I need a new computer and it can’t wait- is this worth investing in?

[Samantha Vivenzio]

I need something that’s going to last me at LEAST 4-5 years if possible and I need to purchase ASAP- I’ve gone all of 2021 without a computer and haven’t been able to edit while I waited for prices to stabilize but I can’t wait any longer. 
 

I’m not a tech person though I’ve read your posts multiple times to better understand what I need vs what to avoid. How is this for an investment? 

Dell XPS desktop (specs in photo attached) with this monitor recommended in one of your other posts: 

Dell U2722D - 27-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) 16:9 UltraSharp Monitor with Comfortview Plus, 60Hz Refresh Rate, 100% sRGB, 1.07 Billion Colors, Platinum Silver

[Brian]

Here, buy this one:

Dell XPS Special Edition

You want 2 years of Dell Premium Support

Of course, you can upgrade any item, like the CPU or RAM to 64GB; it all depends on how much money you want to spend.

Now the next question I'm sure you will ask, "Do I need a faster CPU and 64GB?"

You can never have enough Storage, RAM, CPU, Horsepower...Bigger-Better-Faster-More.

Need 64GB? I'd recommend it. Especially if your camera has a lot of Megapixels. Like more than 45MP. OR if you are like my wife who always has 50+ Tabs open in Chrome, because...

"They are ALL important!!"

LMAO!!

In 2022...I'd say 16GB is still the bare-minimum with 32GB really where you want to be for normal usage. 64GB is nice to have though.

As far as CPU...sure if you can afford it, a Intel i9 won't hurt things. (The Middle Option for a few hundred more.) Again, it all depends on your budget.

But trust me on that Video Card!

[Samantha Vivenzio]

Hey Brian, thanks again for your advice a few weeks ago. I really appreciate your time and expertise on the matter. I just can’t seem to pull the trigger on the desktop. I want to but I’m afraid if I lose portability I’ll never find the time to plug into the computer. I’m a hobbyist hoping to gain enough education and experience to turn this into a business but right now I find myself needing the portability of a laptop while I’m caring for 3 kids (5 and under) who cannot be unsupervised while I stow myself away in my office to take classes or practice photoshop tutorials. Once I start a business I intend to have a desktop and dedicated work station but for now I think I’d need a laptop with an additional larger screen I can plug into in my home office as needed. I saw you mentioned in another post that you would recommend these specs for the new Mac (see image) 

Earlier you recommended 2T with the Dell desktop to me but here with the MacBook Pro Max you recommended just the 1T. My biggest problem has always been running out of memory on the hard drives. Should I bump to 2T? Or look into external drives to store anything outside of the apps I’m running?
 

$4200 for the 2T is really the upper limits of my budget, but if it’s going to give me 4 yrs of fast and efficient work I can say that for a little over 1k a year it would be worth it.

 

Thanks again for your wisdom and advice! 

[Brian]

If you are going with a MacBook, you can upgrade the HD to 2TB, buts that’s kinda expensive. Personally, I’d leave it at 1TB and get a Thunderbolt 3 external drive, like this one: 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1644072-REG

A Thunderbolt 3 interface is FAST. Combine that with 12TB, should give you lots of space. That’s the drive that I have. Now, I’d you are the type that dumps everything on your HD, never deletes anything and wants to have your files with you at all times, then you are paying for Apple’s expensive larger internal HDs. 

[Samantha Vivenzio]

Alright so I’m going to get this desktop (with your blessing prior to purchasing of course) and I’m going to get a laptop for my birthday in a few months (though not as much if a workhorse to focus more on portability and education vs photo editing) because my brain hurts from trying to decide what I need more. As my husband likes to say I’m all or nothing. 🥴

How does this look? Thanks again Brian! 

[Brian]

I like!!

Enjoy your purchase.

[Samantha Vivenzio]

Thanks so much for your help!

[Samantha Vivenzio]

Hi Brian,

Drop me a link so I can buy you a beer- I owe you one!

As fate would have it my car started having issues shortly after we configured the XPS special Edition to what I needed. I put the computer on hold, got a new car, had my daughter and replenished my computer budget to $3500 (ideally still like to keep it to 3k). Of course, I go to Dell today just to find the XPS special edition is no longer available! 😟

Now what? Is there a comparable desktop to the XPS special edition? I plan to get the thunderbolt you mention above too because I am pretty terrible at cleaning out those annoying PS temp files that buildup, and I do save a ton of photos. Additionally, I was saving my photos to external seagates and am pretty sure one of them failed on me, so I'd like to dump them and push everything over to the thunderbolt once I get it all setup. 

Thanks,

Samantha

[Brian]

Ok. So are you staying Mac or going to Windows? 

Yes, the problem with computers today is we are still dealing with a chip shortage. It’s gotten better, but the issue is…if you see something, meets the requirements, no thinking it over-BUY IT! Chances are it will be gone in a few weeks being replaced by something else or nothing at all. 

Which puts you back to square one. Fun Times. Basically, you can take the above specs that I gave the green light on and find a similar configuration. It doesn’t have to be Dell.

i also like the Digital Storm Lynx Line. Here is one for $1699 that is “Good for Photo Editing.”

https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=4387425

pair that with a decent IPS monitor and a current calibration tool, and you have a nice system for way less than $3000. 

[Brian]

Here is my Donation Link:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=HVQ98TKLAZGVY&source=url

[Samantha Vivenzio]

I am open to both Mac and Windows whichever is going to make my life easiest in the long run. I am versed in both, though I have been using windows for my editing since 2018 so any new issues with Mac compatibility I’ll need to educate myself on. I hate dealing with the tech side of anything and just want to set something up that is going to last me and give the least amount of headache and can give me at least 5 years. I’ve been looking into the Digital Storm after I saw you recommend it in another forum but after doing some research found that there are a lot of complaints about poor customer service, and receiving broken equipment and being charged shipping fees to return to have it fixed etc. Sounds like I’m going to have to just take the plunge and buy something that meets the specs and stop looking for the better option. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good right? 
 

Thanks for the advice! Cheers!

[Brian]

Yeah, it’s just the specs that I saw. Always research before buying. If you are switching to Mac, Apple makes things very easy to migrate over. It’s just when you want to go back to Windows or use both platforms at the same time is when you run into trouble. 

Also, on the Mac side, expect to pay around $4300 for a Mac Laptop and $5200 for a Mac Desktop that’s “Good for Photo Editing.”

Welcome to 2022 / 2023 pricing.  It sucks to be in the market right now.