Time for a new PC... Help!

[Lindsey7682]

My computer is dying a slow death, it's time to suck it up and buy a new desktop. My piece of shit is going to take its last breath any day now. I run a growing photography business and want this purchase to be a huge benefit and investment to my business. I have always been a PC person, Mac's scare me, aside from their iPhones which I do love. Do I really need to switch to a Mac, or can I still remain a PC girl? So many photographers recommend the 27" iMac with Retina display (please don't make me convert). I would love some links to specific computers and monitors to purchase. I only know how to use them, I don't really understand all the tech stuff about their guts lol... i would love to stay around $1800-$2000 for the whole shebang. Thank you!!!! 

[Brian]

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.

[Brian]

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

 

[Brian]

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.

[Lindsey7682]

Thank you Brian for taking the time to repeat yourself lol... I have taken several of Damien's classes and I am just getting use to the question section of the forum. Actually this is the first time I have used it other than for his RAW class. I don't handle change very well if you can't tell LOL. I really appreciate your help and telling me exactly what I need.