New computer required

Mark twiglet

Mark twiglet

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Mark
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Need a new desktop pc tower only.....

Just bought a D810 nikon so using big files

What sort of ram 8-16 or more required?

What's the least I should be looking for in terms of processing ......?

All it will be used for is editing photos.....

Have 3tb back up already and a 27 inch monitor and keyboard and stuff......

Please advise....

Budget about £600..... Or a bit more if required
 
Check which graphics card it comes with. Get one built say by scan computers
 
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16-32GB RAM, quad or hex core i7, OS on an NVME SSD. I probably would look for less than a 7th gen i7 quad processor.
 
£600 is not going to be enough for the latest generation Intel i5 / i7 based cpu's with 16+ GB ram, a decent size SSD and a seperate graphics cards.
You could look at the latest generation AMD cpu's, I'm out of touch these days but a friend of mine recently built a new desktop and he's been a hard core Intel fan for years but he switched to AMD for the new box.
 
Will that do me for a few years? I don't want to have to upgrade again in 6 months time.....
RichardC27 said:
16GB RAM, a 256 or 512 GB SSD and something like a Core i5 should be more than enough for photo editing.
Click to expand...
 
Mark twiglet said:
Will that do me for a few years? I don't want to have to upgrade again in 6 months time.....
Click to expand...

Yes that spec would keep you happy for a few years.
I built a similar spec desktop early last year and still flies along at a decent speed, plus the SSD is a god send.
 
I wonder how we coped before SSDs came along. I still run an old Linux base unit from HDDs, and it's painful by comparison.
 
ancient_mariner said:
I wonder how we coped before SSDs came along. I still run an old Linux base unit from HDDs, and it's painful by comparison.
Click to expand...

For me it was buying 7200 rather than 5200rpm hard drives.
When it comes to SSD's I favour the Samsung EVO range and I've just noticed that the 1TB version is only a few quid more than I paid for a 500GB version a year ago.
Hmm, perhaps it's time for me to upgrade the laptop.
 
You will always pay a premium for 'bleeding edge' technology, unless you really need it I would go for previous generation as todays 'latest tech' will be old-tech in a few months time.

The last couple of desktops I have purchased have been from the DELL Outlet store, with additional memory & SDD added afterwards.
 
What spec is your existing PC?
Can it be upgraded with RAM & SSD to provide all that you need?
My laptop is years old, i5 with 16GB RAM and it copes with D850 files with no problems ... I use Capture NX-D with Photoshop CS6.
 
I've got an old Toshiba laptop....... And a Lenovo laptop with 4gb ram and 1tb ssd
gramps said:
What spec is your existing PC?
Can it be upgraded with RAM & SSD to provide all that you need?
My laptop is years old, i5 with 16GB RAM and it copes with D850 files with no problems ... I use Capture NX-D with Photoshop CS6.
Click to expand...
 
You dont need a high range graphics card for photo editing.
 
Cockney said:
Thats dependent on the motherboard and the operating system.
Click to expand...
Exactly ... it is possible that he can upgrade the RAM and with a 1TB SSD it may not be necessary to buy another PC :)
 
A Lenovo that shipped with 4GB RAM is not going to have a processor that will be happy handling D810 image files.
 
ancient_mariner said:
Sorry - missed your budget at the bottom. :(

I'd still try for an i5 quad, 16GB RAM and NVME 256GB for the OS.
Click to expand...

But be aware that many PCs may not boot into an NVME and they also require a heat sink to run at their fastest speeds if you do a lot of swapping to them.
 
Mark twiglet said:
Need a new desktop pc tower only.....

Just bought a D810 nikon so using big files

What sort of ram 8-16 or more required?

What's the least I should be looking for in terms of processing ......?

All it will be used for is editing photos.....

Have 3tb back up already and a 27 inch monitor and keyboard and stuff......

Please advise....

Budget about £600..... Or a bit more if required
Click to expand...

Any computers are capable of doing the majority of any work, so whatever you have will be fine. If it is for Lightroom and Photoshop, a little extra memory would be helpful, but is not a rule, both LR and PS can manage with something like 4GB of RAM, thus having an extra RAM is an option for you. Going for high specifications, like maximum RAM or maximum processor is usually for hardcore extreme gaming like Call of Duty and similar. You do not need a very high performance computer because you got a Nikon D810, any computers can work with any cameras, even at any file sizes.

You have to stop thinking like What kind of premium performance tyres can I afford for my Ford Focus / Mini / VW Beetle for going to the supermarket because you can make do with either a mid-range brand tyres or even economy brand tyres.

