Pc Spec Suggestions

[AnnieP]

Hi everyone, I am fed up with trying to PP my photos on my old LapTop, and am trying to persuade Mr P to let me buy a new PC set up.

I will stay with Windows rather than Mac, unless anyone can convince me that Mac is Much better.

I use Shoot in Raw and use Lightroom and Photoshop as my main two programmes.

I would really like some idea on the kind of spec to go for, including monitor.

Thanks

Ann

[ricktas]

8GB ram as a minimum
Probably a good i7 processor
two hard drives or an SSD and a hard drive
usb3 ports - a good usb3 card reader is invaluable for fast transfer from card to computer
good graphics card, gaming cards are always worth considering
an IPS screen, and a hardware calibrator - like a Spyder
Now for something really odd, a gaming mouse. All those buttons can be programmed to do things in lightroom

There is a starting point.

[rackham]

8GB ram as a minimum
Probably a good i7 processor
two hard drives or an SSD and a hard drive
usb3 ports - a good usb3 card reader is invaluable for fast transfer from card to computer
good graphics card, gaming cards are always worth considering
an IPS screen, and a hardware calibrator - like a Spyder
Now for something really odd, a gaming mouse. All those buttons can be programmed to do things in lightroom

There is a starting point.

In an ideal world, maybe.

You'll do just fine with an i5, 4gb ram. SSD is nice but not totally necessary either. Same goes for the rest... Rick's suggested specs are certainly desirable but by no means would I consider any of them to be minimum standards.

Or maybe I'm a little too fond of my ghetto lappies, however much they do the job for me. Your mileage may vary.

[MrQ]

+1 to what Rackham has said except I'd definitely go with more RAM (at least 8GB), especially since it will probably be the cheapest part.

[PhotoPaul]

You might be best to tell us your budget, otherwise we could sprout all kinds of specs without any practicality.

[ROA44]

just wondering why you would be avoiding a Mac. At the moment I can't afford anything but would like to have a mac as I get sick of all the Win's changes and am able to get around XP alright now. I have just gained access to my Sisters New Toshiba i7 laptop because she can no longer use a computer due to blindness & with Win's 8 and am finding it annoying. Apart from money the only reason I'm unsure about apple is an extra apple screen is about $400's compared to $330's for 2 x 23" LG IPS Monitors. A number of people I know have over the last couple of years changed over to mac's and wouldn't go back to a windows machine plus I'm not that tech savy so am tempted to consider.

[wideangle]

I would think of buying a computer as an investment into the future. Spending a little more now on components will allow you to be able to use the computer longer, whereas if you brought cheaper components then it might be good right now but get slower because of camera upgrades/new software etc. It's hard to gauge though what system would be suited to you as you don't mention the price at which you are willing to spend on a new computer.

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just wondering why you would be avoiding a Mac. At the moment I can't afford anything but would like to have a mac as I get sick of all the Win's changes and am able to get around XP alright now. I have just gained access to my Sisters New Toshiba i7 laptop because she can no longer use a computer due to blindness & with Win's 8 and am finding it annoying. Apart from money the only reason I'm unsure about apple is an extra apple screen is about $400's compared to $330's for 2 x 23" LG IPS Monitors. A number of people I know have over the last couple of years changed over to mac's and wouldn't go back to a windows machine plus I'm not that tech savy so am tempted to consider.

You can always get Windows 7 if you don't like the interface of Windows 8, it's still available.

[ricktas]

You can always get Windows 7 if you don't like the interface of Windows 8, it's still available.

You can also turn the Win8 interface off and it looks just like Win7

[wideangle]

You can also turn the Win8 interface off and it looks just like Win7

But I still think you have to load into "metro" first when booting up.

[AnnieP]

Hi everyone. Thanks for all your replies. I've been stuck at work all day, so just getting your comments now.

A couple of things.. Re budget... It's not really about the $$$, more about buying something that won't need replacing in a year. Obviously I want to get value for money, but if I know what spec will be good then I can look at getting it built.

