Computers and Monitors

Hi All

I'm looking to purchase another desktop computer. This one will be just for photography/editing.

What are the better computer desktops out there for photography?

What are the better monitors out there for Photo editing etc?

I know there are 3 to 6,000 for some photo monitors. I'm not in that league :)

I just need a really good system--not cheap but not 3,000 either :)

Any help or ideas? What is everyone else running?

thanks

Desktop, get a quad processor and as much memory and disc drive space as you can afford. I use a 26" monitor and I like it. Some people use multiple monitors.

Hi Bill

Thanks for your comments.

What type of monitor do you run? Some are saying some will callibrate better than others--true colors etc?

Lynn

Lynn, you know that there are $499 PCs out there all over the place, and you also know that you can easily spend $3000 on a gamer rig. Both of those are not what you want. You want at least an Intel Core i5 processor, 64-bit Windows 7 (the BEST OS Microsoft has ever made, FINALLY), and you want at least 6GB of RAM, good graphics card (for photo editing you don't need a $500 card), and you want a big hard drive that spins at 7200rpm, not the slower 5400rpm kind. THAT'S a great photo editing rig, and you can expect to pay about $1000 for it without the monitor. So I popped onto Dell's site, and they do have one on sale, right here, for $849. I hope the link still works by the time you read it. It's a Dell XPS 8100.

Now, monitor: again, a bazilion choices. Get at least a 24" and don't be swayed by the cheaper models that use TFT panels. For photo editing you want an IP panel LCD. That normally costs well over $1000 for an Eizo or some other high-end brand, but once again, steps in Dell. They have a new U2410 monitor that will make you one happy camper. It's so good that Dell will replace it even if ONE pixel goes dead on you. It lists for $599, but if you follow Techbargains.com and keep an eye open for Dell coupons, you can get one for $499 with free shipping. Subscribe to their RSS feed and you'll get a trillion tech deals. You can check out the monitor here. This thing is factory tuned to AdobeRGB and covers 96% of the AdobeRGB gamut (100% sRGB!). You WANT that for photo editing.

I did build a monster rig totally from scratch this past summer for photo and video editing (12GB of ram and 5 hard drives), but if I needed a rig just for Photoshop and I wanted it to kick some behinds and take names, I'd go for this rig without question. If you wait for one of the whopper 30% coupons from Dell for the PC and get the $100 coupon for the monitor I see all the time, you can get this setup for $1200 with free shipping, and have lots of power for Photoshop, even CS5.

Believe me, there are tons of other options, and some other members may post some good ideas for a PC, and do heed them, mine was just a place to start. But I would seriously consider the monitor regardless of what PC you buy.

Oh, I should add, I love Macs, had my first Mac 20 years ago (still have an SE/30!), but the hardware is expensive, that's all there is to it. Price them too, and if you find something comparable, great! But I digress, the PC world just gives you more bang for the buck, hands down. And Windows 7 makes the whole experience SO much nicer, finally. Gee, only took Microsoft 26 more years than it took Apple.

Have fun! Don't forget DVD media for backups!

If you want what will probably be a diverging opinion, I run an older bare bones dual core Dell with 2GB memory. I have some drum scans from 4X5 film that create very large files and even though things are not lightning fast with these files, I don't need lighting fast. I use a Dell 20" Ultrasharp monitor. It isn't totally inadequiet but I do wish for a larger monitor one of these days. I've read about the monitor Paul mentions and it seems like it would be a good choice. You could also get a 20" Apple monitor that generally gets rave reviews for about the same price.

I back up on two external hard drives. Which perhaps is overkill, but I'm paranoid. I only back up what I consider my better or best photos on DVDs and store them "off site".

Computer operating systems and hardware seem to go obsolete in the 3 to 5 year range and I try to be careful about dumping a large amount into them, only to repeat the process a few years later.

I'm using a 6½ year old Dell 8300 workstation which is in desperate need of replacement. From what I've been reading on NPN and Naturescapes, a 64bit i5 or i7 processor running WIN7 64bit is the most recommended. For RAM you need it in groups of 4GB, (ie, 4, 8, or 12GB), with 8 being the best compromise based on what Photoshop can use. I'm hoping to build my own but have some trepidation about the end product since it would be my first build. For internal storage a minimum of 2 internal hard drives of moderate size such as 160GB to 250GB for operational uses and software program storage. Having a smaller size means less time spent for defragging and other maintenance requirements. Then use a two 1 or 2TB external drives for storing your images.
Video card a GEForce GTS250 with 513MB of Ram

For monitors, I use a dual monitor setup (the only way to go, regardless of what size your main monitor is). I have a cheap 17 lcd for the palettes with my main monitor a 26" NEC 2690WUXi ($1290.00) which has been updated to a version that no longer has a polarizing filter, the absence of which is actually a downgrade from what I understand. Eizo makes a great 22" monitor for about 1400.00, but if anything, I would want a larger one, at least 26" maybe 30", since the larger the monitor, the more useful it is for processing vertical format images.

