mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

More and more post processing software titles are including functionality that require a good quality graphics card With at least 4 GB of memory. Built in onboard graphic solutions, generally speaking, will not cut it. You need to consider the specific software you're interested in to see if an upgraded graphics card will be needed.

Topaz products, DxO PhotoLab and PureRaw, Photoshop, and ON1, as examples, all have features which take advantage of a graphic cards GPU and can speed up processing of those features very significantly over more basic onboard graphics chips. Computers will use the computers CPU for all processing when the Graphics card has an unsupported GPU.

A feature which may take only a few seconds with a higher end graphics card may take several minutes if the graphics card or built in graphics chip is unsupported. Unfortunately, the top graphics cards are fairly expensive because of the world wide chip shortage.

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

Check out the Woot site. They often have good deals on refurbs.
https://computers.woot.com/plus/microsoft-authorized-refurbished-desktops-24?ref=w_cnt_wp_2

They also have laptops. This just goes to the desktop models.

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

I currently have a high end Lenovo Legion gaming computer but I don't think that's what you are looking for. I have used Dell for years and they have been highly satisfactory. You're stuck with Windows 11. I like Intel processers, no reason except I've always used them. Nothing wrong with AMD. At least 16 gig ram. Graphics card is the place where the rubber meets the road and is no place to cut corners. I like NVIVIA graphics cards but again that's personal. The most expensive one you can afford with at least 4 gigs of VRAM, 8 gig if you can afford it.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

The best computer really depends on one's desires and requirements.

Not everyone needs (requires) a Maserati or Lamborghini.

(but many people think that they do.
Is that because it's what they want?)

xposure

I recently bought an HP Omen on sale gaming computer for the Video card. It came with 16GB Ram and I added 2 more 16's to make it 48 GB Ram and had a 1 TB SSD Hard Drive. I added a 2TB Storage Drive from my other Computer. It is an AMD processor Rysen 5 and much faster than my previous i7. Mostly because of the Video Card and the 48 GB Ram. I accepted the Rysen 5 because the speed doesn't vary much it is the amount of windows you can have open that makes 7's faster than 5's and I rarely have more than 4 windows open.

DougS Loc: Central Arkansas

Strange as it may seem, Gaming (and Graphics) computers are generally the best/fastest/most desirable. Much less wait time while working with a "Gaming" computer, as they are built for speed. You won't regret getting a somewhat faster computer.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

I believe it depends on the software you are planning to use.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

It could...
But moreover whether one can accept the extra 30+ seconds for the computer to perform a certain task on an "inferior" computer, and whether the computer/monitor combo can differentiate 100 hues of red or 1000 hues.
Everyone is different in their needs/requirements/desires for speed and graphics capability.
Nothing wrong with that, because everyone is different.
It's a mental outlook thing we all have which varies, sometimes greatly, between people.

In the end, the viewer will say "Neat picture".
But with what and how it was created matters more to the photographer.
Sometimes a very great deal.

Obviously I don't get sucked into the need for speed or 1000 hues.

Bultaco Loc: Aiken, SC

Any good gaming computer would work.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I'm on my third gaming laptop. Through abuse, I cracked the motherboard on the first. The second wore out a cooling fan and is waiting for a DIY repair. The third is performing very well under heavy use.

frangeo Loc: Texas

Most over the counter machines won't have enough ram to function well in Photo Shop. Also, the graphics card might be below minimum for PS basic needs. Be careful. Check your requirements of your program.

BeachReck Loc: Chesapeake Bay

Another option depending on budget. Check out PugetSystems.com for recommendations for the type of photography processing you need. You may have to search the site to find the appropriate links. They obviously specialize in LR/PS but are able to meet other needs. Make notes of what they recommend for LR or PS processing. If your budget allows, they will build what you need. My budget didn't fit what they recommended.

So, next go to Xoticpc.com. Browse what they offer off the shelf. They always have specials. Many of their offerings, whether specials or not, are close to what pugetsystems.com recommends and most are customizable depending on your needs/wants. This is what I did on my last purchase and got a screaming machine "off the shelf" with some customization, at a reasonable price. Not a Costco price or a Dell price, but much lower than a custom shop. It was an Asus machine.

Wish I could claim that I figured all this out on my on, but all credit goes to a missing in action, much admired and long term participant on UHH- Gene51. Hope all is well with you Gene.

delder Loc: Maryland

Did EXACTLY the same thing with my XPS 8930 a couple of years ago! Had an XPS 8300 with 12 gb. RAM & though 16 gb. Would be enough. WRONG! 32GB is the new 16! Also a GOOD Video card.
Mine has 6 gb RAM and is fast enough. Much of the processing is now done by the GPU.

dat2ra Loc: Sacramento

Thanks y'all for the advices :-)

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

The 30 seconds of additional processing time you refer to can sometimes be several minutes ot more, assuming the feature will work at all without graphics card support. For instance, DxO PhotoLab 6 Elite has their latest AI based noise reduction feature called DeepPRIME XD which is applied during raw file demosaicing. On a midrange i7 PC exporting a 36mp raw file with this feature applied could take 3 or 4 minutes, or more, using only the computers CPU but just 5 or so seconds with a top of the line graphics card. Exporting a dozen photos could take 1 minute or even less with a supported card vs 45 minutes using the CPU alone. That is pretty significant if you are processing and exporting a lot of raw files. Even midrange and lower end supported cards will decrease processing time very significantly compared to the CPU alone. Most of the familiar software programs these days take advantage of a graphic card's GPU to speed up very labor intensive features. Topaz uses graphic card GPU support extensively with all their offerings.

As another example, here is a list of Photoshop features that are significantly speeded up by a supported graphics card

PhotoShop features that require a GPU for acceleration

. Artboards
. Blur Gallery - OpenCL accelerated
. Camera Raw (more info)
. Image Size – Preserve Details
. Lens Blur (more info)
. Neural Filters
. Select Focus
. Select and Mask - OpenCL accelerated
. Smart Sharpen - OpenCL accelerated

And finally, here is a list of Photoshop features that won't work at all without a supported graphics card.

PhotoShop features that won't work without a GPU:
If your graphics processor is unsupported or its driver is defective, the following Photoshop features won't work —

. 3D
. Birds Eye View
. Flick Panning
. Oil Paint (more info)
. Perspective Warp (more info)
. Render – Flame, Picture Frame, and Tree
. Scrubby Zoom
. Smooth Brush Resizing

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/photoshop-cc-gpu-card-faq.html

More and more, graphic card support is becoming a very important consideration when choosing components for post processing using software with very labor intensive features. That is why it is important when building a computer for post processing use to take the requirements of the intended software into account. A new machine that doesn't adequately support these features may be a poor investment.