what size pc do I need? I am replacing my windows 7 with a windows 11 new computer. There are too many choices. HP seems to be a good pc. I believe 16gb will be good enough. My only PP...

kenArchi Loc: Seal Beach, CA

I am replacing my windows 7 with a windows 11 new computer.
There are too many choices.
HP seems to be a good pc. I believe 16gb will be good enough.
My only PP program is PSE.
Pricing averages around 500 to $700.
And Intel Core 15?

josquin1 Loc: Massachusetts

Find someone in your area to build your own and put in it just want you want. I was lucky enough to have my son do it but there are people all over who could build you a great pc.

mikee

I got a desktop "built" on ebay. Very happy with it.

whlsdn Loc: Colorado

Talking a desktop or laptop? HP was my favorite Windows brand for a long time... in both desktops and laptops. Then had a really nice ASUS 16" laptop for a year, but decided to flip back to Macs. Speaking of which, there are some really good prices on used and refurbished Mac M1 Minis and Air Books right now, if you've thought of switching. As I've heard from many here, there are lots of good reasons... but personal interest is the starting place.

whlsdn Loc: Colorado

Talking a desktop or laptop? HP was my favorite Windows brand for a long time... in both desktops and laptops. Then had a really nice ASUS 16" laptop for a year, but decided to flip back to Macs. Speaking of which, there are some really good prices on used and refurbished Mac M1 Minis and Air Books right now, if you've thought of switching. As I've heard from many here, there are lots of good reasons... but personal interest is the starting place.

Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

Get a really BIG one. Wall-sized if possible. Or if you have (hard-wired, not wireless or 'cloudy') access to a Gov't level, housed in a mountain sort of space, get a really, REALLY BIG computer. PSP doesn't suck a ton on RAM down it's (or even your) throat, so odds are good that the average HAL-styled computer will do you just fine.

Win11? No problemo. Think in terms of getting a rig that'll handle Win18 (rumors say it'll be all the rage/required by [ca] spring of 2025)! And specify that whatever new HAL system you get has a partition-able multi-mega-Gb on-board SSD (and a slew of off-board back-ups too, though those would be extraneous to your inquiry), a kick-butt Nvidia GPU, and at least 500Gbs (ok, realistically, 496Gbs deliverable) of RAM, too! Shouldn't cost more than a first-born or three. Or slightly more. Watch closely for year-end "deals" on Amazon or elsewhere. Before year's end, few such "deals" are likely to be easily available 'off the shelf'. Dang it.

rcarol

kenArchi wrote:

I am replacing my windows 7 with a windows 11 new computer.
There are too many choices.
HP seems to be a good pc. I believe 16gb will be good enough.
My only PP program is PSE.
Pricing averages around 500 to $700.
And Intel Core 15?

I can’t emphasize enough the need for a decent GPU. Many of the plug-ins require processing that is beyond the capabilities of the CPU. This will increase the overall cost, but in the long run, it will be worth it.

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

From long experience in trying to cut costs don't. The best CPU you can justify, at least 16 Gig ram, a video card, I like NVIDIA, with at least 4 Gig, more if it fits your budget.

ClarkJohnson Loc: Fort Myers, FL and Cohasset, MA

You’re going to see the terms « GPU » and « graphics card » and « video card » over and over again. Most if not all PP software uses a dedicated graphics card to process images. With the newer AI software, this will likely increase. If you rely on the integrated graphics capability of most lower-priced computers, your processing will be slow, or non-functional, because the main processor is being shared with all the other systems in the computer.

And dedicated graphics cards have their own RAM requirements as well. As with other specs, the more the better.

If you can, plan for the future. Get the best PC you can afford, with emphasis on a dedicated graphics card (GPU) and as much RAM as you can squeeze in.

tcthome Loc: NJ

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop-elements/system-requirements.html

Do you have a budget & is there any chance you might add or update any photo software in the future? If so go higher. You need a graphics card of at least 4gb. Your correct on the ram.= At least 16, 32 if you can afford it. In reality, the processor does most of the work. Get the best performance (most cores & speed) you can afford. Storage or your C-drive = NVME SSD of at least 1gb. If you shoot a lot you will need more, = maybe an external drive or second HDD (D-drive) of 1-4 gb in the computer.
The difference with what Adobe suggest in the link above & getting a more powerful computer is how long you wait for the software to process your Adjustments. Keep in mind the future of photo software & leave a little extra performance room to grow.
If you decide to go with a Mac as one of the suggestions , The m1 with an 8 core processor & 16 gb of shared memory (ram) & 512 with an external drive to store your photos will do.

Good luck.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Interesting.
My new laptop is an <OTS> HP, it has graphics, looks great.

My biggest concern in getting a new desktop is it must support dual monitors, 12+GB RAM, 2 expansion bays that support SATA drives, hopefully a card reader... It will probably be OTS also... DVD drive is an extra, BUT........

My 12 year old HP has 3 expansion bays, dual monitor ports, and I added a second DVD drive, card reader.

The new boxes seem to be not really expandable. I'm not worked up about "expanding" the computer by everything on USB ports....

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

kenArchi wrote:

I am replacing my windows 7 with a windows 11 new computer.
There are too many choices.
HP seems to be a good pc. I believe 16gb will be good enough.
My only PP program is PSE.
Pricing averages around 500 to $700.
And Intel Core 15?

Camera files are becomong larger and processing programs more sophisticated, each requiring more computing power than in the past.

Select a PC not for what you do now but for your possible future needs. My 8 year old custom build still wworks great even after I added extrnal drives. It now has seven; eight if you count my phone.

whlsdn Loc: Colorado

Cany143 wrote:

Get a really BIG one. Wall-sized if possible. Or... (show quote)

Perhaps the Cany dragon forgot his helmet on a recent plunge down a slick Utah slope, tumbled, and smacked into a humorlock tree? I didn't know they grew in Utah.

He does set up nicely the following advisers, who both predictably and truthfully recommend considering a more significant upgrade than kenArchi appears to be considering.

photoman43

ClarkJohnson wrote:

You’re going to see the terms « GPU » and « graphi... (show quote)

Excellent advice especially on the graphics card. The right card with the right amount of RAM is very important. For a windows 11 desktop, I also recommend having one custom built for you. I have been doing this for over 10 years. My local MicroCenter store has this service and this way I get exactly what I need. I always add extra cooling fans and make sure the motherboard has all of the ports I need. Regarding the processor, i9 might be overkill, but a top of the line i7 is what I would get today. Minimum RAM 32 GB. 64 GB preferred. 1 TB SSD. And an internal spinning hard drive for your files--12 TB or larger.

For an already made computer, my preferred brand these days is Lenovo.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

ClarkJohnson wrote:

You’re going to see the terms « GPU » and « graphi... (show quote)

Excellent advice. It’s REALLY important to have a separate GPU, and I would suggest a minimum of 6GB of DRAM on the graphics card. An I-5 CPU is acceptable, but if you can, I’d suggest an I-7. Also, 16 GB DRAM is acceptable, but 32GB is better. Absolutely, the main drive should be an NVME SSD, preferably 1TB plus a second or external drive for data storage, which can be an SSD or conventional HD. Other important features are enough USB3 slots, a decent Gbit Ethernet NIC and if possible extra memory slots and a PCIe slot or two for expansion. Cooling, both for the CPU and case is important, so pay attention to the fans, and I’d want a large enough power supply for future expansion - 500-650 watts. That’s an ideal feature set. You may choose less, but buying more than the minimum up front will insure many extra years of usable life.