Getting a new computer
Jul 23, 2013 15:57:08 #
IR Jim wrote:
A .50 cal rifle is "better" than a .22 but you wouldn't go squirrel hunting with it. Actually that is up for debate :lol:
You can use a .50 on a squirrel but to be honest, the squirrel will not be much use for anything afterwards.
Jul 23, 2013 16:45:39 #
Hay what is all this 32-64 bit stuff, what is W-8... me I'm agead of the W-8, I have W-98 running 16 bit, and my CPU has a turbo button,,,, yep,,, 12 mhz ,,, and MGI-4... My prints look a lot better now since I upgraded to a 9 pin printer!!!
Jul 23, 2013 17:00:07 #
Haha yes! That brings back memories...
I still play Zork from time to time...
I still play Zork from time to time...
dpullum wrote:
my CPU has a turbo button,,,,
Jul 23, 2013 17:37:16 #
dpullum wrote:
Hay what is all this 32-64 bit stuff, what is W-8... me I'm agead of the W-8, I have W-98 running 16 bit, and my CPU has a turbo button,,,, yep,,, 12 mhz ,,, and MGI-4... My prints look a lot better now since I upgraded to a 9 pin printer!!!
Remember. One Prozac in the morning and one just before bedtime.
I actually used to work on pin printers when I worked for IBM in the 60s.
Jul 23, 2013 18:25:44 #
In my humble opinion the computer you use is not going to be as important as the monitor you use. It will not matter how fast or how much ram you have or what your hard drive speed or capacity is if your monitor will not produce the correct colors and contrast for the work you are trying to do. I would rather have a slower computer and a good monitor than a super fast computer. When I print something I want blue to print blue and not grey. How many photos do you need to have open at any one time? Two or maybe three? You don't need a super computer to process photos but you do need a super monitor, otherwise you are just spitting into the wind. Look for a refurbished computer of what ever brand you like and with the money you save get a good monitor.
Jul 23, 2013 18:38:30 #
jimni2001 wrote:
In my humble opinion the computer you use is not g... (show quote)
Makes sense... but I would start with a Mac computer and Mac monitor.
Jul 23, 2013 18:52:30 #
jimni2001 wrote:
In my humble opinion the computer you use is not g... (show quote)
I agree... it's like those raw pixel peepers---how many quality pixels do you need to make a stunning photo look good in print? :-)
Jul 23, 2013 20:05:41 #
Many preach using a monitor calibration spider, a sizable investment .(better spent of graphics card and RAM) .. to calibrate mine I photographed a paint selection chart from Home Depot and tweaked my monitor to equal the paint chips and my printer does a good job of reproducing what the camera saw.
In reality, non-reality is in part what we strive for with our wonderful cameras that give us so much more latitude than the ol day of wet processing. Our photography is walking on the edges of true ART. In fact I now look at the art magazines rather than looking at the photo magazines that go over the same ideas as 5 years before and shout the virtues of cameras and then based on rear of the religious right say the Photoshop is best and Canon and Nikon are next to god!! Oh well. Art mod is available with DAP (Dynamic AutoPaint) which will do the brush work in the style and palette of many famous artist of the past. See DAP @:
http://www.mediachance.com/dap/
Computers, humm when I look at the webinars given by Topaz Labs, the conversions progress bars rip-zoom across bottom of the screen,,, unfortunately,,,, my computer with 8 gig of DDR2 memory and W-7 Home premium (MS-bull nothing premium.. bought it at per-release and I fell for it again with W-8,, in the words of Baby Bush "fool me once shame on you fool me twice... aaaa, he forgot... well Ouch there was W-Me and Visa... time for a mass revolt and big class action suite,,) With my computer the progress bar walks leisurely across the bottom of screen. Time to upgrade!!! Yep... 16 Gig, AMD 8 not quad and blazing video card.. about 500 as I see it. zzzzzzzz oops was dreaming...
