Suggested Specifications for New PC for Photo Editing
Jan 15, 2018 18:25:38 #
I have a friend who is looking to buy a new PC. He is an avid Photoshop CC user and shoots RAW images. He does not have a need or any interest in branching out to video. I have given him a couple of tips, but I thought this group would be a good source from which to get some additional good advice.
Money is not a real issue, but he does not want to buy a PC that is way more than he needs, either.
Any suggestions the group may have will be really appreciated.
P.S. He just bought a BenQ 27" monitor, but I am not sure which model.
TIA
Money is not a real issue, but he does not want to buy a PC that is way more than he needs, either.
Any suggestions the group may have will be really appreciated.
P.S. He just bought a BenQ 27" monitor, but I am not sure which model.
TIA
Jan 15, 2018 19:20:50 #
TBPJr
Loc: South Carolina
don26812 wrote:
I have a friend who is looking to buy a new PC. He... (show quote)
A good start would be a quad-core i7 CPU, a motherboard matched to the CPU chip, 32 GB RAM, and a GPU that suits the budget (the closer to the newer ones the better, but the 960s may be significantly less). I personally prefer four hard drives, in two mirrored sets, one for the operating system and programs, and the other for all data, including pictures and other documents, catalogs (Lightroom, Photoshop, whatever photo editing application he uses), and other customization files or backups.
Jan 15, 2018 19:33:10 #
Thanks for the prompt reply, TBTJr. Your comments are similar to my initial comments to him.
Jan 15, 2018 20:18:57 #
The same question was just asked in the last few days - here’s a link to the thread which you may find useful:
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-506978-1.html
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-506978-1.html
Jan 15, 2018 20:52:47 #
Jan 16, 2018 06:32:31 #
I've seen it said on here before that you'll not go far wrong with a good spec. gaming machine.
Jan 16, 2018 07:16:25 #
don26812 wrote:
I have a friend who is looking to buy a new PC. He... (show quote)
So he wants competent, but not ridiculous. Good thinking. He can buy it with one 2TB (or larger) internal drive and then add a 500GB SSD as the C drive, using the original hard drive for data. That will save him money and give him a significant increase in speed.
Some good links below.
Processor -
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/intel-core-i9-vs-i7-vs-i5-cpu/
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/intel-core-i5-vs-i7/
http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/core-i5-vs-i7
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/210703-intel-core-i5-vs-core-i7-which-processor-should-you-buy
Memory -
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-much-ram-does-your-p
c-need-probably-less-than-you-think/
http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-much-ram-does-your-pc-need/
Jan 16, 2018 07:25:07 #
Just about any desktop you see today will run Elements with no problem. Speed or RAM is rarely an issue as the operator is the controlling factor, and editing is a relatively slow process, even when processing RAW. I use a five year old HP with 8G ram and it runs Elements just fine. Save a little money for an external hard drive, or the soon to be seen urge for more equipment.
Jan 16, 2018 09:43:35 #
don26812 wrote:
I have a friend who is looking to buy a new PC. He... (show quote)
General heads up. Careful of not buying more that he needs. With camera creating larger and larger files, especially raw, you best buy lots of memory or least a model that is architected to go 16+ If you skimp on memory or CPU speed, It's just a matter of time before you slow to a snails pace. I would include a solid state drive. Size of drive[s] dependent on the amount of pictures today and include growth. I chose to use a few terabyte externals for the photos.
Jan 16, 2018 10:53:56 #
That was my first suggestion to him. But he felt it was overkill for a still photography.
Jan 16, 2018 11:49:08 #
don26812 wrote:
I have a friend who is looking to buy a new PC. He... (show quote)
Here are the specs for one I had built for me last summer: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-461559-1.html
The guy who built it built computers in high school to make extra money. Now he's a sophomore computer science major at UC-Berkeley with a 3.93 GPA. He made an A- in Philosophy. Totally ruined his GPA.
Jan 16, 2018 13:24:24 #
Jan 16, 2018 20:30:39 #
Solid State Drive for the operating system and installed applications, maybe a 500GB unit. 2 2-TB hd's. USB 3.0II as many ports as you can fit. Built -in card reader. Drive dock on the top of the case.
Regarding the SSD maybe opt for the PCI card version of an SSD. There is some conversation that these run faster than the standard SSD drive.
My preference would be for a 550 - 750 Watt power supply. I run a 650W.
Others have given you the basic Mother board, processor memory options. I generally use gigabyte mother boards and ASUS processors. The best graphics card you can afford or are willing to pay the tag on. The next time I build one for me, I will go with a full tower case. These worn out old hands just don't do well in those smaller cases. I look like I had a fist fight with a barbed wire bush.
I use Newgg for a lot of parts. Their pricing is pretty good as well.
Regarding the SSD maybe opt for the PCI card version of an SSD. There is some conversation that these run faster than the standard SSD drive.
My preference would be for a 550 - 750 Watt power supply. I run a 650W.
Others have given you the basic Mother board, processor memory options. I generally use gigabyte mother boards and ASUS processors. The best graphics card you can afford or are willing to pay the tag on. The next time I build one for me, I will go with a full tower case. These worn out old hands just don't do well in those smaller cases. I look like I had a fist fight with a barbed wire bush.
I use Newgg for a lot of parts. Their pricing is pretty good as well.
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