PC Build for Negative Scanning

bungo63

I am intending to start digitizing a lot of old negatives over the winter. To this end I identified a suitable scanner (Epson v500) and started thinking about buying Mac-mini to dedicate to the purpose. This then morphed into buying a Macbook pro but after talking to a few colleagues and reading the many posts here, I fancy saving some money and adding a further interesting twist to this project.

I'd like to build a PC that will primarily used for handling the scanning and processing (using something like Adobe Photoshop Elements). I'll also be using Microsoft Office and probably Google chrome. That's all. There will be no gaming. I will not be doing video editing but I'll probably end up watching a lot of Youtube to learn about Photoshop. I'm not a professional photographer nor do I intend to become one, I normally use Google Picasa for our family snaps but for this job it seems that Photoshop or Silverlight applications that come with the scanner may be required.

The plan is to install the PC in our spare room and utilise a 32" Sony Bravia TV that supports VGA and HDMI. If I use HDMI I can avail of the TV's speakers to save room and cabling. We also have a couple of NASs in the house for backups etc so a network card will be needed.

I've seen similar request on the boards.ie site so to pay forward I thought you may be interested in this really useful article that sets out what Photoshop uses
http://www.imagescience.com.au/kb/questions/141/Build%20a%20powerful%20PC%20for%20Photoshop%20and%20other%20imaging%20applications


From this I've decided that I will require two SSDs, one for OS and programs and one for scratch, plus a HDD. a 1TB HDD will probably suffice for me as all our existing PCs in the house have half this and none are full.


I saw a post from Bloodbath from May (which I now cannot find) that proposed an AMD based solution that at the time was highly regarded and this seems to come in around 750-800 euro now. However Xeon/i7 seems to be the popular choice now but these tend to be a lot more expensive, but maybe I'm using gaming builds incorrectly as my benchmark

I'd welcome your comments and suggestions


1. What is your budget? [Lets start at 750!]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Scanning negatives, MS Office, Google Chrome Browsing, Photoshop Elements]

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes -probably Win7 64 Pro]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [No)

5. Do you need a monitor? [No I'll be using an existing 32" Sony Bravia TV with VGA and HDMI ]

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [19'/20'/22'/24'/etc.]

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1360x768] [No]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Card Reader, Network Card]
7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Don't mind but I don't think its required]

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser] Yes

9. When are you purchasing? [In 14 days]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [Noth Dublin]

bungo63

Found the post from May!

Heres what I turned it into from reading through the thread and applying my needs. This is my fisrt attempt at doing a build so bare with me.

Processor AMD FX-8350 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+ €174.47
Cooler Cooler MAster Hyper 212 Evo Amd/Intel €29.68
MoBo Gigabyte GA-970-UD3, AMD 970, AM3+, ATX €78.20
RAM 1 x 16GB-Kit G.Skill Sniper PC3-14900U CL10 €124.94
CD/DVD Samsung SH-224BB bare schwarz €17.19
Case Cooltek Antiphon Black, ohne Netzteil €60.73
PSU be quiet! System Power 7 500W €53.75
HDD WD Caviar Green 1TB Sata 6Gb/s €58.68
SSD 1 Samsung SSD 840 120GB SATA 6Gb/s €85.04
SSD 2 Samsung SSD 840 120GB SATA 6Gb/s €85.04
Graphics XFX Radeon HD 7750 Core Edition, 1GB GDDR5 €77.86
Card Reader Ultron Cardreader 75-in-1, intern, schwarz €8.91
1 x Good Connections® SATA 6Gb/s Anschlusskabel mit Metallclip, 0,5m €1.50

Build €20.00
Shipping €18.99
Total €900 ish

ED E

One of the others will do a better build than I, but one thing I'd suggest is getting a new 1080P IPS panel. It'll make a vast difference to your editing and will only cost 100-140€.

bungo63

Thanks for the quick response.

I'm not surprised by your suggestion. My Bravia gives as really good picture but I was surprised when I discovered last night what the the resolution actually was. All the best advice for photo editing says that the monitor quality is everything but for me at this stage its more about;
A) keeping the budget down
Making use of what we have
C) Limiting the need for more power cables
D) Providing something better than my current 11" laptop!

