Computer

Big Mike · Oct 28, 2005

I'm going to buy a new computer...photo editing will be my main focus...video editing and gaming won't be too high on the list...so I shouldn't need top of the line performance.

Any suggestions or warnings? I'm thinking a Pentium 4 processor but what about other processors? Should I go with duel core or not? Should I spend more and get 3 or more GHtz...or should I save a bundle and get a 2.2 or 2.4?

I've been looking at Dell.ca but I'm not seeing any better deals than what I've seen at Staples or Costco.

Any advice would be appreciated.

jstuedle · Oct 28, 2005

I build computers. If you are going to go with a PC as opposed to a Mac, right now the best performance for the buck is in the AMD Athalon 64 series of processor. They are dual core and very fast. If you are just going to run Photoshop, a Athalon 64 3000 processor is all you will need for a while. It has the ability to run circles around a P4 and still be 64 bit compliant when the new Windowz comes out the coming year. It is also less expensive than the P4. I run one of these, but a little faster and what I like about it is when I have PS, Nikon View and Nikon Capture all open at once the machine does not slow down. I would also spend the bucks on at least a Gig. of ram. I run 2 but 1 I think is the bare min. to run today's PS and edit bigger files, especially when you start editing layers.

tito_gh · Oct 28, 2005

I just picked up an ibook g4
1.33 ghz
1 gig of ram
and run photoshop aweome the powerbook has a little more power
i would check these out

hobbes28 · Oct 28, 2005

www.pricewatch.com and www.mwave.com are the two places I'd check for good prices. I agree with John here and say go for the AMD chipset with at least a gig of RAM. You can get away with a really good deal nowadays.

'Daniel' · Oct 28, 2005

The AMD 64bit 3000 seems quite cheap. Isn't the processor supposed to be the most expensive bit of hardware? You can get it for £80ish. But I suppose if its good the price doesn't matter.

Digital Matt · Oct 28, 2005

Without starting a mac vs pc war, or an intel vs amd war, I would just say that you should make sure and get 1 gig if not 2 gigs of ram, whatever processor you end up with.

I have a p4 2.8 HT with 2 gigs of ram, and a SATA hard drive (important), and it is very fast.

Get 2 hard drives and use the secondary one as a scratch disk for photoshop, and you'll really increase your performance.

Big Mike · Oct 28, 2005

Thanks,

Ya, I'll get at least 1GB of Ram, and I may upgrade that to 2 when I see a good sale.

I was wondering about the scratch disk thing, I know that it sure sped things up when I started keeping my images on the network (at work) and set my hard drive as the scratch disk.

How about external hard drives? I was thinking of getting one (as extra storage, scratch disk and transfer from work/home.)

I'm guessing that an external HD would be slower than an internal one...is this correct?

On another topic, are flat screens up to the task of photo editing? Meaning, are they as color accurate as CRT monitors? I think there used to be an issue with older flat screens.

jstuedle · Oct 28, 2005

Yes, the AMD 64 3000 is in-expensive. It is an outstanding value but is also the slowest processor in the series. As speed goes up, so does price.

And I agree, 2 gig ram and 2 SATA hard drives will give you a noticable increase in speed and workflow.

I use external drives, but only as back-up for the two in my system. Externals are very slow so I wouldnt use them for primary storage.

westman · Oct 29, 2005

AMD Althon 64 2800+ -- 3000+
Nforce 4 MB
512 DDR2 x2
Geforce 6600GT
Seagate 160 GB sata2 hdd
DVD+-RW
......

Big Mike · Oct 31, 2005

I got a decent deal at a place that sell refurbished computers. Not used ones that were sent back...what happens is that some computers don't pass the initial factory tests, so they open them up and replace the wonky parts. Since they have been opened and are not right off the factory line, they are labeled 'refurbished' but are still brand new.

I got an HP with Athalon 64 processor, 1GB Ram, 128MB Video Card, DVD/CD burner & DVD ROM, 19" flat screen, 160 Gig hard drive...

It is sure to better than the Pentium II 300, with 64MB Ram...that I was using at home.

RickyN29 · Oct 31, 2005

Well I use a Dell notebook, 1GHz PIII, only think lacking is RAM at 384mb, so I am going to bump it up a little more. Works fine for me. You don't have to have the biggest and best.

jstuedle · Nov 1, 2005

You don't have to have the biggest and best.

But it sure makes PS-CS a lot more fun to run. :lol:

Big Mike · Nov 1, 2005

It not that we need the latest & greatest...but the technology is moving so quickly, that you want to stay current as long as possible. My old computer, was a hand-me-down...and it all but obsolete. Sure it still works and can be used to write a letter, check e-mail, read the forum etc....it won't run Photoshop or Autocad very well and sure can't run any new games.