In reality, non-reality is in part what we strive for with our wonderful cameras that give us so much more latitude than the ol day of wet processing. Our photography is walking on the edges of true ART. In fact I now look at the art magazines rather than looking at the photo magazines that go over the same ideas as 5 years before and shout the virtues of cameras and then based on rear of the religious right say the Photoshop is best and Canon and Nikon are next to god!! Oh well. Art mod is available with DAP (Dynamic AutoPaint) which will do the brush work in the style and palette of many famous artist of the past. See DAP @:
http://www.mediachance.com/dap/
Computers, humm when I look at the webinars given by Topaz Labs, the conversions progress bars rip-zoom across bottom of the screen,,, unfortunately,,,, my computer with 8 gig of DDR2 memory and W-7 Home premium (MS-bull nothing premium.. bought it at per-release and I fell for it again with W-8,, in the words of Baby Bush "fool me once shame on you fool me twice... aaaa, he forgot... well Ouch there was W-Me and Visa... time for a mass revolt and big class action suite,,) With my computer the progress bar walks leisurely across the bottom of screen. Time to upgrade!!! Yep... 16 Gig, AMD 8 not quad and blazing video card.. about 500 as I see it. zzzzzzzz oops was dreaming...
Jul 23, 2013 20:21:18 #
dpullum wrote:
Many preach using a monitor calibration spider, a ... (show quote)
OK dpullum... Your attitude is like your home town, "Flinty". Sorry, had to get an insult in before I said that you're camera/computer/monitor calibration is the right way to go! I would add that when you "tweak" the monitor image to the color chart you photographed, squint your eyes and tweak it several times. The illuminated monitor image and the printed color chart are like apples and oranges. Squinting helps merge the two reproductions into a closer "match". Now make a print, THEN adjust your monitor's image to the print. If it was a lousy print your monitor was not adjusted properly. By another monitor adjustment to the test print you bring the monitor image closer to your final print.
Excuse me, there's still beer left in the fridge.
Jul 23, 2013 20:32:01 #
IR Jim wrote:
Just FYI the video card is only important if you a... (show quote)
I agree gaming card excel at 3D which Photo editors like PS do not use. The problem is finding a good 2D graphics card.
Jul 23, 2013 20:41:43 #
joer wrote:
I agree gaming card excel at 3D which Photo editors like PS do not use. The problem is finding a good 2D graphics card.
Not a problem... just buy a Mac.
Jul 23, 2013 21:03:20 #
Jul 23, 2013 23:54:59 #
IR Jim wrote:
The integrated graphics on most of todays mobo's are 3D.
And the Ivy Bridge with a 3rd gen Intel CPU is no slouch. I would pass on the Haswell and 4th gen CPU for now to get the biggest bang for your buck. Did I mention, the OP should buy Intel? :-)
Jul 24, 2013 05:26:45 #
IR Jim wrote:
The integrated graphics on most of today's mobo's are 3D.
While I am cured of waste/lust for non mobo sound cards, graphics are a different story. Graphics on board are OK, but they consume a lot of resources, in contrast cards bring their own. ... correct me if I am operating on historic predigest.
To learn about the marvels of misdirection of eye and the complications that can arise with color management I purchased two books.
Color Management, a very technical book 530 pages - Graser, Murphy, Bunting ( a complicated overwhelming world, better to read a CambridgeColour Tutorial, it suffices).
The second book was an education and is a worth while read. Digital Lighting & Rendering (2nd ed) by Birn 416 pages. This is a gaming-creation book and a real education for how a color changes when adjacent to another. Excuse me, appears to change. Ever notice how the mat color will change the appearance of a photo?
Jul 25, 2013 01:27:24 #
tc71 wrote:
I am going to get a new PC soon. I will use it for mainly editing pictures and video. I would greatly appreciate any input from anyone as to what some good editing programs are and what operating system would work better, (AMD vs Intel) or anything else I should look for when buying my PC. I am hoping to spend less than $800. Thank You
Easy way: Go to Dell.com and get the fastest Intel i7 Studio XPS you can get for the money you want to spend. It will be equipped with at least 8GB of RAM but add some to get 12GB or 16GB if you can. The graphics card will be pretty good and should have it's own on-board memory. I don't recommend i5 because it's bottom of the barrel now and i7 is much faster, especially if you get into home video editing later.
Two years ago I bought Dell's second fastest Intel i7 Studio XPS model for $900 so certainly you can beat that price for one better equipped and with an even faster i7 two years later. Mine has a super quality THX audio board with surround sound and digital in/outs, Win7 Home Premium 64-bit (probably Win8 today), DVD recorder, HDMI TV output, 1.5TB hard drive, 8GB of RAM memory, a second monitor output from the video card so I can run two monitors if I wish, a memory card reader that covers every kind of camera cards, and 7 or 8 USB ports.
They may give you a nice 20-23" LCD monitor for a very low price and throw in a Dell printer for free if you buy a "package" but that could take you over your desired budget of $800. They'll also deliver it so fast with free shipping that you'll barely have your credit card put away and UPS will be standing at your door.
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