Which computer do you use?

[Tyguy35]

Hey, right now I'm looking into computer for Photoshop and Lightroom. I am very poor and can't afford much since I spent it on my last lens. I was wondering if anyone uses a cheap computer for Photoshop or should I just get a Mac.

 

[Tiller]

If you're "poor", you should not get a Mac. Period!

If you have technical know-how, building your own desktop will probably be your cheapest option, while still allowing you to choose quality components.

If you provide your budget, I'm sure people can be of more help to you.

 

[pixmedic]

I use my computer.
sometimes my wifes.

 

[TCampbell]

I use a Mac. I use Aperture ($79... about half the price of Lightroom) and ... honestly I don't recommend Photoshop (especially not now that they're trying to force everyone into that ludicrously over-priced "creative cloud" licensing model.)

Do you not currently own a computer?

The biggest problem I see with photographer friends' computers is that they're always running out of disk space. But external hard drives are really cheap these days.

 

[Josh66]

I've been pretty happy with Asus computers. Right now I have two - an ET2400I all-in-one ... and a little 1001PX netbook, both running Debian. The netbook is maybe 4 years old (?), and the all-in-one I think I've had for maybe 2 years...? Never had a problem with either.

I've had a few HP and Gateway desktops and laptops that didn't last very long...

Actually, I think these are the only two computers I've ever owned that I haven't had to replace parts on.


Really, there are only two things I don't like about the all-in-one - it uses laptop RAM, and it has a touchscreen. The touchscreen, I really don't like just because I never use that function (though it has proven useful once or twice).



For my next computer, it's definitely going to be a desktop. I'd like to build it myself, but I haven't done that since the 90's, lol!

 

[wyogirl]

I personally use an Alienware from Dell, but I wouldn't recommend one. It had to be repaired right out of the box... now its great but I think in general Dell has quality control issues. My husband's dell is a total piece of crap and so is my moms Dell.

I have always loved Toshiba and have had them last forever... to me they are the tank of PCs.

 

[weepete]

I recently built my own for the first time, it's mainly a budget gaming rig but it runs lightroom an PS fine.

My build was a:
AMD A10-6800k APU (Stock cooler but plans to upgrade later to a Gelid Tranquillo to o/c)
Asus F2A85-M Mobo
8 GB Corsair vengence DDR3 1600MHz 9-9-9-24 latency RAM (if I could afford it I would have gone with 2100MHz)
Corsair CX500M PSU
Samsung 24x DVD writer
Segate 1TB HDD
2x 120mm Fans

and I re used and modded my case a wee bit so the fans would fit (got 3 now) and I've got plans to upgrade it (more HDDs, more cooling etc) but that will take time. Total cost was £420 but could have shaved that a bit if I was careful. It still runs PS and lightroom fine and allows me to run my games and way cheaper than a mac. If it was just to run PS and lightroom I think I could have saved a lot on processor and say got an A6 and 16GB of low latency RAM. If you currently have a desktop then perhaps you can replace parts but you need to be carefull the connections to your MOBO are the same.

 

[weepete]

if in doubt ask here The UK's leading source for Hardware and Games reviews | bit-tech.net the guys on there are brilliant with tech stuff

 

[Tyguy35]

I have not owned a computer in a long time. I have one but came home to the screen smashed. No idea how. My gf currently uses a Mac and it is really nice fast and seems reliable. What is it that Photoshop is doing?
does aperture do the same thing?
ill be honest I have never really used a photo altering program I kinda just snapped away and fixed contrast.

 

[TCampbell]

If you're "poor", you should not get a Mac. Period!

If you have technical know-how, building your own desktop will probably be your cheapest option, while still allowing you to choose quality components.

If you provide your budget, I'm sure people can be of more help to you.

You can build a PC for less than the cost of a new Mac -- but the Mac has much lower TCO (total cost of ownership). This is a common misconception that Windows users have... you guys don't realize how much you have to pay for that we Mac users do not have to pay for.

Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro -- which still isn't nearly as good as Mavericks -- is $200. Mavericks... is free.
Microsoft Office is now on a subscription model... $100/year. Apple, on the other hand, gives you a copy of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote with a new Mac (and if you have an old Mac you can buy just the component you need for $20, you don't have to buy a "suite") -- upgrades are free (including major version upgrades.) Also identical functionality is provided on the iPad... so I can create a presentation in Keynote on the Mac and give the presentation using the iPad and _all_ features and effects will be identical.
Apple includes other useful software... iPhoto, iMovie (want to shoot videos with your camera and be able to edit them? -- it's included), and Garageband are all free as are the upgrades.
You'll need anti-malware software subscription for a PC -- not for a Mac.

All of that adds up pretty quickly and suddenly the PC isn't so inexpensive anymore. And of course Apple has much better support and odds are if you live anywhere close to a large city there is probably an Apple store near you if you actually need to take the computer in for help.

 

[Tiller]

If you're "poor", you should not get a Mac. Period!

If you have technical know-how, building your own desktop will probably be your cheapest option, while still allowing you to choose quality components.

If you provide your budget, I'm sure people can be of more help to you.

You can build a PC for less than the cost of a new Mac -- but the Mac has much lower TCO (total cost of ownership). This is a common misconception that Windows users have... you guys don't realize how much you have to pay for that we Mac users do not have to pay for.

Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro -- which still isn't nearly as good as Mavericks -- is $200. Mavericks... is free.
Microsoft Office is now on a subscription model... $100/year. Apple, on the other hand, gives you a copy of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote with a new Mac (and if you have an old Mac you can buy just the component you need for $20, you don't have to buy a "suite") -- upgrades are free (including major version upgrades.) Also identical functionality is provided on the iPad... so I can create a presentation in Keynote on the Mac and give the presentation using the iPad and _all_ features and effects will be identical.
Apple includes other useful software... iPhoto, iMovie (want to shoot videos with your camera and be able to edit them? -- it's included), and Garageband are all free as are the upgrades.
You'll need anti-malware software subscription for a PC -- not for a Mac.

All of that adds up pretty quickly and suddenly the PC isn't so inexpensive anymore. And of course Apple has much better support and odds are if you live anywhere close to a large city there is probably an Apple store near you if you actually need to take the computer in for help.

Operating sytem: Linux - FREE

Office Suite: OpenOffice - FREE

anti-malware: Not needed with Linux

:mrgreen:

 

[Josh66]

If you're "poor", you should not get a Mac. Period!

If you have technical know-how, building your own desktop will probably be your cheapest option, while still allowing you to choose quality components.

If you provide your budget, I'm sure people can be of more help to you.

You can build a PC for less than the cost of a new Mac -- but the Mac has much lower TCO (total cost of ownership). This is a common misconception that Windows users have... you guys don't realize how much you have to pay for that we Mac users do not have to pay for.

Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro -- which still isn't nearly as good as Mavericks -- is $200. Mavericks... is free.
Microsoft Office is now on a subscription model... $100/year. Apple, on the other hand, gives you a copy of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote with a new Mac (and if you have an old Mac you can buy just the component you need for $20, you don't have to buy a "suite") -- upgrades are free (including major version upgrades.) Also identical functionality is provided on the iPad... so I can create a presentation in Keynote on the Mac and give the presentation using the iPad and _all_ features and effects will be identical.
Apple includes other useful software... iPhoto, iMovie (want to shoot videos with your camera and be able to edit them? -- it's included), and Garageband are all free as are the upgrades.
You'll need anti-malware software subscription for a PC -- not for a Mac.

All of that adds up pretty quickly and suddenly the PC isn't so inexpensive anymore. And of course Apple has much better support and odds are if you live anywhere close to a large city there is probably an Apple store near you if you actually need to take the computer in for help.

Operating sytem: Linux - FREE

Office Suite: OpenOffice - FREE

anti-malware: Not needed with Linux

:mrgreen:

First thing I do when I get a new computer is download Debian.



