What computer would you buy?

darkchild · Apr 30, 2011

What's going on tpf? So my job is giving me 2 grand to spend on a computer, accessories can't be included, meaning software i'll pay out of my pocket, what computer would you get and why? i want to use up the full 2 grand and i can also put in more money if needed. I will be using this computer for photo editing and other stuff. i will buy an extra monitor so i can have more space. I'm thinking Mac but lets hear it. Has to be a desktop cuz I already have a laptop. GO!

Auriflanos · Apr 30, 2011

I would suggest Mac, if you are focused on photo edition. Mac Book PRo, i5 at least.

For a more afordable computer, try Asus, Sony. DON'T go on HP and Toshiba. Those are the worst in quality. i5 at least, quad core, 4 GB Ram and at least 512 mb Video

analog.universe · Apr 30, 2011

I would get whichever Dell I could afford when after I spent what I needed on software. Unless you're really drawn to Mac for whatever reason (i.e. you already have software licenses), I would avoid them. You will pay much more money for the same exact hardware you could get in a Dell. The only reason I choose Dell over other PCs is their legendary warranty and tech support. I'd probably put half the budget into a monitor if this a photo computer, and don't buy the monitor from Dell.

For a little background, I've worked in computers for 15 years, I used to be a software developer, and I've built dozens of computers from the ground up. These days Dell can build a computer for me cheaper than I can build it myself, and if anything goes wrong it's their responsibility.

ghache · Apr 30, 2011

well, if your not building it yourself, go in any computer shop, for that kind of money, you can get a pretty sick pc, i would go with a I7 (not sure if they came out of something else) with 8 gig of ram and a couple of 2 terrabytes hard drive. mobo that has usb3 and a nice big external hard drive for backups if you dont have one. just dont get screwed and shop arround that have the best **** for your money.

AUG19 · Apr 30, 2011

Good read about getting a decent monitor (Feb 2010)
Best Monitor for Photography

analog.universe · Apr 30, 2011

Auriflanos said:
I would suggest Mac, if you are focused on photo edition. Mac Book PRo, i5 at least.

For a more afordable computer, try Asus, Sony. DON'T go on HP and Toshiba. Those are the worst in quality. i5 at least, quad core, 4 GB Ram and at least 512 mb Video

I don't want to be negative, but I disagree with most of this.

HP are some of the most reliable systems I've used. Asus cut corners in stupid places to save pennies. I've been inside a lot of their machines, and nearly every component is generic off brand stuff. They are cheaper than the competition, but not by enough to justify what you end up with. And Sony is all about marketability in their computer division. Sony computers are built to be _appealing_, not high performance or reliable. I have a Toshiba laptop from 1999, Pentium II, 192mb ram, 12gb hard drive... to this day runs like the day I got it.

Not sure how your budget will be after software, but if you can get a Xeon processor instead of an i series I would recommend that. They are intel's professional line of processors and offer a few performance advantages. Most significantly though, they are more reliable than the consumer stuff because thermally they are well over spec'd, and they also support error correcting memory. The Core2 and i processors run right at the limit of stability to keep costs down. I'd recommend 8gb ram because ram is cheap. If you're not working in 3d then you will never even need to know how much video ram you have. If the Xeons end up being too costly, i5 and i7 are still very nice chips.

darkchild · Apr 30, 2011

the reason i said mac is because they already come with a lot of software that i like, i never thought about building a PC though. I don't know where the money would go into building a PC though.

TheBiles · Apr 30, 2011

You could build your own absolutely beastly computer for $2000. Go to Newegg and check out some of the pre-selected wish lists. You definitely get a better value building on your own, and you can customize it exactly to your needs. Don't go blowing your money on an overpriced Mac!!

GooniesNeverSayDie11 · Apr 30, 2011

Get a decent tower with lots of RAM for running photoshop. Costco - ZT Affinity AMD Phenom II Six-Core Processor 1055 2.8GHz Lifetime 24/7 Toll-Free Support

And then a good photo monitor NEC MultiSync 2490WU2-BK-SV 24" LCD2490W2-BK-SV B&H Photo

Auriflanos · Apr 30, 2011

analog.universe said:
Auriflanos said:

I would suggest Mac, if you are focused on photo edition. Mac Book PRo, i5 at least.

For a more afordable computer, try Asus, Sony. DON'T go on HP and Toshiba. Those are the worst in quality. i5 at least, quad core, 4 GB Ram and at least 512 mb Video

Click to expand...

