Brian

As far as your pre-built system. It's "Fine." I still would try and get a NVIDIA RTX 3070 Video/Graphics Card. See if you can upgrade that.

Yes, those are Microsoft's Specs...as usual. There is a difference between what they require and what is reality. Their specs are what it takes for Windows 11 to install and load, not to run anything. It's more along the lines of this: Intel i9 CPU (Some i7 CPUs will be supported, but it seems to be the latest and greatest from 2020-2021, not a i7 from 5 years ago.) 16GB RAM / 32GB Preferred. Actually, I'd go for 64GB if you have a high Megapixel Camera 1 TB Main HD / 2 TB Main HD wouldn't be a bad idea. TPM Version 2.0, UEFI Firmware, Secure Boot capable. (THIS is the most important part.) Graphics Card, one that has a dedicated GPU and its own dedicated Video Memory, 8GB - 16GB. DirectX 12 or later is a standard thing with today's cards. Display: 1920x1080 at the minimum. For editing photos, needs to be a IPS Screen. As for your links, I'm not a fan of Acer; they just don't last. Of course, I'm used to dealing with their laptops here in the States, and those suckers just break. Honestly, I really want your graphics card to be a NVIDIA RTX 3070 with 8GB of Video RAM. That card Photoshop has a love-affair with. Too bad it's so expensive right now, even in US-Prices. I really like this one: Astral RTX 3070. Why that recommendation? Adobe Photoshop seems to like NVIDIA cards a bit better, well especially their drivers, but that model or the one just below it, the Malestrom RX 6700 should be fine. For a $200 difference, I'd get the Astral.

OK, I'm back. So what is ExFAT and why do the manufactures use it? Honestly? It's a half-assed way for them to save money. Around 20-30 years ago, HD Manufacturers would have a "Macintosh Formatted" and a "Windows Formatted" version. Often, the "Mac Version" was about $30 more than their Windows Counterpart. Why is this such a big deal? BECAUSE IT WAS THE SAME DAMN HD IN THE BOX. The manufactures knew that people usually paid more for a Macintosh computer, as opposed to a Windows-Clone computer, so they would charge a premium for Mac users. Unethical? Absolutely. All a consumer would have to do is buy the "Windows" version of the HD, delete the existing partition, create a Macintosh one and format it. Took a total of 5 minutes or so, even today. So why ExFAT now? It's because Apple really came on the scene with their iMac line, especially when they switched to Intel-Based Macs. Apple made it so easy to switch that HD manufactures took notice for when users needed to go back-and-forth between a Windows Computer and a Macintosh Computer. People didn't want to use special translator software, they wanted their HDs to work in both worlds, without having to format the HD. Well, since Microsoft made it "Public Domain," for lack of a better term, HD manufactures jumped on partitioning their drives with it. This way they could sell to both Mac and Windows users, and the HD Manufactures didn't suffer from the extra support calls for why a HD was working on one computer platform vs another. The problem with ExFAT is that it's not 100% bulletproof. For me personally, and by my recommendations...it's risky to use. In my humble opinion, it's almost like a "Pet Project" that Microsoft came out with and other Manufactures adopted, but it's not mainstream. Personally, I would never put my data on a ExFAT HD. But that's just me. Anyway, hopefully this solves the mystery. Now we are ready to fix things and get you straightened out. Let me know when you want to begin, and we are going to start with your new HD, probably the one labeled, "Photos 2."

Buy it Right - Buy it Once. I know, it's a lot of money. It just sucks to be in the market for a new computer right now. Plus with the whole Windows 11 thing...it's such a racket. It's a way to make money. In fact, just a few years ago, people were forced to upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 and before that it was XP. It never ends. That's why I have people spend a little bit more in the beginning, this way it lasts and they don't have to buy a new computer every 24-36 months.

The good news is, it's "IPS Level." Meaning that it's almost like a IPS Display Panel, but the bad news is that it isn't a true display panel. Basically it's better than nothing. Make sure you budget a Calibration Device and have a set of Test Prints in your hands when you calibrate. Enjoy your purchase.

See this right here? Where it says, ExFAT? That's why!!! Your hard drives are partitioned with ExFAT. We will need to Nuke the new HD, re-partition it and format it with Journaled HFS+. Then we will manually need to copy all of the contents from the Photos 1 Drive to the freshly created Journaled HFS+ Partition on Photos 2. Then we will need to Nuke the Photos 1 Drive, then copy all of the stuff back. After which, you will be able to use the program. I will explain later. Gotta go start dinner.

