Upgrading PC or buyin a new one

[selo]

Our budget isn;t very big for this one. We have a computer that we like to upgrade to work better with photoshop. The specs are
Intel Core i5-2300, 2,8GHz
8gb of ram
GeForce GT520
for more: Acer Aspire X3990 PT.SGKE2.093 - Specificaties - Tweakers

What we want:
- faster PC
- a good monitor with good calibration

I have searched the web and found that a good monitor would costs us around 800-900 usd, so with a 1200 ish budget what should we get?

Mobality isn't very important but it would be a good bonus.

Options:
- Upgrade PC (but upgrade what?) + and buy a good monitor
- Buy a good laptop like macbook pro or something similair with good a screen

Thoughts?

 

[unpopular]

A few things to consider about a new PC:

-Do you need a laptop? Even good laptops have a shorter life span than a good desktop. For day to day use, I'd recommend a desktop.

-You can easily spend $1200 on a "good" monitor, and as you've already pointed out a mid-range monitor will chew up a lot of your budget. I'd suggest getting a decent monitor with third party calibration device, many can be found on ebay, just make sure it's compatible with Windows 8/10 or the latest version of MacOS X

- Consider refurbished units. You can get a monster refurbished HP or Dell workstation for a fraction of the cost. I bought a $3,000, 12-core 2.6ghz, 8gb (upgraded to 16gb - will upgrade to 24 soon) Dell T5610 for $1700 from a company called IT Creations. Single processor T5610 can be found for around $1200. It came with all the warranties from Dell. I've contacted Dell on two occasions for support questions without any problem. Aside from running Windows, it's been a great machine.

- Regarding workstations, be aware that most (all?) Xeon systems take expensive ECC Registered RAM and that Photoshop specifically does not really take advantage of multithreading much as you'd expect. In fact, my machine doesn't out-perform less expensive faster machines with fewer threads. However, these systems are extremely well-built, stable and reliable. But overall, I'd highly recommend the Dell T-series over consumer-oriented stuff - even if you'd need to save a bit for a monitor.

But be aware, if you are planing to upgrade a T5610 video card, it can be tricky. There is only 300W to work and your space is really limited. You can upgrade the PSU, but they are stupid expensive. Mine came with a Quadro K2000, which seems plenty sufficient for Photoshop.

- You of course can build your own, it's not hard and you *may* save some money. But there are some disadvantages to that as well.

 

[sashbar]

I think your specs are quite decent, unless you are bunch-processing large numbers of images. I had ben using a 4 y. o. Lenovo with dual i7 2,7 Gz processor, 8 RAM and Radeon card with Photoshop and other editors until recently and had no complains whatsoever, apart from its display which was a TNT type, i.e. narrow angle.
What I have learned is that a good IPS display is more important than a superfast processor. With a faster processor you can save some seconds, but with a better monitor you improve the quality of your work.
I could not find any cheap decent Windows laptops with a good IPS screen, there are some good machines like the new Asus gaming laptop or Dell XPS 15, but their price range is close to that of a MacBook and neither of those two was perfect. So I went for a Mac which is a choice de rigueur for photographers these days. It cost me, but I think it is a better long term investment. And so far I am glad I did it, it has "Money well spent" written all over it.
If you are on a tight budget and mobility is not important, then a PC with a good large IPS monitor is a cheaper and probably better option. If you can stretch a bit, then some extra spending on a good Mac is not a bad option either.

 

[Designer]

Recommending a Mac might not fly if they have lots of Windows software. Of course, a Mac can run Windows software too, so there's that. Of course, you would have to buy Windows again to load it onto the Mac. I agree with a desktop BTW, or in Apple-speak: an iMac.

 

[selo]

Thanks for the answers.

I know the Mac is grear for photography but switching from windows to mac is kind of holding me back. It will slow us down a lot in the beginning. Also the mac seems more expensive with less specs, so it seems like a little bigger investment.

A laptop is not really needed. So i would like update my desktop, it runs smoother. But i think having a good monitor with good color calibration is more important for me at this point. We also use a Asus laptop which has much better specs than the desktop i described before.

So what screen i should get? And what is the advantageous of a calibration device? I have read a little about it. Is it only optimizing the screen? If yes, couldn't I just borrow one and optimize my screen, so I dont have to buy one?

This is a very new topic for me.

 

[KmH]

A computer display needs to be re-calibrated on a routine basis.
Most editing pros re-calibrate their editing display(s) at least monthly.

X-Rite ColorMunki Display

 

[selo]

so i should get the iMac. Ill prolly get the 27inch retina whil at it. Need to make more money first.

Since i have a laptop that is good i could get a screen for it. Any advice on what screen to get? or where look for as specs.

Also are there good cheaper calibration devices?

 

[Designer]

Any advice on what screen to get?

I think there was a thread on here about what display to get, search for it.

What is your budget for a display? If you are considering an iMac plus a second display for the laptop, are you prepared to spend the dough?

We are a two-platform family. My iMac, an iPad, two iPhones, and two Windows computers (desktop and laptop).

 

[Designer]

Also are there good cheaper calibration devices?

I don't have one, but I would caution you about being penny-wise and pound foolish. If you're going full bore on the computers, the calibration devices are $400.
X-Rite ColorMunki Photo Color Management Solution CMUNPH B H

I suppose you can find something cheaper, but just be aware of the differences.

 

[IronMaskDuval]

Please let this pc master race chime in.

