the Scottsman Loc: Roseland, new jersey

My computer is on it's last legs. There are a couple of features in CS6 that it wil not run like lighting and oil paint.
I am considering the Lenovo K450 for $802. Does anyone know if there is a cheaper model that will perform just as well?
John

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

You are not going to get much help with out giving some more detail.

I thought I would try, but when I googled K450 I got so many hits for various configurations that any comment I could make would be useless.

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

Lots of RAM and a fast video card with lots of RAM also (minimum of 1gig on the video card). I good size hard drive with a secondary drive built in for storage (before you buy an external drive).

Mr PC Loc: Austin, TX

I'm a computer guy and have looked at Amazon for you and found it for $799. It has mostly 5 star reviews starting last August, but you should look at the negative review about the HDMI Out not working unless you remove the video card. I help lots of my customers move into Lenovo, Toshiba and ASUS computers, so I'd look at these other 2 brands as well. They all give good bang for the buck and have less "crapware" than others like Dell and HP, so setup is easier for us. Don't think you'll find anything much better at this price point. It should rock for a long time to come. Hope this helps.

cockney greg Loc: London E17

Hi John hope you had a good one. I found this if it's any help.


Review - Lenovo IdeaCentre K450

Aug 26 2013 - Lenovo's IdeaCentre K450 is essentially the same as the IdeaCentre K430 except that it has been updated to use the new 4th generation of Intel Core i processors. This means that is uses the same basic desktop tower case that features some customizable LED lighting, tool-less case design and its expansion bay where you can use special Lenovo external drives that can easily dock into it.

Now the more affordable version of the IdeaCentre K450 that is priced under $1000 uses the Intel Core i5-4430 quad core processor. This is the lowest of the first round of processor releases from Intel. It provides enough performance for the average user but is disappointing as most systems in this class feature the faster i5-4670 which provides a better experience for those who want to do PC gaming or demanding tasks like desktop video editing. The processor is matched up with 8GB of DDR memory which provides for a smooth overall experience in the Windows operating system.

Storage is decent if a bit bland. There is a two terabyte hard drive which provides it with a large amount of storage space for applications, data and media files. Performance from this is decent but no where near the level of those systems that use a solid state drive either as a primary drive or for caching. If you do need additional storage space, there is the expansion bay which requires a specific drive from Lenovo, another internal drive tray that can be used and four USB 3.0 ports for use with high speed external drives. While there are a decent number of the USB 3.0 ports, the system has just six total ports which is pretty low compared to most desktops that feature around ten. A standard dual layer DVD burner is also included for playback and recording of CD and DVD media.

The big problem with the low cost Lenovo IdeaCentre K450 is the graphics systems. Rather than including a dedicated graphics card, it relies on the Intel HD Graphics 4600 that is built into the Core i5 processor. While this is an updated version of the previous Intel HD Graphics 4000, it still lacks any significant 3D performance for PC gaming. It can still run a few older games at lower resolution levels but it really needs a dedicated card for PC gaming. Now the integrated graphics do accelerate media encoding tasks with Quick Sync compatible applications. If you do want to install a dedicated graphics card, there is space for one and the power supply is a modest power supply of roughly 300 watts. This means that it can support for budget oriented graphics cards but not the high-end models without a higher wattage power supply.

buffmaloney Loc: Indiana

Have you considered building your own?

jimmya Loc: Phoenix

I bought a Gateway, a brand I'd never tried, just over a year ago and immediately fell in love. It's now not the fastest out there but at 3.3 / 8gb it runs my 1080 video like running water.

cockney greg Loc: London E17

You mean it gets really hot quickly?

jimmya Loc: Phoenix

Hot quickly? No but it runs HD 1080 video so smoothly that i have no problems viewing or editing. Some older computers had lots of problems with HD because of the huge data stream and their slow speed. Those problems are now gone with the new high speed computers.

I was only making a suggestion for another brand to look at... that's all.

cockney greg Loc: London E17

Just a bit of Christmas cheer, all the best to you jimmy.

jimmya Loc: Phoenix

Thank you sir. May the season be all that you want it to be and a happy 2014 to you.

jecanes Loc: Taumarunui, New Zealand

Photoshop is extremely resource hungry, therefore, minimum requirements for CS6/CC are -
1. Intel i5 processor (i7 is better)
2. 8GB RAM (16GB is better)
3. High speed graphics card with 1GB dedicated RAM (2GB is better).
4. 500GB hard drive (1TB is better).
The K450 for $802 meets or betters these specs in every aspect except #3, which is must have for CS6.
Also for $802 you don't get a monitor, keyboard or mouse!

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

I'm sure you will receive great suggestions here, but I would PM a user that goes by the name "singleviking". He is very knowledgeable, and prides himself in giving the best bang for your buck advice on computers. Good luck.

BTW: I'm sure this post will eventually be moved to the chit-chat section because it has very little to do with photography.

schuchmn

RAM is usually the key to PS performance. I have 16GB on my Mac Mini and it runs fine.