Specs-wise, it seems OK. Now here comes the BUT! But what is the Display Panel Type? This is the part that is THE most difficult to find on a Laptop "That's Good for Photo Editing." It needs-needs-needs to be an IPS-based Display Panel. Can you provide a link to this laptop?

I'm going to move this to the Windows Hardware Forum.

Could you post a screenshot of what you changed in this thread? It might help someone else out.

Give this article a read: Buying a Computer in 2021 Scroll down to the section that starts with, "I need it to run my business..." That should get you a starting point. In fact, I just went to Dell's XPS Special Edition Website, picked the model in the right column and tweaked a few things. Prices have gone down slightly, which is good news. Here is a computer "That will last, and is good for Photo Editing." Now all we have to do is add a IPS Monitor, and I'd budget around $350 for that. Here is a Dell 27" Ultrasharp IPS 2021 Model that is "Good for Photo Editing." Sure, you can find cheaper monitors, and I would have at least $250-ish set aside for the display, for models that are a few years old, but still viable. Now, don't forget about calibration!! You need a Calibrator, and I'd have $175 set for that. So let's call it, $2650 for the Computer, $350 for the Monitor and $175 for the Calibrator. That's $3175 before taxes and shipping. Right around the $3000 mark. A few years ago, this same setup would be around $1800 or so. Keep Saving.

No. I wouldn't recommend going down that path. You are going to have to save up money. Even if you used a current computer and got a copy of Photoshop Elements, even an older version, would be better than getting a Tablet to edit on. Well, if all you want to do is take photos, slap a filter on them and load them to IG and the like...it doesn't matter what you use. Because you aren't "Editing;" not in the real sense, it's just minor adjustments that just scratch the surface of what people call "Editing." Plus, Photography calls many...but selects few. I'm almost certain you and your sister will soon have a Photography Business between the two of you. Trust me, the "Oh no!! We are just in it for a hobby!!" Uh-huh, it's inevitable. Both of you might as well start things with good habits and a solid foundation. Photography has never been cheap, not since its creation in the middle 1800's. Trust me, I've spent LOTS-AND-LOTS of money on this shit over the years. The other problem is, we now have Windows 11 that is on the horizon. Unless you want to buy a computer now, and then another one in 2025, you will need to invest in hardware that is going to last the next 7 years or so, and unfortunately with today's prices...that's around the $3000 mark. The real reason is the video / graphics card. Those suckers are going for $1500 all by themselves. Why is this important? Because as Adobe updates Photoshop, they are using the Graphics Card more and more for a performance boost. If your Graphics/Video Card doesn't have enough "horsepower," the latest versions of Photoshop slow to a crawl performance-wise.

Absolutely. Post some screen shots here in this thread. Here's another Monkey-Wrench...WINDOWS 11. It's coming and I think is just released, so we have to make sure PCs today are Windows 11 compatible. Otherwise you will be buying another computer in 2025, that's when Windows 10 will be put out to pasture and no longer supported by Microsoft / Updated.

First, I'd rename the "My Passport for Mac" and call it "Time Machine." This helps eliminate confusion. Second, click on "Photos 1" and "Photos 2" in Disk Utility. I want to see what partition type those two drives are. Your main one is APFS, which is what you want for SSD Drives, not traditional spinning hard drives. Post those screen shots please.

@Damien Symonds - Can you help Gretchen out with this one? I've never used a Wacom Tablet.

Ditch the crop bodies. Unless you like to shoot wildlife and need that extra reach, you'd be better served by a 5D Mark IV and have your Mark II as a backup. As for your K2 Film camera...hold off for now. You might want to invest in a Mirrorless System to replace that one. Since Canon & Nikon are now getting up to speed, it's interesting on what they come out with. Personally, I'm holding off buying Mirrorless system for the moment, but it's tempting. For right now, and with the lenses you have...getting a Canon 5D Mark IV is the next logical step.

