Katie Maslowski Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 Hi Brian, I'm currently editing on a Lenovo Y510P laptop--it was my husband's until I took up the hobby of photography & filled it with photos & editing software. With Black Friday approaching I'm looking to moving to a desktop & purchasing a monitor. Are you still recommending Dell? What specifications should I be looking for? Thank you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 First, what is your budget? The reason I recommend Dell is that it's easy. If you don't like Dell, that's fine, just find a similar specs on another brand. Basically, you are looking for a low-end gaming machine. i7 CPU - Fastest you can afford 16GB RAM / 32GB Preferred A separate non-integrated video card, with its own dedicated video memory; 2GB - 4GB Video RAM is fine, 6GB - 8GB preferred. The reason is Adobe's products rely on the video card for a performance boost. So if you want PS to run faster, get a beefy video card. It's not just the CPU that determines "how fast" a computer is these days. 1TB Primary HD at a minimum. Bigger is always better. Do NOT be fooled by a 256GB SSD primary drive, even though it's faster; it won't do you any good if its full. As Windows 10 downloads it's new version, it downloads a whole other OS and puts your current OS in a Windows.old folder. In addition, the thing that can can help you when things go wrong, restore points are turned off by default on a smaller drive. If you do get a SSD drive as a primary drive, make sure it's AT LEAST 500GB. Windows 10 Home. I like Windows 10 Pro myself, though I'm more of a power user. For a Display, you are looking for a IPS-based display, that is not glossy, meaning it has an anti-glare coating or has some sort of matte finish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie Maslowski Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 I'd like to keep the cost around $1500. Any differences that stand out between these two desktops (besides the price?) Lenovo: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1328118-REG/lenovo_90gv0003us_15_liter_i7_7700u.html Dell: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1304825-REG/dell_xps8910_9020blk_xps_8910_i7_6700_16gb.html Also, I'm looking at a Dell 27 inch display, the 4K display is about $60 more than the U2717 display, which would you choose? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1106149-REG/dell_p2715q_27_3840x2160_dh.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1254756-REG/dell_u2717d_27_ultrasharp_27.html Thanks! Katie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Lenovo sucks. Period. I wouldn't waste my time with that brand. IBM sold that division to a Chinese company and they are not the same. In fact, my company purchased a bunch of Lenovo Laptops for the Field Techs due to them being cheap and I'm on my 4th laptop within 3 years. LOL!! I like that Dell. I bought a Dell XPS for my fiance a few years ago and it's been great. $899 is a decent price. Monitor... The buzzword is 4K these days!! Better get 4K!! Why bother with your old 1080 screen, get a NEW & SHINY 4K screen!!! Um...yeah. Here is the thing, 4K screens have doubled the resolution, using the same physical area. What does that do? IT MAKES EVERYTHING SO TINY. In fact, I'm thinking about switching back to Windows just so I can avoid a 4K screen or 5K screen for photo editing! I would buy the Dell UltraSharp 27 U2717D Monitor. Thanks for the link, that monitor is now on my short list. Oh, if you need a HDMI cable, this one from Monoprice.com will work just fine. That's where I buy my cables. This is what I personally would put in your B&H cart: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie Maslowski Posted November 27, 2017 Author Share Posted November 27, 2017 Thank you for all of your insight Brian! It is SO appreciated!! Long story short- I had everything in my shopping cart and my sister went into labor on Friday & my niece was born (YAY!!!), so ordering was put on hold for a few days. When I went to order last night B&H said the Dell 8910 model was discontinued! Would you recommend I get this one? It seems to check all the boxes, the only thing I'm concerned about is only 1 TB, however I can get external hard drives to compensate. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1366227-REG/dell_xps8920_7529slv_pus_xps8920_i7_7700_3_6ghz_16gb.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 You can add a second, much larger HD to those computers. It's easy to install and I can walk you through it. I like the WD Caviar Black internal Hard Drives. Been using them for 20+ years. Here is a 4TB model: WD 4 TB 3.5" Performance Hard Drive 128 MB Cache, 3.5" Internal Bare or OEM Drives, Black (WD4004FZWX) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GWS2ZOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_WIwhAbFR979T8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 That Dell Computer seems ok, get it before Nov 30th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie Maslowski Posted November 30, 2017 Author Share Posted November 30, 2017 Thank you for all the info and the link to the additional HD! Ordering everything tonight, can't wait to upgrade!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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