Don't get a Mac, this coming from a Mac fanboy. My primary is a pc.

You can keep your cpu. If you want better performance, switch your os onto an ssd and buy an additional 8 gbs of ram. Your system would also benefit from a better gpu like a gtx 970 or r9 290. You can get a 24" asus pro art color calibrated ips for $300. With everything you can be at about $700
For a fast system that will carry over in components when you upgrade cpu and motherboard. You may need a new psu for the gpu as well.

 

[The_Traveler]

Please let this pc master race chime in.

Don't get a Mac, this coming from a Mac fanboy. My primary is a pc.

You can keep your cpu. If you want better performance, switch your os onto an ssd and buy an additional 8 gbs of ram. Your system would also benefit from a better gpu like a gtx 970 or r9 290. You can get a 24" asus pro art color calibrated ips for $300. With everything you can be at about $700
For a fast system that will carry over in components when you upgrade cpu and motherboard. You may need a new psu for the gpu as well.

^makes sense, a lot of sense.
Changing systems in the face of a budget crunch is not good sense.
First get a monitor calibrator and a SSD for your programs.
That will give you much faster bootup, much faster processing as program elements are switched in and out.
See if the monitor calibration makes a difference before you throw out the old.
Unless you are doing pro work for money an expensive monitor may not pay back in any way.
It looks like you are maxed out on RAM but you can work around this by closing everything but PS when you edit.
Check on Ram usage and see what is going on.
If you eventually find you absolutely need a speedup, you can change motherboards and go for an overclockable i7.
This may require an upgraded Power Supply but those are relatively cheap.
That will need new ram and more of it.

 

[unpopular]

Please let this pc master race chime in.

Don't get a Mac, this coming from a Mac fanboy. My primary is a pc.

You can keep your cpu. If you want better performance, switch your os onto an ssd and buy an additional 8 gbs of ram. Your system would also benefit from a better gpu like a gtx 970 or r9 290. You can get a 24" asus pro art color calibrated ips for $300. With everything you can be at about $700
For a fast system that will carry over in components when you upgrade cpu and motherboard. You may need a new psu for the gpu as well.

The thing about Mac, and the main reason I didn't get get a Mac Pro - you can't upgrade the processor or video card. In a few years I can upgrade my processors for about $1,200 (or less) which is $2-3,000 less than a new Mac Pro.

 

[selo]

Great info's thanks!

I probably wait before i invest into something big like a new monitor + calibration device. The system as we have it now works ok. I rather invest in studio gear first.

The computer we want to upgrade is the one my wife is using. I will try to figure out what needs to be upgraded to make it faster, probably RAM and maybe the graphic card. But this computer is 5 years old and is never upgraded, is it worth upgrading it at all? Isn't better to get a new cheap PC for like 500-600 and upgrade that one with a SSD + RAM + Better graphicscard?

I doubt that we will switch to a Mac in the near future. My wife wants to switch to a Mac but eventually if something needs to installed or fixed I would be the one that needs to fix it . So I guess we both need to switch at the same time. I recently switched from Iphone to a android phone, the main reason for this decision was that the iphone i limiting you. Android is like a jailbreaked iphone. But Iphone is far more stable and reliable though. I think this is the same with OSX vs Windows, OSX is probably more stable but a little limited, windows the opposite. Right?

 

[IronMaskDuval]

Great info's thanks!

I probably wait before i invest into something big like a new monitor + calibration device. The system as we have it now works ok. I rather invest in studio gear first.

The computer we want to upgrade is the one my wife is using. I will try to figure out what needs to be upgraded to make it faster, probably RAM and maybe the graphic card. But this computer is 5 years old and is never upgraded, is it worth upgrading it at all? Isn't better to get a new cheap PC for like 500-600 and upgrade that one with a SSD + RAM + Better graphicscard?

I doubt that we will switch to a Mac in the near future. My wife wants to switch to a Mac but eventually if something needs to installed or fixed I would be the one that needs to fix it . So I guess we both need to switch at the same time. I recently switched from Iphone to a android phone, the main reason for this decision was that the iphone i limiting you. Android is like a jailbreaked iphone. But Iphone is far more stable and reliable though. I think this is the same with OSX vs Windows, OSX is probably more stable but a little limited, windows the opposite. Right?

That i5 is still a really capable cpu. In fact, many of the first gen i7 and second gen i5s are still up to modern tasking. It's just your components. Ram may not be your first line. If you are booting up and it starts fast then begins to slow as you work, it is a ram issue. If not, more RAM won't help, although 16 gb should be the minimum for what we do. Here's the break down of your upgrade:

250gb ssd = $80 (sales)
8gb RAM = $70 (sales)
R7 250x video card + $110
Corsair CX430 PSU = $35

Total upgrade: $295

You can't buy a new computer that cheap. When you exhaust your cpu and motherboard, you can upgrade using the same components, and the psu I listed will be a able to power a gpu one to two steps above the r7.

If you were to go buy a new desktop with these upgraded specs, you'd be shopping in a gaming class computer, and those do not come in at your budget.

 

[KmH]

Photoshop's minimum system requirements include a display that can display a minimum color depth of 16-bits.

The $300 Asus display recommended above is only 10-bits of color capable, and does not meet Adobe Photoshop minimum system requirements.
ASUS PA248Q 24-Inch LED-Lit IPS Professional Graphics Monitor

I am not aware of any $300 display that can display the minimum required 16-bit color.