Which Computer & Monitor for Photoshop? Can anyone recommend a computer (PC or Mac) and display monitor for use with Photoshop CS6? My Budget is around £1,500 ($2,300) and certainly no...

A.J.R. Loc: Devon, UK

Can anyone recommend a computer (PC or Mac) and display monitor for use with Photoshop CS6? My Budget is around £1,500 ($2,300) and certainly no more than £1,700 ($2,600).
Most of the work carried out will be printed on an Epson R3000.
Very grateful for your views.

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

I use a 27" iMac but made the mistake of getting the i3 chip. Apple should be coming out with all new iMac computers with solid state drives and possibly retina displays. I suggest that you wait for the new models and get the fastest chip available and upgrade to a full set of ram (mine came with 4gb & I upgraded to 12 gb but it can take a max of 16gb). Layers in CS6 is a ram hog and you'll need as much as you can get.

warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

ecobin wrote:

I use a 27" iMac but made the mistake of getting the i3 chip. Apple should be coming out with all new iMac computers with solid state drives and possibly retina displays. I suggest that you wait for the new models and get the fastest chip available and upgrade to a full set of ram (mine came with 4gb & I upgraded to 12 gb but it can take a max of 16gb). Layers in CS6 is a ram hog and you'll need as much as you can get.

How about I MAC and Photoshop elements?? :thumbup:

jeryh Loc: Oxfordshire UK

A.J.R. wrote:

Can anyone recommend a computer (PC or Mac) and display monitor for use with Photoshop CS6? My Budget is around £1,500 ($2,300) and certainly no more than £1,700 ($2,600).
Most of the work carried out will be printed on an Epson R3000.
Very grateful for your views.

you can't beat an Imac- a 22"screen will do everything you require for your budget

berchman Loc: South Central PA

A.J.R. wrote:

Can anyone recommend a computer (PC or Mac) and display monitor for use with Photoshop CS6? My Budget is around £1,500 ($2,300) and certainly no more than £1,700 ($2,600).
Most of the work carried out will be printed on an Epson R3000.
Very grateful for your views.

The monitor below has built in calibration software and shows more colors than normal monitors. For a computer, the Dell XPS 8500 will handle your needs.

24" Widescreen Color-Critical Desktop Monitor w/ SpectraViewII
MODEL: PA241W-BK-SV
Tackle even your most demanding color-critical projects with the 24" NEC MultiSync PA241W, a widescreen LCD display ideal for graphics/photography applications. This model touts a dynamic design, wide color gamut, 14-bit 3D LUT, eco-conscious features, high brightness and many cutting-edge technologies. It also features the SpectraViewII Color Calibration Solution, which combines a customized wide color gamut measurement sensor with sophisticated software, resulting in a highly accurate, reliable, repeatable and feature-rich display calibration and profiling solution.

davidcaley Loc: Utah

David B Brooks writes column for Shutterbug "Q&A Digital Photography", recommends Mac Mini plus calibrating monitor as described above. I will try to find URL for the article. Easy for you to find. He has significant negative advice about limitations of iMac screen.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

I tend to concur with the upper end iMac for the computer. I however sense that many like to use a second monitor to view the image, and for that I like the Eizo monitors the best. They are pricey, but excellent. My old 30" needed to have the backlight bulbs replaced. It cost me only the shipping one way.

If you go the two monitor route, you can get buy with the smaller screen iMac as you will only be using it to host the photoshop shell.

There are almost too many permutations and combinations to detail. What works best for you is well, best for you. However, DO NOT SCRIMP ON RAM. RAM IS KING! Second to the correct CPU - go for the best available.

HTH

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

I tend to concur with the upper end iMac for the computer. I however sense that many like to use a second monitor to view the image, and for that I like the Eizo monitors the best. They are pricey, but excellent. My old 30" needed to have the backlight bulbs replaced. It cost me only the shipping one way.

If you go the two monitor route, you can get buy with the smaller screen iMac as you will only be using it to host the photoshop shell.

There are almost too many permutations and combinations to detail. What works best for you is well, best for you. However, DO NOT SCRIMP ON RAM. RAM IS KING! Second to the correct CPU - go for the best available.

HTH

Ziza Loc: USA

A.J.R. wrote:

Can anyone recommend a computer (PC or Mac) and display monitor for use with Photoshop CS6? My Budget is around £1,500 ($2,300) and certainly no more than £1,700 ($2,600).
Most of the work carried out will be printed on an Epson R3000.
Very grateful for your views.

Your computer/monitor should at least meet Adobe's minimum system requirements for running PS CS6.

http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/system-requirements-photoshop.html#main_Photoshop_CS6_system_requirements

Quickflash Loc: Loganville, Ga

I just purchased the 27' iMac from B&H. I should have it tomorrow! They have a much better deal on it than Apple or anywhere else I have looked. I just noticed that you are in the UK. Hopefully, there is a store there that can give you a similar deal.

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

A.J.R. wrote:

Can anyone recommend a computer (PC or Mac) and display monitor for use with Photoshop CS6? My Budget is around £1,500 ($2,300) and certainly no more than £1,700 ($2,600).
Most of the work carried out will be printed on an Epson R3000.
Very grateful for your views.

While I use PC and you could buy one hell of a super gaming-quality PC that could handle any photo or video task with ease, probably with dual i7 CPUs, 64GB of memory, a half dozen 2TB hard drives, and a refrigeration system to cool it for that money, I'll violate my loyalties and say you should go with a Mac because you've got the budget for it and there is no better consumer monitor than the Apple Retina!

A.J.R. Loc: Devon, UK

Many many thanks for all the information. Given me much to think about.
In most cases Mac seems to win the day, with a few reservations on their monitors.

Are there any downsides or compatibility issues with connecting Eizo (recommended by Bob Hartung) or NEC (recommended by Berchman) screens to a Mac, either as part of a 2 screen set up or one screen connected to a Mac Mini Plus?