allanj Loc: New York City

Time to buy a new desk-top computer. My current one is over eight years old and has served me well. However, I assume its days are numbered, and it very occasionally refuses to accomplish a task in PS. The option of purchasing an iMac has been considered and rejected, so please no entries in the great Apple vs pc debate.

Some details. I know little about computers other than what I need to use them. But I use LR and PS -- including levels,masks, etc -- and thus need a computer that can handle them easily. My current thinking is to purchase a Dell XPS with a 3.6 GH Intel Core i7-8700 with 16 GB, and a Nvidia Video Card. The hard drive would be 256 GB SSD plus a 2TB, 7200 rpm HDD. As may be obvious, I do not understand the meaning or significance of all these specifications, but my conclusion is that this should meet my needs. I am leaning towards a Dell because it appears to have the reputation of being the most reliable.

Two related questions, assuming I go with Dell. Any advice about whether I should buy directly from Dell or from B&H. And is the Premium Support Plus service that Dell offers worth the price?

Your views and advice will be greatly appreciated.

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

A few thoughts for you to consider. #1 do not skimp on memory - it has always been my experience that there will always be a time when you wish you had more. #2 there seems to be a growing shift from 32-bit architecture to 64-bit architecture, during the shift both 32 & 64 can be handled but 32 less efficiently, going 64 only means all your software will need to be replaced by new, this is a highly technical matter that takes real experts to explain. #3 to do any photo editing might require a separate graphics card and if you lean into music and video you may need sound and video cards as well, the more expensive PCs might have all three hard-wired into the mother board. Real experts weight in here.

BBurns Loc: South Bay, California

You might wish to consider this Lenovo desktop at Costco. For example, look at all it comes with.
Processor - Intel Core i7-7700;
Memory:- 32GB;
Graphics & Video Card - 8GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070;
Drives - 1TB SATA Hard Drive + 256GB SSD
DVD Writer (Writes to DVD/CD);
Operating System - Windows 10 Home (64 bit)

Lenovo LEGION Y720T Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7 - GeForce GTX 1070

I suggest adding a second SSD as the 'D' drive to load all software onto. Nothing on the 256 except the OS.

PeterBergh

Based on the lifetime of your current computer, I would suggest a high-powered CPU, at least 32 GB, preferably 64 GB, of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. It seems that you want to keep your new computer for 5+ years and so it's a good idea to configure the new computer accordingly. Over time, the needs of software for CPU power, disk space, and RAM increases, sometimes significantly. Photo processing does not use vast amounts of video resources, so practically any video card will do. Of course, if you want to play games on your computer, you will need a good video card.

If your installed software is limited to Windows, an office suite, and photo-processing software, a 256 GB SSD will be OK. The system disk on my email PC uses 120 GB, but all I have on that computer is Windows and Office 2016 (plus some piddling software).

Bipod

Del is one of the few US companies still making PCs as its main product.
It has a good reputation for quality and customer service.
If you're happy with Del, then go with Del.

Whatever you buy, make sure it has a good power supply
and a good hard disk drive. Those are the parts most likely
to fail in any PC. I think Del has enough quality control
to only use good parts. Many PC brands (and Apple Macs!)
change suppliers frequently -- so two computers of the same
model sitting on the store shelf might not have the same
power supply or hard drive--very frustrating.

I used to integrate PC systems for my employer, and we would buy
cheap PCs and replace the power supplies with ones from
PC Power and Cooling. https://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/
That was the cheapest way to get a good PC at the time.

I always buy Seagate disk drives. Back in the day, the best
disk drive brands were Seagate, Quantum and Conner (in
that order). Seagate bought Conner Peripherals in 1996. Maxtor
bought Quantum's disk drive business in 2001 re-focused it on
integrated storage systems.

allanj Loc: New York City

[quote=John_F]A few thoughts for you to consider. . . .

John, thanks for your advice. I will consider it when I make the final decision.

allanj Loc: New York City

[quote=BBurns]You might wish to consider this Lenovo desktop at Costco. For example, look at all it comes with.
Processor - Intel Core i7-7700;

Bob, Thanks for your advice. I think you are right that I should get 32 GB of memory. And I will get a D drive.

allanj Loc: New York City

[quote=PeterBergh]Based on the lifetime of your current computer, I would suggest a high-powered CPU, at least 32 GB, preferably 64 GB, of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. . .