Have you read this? Buying a Computer in 2021 As far as budget? You want the bad news? Especially for something "...that will last." Your budget needs to be around $3000 in 2021. That's just for the computer. Monitor, add another $350 or so unless you have one you can re-use. Why? Because Adobe's products, especially Photoshop is using the Video Card for a performance boost. Video Cards are a hot commodity and their prices are insane. A Video Card in 2018/2019 would go for around $600...and that was for a high-performance card. Now that same card is going for $1800. Now the next question / statement will be... "But I don't need something that fast, I just want to edit photos! Is there something cheaper?" It's 2021. COVID has created all sorts of Chip Shortages. So manufacturers can't get the individual building blocks that build components which make up computers. Now everyone is "Working from Home" and the demand is so high for computers (ESPECIALLY LAPTOPS) that the prices have gone up. That $500 computer from a Big-Box Store is probably going for around $1200 right now, and no...it doesn't have the Horsepower to run Photoshop well. So start saving. Also, remember the Christmas Holiday Season will be here before you know it. I have no idea what that will do to the demand.

Let's take SuperDuper out of the equation. First, I want you to hook up your main photos drive to your Mac directly (not a USB hub) and the new drive. Can you see both of them on the Mac Desktop? Also what does your Disk Management Utility look like. Application Folder >> Utilities >> Disk Utility. Here is a snapshot of mine currently: What does yours look like? I need to see the left column clearly.

You only have probably 100Mbps down I'm guessing? Or somewhere around there? That's probably why the Comcast Rep didn't recommend replacing it. At $15-$16 a month, plus tax, it adds up over time. That $140 Cable Modem that I recommended will go up to 1 Gig Internet, so if you ever wanted to bump up your speed to say, 300Mbps, it will handle it with room to spare. Just think, in about 9-10 months, that Cable Modem will have paid for itself.

Buy this: Motorola - 32 x 8 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem Buy this: Ubiquiti - AmpliFi Dual-Band Mesh Wi-Fi System - White Both items are from Best Buy and are in stock, so you could have them shipped to you. What I would do, is get the new modem working FIRST, with your existing router. THEN setup the new Ubiquiti Mesh Router System. Take one thing at a time.

You mean not pay Comcast the $15+ Ransom (*Ahem* I meant Rental Fee) each month? Of course I recommend owning your own modem! All you have to do is buy one, call Comcast to get it "Permissioned" (Which is a fancy way of saying "Activated.") and then returning the Comcast Modem. There are a few different models, one for just Comcast Internet, and they other kind that is meant for the "Triple Play" (Phone-Internet-Cable TV). So what type of Comcast do you subscribe to now? If you really want the best and fastest connection, nothing beats a hard-wired Ethernet Connection and ditching WiFi. But the majority of people aren't fancy like me and run Ethernet Cable throughout their house. In terms of connection, if you can stretch your budget to 300Mbps Down, that will help things a lot with streaming multiple screens at once. Also, I'm surprised Comcast hasn't bugged you to update your modem. As technology improves, the requirements of the Modems increase as well. If you do go this route, JUST BE SURE TO RETURN THE MODEM TO A XFINITY STORE AND GET A RECEIPT STATING THAT YOU RETURNED IT!!! You'd be surprised on how much a PITA Comcast / XFinity can be, especially if they think you still have the equipment. Lots of horror stories. In fact, I'd take a video or at least a picture of you returning your modem at the Xfinity Store. The Ubiquiti Router Mesh System is VERY easy to setup. In fact, you do it using your Smart Phone and Ubiquiti App. I have a friend who always gets stressed out with setting up technology and he bought one. He said it was a piece of cake. He then bought one for his parents and set it up.

