JRowe

Good morning! I am new to the forum and have enjoyed following posts for the last month.

My computer crashed, so am in market for a new desktop with Windows 10. In past I have used Picasa but plan to move up to Lightroom and do more post processing. I have about 90k photos backed up, and have good intentions of culling more actively in the future!

Thanks for your ideas.

— John

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I got my computer from Costco and it's a Dell tower. I'd get one that has an i7 processor, at least 16GB ram, make sure it has an SSD (solid state drive) of at least 500GB, video support with 4GB ram, USB3 and USB3.1 ports, and get a 27" ISP LCD display. This should get you started but you'll want a fast USB3 or 3.1 external drive for storing those 90,000 images.

Oh, the reason I get my computer at Costco is that they double the warranty.

art pear Loc: North Dakota

90K as in 90,000? That will keep you busy.

I got this and love it. Great for raw files and even does well with 4k video.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/alienware-aurora-r7-desktop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1070-1tb-hard-drive-intel-optane-memory-epic-silver/6155310.p?skuId=6155310

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Is this the one? https://www.costco.com/Dell-XPS-Tower---Intel-Core-i7-8700K---GeForce-GTX-1080---Windows-10-Pro.product.100422574.html

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I went with a Dell XPS back in 2016, 1TB harddrive, 16GB RAM, Intel i7. It's a system for either gamers or digital photographers. The configurations now 2-years later are much the same. Pay attention too to your display. Get at least a 24-inch HD display. Also from BestBuy, I got a Dell - UltraSharp U2415 24" IPS LED HD Monitor. I purchased online, drove up to the store, showed my paperwork and had everything in the car in 15-minutes.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

In my experience with Lightroom and large digital images, 16Gb is just not enough RAM. A minimum of 32 Gb makes Lightroom more comfortable for the user.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Well, yeah, but that one has a lot more to offer. I have one that is similar but only 4GB video, 512GB SSD, and 600 watt power supply. Mine also had the generation 7 processor but mine is about a year and a half old now. It was originally $1299, but Costco had it on sale for a couple of days for $999. After I got mine it went back up to $1299. But if you have the money, yes, that is an awesome computer with a large hard drive to boot.

11bravo

If you have a bit of time, build your own. Plenty of instructions online, plus you'll know what's inside when you want to upgrade or something goes south.
https://pcpartpicker.com/

tcthome Loc: NJ

2nd this recommendation. I purchased from Best Buy about a 1-1/2 years ago & its the fastest I have used. Ram is expandable to 64 gb & there is room & set up for 2 more 2.5" internal hard drives. The only better option would be to have 1 custom built. Good luck.

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

I think jeep_daddy meant IPS screen.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

I am not a fan of prebuilt computers and have for the past 20++ years built my own. Newegg shows how easy. 11bravo gave a good suggestion on this page.... https://pcpartpicker.com/
How to build is at: https://www.newegg.com/pc-build-kits

Component choices for a $1,086.27 kick ass computer in excess of what we need for photo editing is discussed .... Google and you will find one for $500 also....
https://pcbuildsonabudget.com/best-gaming-pc-build-for-under-1000-dollars

The virtue is you can upgrade components rather than a whole new computer. Last year I installed a new Nvidia card my computer build was January 2015.

Your present computer may not be dead dead, HDrives do crash. If your hard drive has docs on it you may be able to salvage them by using the dead computer HD as a slave.

I suggest that what ever you decide, install a quick change HD drawer and do back ups on a regular basis minimum monthly. Remove the backup and store in a sock drawer... away from the comp. Many people have continuous backup... sure if you got a killer virus it is on the continuous back up. $15 Go to Newegg and search for Drive hot swap drawer if the link does not work
https://www.neweggbusiness.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9B-17-995-104&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleBiz-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleBiz-PC-_-pla-_-Server+-+Accessories-_-9B-17-995-104&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1IDvi-CC3AIVirjACh3IfgtiEAQYAiABEgIYUvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

On the cheap there are off lease computers for little over $200.

You can actually use your HDTV as a monitor for a while... altho, color may be off but with tweaking you can get close... careful the people who preach the calibrater do-gadgets.... you can get close using calibration programs supplied by the graphics card company. Also, there are calibration photos on line... google and ye will find

LCD

I followed the story salesman's advice and bought an i5 machine instead of an i7. I saved some dollars I've been happy with it. Previously I bought a laptop that I thought I could use as a desktop. Laptops, I discovered, are compromised to place so much computer in a small space, and to power it with a battery. If you really need a laptop be aware of its limitations. Otherwise, get a machine with plenty of cooling fans, a decent power supply and room for expansion. A multi-year warranty is worth the cost.

wteffey Loc: Ocala, FL USA

Reading the headline for this question I already knew that no one would recommend a PC that cost much less than $1,000, and many would go well above that. While this may be OK advice if your budget will stand for that much, the truth is that any PC that will run Windows 10 will do at least an acceptable job of still photo editing. The constraining factor is always the operator, and photo editing is often a slow process. Move a slider, check the results. Clone a little, check the results. Fine tune a selection, check the results. You get the idea. Buying super PC's for photo editing is a little like buying a Porsche to run to the Publix.

Baysitter11 Loc: Cincinnati

[quote=jeep_daddy]I got my computer from Costco and it's a Dell tower. I'd get one that has an i7 processor, at least 16GB ram, make sure it has an SSD (solid state drive) of at least 500GB, video support with 4GB ram, USB3 and USB3.1 ports, and get a 27" ISP LCD display. This should get you started but you'll want a fast USB3 or 3.1 external drive for storing those 90,000 images.

Oh, the reason I get my computer at Costco is that they double the warranty.[/s is exactly what I have done and have had no regrets. My computer is an older version but still going strong. Love Costco. Had it delivered right to my door.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Welcome to our forum!

Before I built a couple of computers myself, I relied on Dell for desktops. I got the XPS 8xxx line. My last was the XPS 8700. What I always did was get a Core i7 processor with minimum memory. Then I would buy memory to get to 16GB - cheaper than buying the memory with the computer. I would also buy an internal hard drive of 2TB or more. That would be for all the data, with the OS and programs going on the C drive. Dell must be offering an SSD now, and that's a good way to go - very fast.

As far as processors and memory go, you don't need the biggest and the best.

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/

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

Lightroom will cost you $120 a year, and when you stop paying, you stop using. There are lots of good alternatives.

Affinity
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/software-review-affinity-photo-1-5-2
http://www.shutterbug.com/content/affinity-photo-software-review-has-photoshop-met-its-match#d1c5lY5EQ03QoLjh.97
http://www.diyphotography.net/affinity-photo-can-give-adobe-run-money/
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/affinity-photo-1.5,review-4257.htmlOthers

Others
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-lightroom-alternatives
http://digital-photography-school.com/a-beginners-guide-to-choosing-the-right-post-production-software/
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/photo-editing
https://www.reviews.com/photo-editing-software/
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-photo-editing-software,review-1972.html
http://www.redmondpie.com/best-adobe-photoshop-alternatives-for-windows-and-mac-list Affinity
http://www.shutterbug.com/content/affinity-photo-software-review-has-photoshop-met-its-match#d1c5lY5EQ03QoLjh.97
http://www.diyphotography.net/affinity-photo-can-give-adobe-run-money/

Free -
https://www.lightstalking.com/how-to-edit-rawtherapee/
https://www.lightstalking.com/free-photography-software/
http://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-free-photo-editor
http://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/the-best-photoshop-alternatives-that-are-totally-free-5974500
http://lightzoneproject.org/

Take you time and do your research.