Buying a new computer November 2022

[AspenSuzanne]

Hi! Im currently using my laptop and an additional monitor to use photoshop and bridge/acr, but I'm wanting to be able to take the laptop where i need and just always have my monitor hooked up to a tower instead. And my laptop has recently really slowed down since the new photoshop update. What do you suggest i buy or build? Im trying to figure out what specs to get to be able to easily support my work.

[Damien Symonds]

Hi Suzanne, did you take a look at all of Brian's pinned posts at the top of the page?  https://ask.damiensymonds.net/forum/18-the-windows-pc-hardware-forum/

[Brian]

Buy or build…with current prices it’s kind of a wash. You will spend more money building things yourself than if you purchased a off-the-shelf PC, but you will get better components if you build. Take a look at my pinned articles, most of my requirements haven’t changed much, except that you really need to pay attention to the video card. Built or off-the-shelf, doesn’t matter. When it comes to today’s modern Adobe products, the video card (GPU) is more important than the CPU. 

[Laura Straub]

@Brian WWYD:

budget (ideally $1,500 range but okay with what is needed).

i had a tower built that i love and is my workhorse. i do 95% of my tasks on it. i’m needing to invest in a new laptop to go to my studio with me for IPS. i don’t need it to do ‘much’ aside from adobe and basic internet (no video needs). i do have to edit on it sometimes during these IPS sessions, so not just bridge viewing but all adobe  

 

would you recommend sticking with pc (alienware?) or would you recommend a mac?

would there be any issues going back and forth with adobe in between? i’m very comfortable using both, i just have never had the need to “crossover” back and forth.

[Brian]

On 11/9/2022 at 8:51 PM, Laura Straub said:

would you recommend sticking with pc (alienware?) or would you recommend a mac?

I'd recommend a "Gaming Computer" that wasn't an Alienware. Dell bought Alienware a few years ago, and they are just glorified Dell business computers with fancy cases. Alienware of today is not how it was 20 years ago. Actually, you can get a lot of the same stuff in a Dell XPS workstation for a lot less money.

Apple is a "Go Big or Go Home" company now, way more than ever before. Unless you have $4600 to spend on a Mac Laptop or $5200 to spend on a Mac Studio Desktop, Apple is not in your budget of $1500. In fact, you really need to save up another $1000. I know, it's expensive...but so is everything else in US at the moment.

Going back and forth is possible, but I wouldn't recommend it. Pick a format, Mac OR Windows. If you want to go back and forth, I'd recommend in using something called a NAS, or invest in a Cloud Service that runs on both platforms. Please realize going back and forth IS NOT FOOL-PROOF. Always expect to have compatibility issues, possibly corrupt files. Apple makes things really easy to switch, it's just writing to a Windows format is always a PITA. In fact, some thumbdrives that I've created for clients that use Windows Computers, their Windows Computers can't read the thumbdrives correctly, so I almost have to copy things to cloud, then to a PC, in order to get things to work. Fortunately, I don't have many clients today, so I really haven't put much effort into streamlining things. But I can say this, it's better to pick one side-of-the-fence to be on and stick with it.

This is what you are looking for in 2023, for a computer that is "Good for Photo Editing."

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/xps-desktop/spd/xps-8950-desktop/xd8950adlfktjs

 

 

See that $2429.99 price-tag? I'm not kidding about the $2500 budget. Keep saving, otherwise you will be back in the market within 12-18 months. In which case you will have spent the $1500 on the under-powered computer, only to purchase the $2500 computer that you should have bought in the first place. The days of the $999 Computer that is "Good Enough" are long gone.

I know it's painful to save, but I'm trying for you not to spend $4000 when you should only be spending around $2500. I hate wasting money, and if you try to get that $1500 computer, you are throwing money away. With the Chip Shortage and Supply Shortages still in effect, plus the import Tariffs that US Gov't is imposing on goods from China, it's still a bad time to be in the market for a new computer. It is a little better, a year ago the budget was around $3200, but I don't think we will be pre-2019 levels any time soon. Just like homes in my area have doubled in price, ($250,000 to $500,000) and the average salaries haven't increased much, or I pay a lot more for food at the Supermarket, computer prices have also increased.

[Laura Straub]

1 minute ago, Brian said:

I'd recommend a "Gaming Computer" that wasn't an Alienware. Dell bought Alienware a few years ago, and they are just glorified Dell business computers with fancy cases. Alienware of today is not how it was 20 years ago. Actually, you can get a lot of the same stuff in a Dell XPS workstation for a lot less money.

Apple is a "Go Big or Go Home" company now, way more than ever before. Unless you have $4600 to spend on a Mac Laptop or $5200 to spend on a Mac Studio Desktop, Apple is not in your budget of $1500. In fact, you really need to save up another $1000. I know, it's expensive...but so is everything else in US at the moment.