Re Mac.... I have been using Pcs for the past 15 years and really know my way around windows.... And although I have an iPad and an iPhone I still feel much more comfortable using windows.

How about screen size? Is bigger always better?

Thanks Annie

[wideangle]

CPU: Core I7
RAM: 16GB
HDD 1: SSD (operating system and programs)
HDD 2: HDD (storing your photos)
Mid range graphics card
Dell US412M(24") IPS monitor or U2173HM (27")

Should set you back around $2000 for a good setup. This should last you quite some time and it's worth paying a little more now so that you can have a computer that last's longer into the future.

[AnnieP]

CPU: Core I7
RAM: 16GB
HDD 1: SSD (operating system and programs)
HDD 2: HDD (storing your photos)
Mid range graphics card
Dell US412M(24") IPS monitor or U2173HM (27")

Should set you back around $2000 for a good setup. This should last you quite some time and it's worth paying a little more now so that you can have a computer that last's longer into the future.

Thank you so much, that was just the kind of info I was after.

Anyone else got anything different to add??

Now I've just got to price it up and go cap in hand to Mr P!

[wideangle]

There are plenty of good quality monitors out there, just make sure they have IPS or PLS, not TN. Samsung S27A850D is another to check out, a little cheaper than than the Dell equivalent too.

[J.davis]

Try this for suggestions and general ideas
http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/rmp_sg_...asking_configs

[ricktas]

Have a look at some of these : http://www.scorptec.com.au/systems/all/
Especially the ones towards the bottom. They are high spec'd. I got all the parts for my current desktop computer from scorptec and built my own, but their reputation for build design and quality is superb. At least they will give you an idea of some specifications, if nothing else.

[agb]

The critical part of a computer for images is the monitor. You do not need, though it is nice to have, the latest cpu and SSD, and 19GB ram etc, but it's the quality of the monitor that will really make a difference. Wide colour gamut, will all the parameters able to be adjusted, brightness, and individual colours so that you can properly calibrate it.

[ricktas]

The critical part of a computer for images is the monitor. You do not need, though it is nice to have, the latest cpu and SSD, and 19GB ram etc, but it's the quality of the monitor that will really make a difference. Wide colour gamut, will all the parameters able to be adjusted, brightness, and individual colours so that you can properly calibrate it.

Try stitching 6 shots from a D800 with 4gb ram into a pano... it takes forever.

[PhotoPaul]

My current PC, which I built myself, works wonderfully for editing photos and video. I also use it for tracking audio.

Specs are:

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z77-D3H
CPU: i7-2600 3.4ghz
RAM: 16gb
HDD: Internal 300gb Sata 3 + External 600gb USB 3.0. Also have another portable 1tb usb 3.0
Monitor: Viewsonic VX2453 (not the best, but better than what I had previously)
Graphics: Radeon HD6800 series, 1gb RAM GDDR5.
Running Windows 7 x64 Ultimate.

An SSD would be great, but I haven't suffered any awful load times on this computer. That's also when I have had many raws open at once in Photoshop whilst doing things in Illustrator. I think RAM is your best friend here. It's cheap and it never hurts to have more than you think you'll need.

I built this computer pretty cheaply from memory (I've had it for a few years now). I did have to upgrade the motherboard once as the original one I bought was faulty and long story short it was easier just to buy a new one from a local shop. All the other hardware is roughly 4 years old now. Still going strong. It could easily be done through MSY or ARC quite cheaply if you are able to build it yourself.

[AnnieP]

The critical part of a computer for images is the monitor. You do not need, though it is nice to have, the latest cpu and SSD, and 19GB ram etc, but it's the quality of the monitor that will really make a difference. Wide colour gamut, will all the parameters able to be adjusted, brightness, and individual colours so that you can properly calibrate it.

So Graham, what monitor do you use, or would you use if you had the choice?

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Ric I will definitely be making sure I have lots of ram.... That's my problem now..... Sooooo sloooowwwww

[cupic]

Dell IPS monitor cheap and effective 24" or 27",minimum 16gb of RAM