Peter, I now agree -- 32 GB of memory makes sense. Probably, the 512 GB SSD is also the way to go. Thanks for responding.

allanj Loc: New York City

[quote=Bipod]Del is one of the few US companies still making PCs as its main product. . .

Bipod, you are confirming my judgment that Dell is the best choice. Thanks for responding.

Bipod

Forgot to mention: if you have a choice between a model with a big
case and a small case, go for the big case: it's easier to work on, has
more room for expansion, and often has better cooling. It's like
having more room under the hood.

Also, try to get a few empty expansion slots. Try to get at least one
or two available 16x PCI Express expansion slot.. If it also has a
conventional PCI slot, then you can use older cards made before 2003.

Unfortunately, PCI Express slots come in different sizes/speeds:
and different speeds (1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x and in newer versions,
32x). These days, cost and footprint reduction are everything...

A PCIe card will fit and work in any PCIe slot bigger than
it is. So bigger slots are not only faster, but will fit more cards.
That way, if you need to add hardware, you can.

Jrhoffman75 Loc: Conway, New Hampshire

I have a Dell Studio XPS8910 from Best Buy about one year old. Very similar specs to what you listed. Increased out of box memory to 32GB and added SSD card. Works great with LR and PS. One thing to watch out for - if you add a second hard drive and don't configure the computer properly Dell will default to a RAID configuration where the second HD becomes a mirror for the C: drive.

david vt Loc: Vermont

Hi,

You are asking the right questions. There are several excellent threads on this, so search the archives. My few comments to help you on your way
-Consider putting the HDDs in a separate enclosure, and in a RAID 1 array. I can’t comment on size of the HDD as it depends on how many pictures you take and keep, but I just put in 2TB drives and I think it will last a while. The advantage here is that you can take these easily with you down the road when time to upgrade again. This was the one mistake I made in my new machine.
-Make sure you put in easily accessible USB 3.0 ports. This helps for both downloading from the camera, and backing up
-Consider a used machine. By this, I worked with a local computer repair shop and had them “build” me a desktop to what I wanted based on the advice I got here. Used a slightly older Dell server workstation motherboard. Rock solid and fast.
-I use 2 250 SSDs for the main machine (one for the OS and programs, one as my main “data drive” for all non-photo storage. I like this and it is very fast.

Good luck. The advise here on UGG is remarkably consistent and very helpful

foxfirerodandgun Loc: Stony Creek, VA

I've used Dell computers & monitors for over 15 years with good results. Their premium support is USA based and the times that I used it I spoke with people who had no foreign accent. From my perspective, what ever brand of computer that you choose to purchase, make sure that it has a Solid State Drive. These hard drives are much, much, more dependable that the disk style hard drives. Personally, I would also get one with the most RAM and hard drive space as well. Just my 2¢. Good luck in your venture.

LCD

A year or so ago I bought an i5 PowerSpec with a 500 GB SSD. I'm happy with it for my LR and PS work, although I'm not a power user. I've been told by my techie friends that I should have bought the parts and assemble them together myself. That way I get more bang for my buck and optimize for my needs. I didn't feel that confident doing it, but I'm assured that the big box of my PowerSpec can accommodate a lot of upgrades.

tracs101 Loc: Huntington NY

My choice was to employ the services of a reliable computer repair business "guy" that I have known for a few years. 22 years ago I could practically rebuild my computer. Now days I'd rather have someone else load new software than do it myself. That is my new comfort zone. Considering technology changes I told the guy I wanted the fastest, maxed out on everything, most powerful computer he could put together and to also consider that he would be the one addressing any problem or upgrade on it for years to come. He did. Alieware by Dell. Hey, I'll be dead a long time. The water cooled CPU alone was 6K. He says he has never worked on a faster computer ever. I have another computer, not as powerful right along side and he networked them. Not sure of the specifics and don't really care. Now there are two Dell thirty two inch top of the line monitors side by side with the two computers and a few printers & a flatbed scanner, label machine and a bunch of speakers and a sub-woofer that makes a glass dance on the table, so the neighbors can enjoy the music. The system handles anything I throw at it. Love it. Now I just need to focus on being a better photographer.