Brian

Yeah, 7-8 years is all you get these days when it comes to computers. You've had a good run. Are you planning on staying with some sort of laptop or desktop? You could invest in a Wacom Tablet so you can continue using a Pen. Also, what budget do you have in mind?

Be sure to run Windows Update to get the latest patches and fixes. What Anti-Virus software did they pre-load? I'll bet you it's McAfee. Worthless program. Believe it or not, the standard (and free) Windows Defender works really well. Yes. Well, Safari is color-managed as well. But I personally use Firefox. Yes. I'd download both Chrome and Firefox. Use Firefox only for judging images. Chrome works fine for general browsing. For anything that has to do with Pictures or accurate colors, be sure to use Firefox. One thing to mention about Chrome...is it's basically "spy software." People like it because it's fast and free. They always seem to forget that Google Chrome harvests a ton of data about you and your browsing habits. Give this article a read, it's concerning on what Chrome records about you and where you go online. Personally, I use the current version of Firefox. Colors are accurate and it respects one's privacy and it's not THAT much slower than Chrome. Also be sure to download the Adobe Reader DC, the Free Version. I can't directly link to it since it's their website is detecting my Mac, but if you Google, "Get Adobe Reader DC" it should take you to a page to download it. Just be sure to un-check the optional offers / stupid virus protection thing. Just get the Adobe Reader DC, open it and it will prompt you to change your Windows setting to set it as the default .PDF viewer program. You want to do this and not use Edge. The only time I use Edge is to download other browsers. That's a tough one. For the most part, yes. You don't have to go all Nuclear though, just right click on the tiles and select "Unpin from Start." In the future I'm going to write a document in where I go step-by-step on what to do with a new computer. Unfortunately, I need to get a Windows 10 computer first for home. I fix Windows Servers and Computers all day, and the last thing I want to dork around with when I get home is my personal computer. That's why I have a Mac. That said, for educational purposes, and to write tutorials, I will need a Windows 10 Computer. As to when I'm going to write that tutorial, it's on the list. No idea of time-frame.

I'd have to see a screen-shot on what you are talking about. This is a new one for me. When you purchase a store-bought computer, you aren't really buying "Microsoft Windows" per se, but the Dell Version of Windows, the HP Version of Windows, etc. etc. So your manufacture's copy of Windows 7...though legit, may not be truly up-gradable, depending on your license key and exact version that is installed on your laptop/computer. Unfortunately, you won't find this out until you attempt to upgrade.

Head to Crucial.com and run their scanning tool. After it completes, it should take you to a page for you to purchase a 32GB Kit. I've bought RAM from them since the 1990's and their prices are reasonable. I trust them.

If you want speed and don’t want to use a cloud service, a Synology NAS unit might be on your short list. Or setup a Windows Workgroup and share a folder on a computer and Map a Network Drive to it.

