Computer recommendations

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dickelfan

Senior Member
Looking to get a new computer to help with the photo editing. I'm working on a 17" laptop that is about 6 years old right now, and it is very very slow.

I'm running Lightroom 4 and Promatix HDR Pro, and will probably be getting one of the photoshops to go with it as well.

I mainly would like a big screen so that I can see details better, but not sure if I want to go all in one or go with a regular desktop and get a nice monitor.

Do any of you have any preferences on what you have or suggest?

Oh...and no MAC, all my software is windows so I'll be sticking with that.
 
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Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
I was using all laptops also till lately and had the same problem. I went with a desktop with 8GB of RAM and a 1.5TB hard drive. I did upgrade to 20GB of RAM and it works great.

One think that is nice about most of today's desktops is the ability to use dual monitors. I have a 22in and a 10in that I use and it really helps with photo editing.
 
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dickelfan

Senior Member
I would prefer to keep it under $1500 total, and would really like to keep under $1000. I can get a nice 27" HP monitor for around $300 right now on Amazon.
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
$1500 can buy a lot of computer these days. My favorite maker/brand is Dell. I've had excellent luck with their machines, both at home and at work. That said, I've found that you can buy Dell computers loaded with software and maxed out with memory cheaper at CostCo than buying directly with Dell. How exactly that is, I can't say because it makes no sense to me but it seems to be the case each and every time I go shopping for a new computer.
 
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FastGlass

Senior Member
I use a Dell desktop with a 21" monitor. When I tether I use a 15.5" Lenovo Thinkpad. Really like the lenovo, built like a tank. I had a hard time choosing. I asked on forums ( not this one) and holy crap I got 50 responces and 50 differant opinions which makes it more difficult. I did research and came up with the needed features and went from there.
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
Personally, if I were you, I'd have it custom built to your specs. The trouble with brand name desk top computers is, they're proprietary systems, and they use the cheapest components to build them for mass consumption. If there is a computer shop in your area that can do this for you, you'd be far better off going that route. I build my own systems, so I know what components I want in my computers. Then again, I'm funny like that. :)
 
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Mfrankfort

Senior Member
Build one. It's the best way to go, to get exactly what you want. If you go to the store, your paying sometimes for a lot of stuff you don't need. If your using it mainly for photo's, and not gaming, you can build one for pretty cheap. I built mine a few years ago for around 800. I have 2 1TB HDD (in raid). 1 SSD for the OS and a few programs (Lightroom/Photoshop). 8GB memory, i5 2500k chip. I saved a bit of money by going with a chip that had onboard graphics. I don't use it for playing games, so no need for a graphics card. NewEgg is running specials all the time for parts, or even have some good deals on DIY kits.
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
Mfrankfort said:
Build one. It's the best way to go, to get exactly what you want. If you go to the store, your paying sometimes for a lot of stuff you don't need. If your using it mainly for photo's, and not gaming, you can build one for pretty cheap. I built mine a few years ago for around 800. I have 2 1TB HDD (in raid). 1 SSD for the OS and a few programs (Lightroom/Photoshop). 8GB memory, i5 2500k chip. I saved a bit of money by going with a chip that had onboard graphics. I don't use it for playing games, so no need for a graphics card. NewEgg is running specials all the time for parts, or even have some good deals on DIY kits.
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I've been wanting to do this myself but man, when you add up the cost of everything it's significantly more expensive to go this route. Nevertheless, I've been hanging onto a box that I'm hoping to someday use to put one together.
 
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Mfrankfort

Senior Member
If you have a box, and an old CD rom drive... it really isn't too much. Hard drive. Memory. MOBO. Chip. If your not gaming, you can re-use a power supply and don't need a graphics card.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
I've built my last several computers and I agree building your own can be very cost effective. That being said while it's not exactly rocket surgery you *do* need to know what's what with your parts selection or you can wind up with incompatible parts that bottle neck your whole system at best, or cause a dreaded "No POST/No Boot" situation at worst (have fun troubleshooting!). Oh, and don't forget you'll need to configure the BIOS and have a Windows install CD (assuming you want to run Windows). Much like riding a bike, it's easy... Once you know how.

