Posted by Jim Erhardt on February 6, 2011 at 9:48 AM
OK, I admit it - I'm a cheapy when it comes to computers. I still do all of my NPN work on a 8 year old Dell 4550 with a Pentium 4 2ghz with one gig of RAM. It's fine for that but trying to process photos on it has become an exercise in frustration.
So, if you were going to buy a Dell set up for processing digital photos, which model computer and monitor would you purchase? I'm not necessarily interested in purchasing all kinds of monitor calibration equipment, but I want something (20 inch minimum) that can be calibrated easily and get reasonably close to accurately depicting what I see on-screen. How about the UltraSharp U2410?
I will also retain my current work station and use it for everything but processing digital photos, and of course, I'd like to spend as little as possible....
TIA for your advice!
Posted by Mia McPherson on February 6, 2011 at 10:28 AM
Jim,
I love my Dell UltraSharp monitors, I calibrate just using a Spyder because I usually have anything printed at a local shop so I don't worry about calbrating my printer to my monitor. With my Dell UltraSharp monitors I could see things in my images I hadn't seen as clearly before, for instance the crinkly artifacts caused by over compression. I think for a PC I'd get as much RAM as possible for photo editing. I have bought Dell computers since 2000 and haven't been disappointed with them.
I am considering purchasing a Puget Systems workstation. I have heard very good things about this company and their support. Their prices are competitive, and they will help you build a system that suits your needs.
I have the NEC P221W (22"). It displays 96% of the Adobe RGB gamut, and with a compatible colorimeter and software, it is easy to calibrate. B&H has a good deal going for this monitor/software/colorimeter bundle.
--P
Posted by Luke Ormand on February 6, 2011 at 11:30 AM
Jim, you could go out and buy a couple MacBooks if you hadn't blown all of your NPN budget on that "company car" Cadillac!
Posted by Greg Lessard on February 6, 2011 at 12:15 PM
Hi Jim,
I am impressed that your Dell has lasted that long. I have had three Dells and they all have broken down from 2-4 years. I am currently using an HP G60 laptop with no issues. Knock on wood
The first Dell was a desktop that lasted 4 years. Technically it still runs, but not well. The other two were laptops.
Get as much RAM as possible. Its worth the extra money!
Posted by Glenn Starr on February 6, 2011 at 2:14 PM
Jim,
I purchased the Dell Ultrasharp 21" IPS several months ago and love it. Got it for way less than the U2410. I also have about an 8 yr old Dell Work Station that is still going strong by 1 gig of ram and the old Pentium just wasn't up to post-processing demands. I debated endlessly between a new workstation or a laptop. Settled on the laptop because I wanted the portability. Purchased a Dell XPS 15 Studio with 6gb Ram, i5 processor, separate GPU, and full 1920x1080 WLED display. Absolutely love this setup and post is now a dream. My wife has a 6+ yr old Inspiron that is still going strong so no complaints on the Dell level of quality. BTW, as an added benefit you will love Win 7 that is far more stable than XP.
Glenn
Posted by Ken Atkinson on February 7, 2011 at 12:00 PM
Jim,
Here's another plug for Ultrasharp monitors. I really like mine. However, I won't buy another Dell computer. About 2 years ago I purchased a new one with Vista. I had all sorts of trouble adding my programs and folders to it. Finally, Dell tech told me to reintstall the OS from the disc which came with the PC. Couldn't do that because the CD drive crashed on me. I also found the built in card reader wouldn't work because the leads on the back were incorrectly attached. Enough is Enough!!
From reports I've read, Dell's quality and support have taken a down-turn. Too bad. I have two Dell's at home. One is ten years old and the other is about six. I've had HD failures on both(not unexpected) and had to replace CD/DVD drives on both. They have been great, otherwise.
That said, when I go for a replacement for both machines, I will look elsewhere, unless Dell changes it's tune.
HP-Compaq are doing pretty well, and I am looking seriously at Puget Systems to replace my main machine.
