New computer spec

traceyjj

Senior Member
I am about to push the go button on a new computer. (Hubby found an online retailer who will build to order)

This is what he has spec'd.

i7 quad core CPU (4kHz) the fastest there is.
Reasonable compatible mother board
At least 16 meg of fast memory.
A 240 gig SSD
A 2 terra HDD
A 2 gig reasonable graphics card.
Extra CPU cooler
DVD drive.
NO software

Is this enough for processing photos from my D800 and using Adobe Elements plus Topaz suite (and be future-proof for a while)... where is it lacking, and what other suggestions of stuff we have missed. I plan on using a 24"HD TV and a 19inch monitor which we already own, and dual boot win7 and ubuntu

Many thanks in advance.
 

Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
Basic specs look good but I'd ask for details on the video card. Remember that the latest versions of LR and PS are able to utilize the GPU. Take a look at this info from Adobe.

Why not Windows 10? It is much more efficient than Windows 7. Take a look at this info and you might reconsider the OS.
 
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MartinCornwall

Senior Member
A 2nd 2TB HDD for backing up files from the 1st. I use a 250GB SSD for OS and programs and I work on files on the SSD then they are saved on both 2 TB internal drives and a 2TB external NAS and also on a 2TB offsite HDD (this drive is backed up weekly or after an important shoot).
 

aroy

Senior Member
Check the following
1. Number of RAM slots. Should be minimum 4, 8 better
2. Number of SATA/eSATA HDD slots on MB. Should be 4 minimum, preferably 6
3. Power supply rating. 600W minimum, 800W preferable, with capability to supply power to 2 Video Cards
4. Number of High end Video cards that can be plugged in the MB. 2 would be preferred

Now for configuration
1. RAM minimum 8GB, 16GB better, 32GB ideal
2. Minimum 2 x 2TB, 7200 RPM HDD
3. See if there is space for extra fans, if there is get all the spaces filled, extra cooling always helps especially with CPU intensive work.

I would do a net search for reviews on both the MB and the Video card and compare them against similarly priced ones.
 

Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
A 2nd 2TB HDD for backing up files from the 1st. I use a 250GB SSD for OS and programs and I work on files on the SSD then they are saved on both 2 TB internal drives and a 2TB external NAS and also on a 2TB offsite HDD (this drive is backed up weekly or after an important shoot).

Good point - absolutely separate your OS and data on different drives if you can. I discussed it in this thread on backups and retention. (I work in the that field.)
 

wornish

Senior Member
I am about to push the go button on a new computer. (Hubby found an online retailer who will build to order)

This is what he has spec'd.

i7 quad core CPU (4kHz) the fastest there is.
Reasonable compatible mother board
At least 16 meg of fast memory.
A 240 gig SSD
A 2 terra HDD
A 2 gig reasonable graphics card.
Extra CPU cooler
DVD drive.
NO software

Is this enough for processing photos from my D800 and using Adobe Elements plus Topaz suite (and be future-proof for a while)... where is it lacking, and what other suggestions of stuff we have missed. I plan on using a 24"HD TV and a 19inch monitor which we already own, and dual boot win7 and ubuntu

Many thanks in advance.


Hope that 4 KHz was a typo ! Should be 4 MHz. Or you will have one very slow PC :)

Plus 1 for making sure you get a fast video card.

I wouldn't use an HD TV for photo editing need a proper PC monitor preferably Hi Res or you will lose the detail your D800 delivers.


Depending on what you want to spend you could always get a 27" iMac and be done. ( There I have said it, goes and hides in a corner)
 
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C. Hand

Senior Member
Your brave to ask that, it is like asking which camera to buy, everyone has an opinion! ere is my two cents worth and I do work on a lot of computers.
1) your Specs are great!!
2) As suggested I would have a second back-up drive. Never rely on a external My-book type of drive for back-up storage, I have seen far to many of them fail! When they do they are basically un-recoverable.
3) When building any computer I ALWAYS start with an ASUS motherboard. they are dependable, they are the most stable and they always keep new Bios updates with improvements. It is like building a house, you want to make sure you have a solid foundation. they may be a little more, but I have seen way to many motherboards fail, or systems have issues because they go cheap.

That is my two cents worth, Your computer sounds like it will be fast, I hope it lasts a long long time!
 

WayneF

Senior Member
2) As suggested I would have a second back-up drive. Never rely on a external My-book type of drive for back-up storage, I have seen far to many of them fail! When they do they are basically un-recoverable.

Maybe it should be mentioned that "backup" implies a second copy of the data, on a different disk, so that when one copy fails, we should still have the second copy (on a different disk). We should never have only one single copy of anything important, because as you mentioned, things happen, disks fail. The question is When, not If, and it is always at the worst possible time. :)

If the data is really important, three copies (on three disks) is better than two copies.
 

