Due to the yucky results from my first prints I now understand there is much to learn about proper color management.
A few days ago my old laptop finally bit the dust and what better excuse to get a proper photo editing system that will be used to learn how to edit photographs.
I don’t know what things to look for when picking the hardware, particularly when it comes to monitors and color management.
I’m thinking that the average modern PC will be strong enough for the task and that really the only photo editing specific hardware I need will be the monitor. Or do I need to look for specific computer hardware as well?
I’m leaning towards having my neighborhood computer shop build a desktop pc running windows 7.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Posted by Dan Borzynski on April 17, 2010 at 8:24 PM
As a basic machine, a PC running Windows 7 64 bit, 4 gig of ram, large hard drive, desktop, separate monitor of reasonably high quality.
For more money, 8 gig of RAM or more, Windows Ultimate, two hard drives, desktop, monitor calibration device, NEC or Eizo monitor. For a bit more money, some motherboards will have 6 RAM slots which will allow up to 24 gig of ram. Those boards aren't horribly more expensive but the RAM is. 7 Home Edition maxes out on RAM at 16, I think.
The i5 processors are pretty decent. An i7 is a nice upgrade. I'd go for RAM and a second hard drive first.
For an unreasonable amount of money, I once priced a desktop running 128 gig of RAM, 4 2 TB hard drives, 4 quadcores, multimonitor capable graphics card, etc. and got it up over $50,000, You don't need this unless you are doing nuclear reaction simulations as a second hobby.
Posted by Paul DeCesare on April 18, 2010 at 12:12 AM
Richard, we can get more specific if we knew your budget. Also, what photo editor are you using? I ask this because if you're using Photoshop CS4, that version does leverage the video card, so you'll want more than the built-in video of the motherboard. That holds true if you decide to go with a laptop... you still want an external monitor for photo editing.
Dan, I’ll be looking for more memory and hard drive space before spending $$ on processors and I’ll be looking at the monitors and calibration devices you wrote of.
Yikes… $50-k…. I guess with your spare time you may also help crack the genome code of the Humpback whale.
Paul, thanks for digging deeper.
Budget… I would like to keep the computer and monitor under $2-k. But will spend a bit more if necessary. I don’t want to invest in a system that I will out grow as soon as I step up to CS-5 or the like.
So maybe I will be looking for a mother board that can accept more components as I learn and grow.
For now I will be starting with Photoshop Elements 8
Discussion
3 repliesA few days ago my old laptop finally bit the dust and what better excuse to get a proper photo editing system that will be used to learn how to edit photographs.
I don’t know what things to look for when picking the hardware, particularly when it comes to monitors and color management.
I’m thinking that the average modern PC will be strong enough for the task and that really the only photo editing specific hardware I need will be the monitor. Or do I need to look for specific computer hardware as well?
I’m leaning towards having my neighborhood computer shop build a desktop pc running windows 7.
Thanks in advance for any help.
For more money, 8 gig of RAM or more, Windows Ultimate, two hard drives, desktop, monitor calibration device, NEC or Eizo monitor. For a bit more money, some motherboards will have 6 RAM slots which will allow up to 24 gig of ram. Those boards aren't horribly more expensive but the RAM is. 7 Home Edition maxes out on RAM at 16, I think.
The i5 processors are pretty decent. An i7 is a nice upgrade. I'd go for RAM and a second hard drive first.
For an unreasonable amount of money, I once priced a desktop running 128 gig of RAM, 4 2 TB hard drives, 4 quadcores, multimonitor capable graphics card, etc. and got it up over $50,000, You don't need this unless you are doing nuclear reaction simulations as a second hobby.
Dan, I’ll be looking for more memory and hard drive space before spending $$ on processors and I’ll be looking at the monitors and calibration devices you wrote of.
Yikes… $50-k…. I guess with your spare time you may also help crack the genome code of the Humpback whale.
Paul, thanks for digging deeper.
Budget… I would like to keep the computer and monitor under $2-k. But will spend a bit more if necessary. I don’t want to invest in a system that I will out grow as soon as I step up to CS-5 or the like.
So maybe I will be looking for a mother board that can accept more components as I learn and grow.
For now I will be starting with Photoshop Elements 8
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
Richard.