--P
Posted by Adam Schallau on February 7, 2011 at 5:38 PM
Posted by Paul DeCesare on February 8, 2011 at 2:55 AM
Jim, as long as you get something with IPS panels, you'll be overjoyed. The U2410 is great and pretty accurate out of the box. Calibration always helps but if you want to avoid that step, no prob, U2410 to the rescue. The other monitors mentioned are fine, but once you have that 24" movie screen in front of you, there's no turning back. Also, any new PC you get will have Windows 7 which has a built-in simple almost-effective calibration utility, every little bit counts.
Dells... had several, our company uses them, my old 4700 still runs every day as our business PC for Quickbooks, has a newer hard drive but a hard drive failure isn't Dell's problem. Well, maybe it is, because Dell does next door to NOTHING to properly ventilate the case (I wish I lived nearby, I'd build you a rig for less cash). Nonetheless, there are Dell's worth the bucks such as the Studio XPS series. Bad news there is $1000 minimum for a decent machine. But there is one other model that to me is the best PC for the dollar and Photoshop will cruise on it: the Dell Inspiron 580s. It's on sale for $649, and you get an Intel i5 processor, 6GB ram, 1TB hard drive, Win 7 Home Premium and an ATI Radeon graphics card. Smokin' rig that will last you a long while power-wise. There are a couple other options, but that one has it all for an almost painless price. Don't rule out the Dell Outlet either, there are some great rigs for way less than new in there!
Posted by David Bostedo on February 8, 2011 at 8:52 AM
Calibration always helps but if you want to avoid that step, no prob, U2410 to the rescue.
At the bare minimum I'd do some basic software calibration, as Paul mentioned with Windows 7. And check out some of the websites which have images you can use to try to calibrate. Even good monitors can have large copy variation and could be significantly "off" of where they should be out of the box.
Posted by Jim Erhardt on February 8, 2011 at 5:29 PM
Thanks to all for your input!
Preston, I checked out Puget Systems and like what I see. The website is easy to use, describes all of the parts and pieces in detail (something Dell does not do) and has an easy-to-use system configuration utility. It's also obvious they build high quality products.
I'm getting closer to deciding what I'll go with, and getting closer to accepting that I'll end up spending more than I originally planned. But, I will also end up with something that will serve me very well for a long time.
Thanks again to all for your advice!
Posted by Sarah Marino on February 8, 2011 at 10:59 PM
Hi Jim - check out the HP ZR22W monitor. I have had it for about 6 months and am very happy. It is a reasonably priced IPS monitor and I have been pleased with its accuracy for printing so far.
Posted by Jim Erhardt on February 10, 2011 at 2:09 PM
Thanks again to all for your advice!
I made my monitor purchase today - a NEC MultiSync 2490WUXi2. It features a native resoltion of 1900 X 1200, so it will be a nice upgrade from the 1280 X 1024 I'm currently using.
I plan on ordering the PC by the end of the week - I'm still not sure which one but have narrowed it down considerably.
Discussion
13 repliesSo, if you were going to buy a Dell set up for processing digital photos, which model computer and monitor would you purchase? I'm not necessarily interested in purchasing all kinds of monitor calibration equipment, but I want something (20 inch minimum) that can be calibrated easily and get reasonably close to accurately depicting what I see on-screen. How about the UltraSharp U2410?
I will also retain my current work station and use it for everything but processing digital photos, and of course, I'd like to spend as little as possible....
TIA for your advice!
I love my Dell UltraSharp monitors, I calibrate just using a Spyder because I usually have anything printed at a local shop so I don't worry about calbrating my printer to my monitor. With my Dell UltraSharp monitors I could see things in my images I hadn't seen as clearly before, for instance the crinkly artifacts caused by over compression. I think for a PC I'd get as much RAM as possible for photo editing. I have bought Dell computers since 2000 and haven't been disappointed with them.
