Looking for opinions on a new computer

[DreamPhotos]

It has come time for me to upgrade my Mac. I am just getting into photography, although I've been using a dslr for years on auto programs. I've never done any editing other than in iphoto. I would like to learn Lightroom first and see how that goes. Are there any specific specs I should be looking at when choosing a new computer? I apologize ahead of time for such a general question. This would be a desktop computer, and not a laptop. I was considering a laptop for the portability factor, but prefer to stay with the desktops that I'm use to. I've also been reading that laptops are a little more difficult to edit on.

 

[lanyemichelle]

I would stay with Mac personally. I would never go back to PC. I've had a MacBook Pro 13" for three years now and it runs like it's almost brand new even with Photoshop, Bridge and Muse installed. The biggest things I've found for editing are;

1. Screen size. Big is better. Go with the 27" iMac if you can. I'm planning on upgrading, keeping most of my editing software on the iMac and having my MacBook Pro be for on-the-go and personal use (Read = classes. I'm still a college student.)

2. Ram. Make sure you have quite a bit of it. I have 4GB of Ram in my MacBook Pro and honestly 8GB would be much better. With Photoshop set to use 80-85% of available ram it runs like I want it to, but any other program I open is super slow. I have to quit my mail app before opening photoshop as mail seems to be the worst.

3. External hard drives aren't just for backing up! I keep the more important photos on both my external and my computer hard drive but also on a disc. Just transferring all of my personal work or older sessions on the external helps my MacBook run faster.

I've only experimented with Lightroom a tiny bit and I didn't LOVE it. I'm way too used to big old photoshop and I know my way around the features pretty well. I really do like Photoshop (I have CC) and find that my workflow runs pretty smoothly. I get a general preview in Bridge, label those I want to open in ACR, and when I do I can zoom in far enough and if there are any big problems with color/exposure I can decide if the image needs to go to the trash or not.

I definitely vote for the iMac 27" for a desktop, though even the smaller size would probably be awesome.

 

[jenko]

I have the 27" iMac and love it. I bought mine with 8GB RAM and just added the extra RAM myself. It's pretty simple to install and it'll save you a few bucks. My one complaint is having only 4 ports, but that's easily resolved with a Hubman.

 

[Rocketman1978]

See the last character in my sig, that's my advice.

To answer your questions:

1.) I prefer SSD HDD's due to read/write speed (my preference is 500GB).

2.) I wouldn't get less than 16GB RAM if it were me.

3.) The i7 processors are the whip, my 15" MBP Retina has one, my 11" Air has the i5 and is still a good proc but I'd prefer the i7.

4.) Its been said but get the 27" screen, I have (2) 27" Thunderbolt displays at work that I dock my 15" MBPR to and they work out famously. Loved them so much I now have a single 27" Thunderbolt at home.

5.) Its been said but external storage. I'm a big fan of LaCie and Apple Time Capsules. I have and use both.

As far as software, I have Aperture, Lightroom and Photoshop CC. Lightroom is great, sometimes I use a combination of LR and PS, depends on what I'm trying to do. My skills are weak in PS so I sometimes depend on both. I don't use Aperture anymore but it was a great first editing app for me.

If you have the cash and want the best of both worlds, buy a MacBook Pro and dock it to a single 27" Thunderbolt display like I do at home. When I bought my Thunderbolt it ran about $1K, my MBPR ran about $2500 so the investment is higher but you have both portability and screen size at your disposal. I was on an iMac at work before I moved to (2) Thunderbolts and docking my MBPR, I like the current setup best. I do a lot of editing at home undocked but man, when I do it on my Thunderbolts the difference is amazing going from 15" to 27".

 

[KmH]

For image editing, exceed Adobe's minimum recommended system specifications:
Adobe Photoshop CC for Mac, Windows, PC - Tech specs
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 for Mac, Windows, PC - Tech specs

Key CC specs for your display and video card:

1024x768 display (1280x800 recommended) with OpenGL 2.0, 16-bit color, and 512MB of VRAM (1GB recommended)

 

[Light Guru]

Are there any specific specs I should be looking at when choosing a new computer?

Any current model computer that Apple sells today is capable of running Lightroom. But you can still purchase a higher end machine that will be faster at pro forming certain tasks.

 

[DreamPhotos]

Thanks for the responses. My husband and I talked about it last night (he is much more knowledgeable about computer than I am), and he agrees that the MacBook Pro and separate monitor are the way to go. We are in the process of purchasing a second house, which is where I will be doing most of my shooting, so I feel like I need to have the portability of a laptop when going between the two homes. I appreciate all of the input!