Pc build for astrophotography processing

[Fofommp (Fortune)]

Am in the process of researching for what pc parts I need for a astrophotography processing pc budget of roughly $2000 .
Any thoughts or advice would be welcome .
I know that it has to be cpu and ram heavy and not as much gpu needed, but worrying buying too much cpu and ram for what I need it for without breaking the bank.

[Leo.G (Leo)]

Are you looking to assemble yourself or buy off the shelf, even if to your specs?
Personally, I wouldn't go beyond an i7 if going Intel processor or you get into the realm of liquid cooling which is added expense and not nice when it leaks.
When it comes to RAM I'd be aiming for around 32GB, others may recommend more but while 16 is OK 32 would be better because I've noticed my lesser quantity (16GB) can cause major bottlenecks.
Hardware may also be somewhat dependant on OS. I'm familiar with Windows crap but have little experience with Linux based operating systems because I'm too stupid to use it.

Productivity Workload Efficiency

Productivity workloads encompass a wide range of tasks, from content creation and video editing to 3D rendering and scientific simulations. In these scenarios, the AMD Ryzen 7 family shines, leveraging its high core and thread counts to power through demanding applications.
The Ryzen 7 processors’ multi-core architecture allows for efficient multitasking and faster completion of resource-intensive tasks.
Intel Core i7 CPUs also perform well in productivity workloads, but their lower core counts may result in slightly longer rendering times or reduced multitasking capabilities compared to their Ryzen counterparts.

Source: https://techreviewadvisor.com/amd-ry...ich-is-better/


I'm not familiar with programs running multiple threads and I know some tend to stall when selecting multiple cores, I've had an issue with DSS in the past, again, could be me, see previous comment about being too stupid.


There are some sites you can use where you assemble your own system online and get a rough cost estimate (having the company build it) and compatibility of components, along with benchmarks.
I know some of the members here are absolutely amazed by the performance of their server oriented builds


https://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/...d.php?t=212602


I have servers here (my sons) with quad Xeon processors but have never tried, I'm sure they'd probably be quite fast if the software can use the cores/threads.

[joshman (Josh)]

What programs are you looking at using to process? If PixInsight is your end goal, then prioritise #CPU cores, then RAM. I would look at an AMD AM5 processor over any Intel. Well optimised processing software like Pixinsight will take full advantage of the multiple cores.


With Ram, get a matched set with 2 sticks, not 1, not 4. The AMD processors work best with 2 sticks, and their memory controllers can't take full advantage of 4 sticks. Get the fastest ram supported by your Processor.
32GB minimum, 64Gb recommended. I went all out with my setup last year, and I've seen PI chew up 48Gb of ram in some instances.


A good GPU won't help your processing, unless you start getting to the "AI" plugins like the RC tools. These can take advantage of the CUDA cores in nVidia GPU's, and present a massive and worthwhile boost to performance in these. the 4070TiSuper was the sweet spot for price/performance when I built.


As far as possible, use NVME M.2 SSD drives for your system, they'll give you the best performance.

[Startrek (Martin)]

Most Astro software stacking and post processing programs provide minimum operational system requirements for your PC / Laptop.

For DSO imaging I use ASTAP for stacking and Startools for post processing and both provide this information to ensure you have the minimum requirements.

My 15” and 17” laptops are over specified anyway so I’m covered for any alternatives. To me a minimum of 32GB of RAM would be an advantage.

A budget of $2K for a post processing machine is quite tight but if you’re tech savvy I’m sure you can build a suitable kit based on your preferred software.

Martin

[Fofommp (Fortune)]

Thanks for replys.
Am mostly using it for pixinsight ,photoshop lightroom and .editing timelapse and video on davinci resolve.
And looking g to use it to process large mosaics in the future.
And looking to build it myself.

[Leo.G (Leo)]

Originally Posted by Fofommp

Thanks for replys.
Am mostly using it for pixinsight ,photoshop lightroom and .editing timelapse and video on davinci resolve.
And looking g to use it to process large mosaics in the future.
And looking to build it myself.

If you're doing the build yourself I can maybe give you one tip, buy most components from one seller, by the time you pay multiple freight bills you end up worse off when you shop around for the best individual prices.
Of course a dearer graphics I'd be buying individually but case, main-board, processor and RAM, case fans, power supply usually works out cheaper with one lot of freight added not 5 or 6. (experience)

[sharkbite]

Originally Posted by Fofommp

Am in the process of researching for what pc parts I need for a astrophotography processing pc budget of roughly $2000 .

