the ultimate computer for photo processing

[Invictus]

Ultimate computer? That leaves the door open for possibilities

Since you didn't mention any budget constraints, how about:

CPU:	 Intel S1366 Core i7 965 3.2GHz Quad Core CPU Extreme Edition   
COOLING:	CoolerMaster V10 CPU Cooler
MOTHERBOARD:	Gigabyte S1366 GA-EX58-EXTREME Motherboard   
MEMORY:	Corsair 6GB (3x2GB) D3 2000 w/Heatsink/Fan
HDD	2.5" 120GB Solid State Drive SATA2 (IN RAID 5 on RAID CARD)
HDD	2.5" 120GB Solid State Drive SATA2 (IN RAID 5 on RAID CARD)
HDD	2.5" 120GB Solid State Drive SATA2 (IN RAID 5 on RAID CARD)
RAID CARD:	4 Port PCIeX4 RAID SATA Controller   
HDD:	2TB Western Digital 7200rpm 32M SATA HDD
HDD:	2TB Western Digital 7200rpm 32M SATA HDD
DVD:	Blu-Ray Writer 
VIDEO:	ATI 4870X2 2GB PCIe Video Card
CARDREADER:	Internal MultiCard Reader
POWER:	Thermaltake 1200 Watt Toughpower ATX Power Supply
CASE:	CoolerMaster Stacker 830 Case
OS:	MS Vista 64bit
MONITOR: 24" 8bit LCD (eg: NEC 2490WUXi )
BACKUP:	THECUS N3200PRO with 3 x 1TB Western Digital HDD

That would pretty much handle anything you throw at it, but will put a reasonable dent in the bank account