PapaST

Senior Member
It does sound like a good machine. If you don't mind sharing, I'm curious to know how much the online retailer is asking for this type of machine.

For those that don't build their own computers, it can be a pretty difficult task, but it's definitely doable with some research and a little bit of knowledge. I get a kick out of spec'ing, pricing and building my own computers whenever the time comes for a new one.
 

Blade Canyon

Senior Member
If you can afford a D800 and a computer like that, why are you still using Adobe Elements??? Time to ramp up to full-blown Photoshop at $10 per month. :)

I use a 24" HD TV on my primary photo computer. It works great, but I don't print very much at all, so I don't notice any problems. The folks who make Color Checker Passport and Color Monkey screen calibration have had some good online workshops lately. The big pro photographers use these hyper-accurate Adobe colorspace monitors that cost over $1k, mostly by EIZO. I see that Philips offers a 27" Adobe RGB calibrated monitor for only $500 on Amazon. Someday...


ETA: My experience is that Windows 10 is much less efficient than 7, and if I could still run XP on everything, I would. My PCs with XP are getting all of these warnings from the browsers that XP will no longer be supported by MS or Google.
 
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§am

Senior Member
I am about to push the go button on a new computer. (Hubby found an online retailer who will build to order)

This is what he has spec'd.

i7 quad core CPU (4kHz) the fastest there is.
Reasonable compatible mother board
At least 16 meg of fast memory.
A 240 gig SSD
A 2 terra HDD
A 2 gig reasonable graphics card.
Extra CPU cooler
DVD drive.
NO software

Is this enough for processing photos from my D800 and using Adobe Elements plus Topaz suite (and be future-proof for a while)... where is it lacking, and what other suggestions of stuff we have missed. I plan on using a 24"HD TV and a 19inch monitor which we already own, and dual boot win7 and ubuntu

Many thanks in advance.

CPU - your i7 6700k is more than sufficient
Mobo - what is reasonably compatible? Don't skimp too much on this as it will degrade performance, and 4 memory slots is usual for these boards (maybe a Z710 socket)
16GB is fine, but don't get anything more than 2x8GB sticks in dual channel config. None of the consumer boards and CPUs coupled together support quad channel memory currently, and if you buy it as such, you're paying a premium for something which has not real world advantage!
SSDs in the UK are cheaper these days - another 250GB SSD is <£50 these days. Consider 2x 120GB SSDs in RAID 0 (striped) confguration for your OS drive.
A 2TB HDD is enough for a starting point for storage, but add some budget for a backup drive too (external 2.5" is sufficient)
Not sure what Adobe say is OK graphics card wise, but a NVida 970 2GB card will see you good :)
If you can stretch the budget, go for water cooling, or add some case fans (more noise) for air cooling. You can't add extra CPU cooling - only replace stock with better.
A small case will get hotter quicker, but a larger case will allow some better air flow.
For your monitor, invest in an IPS one, though what you have currently may suffice in the short run.

One thing a lot of people miss completely is your environment.
It's good if you have a super fast PC, but if you're breaking your back sat at it for hours on end then you'll not only feel less wanting to go back to it, but it takes away from other tasks too
 

Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
If you are assembling yourself, take a look at the website PCPartPicker. It is useful to ensure your planned components will work together, get an idea on prices and enable you to make some decisions (e.g. more memory versus more storage, better graphics card, etc). Highly recommended!!
 

Blacktop

Senior Member
Quoted for Great Truth.

Entrusting your precious data to the same physical drive as the operating system is like handing out the keys of the asylum to the inmates.
......

When you are working on an image in LR/PS or wherever, does the program that you are working with resides on the SSD drive and then saves the final work on the HDD?

Other words, all your programs live on the SSD but you save everything on the HDD?
This is what I'm understanding, but want to be sure.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
When you are working on an image in LR/PS or wherever, does the program that you are working with resides on the SSD drive and then saves the final work on the HDD?

Other words, all your programs live on the SSD but you save everything on the HDD?
This is what I'm understanding, but want to be sure.
Yes. Windows, Photoshop and all my other applications (browsers, MS Office, etc.) all reside on C: which is an SSD.

Photos and other important data reside on E: which is a physically separate HDD and E: is automatically mirrored on a third, external HDD drive, as backup.

This isn't to say data doesn't sometimes live on C: for convenience sake, but simply put: if it's important, it lives on E:. I do this so when the operating system takes a nose dive, and renders the primary drive unbootable, I can reformat and reinstall Windows without losing precious data. Applications can be re-installed, obviously; memories and years of important records can't.
 
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