Mark twiglet said:
Sounds expensive
Click to expand...

Unless you really need a new computer ASAP, surely you could always opt to wait a few more months, allowing you more time to increase your budget by saving up some more?

Mark twiglet said:
Will that do me for a few years? I don't want to have to upgrade again in 6 months time.....
Click to expand...

Sorry but there is a proverb in the world of computer hardware: The machine is out of date as soon as you take it out of the box.

Computer hardware kind of doubles in performance every 18 months. But relax, whatever computer performance you have now, will be fine for the next 5 to 15 years, because whatever performance you have is still suitable for Lightroom and Photoshop, and is capable of working with any Nikon cameras you upgrade to. Just worry about updating software.

I once had a 15 years old computer still running Windows 98, and it was still doing fine, when other people would have a 1 year old computer with Window 8.1. You are likely to upgrade your computer after about 5 years, and you can decide to try to hold out for as long as you can, like maybe wait until your computer is 10 years old, if needed.

On a plus side: PC are suitable for having a piece of hardware being upgraded without the whole computer being upgraded. For example: In some years time, you can always just upgrade the memory instead of upgrade the whole computer.


Mark twiglet said:
Photoshop and light room
Click to expand...

Any computers are fine for Photoshop and Lightroom as long as there is a minimum of 4GB of RAM, but going for 8GB or 16GB is good enough, you can aim for either 8GB or 16GB if you want to. Aiming high like 32GB is not a must do, it is purely an option, if you can afford it. Better opt for 8GB anyway unless you can afford to go for 16GB or higher.

Hope it helps you feel relaxed and stop worrying now that you understand that any computers today are capable of doing the job you need (in your case, for using LR and PS, just give it a little extra RAM).

Only the die hard gamers who plays those 3D First Person Shooter games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, Red Dead Redemption and many other games like that, are the ones who tend to aim for highest performance they can afford or get their hands on. For a Nikon D810, you will be fine having any computers you want, but like I said, for LR and PS, just an extra RAM.
 
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Hi

Thanks for info..... If I get some more info on laptop could you point me to if it can have ram uprated?

I just tried opening 72mb raw files on laptop and it took 30 seconds to even open it on the SD card.... An Extreme pro 64gb that was opening one image
Major Eazy said:
Any computers are capable of doing the majority of any work, so whatever you have will be fine. If it is for Lightroom and Photoshop, a little extra memory would be helpful, but is not a rule, both LR and PS can manage with something like 4GB of RAM, thus having an extra RAM is an option for you. Going for high specifications, like maximum RAM or maximum processor is usually for hardcore extreme gaming like Call of Duty and similar. You do not need a very high performance computer because you got a Nikon D810, any computers can work with any cameras, even at any file sizes.

You have to stop thinking like What kind of premium performance tyres can I afford for my Ford Focus / Mini / VW Beetle for going to the supermarket because you can make do with either a mid-range brand tyres or even economy brand tyres.



Unless you really need a new computer ASAP, surely you could always opt to wait a few more months, allowing you more time to increase your budget by saving up some more?



Sorry but there is a proverb in the world of computer hardware: The machine is out of date as soon as you take it out of the box.

Computer hardware kind of doubles in performance every 18 months. But relax, whatever computer performance you have now, will be fine for the next 5 to 15 years, because whatever performance you have is still suitable for Lightroom and Photoshop, and is capable of working with any Nikon cameras you upgrade to. Just worry about updating software.

I once had a 15 years old computer still running Windows 98, and it was still doing fine, when other people would have a 1 year old computer with Window 8.1. You are likely to upgrade your computer after about 5 years, and you can decide to try to hold out for as long as you can, like maybe wait until your computer is 10 years old, if needed.

On a plus side: PC are suitable for having a piece of hardware being upgraded without the whole computer being upgraded. For example: In some years time, you can always just upgrade the memory instead of upgrade the whole computer.




Any computers are find for Photoshop and Lightroom as long as there is a minimum of 4GB of RAM, but going for 8GB or 16GB is good enough, you can aim for either 8GB or 16GB if you want to. Aiming high like 32GB is not a must do, it is purely an option, if you can afford it. Better opt for 8GB anyway unless you can afford to go for 16GB or higher.

Hope it helps you feel relaxed and stop worrying now that you understand that any computers today are capable of doing the job you need (in your case, for using LR and PS, just give it a little extra RAM).

Only the die hard gamers who plays those 3D First Person Shooter games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, Red Dead Redemption and many other games like that, are the ones who tend to aim for highest performance they can afford or get their hands on. For a Nikon D810, you will be fine having any computers you want, but like I said, for LR and PS, just an extra RAM.
Click to expand...
 