That's a major problem right there. Closed Doors, heating ducts in walls, stainless steel appliances all cut WiFi Signal. Especially the 5GHz Band. The 2.4GHz goes further than 5GHz, but is not as fast. That's why your computer is 64.9 Mbps Down, which isn't very fast at all in 2021. In fact, I had my WiFi Access Point next to my TV in my Living Room, which was the most centralized portion of my house. I got connectivity all over the house, but once my Wife started working from home permanently, she complained that the WiFi was a bit "Sluggish" when working up in her office on our 2nd level as compared to working in the Dining Room on the main floor. Well, it turns out my fancy Stainless Steel Fridge was really blocking the signal and the main trunk for the heating system (metal heating/cooling duct) also was getting in the way. So I moved the Access Point a total of 5 feet and placed it into the Dining Room on our Buffet cabinet, and her download speed jumped from 60 down to around 160-170 down. Big difference. So for your case, getting that Wifi Router out of your bedroom and in a more centralized location will be a huge benefit to you. As far as your Garage, Concrete Blocks are not great for WiFi signal either but I do have a recommendation for your situation: Ubiquiti - AmpliFi Dual-Band Mesh Wi-Fi System - White. What a Mesh WiFi System does, is you have the main WiFi Router, but then two satellite nodes that help boost the signal across your house. You don't have to worry about connecting from one to the other, the main controller cube will automatically move your device to the closest / strongest access point. So your whole house is "Covered in WiFi." So areas like your Garage and back Bedrooms will get a better signal. Your Ring Doorbell will finally have a stable connection. You don't even have to use all of the Satellite Access Points, you might just need one. Oh, it's one SSID Name and your devices can move around at will without dropping connection. That's the benefit to a "Mesh System." The reason I asked about download speed, is most routers these days have no issues connecting to a Cable Modem that is 300Mbps or less, it's when you get to the 600 Mbps or Gigabit (Which in reality is 940 Mbps Down and 40 Mbps Up...but it's cooler and more Marketable to say "Gig Speed." But I digress...) do you need a Router that supports 1GB or 2GB Internet. If you have no plans on going up that high, you are fine. If you do, we will need to figure out a different system. Honestly? I have Gig Internet. Yes, it is faster, but truth be told, I got it for my Wife and the Upload Speeds than anything, since she hooks up to her office via a VPN. I would still be perfectly happy having 300 Mbps down and 12 Mbps Up. Of course, I don't have multiple Teenagers streaming 4K video to their devices along with stuff I want to do. I'm going on assumption you are also in the same boat, you don't want to spend the $$$ on a faster Internet Connection and your usage doesn't warrant spending that much money. But I will say, 300Mbps down is a nice thing to have, conversationally speaking.

Well, that depends on a few things. First, how fast is your internet connection? How big is the area you are looking for Wifi? Do you have problems with connectivity in parts of your home? Where is the current Wifi Access Point located?

Either the Dell or Acer is fine. I wouldn't go with a Curved Display for photo editing. Traditionally, we've had decent luck calibrating Dell displays. Any particular reason that you are going with a older Dell Display? Oh, make sure you use a HDMI or DisplayPort Cable. (even a DVI if you have to.) Just don't use the standard 15-pin D-Sub VGA Port that has been around since 1989. That port type was meant for Tube Displays, not today's fancy flat-screens. This isn't a big deal on current displays, as they don't typically put those ports on them, but for these older ones, you might have it as an option. If it was my money, I'd get the Dell. Heck, I'd spend $50 more and get the current model: Dell Ultrasharp 24 inch Infinity Edge Monitor - U2417H. In reality, there isn't much size difference between a 23" or 24" display. Remember, measurements are taken with the Display's Diagonal not the "Width" you might be thinking.

More info and my thoughts on a Mac Mini:

Don't. If you are editing photos that is. The current Mac Minis only look good on Apple Displays, and there aren't any affordable Apple Displays on the market currently. Unless you want to spend around $6000 for just the display. No, I'm not kidding. The current Mac Minis need 4K Displays, but things like graphics might be ok, but stuff like Text won't be as clear and nowhere near what you are used to seeing. Mac Minis sound great...you have a display and peripherals, heck...you can get a new Mac for less money!! Whoo-Hoo!!! Except that expectations and reality are two different things. if you still are determined on buying a new Mac Mini, especially one of the new M1 models, make sure you upgrade EVERYTHING AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. The CPU, RAM and HD are all built in on one chip, so it's a new type of architecture than whats been around practically forever. Lord help you if you have any type of data crash; so factor in a monthly fee for a iCloud account. Macs are different from Windows, formatting the HD doesn't make them "faster" like their Windows Counterparts. Of course having a clean iMac will make it actmore efficient, but you'd be better served by maxing out the RAM to 32GB (if you haven't already) than you would by formatting it. Oh, not having 1000+ files and folders on a Mac Desktop will also make them run faster. So you might want to do some housekeeping in the short term. What would I do? Start saving for a new 27" iMac. I'd still get the Intel version in 2021. What options would I choose for a "Computer that's good for photo-editing?" I'm so glad you asked!! Quick & Dirty iMac Configurations Personally, I'd get the Photoshop & Light Video Configuration. This model / configuration has the best chance of lasting you 7-8 years or so. Which is the same time period of where your existing Mac is now. Funny how that works...