mini ITX setup for photoshop under $400, possible?

gychang · Post by **gychang** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 1:14 pm

I need to build a small and quiet windows 7 machine for use as the general net surfing with photoshop CS4 use (50%) at home.

I already have windows 7 disc, 19" LCD, keyboard, mouse, wacom tablet. I have built PC in past about 8 years ago. I am not up on the new stuff but with experts recommending parts (hopefully from newegg), I think I can do this...

thanks in advance.

gychang

frostedflakes · Post by **frostedflakes** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:02 pm

Definitely doable if you think an Atom system would have adequate performance for your needs. The highest-end Zotac Atom/ION board is around $175. Might seem steep, but keep in mind this includes the motherboard, CPU, GPU (capable of decoding HD video), power supply, and WiFi card. So all you'd need to buy is RAM, a case, HDD, and optical drive if desired. Mini-box M350 is a compact, cheap mini-ITX case that could be mounted behind a VESA LCD monitor. RAM and 2.5" HDD would set you back around $100 probably.

If you needed more performance, you could get an AM3, 775, or 1156 board and CPU. Would be pretty difficult to stay under $400 if you went this route, though.

hybrid2d4x4 · Post by **hybrid2d4x4** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 5:12 pm

I don't think the atom platform would be up to the task of photoshop if you use filters or any of the functions that need CPU/GPU power. If there were any mITX AM3 boards, it would probably be doable within that budget, but I don't know of any other than an older AM2 GF8200 board. The recent spike in RAM prices doesn't help matters either.
If the $400 is a hard limit, then here's a Core2 system that sneaks under it, but the stock cooling and noise levels probably won't be up to the standards of the picky people on this site:

Antec ISK 300-150 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel Mini-ITX Desktop Computer Case 150W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129080 $99.99

Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136358 $54.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL6D-4GBMQ - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231112 $82.99

Intel BOXDG41MJ LGA 775 Intel G41 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813121381 $79.99

Intel Celeron E3200 Wolfdale 2.4GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E3200 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819116265 $49.99

Subtotal: $367.95

You could probably spend a bit more on the CPU or on a good low-profile cooler if the 400 doesn't include tax/shipping. You could go a lot cheaper on the case, but then you get a sketchy PSU and most of the cases have almost no ventilation making them a nogo for anything better than an atom system.

frostedflakes · Post by **frostedflakes** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 5:30 pm

I *think* the Zotac GF8200 AM2 board works with AM3 processors, but OP should probably contact Zotac support to confirm.

Surely you could get by with 2GB of RAM for Photoshop?

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:29 pm

As far as I know, the only thing that demands more RAM and CPU power than Photoshop, is video editing.

frostedflakes · Post by **frostedflakes** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:46 pm

Yeah, upgrading from 2GB to 4GB seemed to help with video editing. I don't ever remember running into problems with 2GB and Photoshop, though, even when I was working with pretty large scanned pictures. I use a super old version, though (version 7.0), maybe the newer ones are more demanding with memory.

hybrid2d4x4 · Post by **hybrid2d4x4** » Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:24 pm

frostedflakes wrote:I *think* the Zotac GF8200 AM2 board works with AM3 processors, but OP should probably contact Zotac support to confirm.

It should, as long as Zotac released a BIOS update to support the newer CPUs. The Zotac mobo is pretty rare here in Canada (not sure about the US), and newegg charges quite a bit more for it compared to the intel board I listed. It's definitely a viable alternative though.

I don't know much about Photoshop RAM usage, so I was generous with the RAM for the system given my lack of confidence in Adobe running a tight ship resource-wise. If others use PS on a 2GB system without complaints, then I take back the 4GB suggestion.

Trav1s · Post by **Trav1s** » Thu Feb 11, 2010 4:37 am

The ISK 300-65 and the 3.5" hard drive combo is not an "out of the box" fit. I considered it but did not want to cut up the inner case bracing.

With the little warning above, I like the direction that hybrid2d4x4 has suggested and have a similar machine at home. I dropped core voltage to 1 volt and it is stable at stock speeds. I plan to eventually replace the intel heatsink/fan with a quiet one as budget allows.
Here is my set-up:

ISK 300-65
ZOTAC NF630I-F-E mobo
e5300/stock HS/Fan
2 gigs (1x2) DDR2-667
1 160 GB from another laptop - OS
1 WD Blue 120 GB notebook Hard drive - DATA

I have build several G31/e3200/2 gigs of ram during the past several months. One running Win7 and one XPHome, both in office environments. They are quite capable machines that are quiet even with the stock intel heatsinks. The one in the church office is uses Publisher for Sunday bulletins and the files can get quite large. Lower the core voltage and do a light overclock if you need a little more horsepower. YMMV

andymcca · Post by **andymcca** » Thu Feb 11, 2010 6:12 am

hybrid2d4x4 wrote:I don't think the atom platform would be up to the task of photoshop if you use filters or any of the functions that need CPU/GPU power.

+1.... No, +1000.

hybrid2d4x4 wrote:If there were any mITX AM3 boards, it would probably be doable within that budget, but I don't know of any other than an older AM2 GF8200 board.

I might even go with an AM2 for lighter use.

hybrid2d4x4 wrote: Intel BOXDG41MJ LGA 775 Intel G41 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813121381 $79.99

Intel Celeron E3200 Wolfdale 2.4GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E3200 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819116265 $49.99

I might go with a Core 2 Duo in the mini-ITX LGA775 board, although this certainly increases the price by a bit.

Any particular reason for wanting mini-itx, though? If you are trying to stay super cheap, an AM3 uATX setup is probably a safer route. Your case options grow significantly with this switch, too.

andymcca · Post by **andymcca** » Thu Feb 11, 2010 6:14 am

frostedflakes wrote:I *think* the Zotac GF8200 AM2 board works with AM3 processors, but OP should probably contact Zotac support to confirm.

This is only true so long as they continue including a DDR2 memory controller in the AM3 chips. From what I hear, this is not going to be the case for much longer.

wkeller · Post by **wkeller** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 12:47 am

I would go for a i3-530 and a H55 mATX mb in a very SFF. See my setup and picture in topic "Fanless PSU for i3". With cheap Asrock mATX H55 mb, i3-530 cpu, Elite 100 case, 2GB and 320GB 2.5" Scorpio you come close to $400, I guess. Just remove the PSU fan (5 minutes work) and its dead-silence too. PS. I recommend 2.5"drives: quit and very low-power.

mini ITX setup for photoshop under $400, possible?

mini ITX setup for photoshop under $400, possible?

i3-530 in Elite 100