You've definitely got enough in the budget to get yourself a very well spec'ed out computer. To that end I'll second that Dell builds a good machine and they will customize it for you if you call and talk to them. They also have outstanding service and a very dependable warranty. Personally, I would not hesitate to buy a Dell machine. Sometimes some their more basic machines can be upgraded (e.g. memory) in just one or two areas and you wind up with a screaming fast box for a very good price.
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
Mfrankfort said:
If you have a box, and an old CD rom drive... it really isn't too much. Hard drive. Memory. MOBO. Chip. If your not gaming, you can re-use a power supply and don't need a graphics card.
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Yeah, I guess you're right. My box still has its original fans and I'm sure I'd have to swap out the MOBO. As for graphics card, I was thinking it had something to do with rendering images, no? And to be honest, I would really like to build one myself if only for the experience of doing it. And as far as the power supply goes, how will you know how many watts you'll need when you're piecing together the MOBO, chip, drives, etc.? Do you just add them up in a linear fashion or ?
 
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Smoke

Senior Member
My preference is Dell, always have worked with, and on Dell computers. If you go to their site and browse their "Package Deals" you can get a feel for the price whether you buy it there or not. Really, anything you buy these days are gonna have the beefed up RAM and hard drive space. You may want to upgrade to a different monitor and/or software like Antivirus, Office, etc.
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
dickelfan said:
Thanks for all of the input....especially the costco recommendation. I checked Dell's site even using my company discount and the costco price was still less for this one.

Dell XPS 8700 Desktop | Intel Core i7 | 1GB Graphics

Looks to be a good deal with the I7, 12GB memory, and 1TB harddrive

I'll keep looking especially with Black Friday/Cyber Monday coming up.
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That's basically the computer I'm using and it works GREAT with the huge files my D800 creates. I have the XPS 8500 from CostCo I love the speed of the SS drive, my computer boots up in approx 6 secs., it came with the i7 - 3rd gen (the 8700 has the i7- 4th gen chip), a 32 gig SSD and a 2TB HD, a full version of Office, blue-ray (which I doubt I'll ever use), card reader, etc. When I built the same system on Dell.com it rang up a solid $700 more in price. I even went so far as to call Dell and talk to the salesperson and ask directly why they can't even come close, let alone match CostCo's prices. They couldn't come up with a reason.

And what's better is the box has a slot for an additional HD. I just put in a 3 TB Western Digital "Black" HD. And there's more than enough USB ports to gag a horse, both 2.0 and 3.0 ports. So in a nutshell, I can't say anything bad about this computer....yet. ;)
 
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Jonathan

Senior Member
dickelfan said:
Oh...and no MAC, all my software is windows so I'll be sticking with that.
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I hear you, but media (music and photos) drove me at home from Windoze to Mac earlier this year. Macbook Pro 15" retina. Absolutely loving it. Sod the Windo$e shite experience. I am now a Mac man and I don't regret one aspect of it, other than the fact that Mac keyboards don't have a delete key, just a backspace (which is really, really annoying).
 
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WhiteLight

Senior Member
It gets easier when you know what you want out of your system.
It helps more when you know how much you will spend.

Build it yourself or get someone to do it..
It'll work out at least 40% cheaper..

Pay attention to your Motherboard, Processor, RAM, Graphics card (in that order)
The rest of the peripherals, are well, peripherals and can be updated as when you need..
So can RAM, but you want to have the max possible right at the start.

If you want to go branded, the Dell XPS systems are great..
But my choice would be Alienware.. (i think they are bought over by Dell? Or Dell markets them here)
Can compete with iMacs in terms of cost & build
 
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