There are as many opinions on this subject as there are computer users, so I'll just say this; get a good monitor and plenty of storage to backup your data. Everything else will fall into place as you go.
BTW, NEC monitors are great and they have good prices on refurbs (don't be afraid of refurbs)
http://www.necdisplay.com/Products/Storefront/

I'm in the same boat as Roger. I use a several year old Core 2 duo computer (E6300, 3GB ram, win XP) and run photoshop CS3 and lightroom 2.X without failure. I process huge files from 4X5 scans and often apply some of the more intensive processes like luminosity masking without issue. I have to wait for some of the actions, but these files are usually over 1GB and sometimes above 2GB. I can deal with that. I never have any issues with 35mm files.

My Nikon Scanner is limited to this machine since Nikon decided not to create 64bit drivers, so I'll need to keep it going unless a 64 bit option becomes available. I've heard that Viewscan is working on a solution. They might have it going, I haven't checked in a while.

If I were buying a computer today and did not have to worry about peripherals, I would look for a mid range quad core with as much RAM as I could get and a case with room for extra hard drives. I'd shoot for a PC at the $800-$1000 price point. We did this for my wife's computer last summer (got the monitor included for $850). Monitors are a bit more important for photography and I would admit my current LCDs are not ideal. They get the job done, and can be calibrated, but tend to be a bit too bright. I've seen mention of some Dell s-IPS monitors in the 24" range that offer good features for photographers but price in the $250 range. I would avoid TN monitors.

There was a recent discussion on monitor calibration several days ago and Nat had some good recommendations on that.

I would also avoid doing backups to DVDs as was suggested earlier, as optical media has questionable archivability. Use multiple external HDDs, or better, a set of RAID drives.

Although I use Macs, I'm following the discussion on the latest PC hardware with interest. I'm glad to hear MS has finally gotten the OS right! The hardware deals from Dell seem like you get a lot for the money. Now, if only there wasn't that nasty virus (et al) issue.

Hi Guys

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I have looked through all the suggestions and compared this to that and that to this. It seems like there are plenty of good quality choices from mid range to high end. I can't afford high end so I'm thinking Dell has the options that I need. The Workstation that Paul suggested has about anything a person could want. With a few modest upgrades might even get a little more for the $$'s. The monitor still seems to be the main issue. So far everyone seems to go with the larger monitors and I would agree. I'm looking at least 24". NEC are a little more spendy but still need to compare more. Again the one Paul mentioned the DellU2410 seems to be pretty sweet. It sure is alot more than what I currently using to edit photos :) I have been told that editing off a lap top is not the best. So this system should be a jump or two up from this one.

Again I appreciate everyone's comments. I wanted to know from the experts and professionals like you all are.

thanks

Lynn

I don't have too much to add, I think you've already had top notch advice and suggestions. I don't really use a "photo" specific setup, but I have a Dell Quad core with 6GB RAM, running Vista on it. I used CRT's monitors until a year ago, switched to a Dell LCD, IPS panel. I agree with the above, it's best to avoid the TFT panels, they just do not show the full colour range that a IPS or TN panel do. I use a refurb. Dell 2209WA monitor, it is not quite in the league of the NEC's, but seems to calibrate very well, and definitely is a huge improvement over TFT panels I have on other PC's.

I upgraded this last year with a Gateway rig. They have a nice 24"
monitor that I got for about $500. Take a look at them also. It was
competitive with Dell.

Lynn, Dell Small Business has the U2410 on sale today for $509 and free shipping... not that I'm trying to influence you or anything!!

(You don't have to be a business to order from the Dell SB site, anyone can)

Lynn, the Dell U2410 is a great monitor. I just recently purchased an HP LP2475W and love it. It is in line with the Dell, and is an IPS monitor. Ran calibration through it and was amazed at how bad my old monitor sucked. It won't touch the $2k+ market, but it is a great monitor for photo work at that price point.