Looking for a Great Photoshop PC

sissorelle

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I'm looking to BUY not build a machine that can do extensive photoshop and multimedia work. I want to just buy a machine and plug it in, since I don't know and don't have to time to build something myself.

I'll be rendering, editing, etc.

I was thinking of buying this machine:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883147095
or this machine
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883241024

But I am worried about the graphics card? What can you tell me about it? Does the graphics card even matter for what I am trying to do?

I've been trying to become more computer knowledgeable, and I have learned that 6 - 8 GB of Memory is ideal.

What is the difference in Quad Cores and Dual Cores? Is one better than the other for photoshop work?

What will make photoshop and related programs render and run fluidly? Does Ghz matter more or RAM? etc. etc. Do I need a gaming machine or am I looking in the wrong direction?

Sorry for all the questions, I am just confused!

Some Notes:
I am also on a budget and want to keep things below $750 dollars.
I also have trouble with my old PC overheating since it has several attachments in at once. I would like to avoid this problem if possible. I will have the following plugged in via USB

-Backlit keyboard (2 slots)
-Webcam
-eBook Charger
-Printer
-Camera digital photo thingy
-Mouse
-Flash Drive
-1 TB External HDD
-250 GB External HDD
-1 USB Hub (4 slots)

I'm so overwhelmed from reading many websites and reviews and I just don't know what I do and don't need. Some websites say that the Graphics Card doesn't matter at all and that all you need is lots of Memory, some say it does matter.

Please help this confused photoshopper. :confused:
 
Personal opinion, you'd get a much better deal and productivity from building your own computer. Do you have any qualms about building your own?
 
Personal opinion, you'd get a much better deal and productivity from building your own computer. Do you have any qualms about building your own?

I have no issues, but I just don't know HOW, and I have a feeling it will be a world of frustration.

I really would like to build my own computer and I can see the advantages in doing so, but I kinda just want to plug a new one in without having to go and edit settings, find drivers, and finding compatible components and parts.

Seems like a lot of stress to me, and being in college, my time is valuable.
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.328465

That's a combo kit. Only thing you would have to add is a vid card. And what you're doing calls for a good, just not high end.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150450

After that all you need is a copy of Windows and thats it. The only driver you'll have to install is for the vid card and that takes a few minutes. And you'll proud of the system you built.

Thanks for this, I looked over the technical "specs" and they seem pretty solid.

I would still have to put this together though, and that's something I am totally lost in. If I went with this choice, is it possible to take this somewhere and have it assembled? Can i pay extra to have newegg do it?

I'm sorry for sounding completely stupid, but it's because I'm really new to building computers, and it's a road I really don't feel comfortable going down.
 
You may get a small computer store to do it for you. Here's what I did. Take apart your computer piece by piece. You'll find everything's pretty basic. Mother board is where everything is attached to. You screw that into the case, the fit will be obvious, the ports go out the back. You attach the CPU into it's socket, and the heatsink on top (it fits right on). Plug in the hard drive(s) using the sata cord, optical drives, and then the vid card. Screw in the power supply, plug it into the specified slots. Turn it on and put the Windows cd in and install. Not much more to it.

EDIT There's also "How-to" books you can buy for like 5 bucks on ebay. The skill is priceless. But you could easily learn it by yourself
 
You may get a small computer store to do it for you. Here's what I did. Take apart your computer piece by piece. You'll find everything's pretty basic. Mother board is where everything is attached to. You screw that into the case, the fit will be obvious, the ports go out the back. You attach the CPU into it's socket, and the heatsink on top (it fits right on). Plug in the hard drive(s) using the sata cord, optical drives, and then the vid card. Screw in the power supply, plug it into the specified slots. Turn it on and put the Windows cd in and install. Not much more to it.

EDIT There's also "How-to" books you can buy for like 5 bucks on ebay. The skill is priceless. But you could easily learn it by yourself

Yeah, I would like to say it would be easy for me, but as a girl, I just don't really know as much as some of the guys that normally find this stuff very easy.

I will probably end up end up going to a computer store to do this for me.

I was wondering if you answer some of my earlier questions and tell me if I will have heating issues with this setup or not? Thats something I want to avoid.