If you can wait it out DDR5 RAM is expected in 2019 at some point.

As with all things PC they go out of date very fast
but it is still a bad idea to get a PC near to when a new RAM grade is to be released.

It might be a long wait though but that is what I would do , there is nothing more annoying
than being a RAM generation behind for years
 
Caerus said:
If you can wait it out DDR5 RAM is expected in 2019 at some point.

As with all things PC they go out of date very fast
but it is still a bad idea to get a PC near to when a new RAM grade is to be released.

It might be a long wait though but that is what I would do , there is nothing more annoying
than being a RAM generation behind for years
Click to expand...
Being an "early adopter " is VERY expensive.
 
https://uk.crucial.com/gbr/en/compatible-upgrade-for/Lenovo/lenovo-g50-30

Shows this laptop has a single memory slot (SODIMM) and supports a maximum of 8gb so you would need to swap out the existing SODIMM and replace it with an 8GB SODIMM (cost £52-£56 from Crucial) .

The laptop uses standard DDR3L SODIMM memory, either 1600 or 1866 speed which may be obtainable from other suppliers for less elsewhere. I tend to use Crucial because they have proven to be very reliable.
 
You mentioned the time taken to open the image from an SD card, is the card reader USB attached or integral to the laptop? How long does it take to open if you copy it from the card to the laptop storage first?
 
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Mark twiglet said:
Hi

Thanks for info..... If I get some more info on laptop could you point me to if it can have ram uprated?

I just tried opening 72mb raw files on laptop and it took 30 seconds to even open it on the SD card.... An Extreme pro 64gb that was opening one image
Click to expand...

Laptop would be same thing, most can manage Lightroom and Photoshop, just as long as you have as much RAM as you could get, and if possible, a faster HDD (unless it got SSD).
 
Be aware that a desktop CPU will generally be significantly faster than a laptop CPU of the same designation. If on a budget, definitely skip the i7, an i5 is fine. Nor do you need the latest and greatest. Somewhere around Ivy Lake plus DDR3 RAM would be just fine. 8GB RAM is probably enough unless you like to stitch panos, in which case 16 or possibly 24. Graphics card doesn't matter much, in fact I'd try using the DVI or HDMI from the motherboard and see how you get on, if that's an option. You can always add one later. An SSD is well worthwhile for the OS and programs (100-250 GB), but for storing pics, you won't see as much difference, although the price differential vs HDDs is falling.
 
Just transferring now.... 170 files transferring from integral Slot is about 8 minutes
broc said:
You mentioned the time taken to open the image from an SD card, is the card reader USB attached or integral to the laptop? How long does it take to open if you copy it from the card to the laptop storage first?
Click to expand...
 
A useful source for cheap computers is to buy refurbished, from places like https://www.dellrefurbished.co.uk

They have a promotion on at the moment, code DELL40 will get you 40% discount off their desktops, meaning you can pick up an ex-rental i5 desktop system unit for under £200.
 
Mark twiglet said:
Just transferring now.... 170 files transferring from integral Slot is about 8 minutes
Click to expand...
What operating system are you using and when was it last cleaned up or reloaded from scratch? Older versions of windows can be checking for updates in the background, often using 50% of the processor, so if your only using it for photo editing turn off windows update. In fact if you go into msconfig there are probably loads of startup programmes and services you can stop. If your not on the net ditch any antivirus software as well.
 
Mark twiglet said:
Hi

Thanks for info..... If I get some more info on laptop could you point me to if it can have ram uprated?

I just tried opening 72mb raw files on laptop and it took 30 seconds to even open it on the SD card.... An Extreme pro 64gb that was opening one image
Click to expand...
Are you opening files on a memory card or importing the file and opening? Opening a large file on a memory card will always be slower as it will have to download the image first into temporary memory, which will be slower than opening a file on an internal HD which will be many times faster to open into temporary memory.

I would always import what I need before checking the (RAW) files, if not only to create the first backup before making any changes to the files.
 
I've just tried downloading photoshop cc onto laptop and it won't as the operating system isn't new enough......

How do I update it?
Cockney said:
What operating system are you using and when was it last cleaned up or reloaded from scratch? Older versions of windows can be checking for updates in the background, often using 50% of the processor, so if your only using it for photo editing turn off windows update. In fact if you go into msconfig there are probably loads of startup programmes and services you can stop. If your not on the net ditch any antivirus software as well.
Click to expand...
 
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