I'm sure I'm like a lot of folk, the Bravia is in our "play room" which has evolved to facilitate our teenagers. The Bravia is there to be used for TV and viewing videos streamed off of a PS or NAS. This year we are having Junior and Leaving cert in our house, so hopefully there will be plenty of opportunity for me to get in there!!!

I've seen a number of posts recommending the latest low cost IPS panels, so if the photo editing gets more serious, and I can physically accommodate everything I may return to it.

Thanks again for the response.

With regard to PC Build, I've found a more recent Bloodbath post that uses a Xeon so I'll have a go at adapting that.

bungo63

Here's my version of a solution posted by Bloodbath last week. Its coming in near the thousand Euro mark so maybe I need to trim some costs.

I wonder if an AMD solution would offer any significant price saving?

Not sure if two SSDs would offer significant performance over one big one. Not even sure if my use of Photoshop/Elements will really justify it, but once you are aware that there's better out there you just have to go for it sometimes!;)

I know CD/DVD writers are no longer popular and I do have a portable one with the laptop at home. I just think it may be handy.

I can probably get a "good a new" scanner from amazon warehouse which will save about 30 euro.

I think may also need some cables!

So that's me, I'd welcome the experts help and opinions. Thanks in advance.


Processor Intel Xeon E3-1230v2, boxed, LGA1155 €200.58
Cooler Alpenföhn Sella - 92mm, AMD/Intel €17.90
MoBo ASRock B75 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX €65.09
RAM 16GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24 €104.48
SSD1 Samsung SSD 840 120GB SATA 6Gb/s €83.99
SSD2 Samsung SSD 840 120GB SATA 6Gb/s €83.99
HDD 1 x WD Caviar Blue 1TB 6Gb's €56.69
Graphics Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660OC Windforce 2X, 2GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort €168.07
Case Cooltek Antiphon Black, ohne Netzteil €60.72
PSU be quiet! SYSTEM POWER 7 500W €53.81
CD/DVD Samsung SH-224DB schwarz €17.19
Card Reader Ultron Cardreader 75-in-1, intern, schwarz €10.15
Build €20.00
Shipping €18.99

Total €961.65

OS Windows 7 64 Professional 40.00
Scanner Epson Perfection v500 Scanner €186.00

justsomebloke

How much actual photo editing do you plan on doing separate to just scanning in negatives?

bungo63

Justsome,

That's a good question. I'd guess we jhave at least 100 packets of 36x35mm negatives that I can see. There are several plastic storage crates of photos in our loft that I haven't yet unearthed ao I don't know what's in there.:o

Sorry, just realised what you've asked. I don't know how far I'll go with editing. Currently I use Picasa and tend to use the "feeling lucky" option quite a but and also bring up the foreground lighting. As I'm now going to be scanning in negatives and old photos I'm assuming that I'll need to do a bit more. I'm also keen to try and edit or make good some photos as gifts for the family.

I guess your question is leading to how much of machine do I actually need? I started this journey after reading the imagescience article referred to above. When I ended up here most of the builds tend to be for gaming or more serious image/video editing, hence why I pitched in at 750.00
Hope this makes sense (perhaps more money than sense)!!!!

Also I'm hoping this will do my wife and I for couple of years . We both have tablets and laptops but its not really worked for us, we both want a desktop again.

BloodBath

It's hard to see you needing anymore power than this. I originally went with the smaller matx board and case but went up to atx in case you wanted to add more drives in future.

The matx case holds only 2 x 3.5 inch and 4 x 2.5 inch drives. Enough for what you have here and with room to add more. Price is about the same anyway. it's just whatever form factor you want and whether you need the space.



Item|Price
Intel Core i5-4430 Box, LGA1150|€162.48
Alpenföhn Sella - 92mm, AMD/Intel|€17.90
16GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24|€104.48
WD Caviar Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€56.69
2 x Samsung SSD 840 EVO Basic 120GB SATA 6Gb/s|€184.20
be quiet! SYSTEM POWER 7 500W|€53.81
LogiLink USB 2.0 all-in-one Card Reader, für 3,5" Einbauchschacht|€3.32
ASUS PCE-N15|€14.90
2 x LogiLink SATA Anschlusskabel mit Sicherungslasche, 0.5m|€3.06
Asus DRW-24F1ST Bulk Silent|€19.90
MSI H87-G41 PC Mate, ATX, Sockel 1150|€75.78
Cooler Master N300, ATX-Midi-Tower, schwarz, ohne Netzteil|€33.14
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€748.65

justsomebloke

truthfully I think the builds here are going to be extreme overkill for what you will actually need.

