Processing computor and monitor

As I farther my hobby of photography I am would like to know what if any computer brand system etc. as well monitor is recommended for post production.
I have my other hobbies as well as responsibilities I do not want to break the bank on this.
I presently use a laptop but find it bit cumbersome

elkhunter said:

As I farther my hobby of photography I am would like to know what if any computer brand system etc. as well monitor is recommended for post production.
I have my other hobbies as well as responsibilities I do not want to break the bank on this.
I presently use a laptop but find it bit cumbersome

Click to expand...

Laptops generally don't have the horsepower to run Photoshop and Lightroom. Just about any modern desktop will do a pretty good job. I would go with a minimum of 8GB of RAM, 16GB would be better but make sure it is upgradable to at least 32. You can really go overboard with all sorts of options but a good basic desktop will get you started.

Ones like this will do a good job and won't break the bank HP Pavilion Desktop - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive Silver 550-150 - Best Buy It is only ungradable to 16GB though but it will do a good job for you.

The next jump upi is something like this. HP ENVY Desktop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 2TB Hard Drive Silver 750-124 - Best Buy

Faster processor,, more memory and twice the storage.

Critical, IMO, is having a color calibrated monitor. Even under powered machines will run photoshop. I use a Dell Ultrasharp full gamut monitor.

As for computer, go for an I7 chip and load up the memory. An ssd is great for speed of the whole system.

For storage I keep everything on external drives. USB 3.0 is essential to keep things moving quickly between the computer and external.

Following on from the good advice above, make sure you have lots of memory, 16Gb will work fine,

I have used 8GB, but since upgrading to 16GB you do notice the difference,

Intel I3 will do the job, but I5 or I7 will be better.

elkhunter said:

As I farther my hobby of photography I am would like to know what if any computer brand system etc. as well monitor is recommended for post production.
I have my other hobbies as well as responsibilities I do not want to break the bank on this.
I presently use a laptop but find it bit cumbersome

Click to expand...

I just recently upgraded the girlfriend's computer to a Dell XPS 8900. It's a lot of computer for $850 (comes with mouse and keyboard but no monitor) and I say that as a guy who has built his own computers for the past several years. Hers came with a Core i7 processor, an nVidia GT 730 (discrete video card), 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive. I would have put more RAM in had I been building this box, but it runs everything we've thrown at it, including Photoshop CC, like butter.

Dell makes some good monitors too... Consider the UltraSharp 24 (Model number U2415).

The most important thing I think you can do, regardless of your computer/monitor setup, is to color calibrate your monitor. I use the Datacolor Spyder4Pro colorimeter for this, but there are other options.

Probably the question to ask is, "what do you consider breaking the bank"?

I personally build my own machines so I couldn't really recommend a brand name. But I could certainly advise
on components to buy in order to put one together. If you can operate a screwdriver, building a computer isn't
a big chore.

Though for suggestions, I wouldn't settle for anything less than an Intel I5 or better processor. 16gb of RAM or more.
LOTS of hard drive space if you plan on taking lots of pictures. Nvidia and ATI/AMD both make great video cards.
Nvidia GTX960 would work just fine.

I can't suggest a monitor though. There are a lot of new tech monitors out there that need to be researched. Such as the
new 4k monitors which will provide some very high resolution images. But they are a bit pricey. Still, a good 1080p screen
would work just fine too.

I would go to NewEgg.com and see what kind of machines they have pre-built. I just don't like the name brand machines like Dell, Gateway, HP, etc... Usually they are not very future proof. Typically comes with weak power supplies. They are just good enough to power the machine that you buy. But if you want to upgrade a graphics card or add more disk space, the power supply just won't be strong enough.