Seeking Recommendations for an Efficient, Upgrade-Friendly Desktop for Image Processing and AI (Budget: £2100-£2500)

[p.a.u.l.u]

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for a new desktop that can handle advanced image processing and AI image generation, including heavy use of Photoshop and Stable Diffusion. My focus is solely on image treatment and creation, not gaming.

Here's what I'm looking for:

Budget: I have a budget ranging from £2100 to £2500. I'm seeking the best value within this range.

Scalability: One of my primary concerns is future-proofing the system. I've encountered issues with my current setup where upgrades were limited due to motherboard constraints and case size. I'm looking for a system that is easily upgradeable.

Graphics Card: In a dedicated AI image generation forum, the ASUS TUF Gaming NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 4070 Ti Super OC was recommended for users with needs akin to mine, so I presume I need this or something similar. Additionally, it's likely that I'll need to add a second GPU in the future, so I'm looking for a setup that would easily allow this upgrade, whether the GPU is internal or external.

Cooling System: Since I'm new to liquid cooling and have always used fans, I'm unsure if I should transition to a liquid cooling system. I would appreciate advice on whether this is advisable or necessary for my use case.

Noise Levels: As I work in my bedroom, a quiet system is crucial for me. Recommendations for a build that prioritizes low noise would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know much about hardware, so I really appreciate your suggestions and thank you in advance for any help.

Cheers!

 

[Scott]

Below is the ultimate but I think it over-shoots your requirements. Let me go through some of the highlights and thinking.

CPU - I'm fairly certain this is far more than you need. I wasn't sure about the AI and whether it was solely, or primarily a GPU threaded process. I believe nowadays most AI is driven off of CUDA cores as the preferred method. If this is definitely the case and there will be no video editing or anything like that the 7700 CPU is a fine alternative.

Motherboard - I've definitely over-shot here. I don't think you need this motherboard. The only reason I chose it is the dual PCIe5 slots. GPUs aren't fully utilising PCIe4.0 yet (in fact I think you need to look at a 4090 for PCIe3.0 to be impacted) so any board with PCIE4/3 should have you covered nicely. I kept this in merely as a discussion point.

RAM - I think 64GB is advantageous so I would probably stick with this. 2x32 is the best option.

Storage - Primary and cache drive. Wasn't sure if you would need anything else.

PSU - 1200w to support dual GPUs down the line

Cooler - Nice and big to cover any use. No need to worry about having a liquid cooler with Corsair.

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16 Core CPU (4.5GHz-5.7GHz/80MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ProArt X670E-CREATOR WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E, 1 x 10GbE)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 32GB) AMD
Graphics Card
16GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 Ti SUPER - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: £2,875.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/DZZ9P4!tSz/

 

[Scott]

The "inside" budget option, offering what I think you actually need.

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 32GB) AMD
Graphics Card
16GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 Ti SUPER - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR H100i ELITE RGB High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: £2,395.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/J4tGprvTEg/

 

[p.a.u.l.u]

Hello Scott!

Thank you very much for your suggestions! The first one is fantastic, but unfortunately, it stretches my budget too much. The second one is just perfect: seems fantastic as well and is within my limits, so I'll focus on that option.

1. From what I have understood, the case and motherboard will easily support future upgrades, and I shouldn’t worry about transitioning to liquid cooling from fans. Nice!
2. I've been looking around in AI circles, and I also noticed that the graphics card you suggested, the 16GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, is often mentioned as an excellent balance between cost and quality for image generation (in Stable Diffusion, for example). This reassures me, as the graphics card is a critical component and tends to be expensive.
3. I really appreciate your consideration in equipping the system with a 1200W power supply to support a second graphics card in the future. I was underestimating the power I need in this area…
4. The storage proposal seems good to me, and I guess I can also add a second 2TB drive, instead of 1TB.
5. 2x32 GB of RAM, yes. I presume I could double this in the future if needed.

I have just two questions, which I’d appreciate your help with if you have the time:

1. Given that the case can accommodate a second GPU and comes with a 1200W power supply, is it correct to think that installing a Thunderbolt port isn’t necessary?
2. The total cost leaves me a little room to opt for a slightly more powerful CPU within the AMD Ryzen 7 range. Do you think this investment makes sense, or would the gains, if any, be marginal?

Thanks again! Regards.

 

[Scott]

Correct on all accounts

The 4070Ti Super is the best value Nvidia card in my opinion. It gives a good amount of vRam (which most are critical with Nvidia on) and it's a great performer. The option is always there to increase the GPU power down the line, even an upgrade to the likes of the 4090 rather than having dual cards..... but you would need to look at performance metrics when the time comes to decide.

You won't see any real photo editing benefits from the likes of the 7900. It's a great chip and gets you a slightly higher frequency but I don't think you will gain a lot for your money. The motherboard is on it's first generation of CPU hardware so you will have many future upgrade options to consider. In your shoes I would probably pocket any savings and invest them in the future state.

 

[p.a.u.l.u]

Done. Waiting for my parcel. Thank you so much for your help, Scott!