The difference between Dual Core and Quad Core? (I assume more cores is better but again, i don't know this stuff!)

Is this really the perfect setup for video/photo editing? What makes Photoshop run better? Graphics? RAM? Processor? This is something I'd like to know, as this is very important to me.

I'm sorry for being so skeptical but this is a lot of money and I want to make the right choice.
 
Hey guys im wondering why those PC's he mentioned are so cheap compared to my build which is similar but mine would be slightly better. but why is those ones he listen alot cheaper than my?

my specs:
-Xfx radeon hd 5770 $175.99
-Asus P6t $223.99 (30 bucks rebate)
-Intel i7 boxed $199.99
-700w stealxstream pro $79.99
-sony 24x dvd light scribe $35
-ocz tech 6gb ddr3 1600 gold xtck $169.99 (30 bucks rebate)
- 2 seagate 500gb sata 7200 rpm $119.98
-arctic silver thermal compound $10
-coolmaster storm sniper ATX case gaming case $155

total 1169 without rebates

plus 100 bucks tax so thats 1269 bucks.....
 
Yeah, I would like to say it would be easy for me, but as a girl, I just don't really know as much as some of the guys that normally find this stuff very easy.

I will probably end up end up going to a computer store to do this for me.
I doubt it's just because you're a girl. :p

sissorelle said:
I was wondering if you answer some of my earlier questions and tell me if I will have heating issues with this setup or not? Thats something I want to avoid.
Very doubtful.

sissorelle said:
The difference between Dual Core and Quad Core? (I assume more cores is better but again, i don't know this stuff!)
The cores in a processor are more or less like individual processors, though they share some resources. Basically, this quad core;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103704

can do nearly twice as much work as this dual core:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103704

If you'll notice, the total L2 cache is the same on both of them, so the dual can actually do a little more than half of what the quad can since it has 1MB per core instead of 512Kb. The caches function somewhat like RAM for the processor. The L1 is tiny but fast, the L2 is larger and slower. Some processors have an L3 cache, which is even larger and slower than the L2. The more cache space you have, the better, though obviously clock speed (GHz) and the number of cores are more important.

sissorelle said:
Is this really the perfect setup for video/photo editing? What makes Photoshop run better? Graphics? RAM? Processor? This is something I'd like to know, as this is very important to me.
A perfect setup would cost a lot of money, but yes, an AMD quad core with a decent ATI graphics card is what you'll want for this price range. Both companies currently provide the best performance for the price.

I've already explained the processor, so I might as well get these out of the way too. RAM is like a work table. It's where your computer puts everything while it's working on it. It's useful because it's much, much faster than a hard drive. Right now, 4GB is plenty for almost anything you'll be doing with it.

As far as the graphics card, Photoshop CS4 added a feature that lets you use the power of the GPU (graphics card) to make things much faster and smoother. This is possible because a GPU actually has a whole lot more power than the CPU(processor). Some GPU's are well over 10 times as fast as the CPU of the computer they're in. The reason the GPU isn't used for everything is because the way it's designed makes it really terrible at most of the things a CPU normally does. It just so happens that Audio and Video rendering are perfectly suited for using the GPU instead.

sissorelle said:
I'm sorry for being so skeptical but this is a lot of money and I want to make the right choice.
Indeed, it's a big decision.


Hey guys im wondering why those PC's he mentioned are so cheap compared to my build which is similar but mine would be slightly better. but why is those ones he listen alot cheaper than my?

my specs:
-Xfx radeon hd 5770 $175.99
-Asus P6t $223.99 (30 bucks rebate)
-Intel i7 boxed $199.99
-700w stealxstream pro $79.99
-sony 24x dvd light scribe $35
-ocz tech 6gb ddr3 1600 gold xtck $169.99 (30 bucks rebate)
- 2 seagate 500gb sata 7200 rpm $119.98
-arctic silver thermal compound $10
-coolmaster storm sniper ATX case gaming case $155

total 1169 without rebates

plus 100 bucks tax so thats 1269 bucks.....
That isn't similar at all. An i7 rig is going to be more expensive than any AMD build.
 
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