16GB RAM and 2 SSD's are probably just a waste of money. A dedicated monitor and external back up hard drive are probably a better purchase.

scanning negatives is a labour intensive process so having the TV separate so that you can watch stuff on it to keep you from going mad wouldn't be the worst idea hence the monitor. And before you start make sure you have a backup system in place as it will take a long time to redo the negatives

Gumbi

justsomebloke wrote: »

truthfully I think the builds here are going to be extreme overkill for what you will actually need.

16GB RAM and 2 SSD's are probably just a waste of money. A dedicated monitor and external back up hard drive are probably a better purchase.

scanning negatives is a labour intensive process so having the TV separate so that you can watch stuff on it to keep you from going mad wouldn't be the worst idea hence the monitor. And before you start make sure you have a backup system in place as it will take a long time to redo the negatives

We can only work with what we're given. All the parts in the build are justified given the OP's specifications and budget.

Granted, not everyone has the best understanding of what they will be using the PC for, and an over-specced build may happen as a result of that, but, like I said, at the end of the day, we can only work with what we're given.

BloodBath

Aye it's up to the op to work out roughly what he needs. I would recommend a proper 1080p monitor though.

You could go with a single ssd and 8gb of ram for now to see how it goes. If you need more you can add it later.

I would recommend getting a 22" 1080p monitor now as well though. Despite the smaller screen you will have extra screen space and a much better picture quality from the higher resolution and new type of ips panel.

bungo63

Folks, thanks for all your comments, they are much appreciated.

Despite what you may ague to be a OTT spec I am very taken with the build proposed and I think Mrs Bungo will appreciate a smaller form factor.

I'm guessing the MasterCooler N200 would be the suggestion for a MATX case. The website description seems positive and attention to cooling appears to be a big thing, I suspect it will not be an issue for me given my intended use and a well ventilated location.

If you would be so kind as to confirm the components for a MATX build I'll proceed with the order.

The inclusion of a wireless LAN adapter is also a good idea as if I decide later on to relocate with a swanky new monitor away from the Bravia TV (and the adjacent broadband router) I'll be free to do so. Although to be honest I can't see anywhere for me to do this in my current house!

I do hear and appreciate your concerns about my intentions vis-a-vis negative scanning and I confess I'm not exactly sure what I'm letting myself in for. We have Junior and Leaving cert exams in our house this year so it should be nice and quiet!

I do have two NASs in the house at moment. Both are used for backing up our devices and also our existing digital photograph collection so I think I'm covered in that respect for the time being.

Of course if you think I should return to looking at a MacBook say now:D:D

Thanks for all your help.
I'll keep you posted on progress.

CrinkElite

Sell the Sony and buy a €300 1080p LG tv. That way you can have onboard sound.
Your hardware requirements are very modest.
Spend the money where it counts.

melekalikimaka

ok well for starters dont use picassa or elements. get photoshop, anything else will be rubbish, good scanner.

pc wise all you need is a whack of ram, a fast hd, maybe a swap drive for photoshop but tbh the file sizes wont be huge, a decent CALIBRATED screen and a mid range processor and option gfx, nvidia ideally to use ceda.

I studied photography and this was a big part of my time. you dont need a mad pc for it at all


mac books are my choice tbh

bungo63

Bloodbath, In the light of the last post, I'm happy with what we have but is it worth adding a graphics card now, rather than later or is the integrated one enough?

BloodBath

I don't think you need one but you can always add one later if you want.

That's the case alright yes.

And you will need to change the board.

This should be fine.

bungo63

Folks, just a update on where I'm at.
I have now physically built my first PC and it has passed the beep test. I will start loading the OS tommorrow.
My build is shown below. There are some minor changes to teh original spec. I upgraded the processor slightly and opted for a single large alternative SSD on the advice of a colleague who is quite familiar with Photoshop.
I overlooked ordering an additional sata cable!
But overall I'm very pleased with the price/spec. So once again can I thank all that contributed their ideas.