These questions, or variations of them, are probably the #1 most asked hardware question here in Ask Damien, both on Facebook and the Website. Coming in at a close second is probably, "What is a good laptop for Photo Editing?" and finally, at third place is the Macintosh-based questions: "Are Macs better for Photo Editing?" "Should I buy a Mac? I'm told they are better...etc, etc." Often, I will state my minimum requirements, with an emphasis on my preferred suggestions, which are: Minimum Requirements: CPU - Intel i7 (or AMD Equivalent) RAM - 16GB RAM Main HD - 500GB, either a traditional platter-based 7200RPM hard drive or a SSD / m.2 model. Second HD - A second "Data Hard Drive," either an internal or external, that has a capacity of 4TB or more, i.e. 6-8TB. Video - A video card that has is own separate and dedicated Video RAM that contains 2-4GB Video RAM (emphasis on 4GB) Power Supply - A power supply that has enough wattage to support the video card and various components Operating System - Windows 10 Home Monitor / Display - An IPS-Based Display Panel that uses a HDMI or DisplayPort interface. AVOID using the traditional Blue VGA 15-pin port. Preferred Recommendations: CPU - Intel i9 (or AMD Equivalent) Motherboard that has a TPM 2.0 Module, which Windows 11 requires. RAM - 64GB Main HD - 1TB SSD / m.2 Drive Second HD - A second "Data Hard Drive," either an internal or external, that has a capacity of 10TB or more, i.e. 12-16TB. Video - A Video Card that has it's own separate and dedicated Video Memory that contains 8GB or more of Video RAM. Power Supply - A model that has good airflow, is quiet and can support current and future components, usually starts at 650 Watts Capacity. Operating System - Windows 10 Pro Monitor / Display - An IPS-Based Display Panel that uses a HDMI or DisplayPort interface. AVOID using the traditional Blue VGA 15-pin port. Why do I recommend these particular choices / items? It all comes down to this: ALL computers today are "good" for Photo Editing. The difference between these choices boils down to one thing: REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS. When people normally ask "What is a good computer for Photo Editing?" chances are they are asking for a computer that has decent/fast performance, won't cause any issues/error messages, and should last at least a few years in terms of lifespan. I'm sure there are other reasons, but those are the three that pop into my mind as I type this. This is very similar to purchasing an appliance or automobile. My usual first response to this question is "What is your budget?" because this determines your ultimate experience. As with most technology, you do truly do get what you pay for. Someone that only has $500 total to spend will get a computer that will run Adobe Photoshop and Bridge, but it might take longer to do certain tasks, especially when it comes to the fancy modules (Lens Corrections, Content Aware, Image Processor, etc.) Photoshop by itself, with your standard Layers & Masks, will run well even on older computers! The core of Photoshop really doesn't take advantage of the features that make a Intel i9 CPU (or whatever) so fast. It's all those fancy tools, the automated processes...THAT'S what forces you to purchase a "Fast" computer. Damien, "The Master Himself," as I write this article, is currently running Photoshop CS5, and he seems to do quite well with editing. A person who has a much larger budget, say $2000 or more to spend, will have a different experience then someone who doesn't. Always remember, SPEED IS RELATIVE. That "Super-Fast" computer that you just bought today will become "Too Slow" in a few years. The trick is to adopt a "Buy it Right - Buy it Once" mentality. Often, this will tend to get you out of your comfort-zone in terms of budget. OK, I'm digressing here, let's get back to the "Realistic Expectations" idea that I started with. A camera that has a lot of Megapixels in its Sensor, i.e. Nikon D850, Canon EOS 5DS R, etc., will have different requirements from your computer then say one that is a lower-end model, or even a model that was top-of-the-line a few years ago, but is still an older body. The more Megapixels you have, the larger the Raw files, and you should always shoot Raw, requires more "horsepower" from the computer. My Nikon D850 creates around 100MB Raw files; my older Nikon D700 and D4s do not. For years, I used a 2009 iMac and was perfectly happy. It ran well. My D700 was from the 2009/2010-era and even my Nikon D4s images also worked perfectly. Things ran well and my overall experience was "Fine." I considered my trusty 2009 Macintosh iMac a "Good Computer for Photo Editing." It was only when I upgraded to a D850 did I find out how "slow" it really was, at least by modern standards. The files that the D850 created were much larger than I ever experienced. My Raw files went from around 26MB to close to 100MB...each! My computer went from performing "normal" speeds to a "slow crawl" during editing. It "complained" and "struggled" to handle those massive 100MB Raw files. It forced me to upgrade my external hard drive from 4TB to 12TB and purchase a new iMac computer with 64GB of RAM. Yes, even having 40GB at first (I added RAM / upgraded from 8GB to 40GB at the very beginning,) wasn't sufficient, especially when I create Panoramic Photographs. Those 100MB Raw files were even hard to handle for my brand-new fancy iMac until I maxed out the RAM to 64GB!! So there is that pesky "Realistic Expectations" thing rearing it's head again. The hardware that you use, and what you are planning on doing with the data that is created by said-hardware, determines your choice of computer, which is largely based on your budget. See how things are all inter-twined? A "Good Computer for Photo Editing" may not have the same configuration as one is meant for editing / creating video or even doing things like 3D-Rendering/CAD. Even something like "General Computing" will have different requirements than for a computer that is meant to edit Digital Images. I know, I'm rambling on-and-on and if you made it this far in the article you just want to scream... And the funny part is, I'm going to respond with the answer, "Budget?" Or you can cheat and just jump to the Short Version of this article. Unfortunately, at the time of me writing this, the United States is currently in a Tariff War with China and this directly affects our US Members. (UPDATE: The Trade War seems to have resumed, and there is about a 25%-50% increase on prices overall. Now that we have to deal with the implications of the Coronavirus, aka COVID-19, now is the WORST time to buy a computer since China is basically shut-down.) You see, the bulk of parts and components, and even manufacturing of whole computers, all those items come from China. Those extra costs when importing into the US have been passed onto the consumers, so from my observations, there has been a $300-$500 price increase over the same models as last year, or their current equivalents. To clarify, last years $500 models are today's $1000-$1200 models, computers that were around the $1000 mark last year run about $1500-$2000 this year. So right now, it's a really bad time to be in the market for a new computer, at least if you live in the United States. Thinking $1500 might be a healthy budget should really be closer to the $2000 mark, or even higher, I'm afraid. There also seems to be no-end in sight, at least until the current Administration changes their viewpoint or is replaced in the next few years. I'm not being political here in this hardware forum, I'm just stating things that I've noticed. The toughest part with What-to-Buy Articles is things change so much; hardware quickly becomes outdated & orphaned in this "Throw-Away Society." In decades past, you used to have a Spring Line-up and a Fall Line-up, and that largely doesn't exist today. Well, with the exception of Apple, they still have Spring / Fall Releases when it comes to their hardware/software. As far as the other manufacturers, it seems like they have a new model / configuration every 6-8 weeks, sometimes even shorter...especially when it comes to laptops. Over my tenure with being in this industry, I've noticed this trend: At the 3 Year Mark: A new model of computer is released, that is going to "Revolutionize" or take things to the "Next Level." At the 5 Year Mark: A person's computer usually starts becoming "Too Slow," and the result is some sort of upgrade, such as adding more RAM or replacing/adding a hard drive. At the 7-8 Year Mark: The person's computer does not run the current software which renders it obsolete and the consumer is forced to purchase a new computer. So by my observation, a consumer is out of the market for at least 7 to 8 years. That's almost a decade. Manufacturers want you to buy a new computer every 24 months. Heck, they'd love it if you bought one every 12-18 months! This is why things don't last / wear-out (planned obsolescence) and models are replaced so often. It's tough for me to keep up and maintain WTB articles, that's why I will often respond with the following: Intel i7 / Intel i9 (or AMD Equivalent) 16GB RAM / 32GB or more (Preferred) 500GB Main Hard Drive, preferably a SSD / m.2 model or better yet, a main Main Drive with 1TB capacity. A second hard drive, at least 4TB or larger, internal or external that runs at 7200 RPM. Preferably, a second HD with a capacity of 8TB or more. A video card that has is own separate and dedicated and NOT "Integrated" Video RAM. 4GB (Minimum) or better yet, GET ONE WITH 8GB! A power supply that has enough wattage to support the video card Windows 10 Home / Windows 10 Pro (Preferred) IPS-Based Display using a HDMI or DisplayPort interface. That's the basic foundation of what I typically recommend as a "Good Computer for Photo Editing." Yes, if you read the "Short Version" of what to buy, I highlighted the minimum requirements in that article of what I look for. The reason is just that, they are a minimum and are more friendly to people's budgets. If you really want to know what I truly desire in a computer, they are the higher-end/higher capacity and more often, higher-cost components. Everything that I recommend here, I would purchase myself. Often, that is usually the more expensive model that has better components. Just to warn you, I'm very good at spending other people's money. As you have noticed, I generally don't recommend a certain model as I want people to use my recommendations and hunt for the information themselves. Well, that's not 100% true, I usually recommend the Dell XPS line, but more on this below. All you simply have to do is look at the technical specifications and compare my recommendations. If a computer has a 128GB Main Boot HD, and you ask me if it's a "Good Computer," chances are I'm going to say, "Skip It." If the RAM can't be upgraded (soldered to the motherboard) and you are stuck at 8GB, no matter how large the HD is, I'm going to say, "Skip It." Just to clarify things, I receive no compensation or kick-back of any kind from any manufacturer. I'm not an Amazon or B&H affiliate and anything I link to is a direct link and not monetized in any way. People have told me that I'm crazy and should receive some sort of compensation for my recommendations, but the Tax Laws in my State are a little funny and I really don't want to pay more taxes than I have to. In addition, it keeps things honest; what I recommend is what I would personally purchase myself, with my own money. Why do I always seem to recommend a Dell XPS System? Because overall, they are decent for what they are. They tend to have better components under-the-hood as compared to the consumer-grade Inspiron Line, are easily accessible world-wide, and are affordable to the majority. Basically, they are easy for me to link to and are pretty straight-forward in terms of their configurations. Not to mention I know who will be repairing the computer if things go wrong, I know what phone number you are going to call if you have a problem. That's the dirty little secret with technology, what happens when it breaks? Who is going to support it? Who is going to fix it? Where are the parts coming from? With Dell, I know they have a world-wide tech support telephone number. They all have at least a 90 Day (Usually 1 year standard with enhanced options) in terms of Warranty, and I know Dell is going to supply the parts. Same thing with Apple. Apple or and Authorized Repair Center is going to fix their products and supply the parts, within reason. A 10 Year old computer might have limited parts availability as to a newer model, but if you buy a Dell or Apple, chances are someone knows what you are talking about and can source the parts. This is why I recommend them. I purchased a Dell XPS for my wife a few years back. So I put-my-money-where-my-mouth-is. When it comes time for me to add a Windows Computer in addition to my Mac, chances are I'm going with a Dell XPS model, unless I get really crazy and build my own Virtual Machine Server. (Most likely the case.) If you have a bad opinion of Dell, or don't want to purchase from them, that's fine. Simply take a look at the technical specifications listed and try to find an equivalent model/brand. Finally, If you have made it this far, thank you. I just want to take the time that not only is the computer important, but your choice of display is important, if not more important, than the computer if you are editing photos. There will be a second article in where I go over monitors and which ones to look for / avoid. For this article, I'm keeping things more computer-based. Anyway, if you are using a computer for Photo Editing, and chances are you are since you are here, make sure you purchase a Display that has a IPS DISPLAY PANEL. This is imperative! If you are editing photos, you must have this kind of display, and it WILL state it in the model's description. If it doesn't mention IPS and goes on-and-on about the color gamut and how it's 97% of this or 100% of that, etc....no matter how pretty the advertisement looks, SKIP IT!! Remember, it always looks better in the Advertisement than it does at home. Retailers want to sell you product, they just want to take your money, they aren't worried about what is "best" for your interests as Damien and I are. So stick with the facts. Stick to the technical specifications. Read the fine-print. Resist "The Pretties." Fortunately, there is one display line that Damien and I have recommended over the years, and our members had very good luck on getting them calibrated...and I'm sure you have guessed it, it's a Dell UltraSharp IPS Display. Now, there are only a handful of display manufacturers in the world, the the Dell Screens are just rebranded; with the exception of the overall look, menu structure, etc. The display panel itself is made by someone else, and it's my assumption they tend to be Samsung IPS Display Panels, at least from the ones I've been recently been linking to lately, though this could change. In either case, the Dell IPS Displays are usually excellent, easy to calibrate, are found world-wide, and are affordable. Sound familiar? Anyway, for a quick-and-dirty link, here is a Dell U2419H IPS Display that is a good choice for photo editing. As I've said, another article will cover the "Why" this is one of my choices for Photographers to buy and there will be more displays that I recommend on that list in that future article as well

