Video/photo editing build on a budget

EspressoJunkie

EspressoJunkie

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I was hoping to upgrade to a laptop with a decent screen but having looked at the prices I think I'd be better spending money on a PC instead.

I'm currently using my laptop (i52410m, 8GB, no dedicated GPU) plugged into an external display to edit photos. It's ok (ish) for photos but it really struggles with video which I'm getting into more and more these days.

I have about £400 I can spend and I really want to get the most power / speed I can for my money. I know it's it a huge amount but it's all I can muster! I assume I'm better building myself (not something I've done but I reckon I could manage)

This system will be used only for photo/video editing (a maybe some music production) I've no need for any gaming ability. Also it'll not need to cope with 4K, I'm only shooting in HD and will be for the foreseeable future. I have a display and peripherals already.

I'm totally out of the loop when it comes to computers these days so I'd really appreciate any advice on what to look at, assuming of course that I'll be able to get anything at all decent for my budget!
 
£400 ex vat or inc? If it's including you'll get something but i'd personally trying and get more money in the pot to make the purchase worthwhile.
 
To give you a ballpark figure imo:

CPU (i5 Skylake) - £175
M/B - £75
RAM (16gb) - £50
SSD (240gb) - £50
Case + PSU - £60
DVD - £15
Total - £425
 
EspressoJunkie said:
The £400 would be including VAT.

I realise I'm not going to get mega performance but I'm hoping for a better experience than my laptop!

Will I need a GPU?
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The Skylake cpu i listed has an inbuilt GPU, an Intel 530 which is supported by Adobe PS / LR CC for GPU acceleration afaik.

Tbh the performance of that system will actually be very solid and quick. No frills but get the job done well.
 
You'll probably be ok for basic editing with those specs but, if you're planning on using any sort of effects or transitions, it will be jittery to the point it would be unworkable.

Unlike photo editing, video needs a huge amount of GPU power to handle even HD, unless you use editing software that can render mid project, in which case you would find it painfully slow.
 
Pete Allen said:
You'll probably be ok for basic editing with those specs but, if you're planning on using any sort of effects or transitions, it will be jittery to the point it would be unworkable.

Unlike photo editing, video needs a huge amount of GPU power to handle even HD, unless you use editing software that can render mid project, in which case you would find it painfully slow.
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I had hoped to use Photoshop CC for any video editing.
It would be pretty basic stuff , mainly home videos and Urbex. I doubt I'd be doing anything too fancy.
 
Sharky said:
To give you a ballpark figure imo:

CPU (i5 Skylake) - £175
M/B - £75
RAM (16gb) - £50
SSD (240gb) - £50
Case + PSU - £60
DVD - £15
Total - £425
Click to expand...

In terms of photo editing that will be a strong build. Op go with this and then later add a dedicated gpu to help edit video.
 
Brazo said:
In terms of photo editing that will be a strong build. Op go with this and then later add a dedicated gpu to help edit video.
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Indeed. The spec i listed is the basis of a powerful build and if the budget is what it is then a no brainer :)
 
Sharky said:
Indeed. The spec i listed is the basis of a powerful build and if the budget is what it is then a no brainer :)
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Tbh I know not of a current Apple Mac or indeed a planned one that will outclass those budget PC specs (ignoring the discrete gpu).
 
Not really, imo stick with Asus, Asrock, Gigabyte etc. Buy from somewhere like Amazon or ebuyer makes warranty claims in the future a lot easier.
 
Check tier one online and Overclockers for refurbished machines.

I just bought a powerful machine for £330 along with a 3 year warranty.
 
I would add a hard drive as a 240gb ssd will fill up rather quickly with video so add in some more money for that.
 
Matt0 said:
I generally use http://www.cclonline.com/ for PC components prices good and good customer services, also as Bazza mentioned Scan are good too.
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Talk to CCL about what you want before you buy the bits.
They will build it for not a lot and you get a 3 year warranty, they have just built me one which if I am honest is overspeced for £600
 
the list @Sharky suggested is reasonable and I think for £400 you will get something that will do the trick if you buy right.
You can always add GPU later if required, personally I would get a good intel CPU and solid 80%+ PSU, a gigabyte/asus motherboard. Don't bother with "snazzy" RAM but do get a good brand (corsair, Kingston, Crucial) recommended by the motherboard manufacturer (they have lists of known working).
I tend to get my stuff from Scan as they use DPD and you get txt'd a 1 hour delivery slot and pack stuff very well. Might also be worth checking Amazon warehouse returns for M'board/RAM?
An OS isn't included so if your looking to run windows thats an additional cost.

Free feel to post up a basket and we can take a look,
 
Just to update this thread (which I'd totally forgotten about) I ended up increasing my budget somewhat and went for a Haswell based system (i5 4690k, 16GB RAM, 250GB SSD)

Somehow a GPU also fell into my eBay basket so I've ended up with a pretty kick ass editing/gaming PC.

Gonna have to sell the xbox now though so anyone after one keep an eye on the classifieds......!
 
If I were you I'd ask this on a computer forum, not a photo forum. Go where the experts are.


MOD EDIT: This member was Banned for being a Duplicate of a previously perma-banned member @GT von.

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Last edited by a moderator:
Well to be pedantic you went Devils canyon which was the Haswell refresh. I've got an i7 4790k clocked at 4.8ghz. Does make a difference over stock.
 
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