Going back and forth is possible, but I wouldn't recommend it. Pick a format, Mac OR Windows. If you want to go back and forth, I'd recommend in using something called a NAS, or invest in a Cloud Service that runs on both platforms. Please realize going back and forth IS NOT FOOL-PROOF. Always expect to have compatibility issues, possibly corrupt files. Apple makes things really easy to switch, it's just writing to a Windows format is always a PITA. In fact, some thumbdrives that I've created for clients that use Windows Computers, their Windows Computers can't read the thumbdrives correctly, so I almost have to copy things to cloud, then to a PC, in order to get things to work. Fortunately, I don't have many clients today, so I really haven't put much effort into streamlining things. But I can say this, it's better to pick one side-of-the-fence to be on and stick with it.

This is what you are looking for in 2023, for a computer that is "Good for Photo Editing."

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/xps-desktop/spd/xps-8950-desktop/xd8950adlfktjs

 

 

See that $2429.99 price-tag? I'm not kidding about the $2500 budget. Keep saving, otherwise you will be back in the market within 12-18 months. In which case you will have spent the $1500 on the under-powered computer, only to purchase the $2500 computer that you should have bought in the first place. The days of the $999 Computer that is "Good Enough" are long gone.

I know it's painful to save, but I'm trying for you not to spend $4000 when you should only be spending around $2500. I hate wasting money, and if you try to get that $1500 computer, you are throwing money away. With the Chip Shortage and Supply Shortages still in effect, plus the import Tariffs that US Gov't is imposing on goods from China, it's still a bad time to be in the market for a new computer. It is a little better, a year ago the budget was around $3200, but I don't think we will be pre-2019 levels any time soon. Just like homes in my area have doubled in price, ($250,000 to $500,000) and the average salaries haven't increased much, or I pay a lot more for food at the Supermarket, computer prices have also increased.

is the $1,500+ budget no bueno even for a laptop for IPS? i spent about $3k on my desktop and love it, totally agree it’s worth it! i just didn’t know if the ‘lower’ end of gaming laptops were okay for IPS and an edit here & there (95% of my work i do on desktop, prob 99% of editing unless the client asks for something specific day of - i will quickly do it for example and redo it on desktop throughly)

[Brian]

Each time I "build" my computer, I always end up around the $3200 mark, before buying a monitor. So I'm probably the last person you should ask for recommended components.

I have expensive tastes...

...and that's because when I build my computers, they should last 7-8 years.

[Brian]

Just now, Laura Straub said:

is the $1,500+ budget no bueno even for a laptop for IPS?

You have two IPS terms.

One, "In Person Sales" and two, "In Plane Switching" which is the Display Panel Type that you need in a laptop if you are doing photo editing or in-person-sales.

IPS Screens have a better viewing angle, and have better Contrast, Brightness and Sharpness from corner-to-corner. Which if you think of it, is kinda important for photo editing. Most laptops have the cheaper TN (Twisted Nematic) Display Panels, which are great for video games and being in all sorts of lighting, just aren't consistent from corner to corner like the IPS Screens.

The problem is, IPS Display Panels are really tough to find in laptops. And the ones that have them are typically more expensive. So yes, the $2500 budget applies to a laptop too, but it's more like $2200 or so? Maybe $2000...but you want a 1TB HD, IPS Display Panel, 32GB of RAM, etc. etc. It all adds up. When you go down to the $1500 level, you are getting WAY LESS for your money. A 250GB HD, maybe 16GB of RAM if you are lucky, a slow CPU, TN Display, etc. etc.

I'm sorry if you are asking for my input, $2500 is the new price-point.

"But! But! But! What if?!?!"

$2500 is the new reality.

But....

I'm sorry, it's $2500 in 2023.

[Laura Straub]

16 minutes ago, Brian said:

You have two IPS terms.

One, "In Person Sales" and two, "In Plane Switching" which is the Display Panel Type that you need in a laptop if you are doing photo editing or in-person-sales.

IPS Screens have a better viewing angle, and have better Contrast, Brightness and Sharpness from corner-to-corner. Which if you think of it, is kinda important for photo editing. Most laptops have the cheaper TN (Twisted Nematic) Display Panels, which are great for video games and being in all sorts of lighting, just aren't consistent from corner to corner like the IPS Screens.

The problem is, IPS Display Panels are really tough to find in laptops. And the ones that have them are typically more expensive. So yes, the $2500 budget applies to a laptop too, but it's more like $2200 or so? Maybe $2000...but you want a 1TB HD, IPS Display Panel, 32GB of RAM, etc. etc. It all adds up. When you go down to the $1500 level, you are getting WAY LESS for your money. A 250GB HD, maybe 16GB of RAM if you are lucky, a slow CPU, TN Display, etc. etc.

I'm sorry if you are asking for my input, $2500 is the new price-point.

"But! But! But! What if?!?!"

$2500 is the new reality.

But....

I'm sorry, it's $2500 in 2023.

ahh, thanks! i was only aware of “in person sales” for IPS. thank you for the help!