Overkill, but definitely checks all of the boxes.

I've seen plenty of DOA stuff (aka, "Out of Box Failure") over the years. It happens.

That Asus on Amazon, while on the surface looks decent, it does not specifically mention anything about being an IPS based display panel. I'm wary of this. The DCI-P3 is the new kid on the block in terms of Color Gamut and it looks promising. It makes movies that you watch on your laptop look better. That said, the web and prints and anything that is .jpg based is going to be in the sRGB colorspace for awhile. So no matter how much something is 97.3737482% of this color gamut, it doesn't mean a damn thing in the real world, at least not yet. That's why Damien wants you to switch to the sRGB colorspace just as you come out of ACR and one of the reasons Lightroom isn't recommended by him. (LR only has one colorspace, and it isn't sRGB.) You want to be consistent from beginning to end in terms of color. This is a laptop for photo-editing, so you have to be picky. If it was for general use, then buy whatever. Why is IPS so important? Because the colors and contrast are consistent from edge to edge across the panel. You will have enough problems with screen angle alignment each time you open the laptop, which changes how you view things like your "darks." Moving the display an inch or so in each direction changes how you view the image. This is the #1 reason that I hate laptops for photo editing. But people keep wanting them, so I have given up arguing. Speaking of display angle, be sure to buy one of these: Acratech Viewing Angle Gauge (Red) You attach that to the back of the laptop, and you look through the little hole. If you see the little tab, you need to adjust your laptop's display angle. The hole should be "filled."

BUY IT!

