Canoe50d

it's time, im in the market for a new PC and would like some feedback.
I use my pc for email, social media, and editing photos (lightroom CC).
I am NOT a gamer. I do view my share of Utube videos and stream Netflix.....
I should also share I am not a computer person. When I walk into Best Buy or ..... I will be at the mercy of those helping me. So I turn to you that do what I do. I've found (on mycurrent pc that is 7 yrs old) that using Lightroom CC and saving smart copies does use a fare about of space.
What do I look for in a PC (meaning the guts). >??? I should add I've tried a mac several years ago and to be honest I don't wish to enter the learning curve that is transferring from PC to Mac. So, lets talk PC please.

Thank you in advance for any/all help.

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

I think first you would have to answer the question do you want to go desktop or laptop.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

7 years is an eternity in the Tech world. I switched to Mac about 4 years ago and am as happy as can be. A 27" iMac Retina is just wonderful for photo work -- and everything else. As each day goes by, there is less and less of a difference. It might just be easier to switch to a MAC as it would to get comfortable with W10. Best of luck!

Canoe50d

Sorry, Laptop.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

MacBook Pro. I would advise that a laptop is not a good choice for everyday PP. Many more options available in the desktop world.

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

There are a couple of things going on in PC laptops that are changing how many artists and photographers use their systems. I personally have a Vaio (not Sony anymore) Canvas which allows me to work directly on the screen. The Microsoft Surface, especially the Surface Book is a game changer. My Vaio is unbelievably fast and I can run my LR and PS for photos as well as art projects I use it like a tablet or a Wacom Cintiq. I do use a Wacom tablet when I'm working on my desktop but being able to draw directly on the screen makes it even better. The Surface Book is a little larger than the Vaio but I have not had any problems with operating either LR or PS. What I'm doing on the Vaio, or you can do on the Surface Book, you cannot do on any Apple machine.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

It can change weekly. But, this week, I would buy this $900 Dell: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1260884-REG/dell_i7559_3763blk_i7_6700hq_16gb_1tb_gtx960m_windows_10_15_6.html

The processor is fast enough to do photo and video editing now and in the future.
The disk drive is big enough for a lot of photos.
The screen has enough pixels for photo work.
It has an SD Card reader for camera cards.
It has a graphics card that will improve photo and video editing.
It has enough ports for external backup drives and (optionally) a desk sized monitor.

If price is not an issue, I would by the new $2700 Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (1 TB SSD, 16 GB RAM, Intel Core i7e): http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1233294-REG/microsoft_su4_00001_12_3_surface_pro_4.html

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

A MacBook configured for photo editing is going to cost you $2500 minimum. Look at a Dell XPS15, which fully configured will be about $1000 less than a Mac and has the benefits of having USB ports.

BrettProbert Loc: Clinton, PA

[quote=bsprague]It can change weekly. But, this week, I would buy this $900 Dell: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1260884-REG/dell_i7559_3763blk_i7_6700hq_16gb_1tb_gtx960m_windows_10_15_6.html

The processor is fast enough to do photo and video editing now and in the future.
The disk drive is big enough for a lot of photos.
The screen has enough pixels for photo work.
It has an SD Card reader for camera cards.
It has a graphics card that will improve photo and video editing.
It has enough ports for external backup drives and (optionally) a desk sized monitor.

Amen. I bought this laptop a while back and I absolutely love it for LR & PS CC as well as Elements 14 and everything else I do with it.

MikeMck Loc: Southern Maryland on the Bay

I recently bought a Dell laptop. I have it attached to a 26" monitor and use a keyboard and mouse. The laptop stays closed. If necessary, I can unplug the laptop and take while I am travelling. I couldn't do that with a desktop. I have a hard disk that holds 1 TB and 8 MG of RAM. I find that combination to be all I need for emails, writing letters, and doing photo editing. Good luck. Don't let some kid at Best Buy sell something you don't need. I don't know about now, but years ago the salespeople were salaried, not on commission, so that selling you a high priced computer didn't do anything for them.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I guess you can't read - the OP said clearly - NO MACS! You mac fanboys are too funny.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I've been buying Dell desktops over the years. Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, or more, SSD as your main drive and a second conventional hard drive for data. You can save money by getting minimal memory and hard drive and buying and installing them yourself. The standard graphics card will be fine.

This one is refurbished, but I've seen new ones for less money. If you put something like this on your Amazon Wish List, you can watch as the price goes up and down.

https://smile.amazon.com/Dell-XPS-8900-Generation-Refurbished/dp/B01HPYO55Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479812412&sr=8-1&keywords=dell+xps+8900+desktop+-+intel+core+i7+-+4gb+graphics

alandg46 Loc: Boerne, Texas

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Without knowing your budget, Ideally a quad core or even an 8 core Intel based system is what you out to be looking for. Either an i7 6700K Quad Core, or a i7-6900K Octacore. The Octacore is 4x as much as the Quad, and though it is fast, it will not be 4x faster. ($250 vs $1000). The K after the number means the cpu is "unlocked" and can be overclocked. Which will help a bit with LR when calculating the editing instructions for creating an output file and/or merging panos or HDR images. A fast quad or octacore will also help make the generation of screen previews a little snappier. This is what most LR users complain about - waiting for the preview to be created and displayed.

The motherboard should have an m.2 slots, or better yet, 2 of them. These will accept m.2 SSD drives - which are amazingly fast. If you get a more advanced motherboard that will handle NVMe memory boards, the rate of transfer between memory an cpu will be 2200mb/s. Most SATA based SSDs chug along at around 500mb/s. This makes a difference when you access the catalog. I suggest a C drive that is at least 512gb. For spinning storage, I suggest using Western Digital Black, or their RE drives - these are fast, warrantied for 5 years, and pretty much bulletproof. I use them in all of my builds.

LR only needs 8 gb ram, and will benefit slightly from having 16 gb, but won't benefit from more. However, if you want a machine that is somewhat future proof - get a motherboard that supports up to 64 gb ram. This way if you end up using Photoshop in your workflow, you'll be able to upgrade by just adding a couple of memory modules.

Any midrange graphics card with 2 gb vram will be more than adequate. Zero benefit from getting more than 4 gb.

Rather than getting your machine from Best Buy, I would strongly suggest you have one custom built by either your local computer guy, or an outfit like MicroCenter or Tiger Direct. You will get only what you need, and not have to pay for "bundled" stuff that they throw in that you will never use.

Support for USB 3.1, Thunderbolt 3 and Firewire 800 would be really good as well.

If you get the Quadcore, this machine w the basic 512 gb C drive, would run around $1200-$1400 or so, depending on the motherboard you choose. If you decide to overclock, the system can be safely run at speeds up to 5 ghz, as long as you use liquid cooling on the cpu. A good mid-range cooler costs about $60 and is good to get, even if you don't overclock.I like Asus motherboards, but there are other popular and perfectly suitable alternatives.

Hope this helps.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Good point. My son just got one and it is very impressive. Only thing I don't like is the non-removable battery. Otherwise, the screen is great, size, battery life and overall build is excellent. And maxed out, it is still $1000 less than a comparable Macbook Pro.