I've actually been in the process of upgrading my various machines as w10 support runs out.

at the "budget" end i picked up an ex-lease dell with a 10th Gen i5 and 16gb of ram for $350. It seems to cope with most things pretty well, and the onboard graphics actually make the AI in graxpert run pretty well...better than the GTX1050 i have in my main PC

I'm just waiting for my 14700 to arrive, with a new motherboard and 32gb of ram...will wait and see how the onboard graphics copes, but if its no good i'll get an rtx3050....this is all going to cost $1500 ish as i already have a good case with a beefy power supply (which is needed for a decent gpu)

i agree with what others have said - with a few additions

regarding RAM - i went ddr5 with the lowest latency i could find.
This is often overlooked - and has a not insignificant bearing on performance. (you will need a mobo that supports it)

The highest RAM frequency your cpu can handle is good advice - i dont go in for overclocking ram myself as it can introduce instability.
getting faster than your mobo can support is a waste of $ and most of the "fast" ram sticks have quite high latencies...

all m.2. ssds are also not equal - i went for gen 4 , as the motherboard i'm getting supports it...

if you get a mix of gen 3/gen 4 between the drive and the motherboard, speed will be determined by the slowest of the two...

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

Look for a Ryzen 9000 system with 8 or more cores, and as much RAM as you can afford.

2TB of fast SSD is a good place to start. WD 850X tend to work well with large amounts of I/O.

[rustigsmed (Russell)]

I'd go for somethiing like this with that budget - you probably could consider getting a second hand nvidia gpu - they're expensive thanks to the ai boom. amd can work but its a lot more work - best to avoid unfortunately.

I'd definitely recommend having a second nvme you can really boost your PI performance by setting it up the PI settings. and of course if using linux you gain a whole lot of PI performance too (just peruse the benchmark page to see the scores linux is pretty much always ahead https://pixinsight.com/benchmark/ ). I've got 3 systems in there my 9950x3d score of 60693 - the first windows machine with the same cpu has 33319; which is about the same as my old 5950x pc's score (32856) and 2 cpu generations older. even my little 14" laptop (13700h) manages a score of 30085 (closest windows score which is beating out desktop systems such as i9 13900ks and 32 core threadrippers (7970x) etc. Anyway food for thought - you're paying for the hardware may as well max out the performance it has, you can use PI and davinci resolve on linux but you can't use photoshop or lightroom. perhaps a dual boot if you can't escape adobe's tentacles.


PCPartPicker Part List: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/BhpwKq

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9900X 4.4 GHz 12-Core Processor ($637.13 @ Amazon Australia)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler ($149.00 @ Austin Computers)
Motherboard: ASRock B850M Pro-A WiFi Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard ($259.00 @ Scorptec)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-5200 CL40 Memory ($239.00 @ Amazon Australia)
Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($169.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($285.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: Inno3D Twin X2 GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB Video Card ($459.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Case: Deepcool MACUBE 110 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($62.00 @ MSY Technology)
Power Supply: Cooler Master G Gold 650 V2 650 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($127.00 @ I-Tech)
Total: $2386.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-05-01 22:12 AEST+1000

[sharkbite]

Originally Posted by rustigsmed

I'd go for somethiing like this with that budget - you probably could consider getting a second hand nvidia gpu - they're expensive thanks to the ai boom. amd can work but its a lot more work - best to avoid unfortunately.

I'd definitely recommend having a second nvme you can really boost your PI performance by setting it up the PI settings. and of course if using linux you gain a whole lot of PI performance too (just peruse the benchmark page to see the scores linux is pretty much always ahead https://pixinsight.com/benchmark/ ). I've got 3 systems in there my 9950x3d score of 60693 - the first windows machine with the same cpu has 33319; which is about the same as my old 5950x pc's score (32856) and 2 cpu generations older. even my little 14" laptop (13700h) manages a score of 30085 (closest windows score which is beating out desktop systems such as i9 13900ks and 32 core threadrippers (7970x) etc. Anyway food for thought - you're paying for the hardware may as well max out the performance it has, you can use PI and davinci resolve on linux but you can't use photoshop or lightroom. perhaps a dual boot if you can't escape adobe's tentacles.


PCPartPicker Part List: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/BhpwKq

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9900X 4.4 GHz 12-Core Processor ($637.13 @ Amazon Australia)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler ($149.00 @ Austin Computers)
Motherboard: ASRock B850M Pro-A WiFi Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard ($259.00 @ Scorptec)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-5200 CL40 Memory ($239.00 @ Amazon Australia)
Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($169.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($285.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: Inno3D Twin X2 GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB Video Card ($459.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Case: Deepcool MACUBE 110 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($62.00 @ MSY Technology)
Power Supply: Cooler Master G Gold 650 V2 650 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($127.00 @ I-Tech)
Total: $2386.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-05-01 22:12 AEST+1000

this would be a beast!

Only one change i would make - the RAM could be a tad faster...

the CPU can handle up to ddr-5600, and CL40 is a pretty long latency...CL28 will net some decent gains

the Mobo can handle much faster, and the CPU is unlocked if you want to overclock....me....i prefer stability so i wouldn't bother if i was building it.