Samsung Display Panels are nice. I own two Samsung TVs as do both of my Sons.

Sweet. That’s like me getting a D4s for the cost of repair ($612) of my D3s because Nikon broke my camera and parts no longer existed on the planet for it.

Yes. You will "Need" a power cable and a DisplayPort Cable, provided that the back of your new computer has a DisplayPort. (It probably does.) If not, a HDMI cable will also work. Again, it just depends on the ports that you will be dealing with. The new standard going forward is really DisplayPort, or DP. It's royalty free, supports lots of different formats via adapter, i.e. DP to HDMI, DP to DVI-D, etc. There is even a DP to VGA adapter cable!! Most Dell Displays come with some sort of cable(s) in the box, so I wouldn't go out buying anything just yet. The thing with Dell Displays, is that they aren't Dell Displays. "Huh?" There are only like 5-7 display panel manufacturers in the world. Well, I could be exaggerating but I think you get what I mean. LG, Sony, Samsung are the three top ones that come to my mind. Dell Displays are rebranded screens. Sure, they have their logos and menu-structure all over them, but the display panel itself is made by someone else. Damien and I have recommended Dell Displays over the years with very good and consistent results. They are affordable, readily available world-wide and most importantly, tend to be easy to calibrate. I'm buying a Dell for my next PC Monitor. So there's your answer. Not really. It's more of a gimmick than anything. Hell, 4K content isn't mainstream yet for Cable TV! It just gives people the illusion of FOMO, and something to buy. Just as we are now getting used to thinking that we NEED 4K...8K is already out, followed by 16K. Then 32, then 64. It's like having to buy the Beatles "White Album" for the 100th time due to a new format. As far as photo-editing goes, 1920 x 1080 with a 16:9 or even 16:10 Aspect Ratio is FINE. Now, if you were editing 4K video for YouTube or for feature films for clients, that's a different story. For Photographic stills, using PS...not-so-much. Damien uses a 1920x1080 (19"??) screen and Photoshop CS5, and I think he edits just fine. Good enough? Nope. In fact, you will need to budget for an even more expensive calibration device, such as the X-Rite i1Studio Spectrophotometer. You need a calibration tool that calibrates not only your monitor, but your home printers (to your display) as well, since you want to print stuff at home. You will need to create multiple display monitor profiles, (ICC Profiles,) one for the the Canon Printer and on for the Epson Printer. Even by today's standards, a Spyder 4 Series is a bit long-in-the-tooth technology-wise. If you had a Sypder5 series, I'd suggest trying it, but Spyder4...that's pushing it. You can try it, but I think you will have mixed results. Since you are printing at home, you could head for the Adobe RGB route, but keep in mind JPEG and anything you export to the web will be sRGB. Believe it or not, sRGB is a lot bigger than people give it credit. It boils down to the Measurebators, the guys that say that X is better than Y because of ______________. These are the same people that get into flame-wars online trying to convice everyone they are right because ______________ is better than ____________ due to bigger/better/faster/more reasons. These same people will tell you that 60MP is where it's at and a 16MP Camera is worthless. Or this new fancy mirrorless camera is the future and your DSLR is dead. Or the ones that say you NEED to use Adobe RGB for home printing, Blah-Blah-Blah. Now I would be lying and telling you to not use Adobe RGB since you are printing for yourself at home. Of course, a larger color-space in that type of scenario has its benefits and is the recommended colorspace for those who print at home. It's just the practicality of things. I'm a firm believer in the KISS Principle. That said, I'm going to page @Damien Symonds for his input on this topic. Thoughts Damien? Gamut and RGB Percentages and all that for someone who is going to print at home? Not to mention the type of paper being used by the printer causing issues?

If Dell is going to replace it, go for it. Also, sometimes things like RAM become loose during transport. It could be something simple as that. F-R-A-G-I-L-E is Swahili for "Please Drop Me."

The 2419H seems to be the current model. Either is fine. Enjoy your purchase.

I'd contact Dell Support. If you do end up replacing your computer, the very first thing I want you to do is download and install Firefox. Why? Because Microsoft Edge sucks as just as much as Internet Explorer, and Chrome...while fast, is not color-managed. Now Windows 10 Explorer is different than a browser. That's part of Windows. Try pulling the power cord out of the unit and wait 30 seconds to a min. Then plug it back in again. I would also un-hook any external hard drives that you have connected. You'd be surprised on how often a EHD will prevent a computer from booting, because Windows gets confused.