I was using open source/free software long before I switched to Linux too, so the transition was pretty painless.

 

[480sparky]

If you're "poor", you should not get a Mac. Period!

If you have technical know-how, building your own desktop will probably be your cheapest option, while still allowing you to choose quality components.

If you provide your budget, I'm sure people can be of more help to you.

You can build a PC for less than the cost of a new Mac -- but the Mac has much lower TCO (total cost of ownership). This is a common misconception that Windows users have... you guys don't realize how much you have to pay for that we Mac users do not have to pay for.

Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro -- which still isn't nearly as good as Mavericks -- is $200. Mavericks... is free.
Microsoft Office is now on a subscription model... $100/year. Apple, on the other hand, gives you a copy of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote with a new Mac (and if you have an old Mac you can buy just the component you need for $20, you don't have to buy a "suite") -- upgrades are free (including major version upgrades.) Also identical functionality is provided on the iPad... so I can create a presentation in Keynote on the Mac and give the presentation using the iPad and _all_ features and effects will be identical.
Apple includes other useful software... iPhoto, iMovie (want to shoot videos with your camera and be able to edit them? -- it's included), and Garageband are all free as are the upgrades.
You'll need anti-malware software subscription for a PC -- not for a Mac.

All of that adds up pretty quickly and suddenly the PC isn't so inexpensive anymore. And of course Apple has much better support and odds are if you live anywhere close to a large city there is probably an Apple store near you if you actually need to take the computer in for help.

Office 2003: Free.

MovieMaker: Free.

GIMP: Free.

MalwareBytes: Free.



Hmmmm. All this free stuff sure costs a lot of money.

Oh, and Windows isn't even close to $200 when you buy it on a new machine.

 

[Josh66]

Oh, and Windows isn't even close to $200 when you buy it on a new machine.

I heard that starting with Windows 8 (I think) that they weren't going to charge the OEM for it anymore. So, it shouldn't cost anything with a new machine now.

 

[Smokeyr67]

If you're "poor", you should not get a Mac. Period!

If you have technical know-how, building your own desktop will probably be your cheapest option, while still allowing you to choose quality components.

If you provide your budget, I'm sure people can be of more help to you.

You can build a PC for less than the cost of a new Mac -- but the Mac has much lower TCO (total cost of ownership). This is a common misconception that Windows users have... you guys don't realize how much you have to pay for that we Mac users do not have to pay for.

Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro -- which still isn't nearly as good as Mavericks -- is $200. Mavericks... is free.
Microsoft Office is now on a subscription model... $100/year. Apple, on the other hand, gives you a copy of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote with a new Mac (and if you have an old Mac you can buy just the component you need for $20, you don't have to buy a "suite") -- upgrades are free (including major version upgrades.) Also identical functionality is provided on the iPad... so I can create a presentation in Keynote on the Mac and give the presentation using the iPad and _all_ features and effects will be identical.
Apple includes other useful software... iPhoto, iMovie (want to shoot videos with your camera and be able to edit them? -- it's included), and Garageband are all free as are the upgrades.
You'll need anti-malware software subscription for a PC -- not for a Mac.

All of that adds up pretty quickly and suddenly the PC isn't so inexpensive anymore. And of course Apple has much better support and odds are if you live anywhere close to a large city there is probably an Apple store near you if you actually need to take the computer in for help.

Windows 7 - 64 bit pro $120 or get it thrown in with a Mobo or CPU for free. (Some will give it to you with a HDD or even GPU if you ask nicely)
MS Office (2013 full version - corporatelicence) $15 (and extra $10 if I want it on disk). Open office is in my opinion a better product and it's free.
Kaspersky AV - Free with my Mobo.

I build my own desktops with cutting (not bleeding) edge components and can have it wrapped up for a couple of grand.

PC's can be a cheap as you like, or you can spend 10's of thousands, a bit like photography