PHOTOGRAPHER PHOTOGRAPHS, COMPUTER COMPUTS ...

... OR ELSE TALKING ABOUT USEFUL SILICON.

May 22, 2022, September 15, 2025.
Computers have been good helpers for photographers since their inception. At first, they only used scanners to digitize slides and negatives, but now we use computers to completely process and edit digital photographs (and we continue to digitize slides and negatives).

I am building computers myself, exactly according to my needs and requirements. Because I have been asked many times, which computer is suitable for editing of photographs, I now present the complete parameters of the studio machine, always with a brief comment.

PROCESSOR.
Based on (not only) my experience, I can recommend Intel processors. I have been using them my whole life and it has never occurred to me that anyone was wrong. I am using Intel Core i9-14900KF processor. 24 cores, 32 threads, frequency up to 6 GHz, cache 36 MB L3, socket Intel 1700.

PROCESSOR COOLING.
A powerful processor requires efficient cooling. The basis is, of course, the best possible contact of the processor with the cooler base and heat pipes, but also an often unjustly neglected parameter - the size of the cooler itself. Simply put, the larger a piece of metal we place on a heat source, the better it will cool, even passively. My new cooler is one, that many people have returned because it just didn't fit in their case. However, because my case is a bit bigger, the monster fit. It is a SilentiumPC Fera 5. Powerful cooler, developed in collaboration with Synergy Cooling, has four heat pipes, forming directly the base of the cooler (the tube lies directly on the processor) in combination with a new 12cm Fluctus 120PWM fan with improved bearing and quiet operation, thanks to the toothed trailing edges of the blades. If one fan is not enough, the other can be easily connected, you will find the necessary parts in the box and the power cord has a loose plug. Due to the specific shape of the heat pipes, the cooler cannot be placed on some motherboards with LGA 1700 socket, details can be found on the manufacturer's website.

MOTHERBOARD.
As follows from the above, the type of motherboard was already predetermined by two parameters: Intel LGA1700 socket and the possibility of placing a SilentiumPC Fera 5. Due to the good price-performance ratio, I chose the Micro Star International (MSI) board marked PRO-Z690-A WIFI. A detailed description of this motherboard would be published in a separate article, briefly only: PCI Express 5.0, DDR5 6400MHz 128GB, SATA III, M2, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps, Bluetooth 5.2, WiFi 6E 6GHz, 7.1 channel sound card, RAID 0, 5 and 10, etc. Compatibility with Windows 11 is a matter of course.

RAM MEMORY.
64GB RAM. Since the motherboard can handle even very powerful modules, I opted for four DDR5 16GB modules operating at 6000MHz. The excellent DIMM is now manufactured by Kingston, so we can find modules of this company in the computer, suggestively called Fury Beast, designed not only for work, but also for demanding current computer games. Since I don't need fury or beasts to create my photographs, modules are more or less resting, cooled by a stream of air from the inlet fans, sucked in by a nearby Fluctus on the processor cooler.

GRAPHICS CARD.
Graphics card is fitted with an Nvidia RTX 3060 Ampere processor. It's Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 EAGLE 12G. Briefly – 12 GB GDDR6 (15 000 MHz), Nvidia GeForce Ampere (GA106, 1320 MHz), boost 1777 MHz, PCI Express x16 4.0, 192 Bit, DisplayPort 1.4a, HDMI 2.1, LHR, cooling system Windforce. All parameters can be set using the Gigabyte Aorus Engine software. The cooling is very effective, for photography editing purposes both 10 cm propellers would practically not need to run, but the processor temperature of around 40 °C is unnecessarily high. Using the adjusted control curve, I reduce it to 32 - 35 °C by regularly turning on the fans. They are very quiet, practically inaudible. To reduce turbulence and increase air pressure, they rotate contra, can also change the direction of rotation. The cover of the card allows air to pass through the ribbing at the right part, the copper heat-conducting tubes lie directly on the processor. The card is equipped with a fully adjustable RGB Fusion backlight, which I turned off due to the opaque case.

HARD DISCS.
The basis for reliable operation of the operating system is a fast, high-quality SSD disk. Since January of this year, I have been using the ADATA model Ultimate SU650 SSD 480GB. The disk has a TLC (Triple-Level Cell) design, a read speed of 520MB/s, a write speed of 450MB/s and a lifespan of 280TBW. In addition, several other disks are connected as needed.

CASE.
As I mentioned, the case is a bit larger. This is advantageous both for easy access to the components and for efficient and at the same time non-disruptive cooling, where the fans can operate at lower speeds and therefore quieter. The all-metal ZALMAN GS1000 Plus case weighs (empty, unoccupied) almost 16kg and is designed for the construction of powerful workstations and servers. It has preparation for water cooling. Discs are placed only in the drawers, large motherboards and graphics cards with powerful coolers can be used, install fans for input, output, ceiling, bottom, ...

POWER SOURCE.
Corsair RM650 power supply. Power up to 650W, fully modular, flat cables, 80 Plus Gold certification.

MONITOR.
27" EIZO ColorEdge CG2700S with hardware calibration and a built-in calibration probe, that automatically calibrates the monitor at a set interval.

KEYBOARD.
If you type more, be sure to get an so-called ergonomic keyboard. I have been using the Microsoft 4000 Ergonomic Keyboard for years, to which, at first, those who are not used to it will not write anything at all. After a while, however, he finds that the natural position of his wrist is so pleasant, that he doesn't even want to return to the pointlessly straight keyboard. But when it is so cheap to produce, that the manufacturers still force it on us under various pretexts. That is why Microsoft, as part of its absurdly stupid decisions (e. g. Windows 10 are the last system for classic computers, everything will be touch ... oh, hurry, Windows 11!) has stopped production and there is no direct replacement yet. I have another brand new one in stock and when it stops working, the Logitech Ergo K860 Wireless Split Keyboard seems to me to be the best so far. Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop Wireless is very nice, but a separate numeric keypad probably wouldn't suit me.

MOUSE.
My favorite mouse is wireless, it has a heavy, big metal wheel, that can be switched to a smooth rotation not only via the button, but also by a quick spin, after which it automatically switches back. In addition, with very long battery life, another metal side wheel (rather a roller) and a number of programmable functions. Don't you know any of them? Error. The current generation is called the Logitech MX Master 3 and the mentioned wheel is now locked in individual positions, no longer mechanically, but electromagnetically, which initially causes a special tactile response, but later very addictive.

And that's all from equipment, ie hardware. As for programs, ie software, I develop RAW photographs in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic. Photographs, exported as TIFF in the ProPhotoRGB color space and 48-bit color depth, are further edited in Adobe Photoshop CS6. The latest versions, although available, have not convinced me much yet.

The operating system is Windows 11 Pro.

So much for the computer. In the end, the well-known saying about fire comes to mind, which applies equally to silicon machines: a good servant, but a bad lord. The computer is a very capable and useful tool for artistic creation. No, and by no means a goal, as has happened to many people. On the other hand, neglecting its maintenance is also not good. Therefore, I wish that the computers would serve well and at the same time remain only helpers, not the rulers of your feeling and creative inspiration in creating increasingly impressive photographs. Perhaps this brief, technical article will help you a bit.

© Martin Mojzis, 2022 – 2025.
Photographs of products: press archives of Adata, Corsair, Dell, EIZO, Gigabyte, Intel, Kingston, Logitech, Microsoft, MSI, SilentiumPC and Zalman.


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