Essentials to a complete setup? (advanced, pros, knowledgeable people?)

[rpm]

i think we shouldn't judge where he wants to start his investments, if he wants to invest in his computer now - then we shouldn't tell him he's doing it wrong. further more we have no idea what other interests he has. furthermore by the way he is handling his memory limitations, it seems like he needs to upgrade that PC of his anyway.

i myself use my gaming PC i built 2 years ago but I didn't gimp myself either and it runs like a beast still. compared to today's standards, if i spent what i did on it 2-3 years ago, the new computer would run circles round it before beating it into a pulp. but thats not to say my machine cant handle whatever i throw at it today.

2K is a high end machine (by everyday-consumer standards), lets not go into what is usually associated with system managers and IT professionals. or what I see as overkill enthusiasts systems (that will never ever use the power they accumulated outside the meaningless benchmark scores and e-peen moments).

let him priorities what he wants to invest in first, considering he has a very good camera and two lenses he needs to still master, i think a computer apart from its primary photographic purposes, is a good place to start as any.

 

[DerekSalem]

2 grand, and he has a medium-grade computer system and a few programs.

Meanwhile, he has no extra lenses, no extra flashes, no backdrops, no books...

I mean really, we could go into detail all day about "going pro". I'm not pro, I'd like to someday, but I also scrounge what I can get for as cheaply as possible. I use my gaming PC from 2006 (and my only PC) as my photo-editing station. I'm going to make my own lightbox instead of paying 200 bucks for one. I use a business card for a flash reflector. Etc.

At the end of the day, by the time this thread is done, you'll have a bill of sale well over $10,000. Will that make you a better photographer, though?

Medium-Grade computer? lol what are you talking about?

Speaking as someone who has built computers for about 12 years I can tell you that the system he set up in the post above yours would compare with the very best systems you can buy quite well. It should be able to beat nearly any system that's not SLI or Crossfire with ease, and cost less.

Yes, the OP will need better photography equipment if he wants to go pro...but he was asking about the computer in this specific case, not photography equipment.

 

[dcmoody23]

Thanks a lot for the responses guys, and especially for the build rounding to about $2K.
On the other hand I have no idea what you're talking about ---

2 grand, and he has a medium-grade computer system and a few programs.

Meanwhile, he has no extra lenses, no extra flashes, no backdrops, no books...

I mean really, we could go into detail all day about "going pro". I'm not pro, I'd like to someday, but I also scrounge what I can get for as cheaply as possible. I use my gaming PC from 2006 (and my only PC) as my photo-editing station. I'm going to make my own lightbox instead of paying 200 bucks for one. I use a business card for a flash reflector. Etc.

At the end of the day, by the time this thread is done, you'll have a bill of sale well over $10,000. Will that make you a better photographer, though?

Where exactly am I spending this $10,000??.. Right, and I don't have a gaming PC like you, so kind of an unfair comparison there. I have the very basic, bottom line laptop that was given to me so I could do my school assignments via PC and have internet to do research, and that was between 7th and 8th grade..

For my uses I really have the setup I want at the moment in terms of camera and lens, and that's why it specifically said not to get into that in the OP.

& for the final time -- I HAVE NO INTENTIONS TO GO PRO. Haha sorry, but i've said it literally like 5 times in this post.

Thanks a lot guys!

 

[o hey tyler]

I HAVE NO INTENTIONS TO GO PRO.

Good, because then you'd be encroaching upon my turf!

 

[camera obscura]

I've been eyeballing the Asus G73JW. To put it simply; a monster laptop that will last awhile...

* i7 processor (four super fast processors or quad core)
* Nvidia graphics card (a super fast one Photoshop CS5 can use!)
* 8gb RAM (expandable to 16gb!)
* 2 x 500gb hard drives
* 17" HD screen
* Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
* Blu-Ray
* etc.

Cost? $1800.

There is also a slightly scaled down version for $1500.

 

[Nsomnia]

i have the g73jh A-2. glad i bought it.. for the price you pay you get pretty much double the hardware as you would get with ANY other system.. alienware/mac

i run pse8 and my pics come out great and sharp!
i play any game out there full specs.. flawlessly
The rear twin exhaust are awesome!

its a little heafty... but you get a nice backpack with lots of space for free with it

2 years hardware warranty + 1year accidental damage.. drop, fall, thrown.. no questions it gets fixed.

i got mine from powernotebooks.com they are really great ppl and offer awesome deals..

 

[o hey tyler]

i have the g73jh A-2. glad i bought it.. for the price you pay you get pretty much double the hardware as you would get with ANY other system.. alienware/mac

i run pse8 and my pics come out great and sharp!

You know that the sharpness of your photos has nothing to do with the computer you edit them on, right?

 

[Tee]

I use LR3 and the Nik software ultimate collection. I've found this to be a nice combination for my amateur needs. I installed these on a new HP Pavilion Elite which handles the software without any problems. All of this fits under a $2,000 budget leaving a few hundred for something else.

 

[12sndsgood]

im in the same boat as you. i just tend to buy things as i find i need them. sometimes things you think you need you dont really need. i bought a new computer alienware (dell) got a decent moniter. and an external backup hard drive. yes i say buy an external. for just over 100 bucks you can have over a terrabyte of harddrive space. if my house catches on fire that would be the one thing i would try to grab on my way out the door. went on vacation i stored it at work. i can buy new clothes and tvs' and furniture but i can't replace pictures. and for the cost it seems easier to do that to upload every single pic somewhere. if yournot planning on going pro. and your just in the planning stages just take your time and find out what you really need.

 

[Village Idiot]

I dunno, I think building your own desktop and installing OS X and Win7 is still the best option.