I don't want to be negative, but I disagree with most of this.

HP are some of the most reliable systems I've used. Asus cut corners in stupid places to save pennies. I've been inside a lot of their machines, and nearly every component is generic off brand stuff. They are cheaper than the competition, but not by enough to justify what you end up with. And Sony is all about marketability in their computer division. Sony computers are built to be _appealing_, not high performance or reliable. I have a Toshiba laptop from 1999, Pentium II, 192mb ram, 12gb hard drive... to this day runs like the day I got it.

Not sure how your budget will be after software, but if you can get a Xeon processor instead of an i series I would recommend that. They are intel's professional line of processors and offer a few performance advantages. Most significantly though, they are more reliable than the consumer stuff because thermally they are well over spec'd, and they also support error correcting memory. The Core2 and i processors run right at the limit of stability to keep costs down. I'd recommend 8gb ram because ram is cheap. If you're not working in 3d then you will never even need to know how much video ram you have. If the Xeons end up being too costly, i5 and i7 are still very nice chips.

I told that based on my point of view and experience:

2 toshiba laptops with factory problems in my family, 4 HP computers with factory problems with some friends and a personal experience with an HP lap (the lap was beautiful but again, factory problems). NONE of the factory problems was solved by the company, either the Toshiba or the HP (the one's owned by my family). I have Asus and I really liked the computer and I chosed an configuration for Gaming, so mine is quite expensive (laptop). And also, it includes the worldwide waranty. HP and toshiba don't.

photocist · Apr 30, 2011

TheBiles said:
You could build your own absolutely beastly computer for $2000. Go to Newegg and check out some of the pre-selected wish lists. You definitely get a better value building on your own, and you can customize it exactly to your needs. Don't go blowing your money on an overpriced Mac!!

Quoted for truth.

You can build an amazing computer for 1500 and pocket 500, to spend on lenses!

analog.universe · Apr 30, 2011

Auriflanos said:
2 toshiba laptops with factory problems in my family, 4 HP computers with factory problems with some friends and a personal experience with an HP lap (the lap was beautiful but again, factory problems). NONE of the factory problems was solved by the company, either the Toshiba or the HP (the one's owned by my family). I have Asus and I really liked the computer and I chosed an configuration for Gaming, so mine is quite expensive (laptop). And also, it includes the worldwide waranty. HP and toshiba don't.

One thing I didn't mention is that I've only ever worked on the "business class" machines from HP and Toshiba, not the consumer models. There may be variance among the different lines for sure. I believe the business line may have actually been absorbed from IBM at one point... I did computer work at an office that had 20 or so HP machines and they were all rock solid.

And yes, Asus makes gaming machines that perform amazingly for the price they're offered at. However, for a work computer used to edit photos, reliability and stability are of primary concern.

however all these companies stack up, I'd still get the Dell...

Auriflanos · Apr 30, 2011

I can't give business opinion, since I've only worked with customer's home computers. But Asus is stable. Windows 7 is the problem!

I am a MacOS fan. My roomie have a MacBook pro and since january:
Lucas (me)= 6 blue death screen, 5 virus...
Roomie = 0 death screen, no virus...

photocist · May 1, 2011

Auriflanos said:
I can't give business opinion, since I've only worked with customer's home computers. But Asus is stable. Windows 7 is the problem!
I am a MacOS fan. My roomie have a MacBook pro and since january:
Lucas (me)= 6 blue death screen, 5 virus...
Roomie = 0 death screen, no virus...

i have windows 7 and it works flawlessly.

id recommend slowing down on the porn downloads.

adversus · May 1, 2011

The only reason I choose Dell over other PCs is their legendary warranty and tech support.

Legendarily bad. Dell's tech support and having 4 of them (a Dimension, Precision, and two latitude notebooks) die within 4 months of each other steered me away. Whenever a family friend asks me to fix their busted PC, 90% of the time it's a Dell, and it's busted because of it's shoddy build quality (or shoddy OS).

I do professional work on Win 7, which is Microsoft's best OS to date. But I still don't like it from the user experience and speed aspect.

To the OP: If you have $2,000 to spend and thats it, your best bet is to get a custom-built Windows machine. For $2k the fastest Mac you can get is the i7 iMac, which I wouldn't recommend for photography work. The monitors are gorgeous, but the glare will kill you. The cheapest Mac Pro is $2400.