Brian

That HD is what Apple calls a "Fusion" Drive. It's fine. It helps speeds things up. Yes, that video card with 4GB of memory is separate & dedicated VRAM.

From your laptop? If so, you might have to toggle the port on with the Fn Key and one of the F-Keys up at the top.

If you can afford it, go with the Einstein 640. The reason is tge E640 is more consistent and the lowest power setting on the E640 matches the lowest power setting on the AB400. When outdoors and you need to crank things up, the highest power setting on the E640 (Full Power) matches a AB1600 at full power. So the E640 is like having a AB1600, AB800 and AB400 all in one light. Bees are good to start with or if money is tight. They can be quirky though. If you change power settings the color temp (white balance) changes on you and the output isn't very consistent. When you change things it kinda freaks the Bee out and you should fire it 3-4 times in order for things to settle down. Oh, hotspots are the norm with Bees. That being said, it's a few hundred for a Alien Bee, not $2200 for a Profoto B1 Air. So what would you expect?

Take it to the place that might do component level repair. This is a common problem and I immediately thought of your video card being the culprit. It's probably a faulty resistor and is way less than $500 to have replaced, if that place does that type of component level repair.

What year / model is your iMac? This problem sounds really familiar...

I'm sorry, there is nothing you can do at this point. It sounds like the video card is faulty or possibly it is a motherboard issue. In some rare cases, it could be a power supply. For what it's worth, it doesn't sound like a HD problem to me at this point. Which is good. That means your data should be intact.

Here is the cable: DP to HDMI, Rankie® Gold Plated DisplayPort to HDMI Cable 6ft Black https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00Z05JMKO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_3misxbJ49TZ7G One end goes into the HDMI port, the other goes into the DisplayPort on the Dell monitor. They only insert one way, which makes things Easy-Peasy.

Take a photo of the back of your computer with your cell phone and post it here. I wanna see what ports you have.

Just make sure you do not use the standard 15-pin VGA (Blue) connector for the best results. Hopefully your computer has a DVI port (White) or a HDMI port. The monitor comes with a DVI cable and you can get a HDMI to DisplayPort cable from Amazon.

Yep. That one will work.

I receive no commission or kick-backs of any kind. So when I really recommend something, I would personally purchase it myself. i hate-hate-hate wasting money on this sh*t.

Here are some of Damien's thoughts: http://www.damiensymonds.net/art_monitor.html

Gaming computers are great for photo editing. Gaming monitors/displays? Notsomuch. You want color consistentcy and a IPS based display panel will give you the best chance of that happening. Also, you want a Matte screen or one that has a Matte coating at the very least. Glossy screens aren't the best for photo editing.

Re-sellers like B&H do ship to Australia, so you might want to do some investigating. I'm not sure what the final cost would be, but it might give you a few more choices. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/HelpCenter/int-shippingRulesPolicies.jsp Check out this thread, the "Henry Posner" is the "H" in B & H. Things from B&H take about 8 days or so for shipment and to get through customs. http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/2224514

Yep. That's Australia for you. The bulk of the members in Ask Damien, from either this website or FB, are based in the US. Now that doesn't mean we have forgotten everyone else, it's just the way things are. Honestly, I've created a few threads over the years about stuff to buy in Australia and who/where to purchase it. Everything from printing companies to computer hardware companies, it just seems harder to find on your side of the world. Maybe it's because of that huge area of desert that really splits the country. Who knows....

Australia? Umm...yeah, let's double the price on everything. I love the U2412m display. I've seen one in person. It's what I'd buy if I was buying one. A photographer friend of mine who I work with, I got her to purchase one and that thing is the closet thing to a matte screen without being a matte screen. The damn thing is beautiful. It has a matte coating that works REALLY well. The only downside is that Dell has discontinued that model. So if you see a good deal on one, BUY IT!! It has a DVI-D port and a DisplayPort for you to use. So you could either use a DVI cable or get a HDMI to (full size...not mini size) DisplayPort cable.

