drives First for Data including photo storage. The second is an automatic back up of the first. The third I use for junk (downloads and the like which I don't want or need to keep). I have a couple of spare drives which I may use if my photo collection gets too big. So far I have some 80,000 images occupying 1.18 TB. I am near the point where I install the second pair of drives dedicated solely to photos I don't use an external drive for back up. I have tried them but I find them problematic. Big ones need external power. I forget to perform backups. I will carry a small one if I am traveling with a laptop but that is it. I have not really taken to the cloud for storage either. Perhaps I am too much of a dinosaur. Monitor - Get as big as you can but make sure it is an IPS (In Plane Switching) model). These have a much wider viewing angle. Cheaper ones exhibit colour shift if you view them from an angle. Make sure it is calibrated I run Lightroom and Photoshop as well as the usual Office Applications. Performance is adequate for my purposes. Good Luck

11-11-2018, 09:25 PM - 1 Like	#5
AstroDave Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2007 Location: Flagstaff, Arizona Posts: 1,648	Originally posted by Fenwoodian 1 TB solid state hard drive, latest i7 processor, 32 Gigs of good quality RAM, high performance graphics card such as this: GeForce GTX 1080 Graphics Cards from NVIDIA GeForce Can't argue against the first two. In fact, I've got 3 of the 1 TB SSDs in my current i7 machine, in addition to the 480 SSD boot drive. Almost every file I have is at least doubly, if not triply, backed up. You can't have too much disk space, IMHO. Depending on your situation (more than 1 pc/laptop/tablet/smart phone in the house), I would also recommend a local "cloud drive." We have an external Western Digital 1 TB drive on the home network. It is on the WiFi router, so my wife can access it with her Mac, and we can connect laptops and tablets to it as well. Great place to put things you might want to access with another computer without needing "sneaker net" flash drives to connect them. Not sure if 32 GB RAM is overkill, though. But, it's probably not that expensive in the overall price of your system. I don't do video, so won't comment on graphics cards. Keep your eye on the Black Friday offerings now appearing!

11-11-2018, 10:17 PM - 1 Like	#7
disconnekt Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: SoCal/I.E. Photos: Albums Posts: 1,701	Originally posted by Fenwoodian Thanks! Here's some specs someone else just suggested to me: 1 TB solid state hard drive, latest i7 processor, 32 Gigs of good quality RAM, high performance graphics card such as this: GeForce GTX 1080 Graphics Cards from NVIDIA GeForce Yeah, 32GB of ram is pretty much a must when doing 4K video. For the processor, if you're going with Intel I-7 series dont go with the "K" version unless you plan to overclock, also take a look at AMD's Ryzen 7 series.

11-11-2018, 10:51 PM - 1 Like	#8
Snafu711 Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Posts: 307	Good advice has been given already. I want to add just two thoughts. First: if you need max processing speed there are Intel i9 processors available. Second: regarding the disk space needed you might want to calculate how much you need. On my PC most of the storage is used for DNG and JPG. Depending on the number of pictures you take (and keep) that adds up. I recently went for an additional internal 4TB HDD for picture storage plus an external backup HDD of 8 TB (latest USB 3.1 standard).

11-11-2018, 11:44 PM - 2 Likes	#9
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712	I'll say one more thing. Don't skimp on the power supply. Corsair, Thermaltake, Antec, Seasonic, are all good ones. and there are others, but I can't think of them off the top of my head right now. Tom's Hardware can help in that regard. Never buy Bestec. They'll crash and burn your computer in a short time and take every thing with it.

11-12-2018, 02:05 AM - 2 Likes	#11
mannyquinto Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: manila Posts: 152	I believe in having the right specs without going over board on the budget, I suggest an AMD Ryzen CPU, Gigabyte motherboard w/ 4 RAM slots, 2 x 8GB RAM (total of 16GB then you can buy another pair if you want to upgrade in the future), 500GB SSD (for OS and programs), 4 TB Western Digital Red SATA drive (for files and storage) and a not too expensive video card. If you want redundancy, pick a motherboard with RAID 1/ mirroring capability and just use two 4 TB WD Red SATA drives so you won't have to worry about losing files if you ever experience a failure in one of the drives.

11-12-2018, 03:34 AM - 2 Likes	#12
Bruce Clark Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Ocean Grove, Victoria Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,458	Originally posted by photolady95 I'll say one more thing. Don't skimp on the power supply. Corsair, Thermaltake, Antec, Seasonic, are all good ones. and there are others, but I can't think of them off the top of my head right now. Tom's Hardware can help in that regard. Never buy Bestec. They'll crash and burn your computer in a short time and take every thing with it. Very sound advice, a quality power supply is essential. This is one good reason for building your own PC. A good case also is essential. These are not glamorous components but cheap can end up costing a lot more.

11-12-2018, 04:22 AM	#13
noelpolar Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Goolwa, SA Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,310	Always a full backup stored somewhere else.... useful for when your robbed.... even if only done a few times a year.

11-12-2018, 04:34 AM - 1 Like	#14
CiaranCraigPhoto New Member Join Date: Oct 2018 Posts: 8	Hard to recommend without knowing budget ( if you diont care just buy an iMac) personally for a custom build I would go for an AMD processor they seem to be ahead of Intel atm and cheaper too. Heres a link for some build advice your looking at probably 16gb ram and a good graphics card Kit Search youtube for video editing builds you will see what others are doing then go to pcparts builder or Pick parts. Build your PC. Compare and share. - PCPartPicker United Kingdom to see the price of your build. If you have not done this before following a build on youTube will really help it did for me so the more you stick to similar components the less problems you will have good luck with it had fun building mine.

11-12-2018, 06:08 AM - 1 Like	#15
Hattifnatt Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Bucharest Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,626	Few thoughts: Processor: I would go for the best i7 that I can afford; I would not go for the latest release as those tend to be more expensive with minimal increase in performance; RAM Memory: 16 GB minimum, operating frequency is also important; Storage: I would go for one SSD for operating system and applications (including Lightroom catalog) and some HDD's for storage of actual photography files. I would consider a back-up solution, either as a separate HDD or some online backup service; for online backup you need to be prepared to pay a monthly or annual fee and also good internet connection is required; Power supply: don't be cheap on this one, get a good reliable power supply from a dedicated brand; Video card: Not sure about this one, I settled for something in the upper-average segment because I'm not sure if applications such as Lightroom or Photoshop make the best use of the graphic card; maybe the situation is different now, it has been a while since my last build; Cooling fan: You might wanna pay attention to this one also - when I'm processing my photos I don't like to be disturbed by a noisy processor fan; Noctua for instance makes some good fans which are also quite silent; Case: Make sure that the case is able to fit the motherboard/videocard/fan combo; also it would be nice to get something with the option to easily replace/change HDD's; I would not consider a DVD unit at all neither for reading or writing CD/DVD, I think CD/DVS's are a bit obsolete and not stable in time. There were plenty of times in the past when I stored my data on DVD's and they got scratched or something and I couldn't read the data. I don't think they are reliable on a long term. Nowadays I just use high capacity USB sticks if I want to transfer programs, for back-ups I just use HDD's or just store my data online.