Build took me 2.5 hours this evening. Longest part was fathoming out how the little pegs worked in the Alphenfohn cooler as the instructions were too small for me to read. Clipping the heat sink onto the processor tested my mettle also!

It may be worth mentioning that the Coolermaster N200 case has two fans in it which ideally needs two headers on the mother board. My mother board only has one so I'm using that for the rear fan and he front one is powered on permanantly. Is this the solution?
The N200 is a really good case for the beginner. Its fairly easy to work with and it looks quite neat also.

The Asus CD unit fits flush unlike the CD that appears on the YouTube video. The logilink card reader in the 3.5 bay doesn't look out of place either.

The BeQuiet PSU has number of cables connected to it. These are all labelled but what threw me for a minute was that the Big Mobo connector comes in two parts and there are two CPU connectors. I just used the onle labelled CPU1.

The only negative comment I have is that the backplate that come with the MoBo is verfy flimsy and has spiky "fingers" around the holes. I'm not sure if these go inside or oustide. They look abit unsightly (although they won't be seen much around the back, and they made sliding teh Mobo in a bit difficult. Maybe I was being overly cautious.

Processor Intel Core i5-4570 Box, LGA1150 €173.87
Cooler Alpenföhn Sella - 92mm, AMD/Intel €17.89
RAM 16GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24 €109.19
HDD WD Caviar Blue 1TB 6Gb's €56.18
SSD SanDisk SSD Ultra Plus 256GB Desktop €159.50
PSU be quiet! SYSTEM POWER 7 500W - bulk - €53.86
Card Reader LogiLink USB 2.0 all-in-one Card Reader, für 3,5" Einbauchschacht €3.32
Wifi LAN ASUS PCE-N15 €14.90
CD/DVD Asus DRW-24F1ST Bulk Silent €19.90
MoBo ASUS B85M-G (C2) €66.54
CASE Cooler Master N200, mATX-mini-Tower, schwarz, ohne Netzteil €33.58
OS Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit €39.80

Voucher -€10.00
Shipping €18.99
Total €760.58

uberpixie

bungo63 wrote: »

The only negative comment I have is that the backplate that come with the MoBo is verfy flimsy and has spiky "fingers" around the holes. I'm not sure if these go inside or oustide. They look abit unsightly (although they won't be seen much around the back, and they made sliding teh Mobo in a bit difficult. Maybe I was being overly cautious.

Congrats on a successful build. You put together a nice spec.

The blacking plates are always a little flimsy and can be a curse to line up.
As long as you can see the labels for the ports on the backing plate from the back of the pc case you have put it in the right way

bungo63

OK Love ffair with DIT build is now over!!!

Installed PC Fritz copy of WIN 7 64 Pro tonight. This went according toplan but I wassuprised not to be asked for a product key.

The first thing I noticed is that my 1TB HDD is not appearing under My computer. The SSD is there as drive C and the Cd Drive is also there. When I look in the bios the HDD is there ok.

The LAN port was also not working but I thought this may be a driver issue.

I gave it the benefit of the doubt and proceeded to start updating the Motherboard drivers using the Asus disc. Thinking this may make some difference. Chipset OK, NIC OK, Sound OK, USB3 Seemed Ok but on restart none of my USB ports now work.

When I enter the Bios the mouse works OK, but once windows starts they are dead.

I need some ideas here! Plan B is to try and find a PS 2 mouse in work and see if that works,

uberpixie

bungo63 wrote: »

The first thing I noticed is that my 1TB HDD is not appearing under My computer.

You need to format the harddrive. Right click on computer and click on Manage.
Under the storage section on the window that pops up on screen, there will be an option Disk management, go in there and format the drive, then it will show up. No major panic.

EDIT: step by step guide.
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/windows7/ss/format-hard-drive-windows-7-tutorial.htm

bungo63 wrote: »

When I enter the Bios the mouse works OK, but once windows starts they are dead.

I need some ideas here! Plan B is to try and find a PS 2 mouse in work and see if that works,

Check the motherboard manual. I know for my last build, before I installed the drivers for usb, the mouse and keyboard would only be picked up on the usb 2.0 ports when in windows for the first time.

Keeping going you are nearly there.