Check this out: Dual Display setup: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017MXNWLG/ref=twister_B016V3S1SM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 How's that for real-estate?

$500 for a display is a healthy budget. You have many models to choose from, especially in the 24" range. Take a look at this: http://www.damiensymonds.net/art_monitor.html

You buy a 27" screen that is either 4K (or 5K with iMacs) and the same thing will happen. Things get reduced. 100% sRGB is over-rated. In fact, all those monitors promising 99% or 100% is nice, but is a little misleading. For example, say you are a photographer and sell digital files only. You have a screen that's calibrated and is 100% sRGB. Fantastic!! Good for you!! However, your client's are viewing them on a crappy screen that is nowhere near accurate. Those beautiful creamy pink skin photos turn in to pumpkin toned on the customer's display. Same thing with prints. While it's very important to be calibrated and have your prints match your screen (98% - 100% matching,) each printing company yields different results, because their printers are different or possibly need maintenance/repair. So that 100% sRGB, it's good to shoot for, but it is relative. That's why when you find a printing company that gives you the closest match, you tend to stick with them.

Actually, THANK YOU for asking a question that wasn't the typical "What computer should I buy?" post. Something different for a change.

The higher the resolution and more ppi you go, the more things will look smaller, especially if things are utilizing the same physical area. So you are correct, your icons and menus and overall appearance...things will be smaller than what you currently see. If you really want to keep things the same, then look for a screen that is 1920x1080 or 1200, or get a 27" screen that is not 4K. In fact, 2560x1440 is a "typical" native resolution for 27" displays. So that BenQ is cramming 27" of display area into 24", so yes, things are gonna be smaller. For today's current displays, it's a good idea to use HDMI, DVI-D or DisplayPort for best results. AVOID using the classing (blue) 15-Pin VGA port / aka D-Sub port. That BenQ BL 2420 PT is "Discontinued," Amazon doesn't have it, so what is your price-range? Maybe we can find an alternative.

I guess. You don't have a choice...LOL!! I don't use Bridge. Hopefully it will work, but I'm not thinking it will. I'm thinking you will have to un-install and re-install Bridge. If that doesn't work, give Adobe a call.

From another thread: I'm really not digging Best Buy's selection. I found a PC that caught my eye. Why? Because it has Windows 7 installed. So ignore the reviews with people boo-hooing that it didn't come with Win 10 pre-installed. Having Windows 7 Pro edition is a good thing! What happened is that Dell sold you a license for Windows 10, but installed a previous verison of the OS. I do this ALL THE TIME when it comes to my servers that I build for clients. The reason is sometimes the customer's software may not be compatible with a version of the OS. So the older version is installed, is completely legit, and when it comes time to install the newer OS, you can get it free. I'd get this computer: Dell XPS 8900 ...and this monitor: Dell U2713HM That combo is a good starting point. $1969.98. Plus Tax. I'm not impressed with the other models. In either the "Performance Desktops" or "Gaming Desktops." It's a bit of a "Yawn" for me. You do not want a "All-in-One" Windows computer and you wanted to stick with a Windows system, so a 27" iMac is out of the equation. That Dell combo is what I would personally purchase. In fact, I bought a lower-end computer for my GF for this past Christmas.

From the "What Specs to Look For" thread: What you are looking for is: i5 or i7 CPU 8GB RAM at a Minimum / 16GB RAM or more Preferred 1TB HD at a Minimum / 2TB or larger Preferred Dedicated Video Card with its own Video Memory. 2GB or 4GB of Video Memory is fine. Windows 7 64-bit Pro Edition OR Windows 10

Mac computers aren't better, they are just different. If you do switch to a iMac, please SKIP THE 21.5" MODELS!!!! For a basic model that will get the job done, the stock $1799 27" iMac is a good place to start and is within your budget. As for what to look for, have you checked out the other posts asking this same exact question? LOL!! Poke around in the Ask Brian section, I'm tired of repeating myself. If you have any further questions feel free to ask them in this thread.