Having a SSD Drive for booting does make a difference. The main issue is that the majority of the manufacturers try to sell you a 256GB Model. That is way too small in my humble opinion, for computers that are meant for photo-editing. Please, for the love that is all good-and-green, select this option: 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM 3.5" SATA HDD (Storage) As far as the i9 vs i7, it really doesn't matter when it comes to Photoshop. I'd actually get a fast i7, and select the AMD Radeon™ RX 570 with 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Memory for your video card option. Here is what I'd pick: 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 9700 (8-Core, 12MB Cache, up to 4.7GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology Windows 10 Home, 64-bit, English 32GB DDR4 at 2666MHz; up to 64GB (Additional memory sold separately) 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM 3.5" SATA HDD (Storage) AMD Radeon™ RX 570 with 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Memory This configuration is still $1499. Oh, this doesn't include a BDRE Drive, for that you have to add it for $100 more. (Yes, get the Blu-Ray version.) Since most things are streaming / download based, it's not that much of an issue in today's world. But if you have a bunch of data DVDs laying around, it might be worth the $100 extra, otherwise you are buying an external DVD Drive. Why the AMD instead of the NVIDIA? It goes beyond a 4GB / 6GB Video Memory Difference; AMD Video Drivers play well with current versions of PS CC. The choice of video card is just as important, perhaps even more important, than the CPU selection. NVIDIA's drivers and Photoshop seem to have more problems or at the very least, you have to un-install the preloaded drivers and install different ones to make things work better. That's too much of a hassle. I'd rather have you save money on the CPU and put those savings towards a better video card without the video driver hassle. As far as the BENQ display, I'm not going to sugar-coat this...they are a pain in the ass to calibrate. So, I'd budget a few hundred more for a SpyderX Elite Calibration Tool in addition to your BENQ Display. Personally, I'd get this display, the Dell Ultrasharp 24 inch Infinity Edge Monitor - U2417H. It's just under $200 and the members here and in FB Ask Damien have had good luck with calibration. It's the one I would personally purchase.

Personally, I'd skip the Touchscreen / Flip around thing. They are a bitch to calibrate. If you did go that route, plan on buying a calibrator like the SpyderX Elite, so add a few hundred for the total cost. The problem is the US Tariffs for imports from China. All the computer stuff comes from China. So things are averaging $300-$500 MORE than they did last year, so your budget should be closer to $2000 these days. Since the manufacturers don't want to eat those costs, they are forwarding them down to the consumer. I will say this laptop seems to tick all the boxes, so it's not off the table. I would just try to calibrate it and see how that goes before the 14-Day return period expires. Have a set of test prints ready to use. If you can't get it calibrated, then return it. Here is a link to the SpyderX Elite on Amazon.

Yeah, that is bizarre. Though I have seen plenty of DOA things over the years. Since this camera is new, check the Firmware Level. The current version is 1.6. Here is the link to it on Canon's Website: Canon EOS R Firmware

What size is the card? What name brand is it?

Since you haven't gotten back to me, here is a Nikon D3500 two lens kit that's on sale. It's a good beginner camera setup for $400: Nikon D3500 Two Lens Kit.

Oh, the truth to this reasoning is that flash media doesn’t have an infinite amount of read/writes to the sectors that your data resides in. They wear out over time. Eventually things can corrupt while being written or areas will turn into read-only permanently without warning. That said, SSD Drives have come a long way but it’s still something to avoid using.

The VPN update is most likely the culprit. I’d contact their support and see if there is something that you have to configure/forward. I don’t have a lot of experience with setting up VPNs.

Yep. It’s probably a DNS / Name Resolution issue. While connected to your VPN, all of the Ethernet Traffic is going through the VPN and can’t find a local network folder. As soon as you disconnect, DNS resolves where the folder is. Is this shared folder on another computer or NAS?

Yes! Between the two, the more expensive one is a better buy. Not just because the CPU is faster, but the 8GB Graphics Card plays really well with PS CC. Getting a Graphics Card that performs well with PS is almost as important as the CPU chip. Between the two, I’m not a fan of a Fusion Drive and prefer a SSD. But it sounds like your choices are limited for now. I would also purchase a 32GB RAM kit to increase the RAM from 8GB to 40GB. RAM is fairly cheap now and a 32GB kit from Crucial.com should be around $150.