Budget Photo PC Build

[Skelrad]

I'm thinking of building a new PC just for the fun of it (and because I'm sick of buying off the shelf brand names and not being able to upgrade parts easily in the future). It needs to be able to handle Lightroom 5 and light Photoshop work, but I'm not a big gamer and don't do much video editing. So really I don't think I'll tax it all that much, but I know I will in the future, which is why I want to build with expandability in mind.

My main question has to do with the Intel CPUs that have integrated graphics. Is that good enough to handle photo editing as well as dual monitor support? If I can get away with not having to buy a video card, that'll save me a significant amount of cash for now. I'll likely put in a video card at some point, but I'd prefer not initially to if I don't have to. I'm looking at the Intel i5. Any recommendations as to what to get or stay away from?

 

[The_Traveler]

Yes, at least for me.
I used an I5 on a Gigabyte mobo, 16 GB Ram, Samsung 256 gb SSD for system and programs, Hitachi 2 TB HD for all data files and two usb 3 externals for backup.
two Dell monitors and Gretag MacBeth OneEye color calibrator

Syncback SSE from 2 Bright Sparks for backups

 

[rexbobcat]

Yes it's enough. Most Adobe photo programs depend more on the CPU and memory than the video card.

 

[Skelrad]

Great! Thanks for the help!

 

[xj0hnx]

As stated, yes, just dump as much RAM as you can fit/afford, and get an SSD for the OS/programs, and some TB HDD's for storage, and you'll be rockin'.

 

[Skelrad]

Sounds like the one thing I may be out of luck with is dual monitors. I don't think most motherboards have outputs for two monitors. Guess I'll have to decide how important that is...

 

[lambertpix]

I think there's a chance you might be able to use two monitors. My MB has a connector for HDMI and another for DVI, though I haven't tried using them both. FWIW, I ran with Intel's integrated graphics for a few months -- I just recently picked up a card that was on sale. I didn't have any problems in Lightroom, but Nik's old suite (incl HDR Efx) wanted to use a GPU - I had to turn off an option in there to get it to work. I had some issues with system stability that I believe were driver-related -- they seem to have gone away after adding a GPU. All in all, it's definitely worth a try, and it's a great way to get a system up and running even if you're planning on adding a card later.