I know you're considering a Dell, but here's a couple of things to look at...
Puget Systems and, for a monitor, NEC Multisync 221W
I am considering purchasing a Puget Systems workstation. I have heard very good things about this company and their support. Their prices are competitive, and they will help you build a system that suits your needs.
I have the NEC P221W (22"). It displays 96% of the Adobe RGB gamut, and with a compatible colorimeter and software, it is easy to calibrate. B&H has a good deal going for this monitor/software/colorimeter bundle.
--P
I am impressed that your Dell has lasted that long. I have had three Dells and they all have broken down from 2-4 years. I am currently using an HP G60 laptop with no issues. Knock on wood
The first Dell was a desktop that lasted 4 years. Technically it still runs, but not well. The other two were laptops.
Get as much RAM as possible. Its worth the extra money!
I purchased the Dell Ultrasharp 21" IPS several months ago and love it. Got it for way less than the U2410. I also have about an 8 yr old Dell Work Station that is still going strong by 1 gig of ram and the old Pentium just wasn't up to post-processing demands. I debated endlessly between a new workstation or a laptop. Settled on the laptop because I wanted the portability. Purchased a Dell XPS 15 Studio with 6gb Ram, i5 processor, separate GPU, and full 1920x1080 WLED display. Absolutely love this setup and post is now a dream. My wife has a 6+ yr old Inspiron that is still going strong so no complaints on the Dell level of quality. BTW, as an added benefit you will love Win 7 that is far more stable than XP.
Glenn
Here's another plug for Ultrasharp monitors. I really like mine. However, I won't buy another Dell computer. About 2 years ago I purchased a new one with Vista. I had all sorts of trouble adding my programs and folders to it. Finally, Dell tech told me to reintstall the OS from the disc which came with the PC. Couldn't do that because the CD drive crashed on me. I also found the built in card reader wouldn't work because the leads on the back were incorrectly attached. Enough is Enough!!
Ken
That said, when I go for a replacement for both machines, I will look elsewhere, unless Dell changes it's tune.
HP-Compaq are doing pretty well, and I am looking seriously at Puget Systems to replace my main machine.
--P
Dells... had several, our company uses them, my old 4700 still runs every day as our business PC for Quickbooks, has a newer hard drive but a hard drive failure isn't Dell's problem. Well, maybe it is, because Dell does next door to NOTHING to properly ventilate the case (I wish I lived nearby, I'd build you a rig for less cash). Nonetheless, there are Dell's worth the bucks such as the Studio XPS series. Bad news there is $1000 minimum for a decent machine. But there is one other model that to me is the best PC for the dollar and Photoshop will cruise on it: the Dell Inspiron 580s. It's on sale for $649, and you get an Intel i5 processor, 6GB ram, 1TB hard drive, Win 7 Home Premium and an ATI Radeon graphics card. Smokin' rig that will last you a long while power-wise. There are a couple other options, but that one has it all for an almost painless price. Don't rule out the Dell Outlet either, there are some great rigs for way less than new in there!
At the bare minimum I'd do some basic software calibration, as Paul mentioned with Windows 7. And check out some of the websites which have images you can use to try to calibrate. Even good monitors can have large copy variation and could be significantly "off" of where they should be out of the box.
Preston, I checked out Puget Systems and like what I see. The website is easy to use, describes all of the parts and pieces in detail (something Dell does not do) and has an easy-to-use system configuration utility. It's also obvious they build high quality products.
I'm getting closer to deciding what I'll go with, and getting closer to accepting that I'll end up spending more than I originally planned. But, I will also end up with something that will serve me very well for a long time.
Thanks again to all for your advice!
I made my monitor purchase today - a NEC MultiSync 2490WUXi2. It features a native resoltion of 1900 X 1200, so it will be a nice upgrade from the 1280 X 1024 I'm currently using.
I plan on ordering the PC by the end of the week - I'm still not sure which one but have narrowed it down considerably.