Computer to Photo Edit for Amateur Photographer - Budget $1200

skamalpreet on 02/11/2021 - 16:38
Last edited 02/11/2021 - 17:15 by 1 other user

Background:

Amateur Photographer who gradually transitioned from shooting 'everything' to mostly my kids now. With a full time job, managing a house and two kids, photography is perhaps a distant last.

Looking to start editing my pictures (RAW) in pockets of time, when I get any

Have used Lightroom in the past but because of limited support for locally installed version, looking to move to CaptureOne (also because it comes free as a result of being a Sony shooter)

Until recently, used the ASUS Transformer 3 Pro, i7, 16GB, 256GB SSD. Bought it refurbished but it did not last long. Sent it to ASUS Service and just by looking at it externally, the verdict provided was that the motherboard has fried. Not sure how genuine the inference was, but am wary of buying anything ASUS unless you good people tell me otherwise.

I am an Android / MS guy so an Apple device will be a misfit in my ecosystem.

I have a good IT background but am not a hardware specialist.

Advice Needed:

I think at a minimum I need
- i7 / Ryzen 7
- 16GB RAM
- 256GB SSD

Options being considered

1) Laptop with the above configuration which will be around $1000+. Not sure if I want to spend this kind of money for sporadic use with limited upgrade options. I did note an ASUS laptop with this configuration available at FutuOnline for this price but am wary of buying ASUS again.

2) A Mini PC but the above configuration would cost me $1200+. At least I will be able to upgrade it in due course of time?

3) A Barebones PC - but with the prices I have seen online - don't think I will save much.

4) Get a used PC - I have seen 5 - 7 year old machines with similar configuration (obviously the processor from that time) for around $400-$500. Is it worthwhile burning money on such hardware?

5) Any others I should think of?

Your advise is most appreciated :)

• 

  aoeueoa on 02/11/2021 - 17:17

  +1

  Puget builds systems for this and have tested the hardware extensively. They go over what's best and where you should spend your money if buying new https://www.pugetsystems.com/recommended/Recommended-Systems….

  I think if you're on a budget get a used system with CPU and RAM being the focus. Lightroom doesn't tend to use GPU heavily, though Photoshop does more effectively.

  Figure out your budget absolutely that will dictate what you get.

  • 

    skamalpreet on 03/11/2021 - 08:24

    Thanks aoeueoa. Puget site seems to be a good resource. While I intend to use CaptureOne, a Lightroom analysis is a good indicator, I expect. Thanks for sharing this.

• 

  TheBird on 02/11/2021 - 20:11

  4) Get a used PC - I have seen 5 - 7 year old machines with similar configuration (obviously the processor from that time) for around $400-$500. Is it worthwhile burning money on such hardware?

  Not going to point you in the right direction on the whole thing.

  For second hand, it depends. There's a risk involved with buying a second hand machine. You may pick up a great deal, you may pick up a lemon. You need to consider whether it's worth saving a few bucks for a potentially unstable machine, in which you're going to rely upon to earn your living.

  If you're ok with the risks, go for a second hand machine. If you buy well, you can end up with more bang for buck.

  Personally, I don't pick up second hand equipment that is going to be pushed to its limit. I don't think photo editing pushes a computer that far.

  • 

    skamalpreet on 03/11/2021 - 08:26

    Thanks for your advice TheBird. I don't intend to rely on photography for a living but since it is not going to get too much use, I am mindful of plonking too much money on it.

• 

  GnarlyKnuckles on 02/11/2021 - 22:02

  +1

  Hey Bigbird, re:

  '… in which you're going to rely upon to earn your living'

  I think you misread the OP's post. I don't think he earns a living from photography.

  If I was going to buy a pute specifically for photo editing/processing, I would focus on ensuring that I had a really nice/large monitor, reasonable (but not necessarily brilliant) processing speed, and a very large internal hard drive. I would caution against buying anything '5 to 7 years' old, because most likely it would have no USB 3 port. Or it would have just one, plus a few other USB2 ports. For transferring pics to your pute, you defo' want a USB3 port, and incase one of those ports dies, you defo' want to buy something recent enough to ONLY have (multiple) USB3 ports.

  Lastly, if you end up going for a laptop for whatever reason, may I suggest that you also 'invest' in a wireless keyboard and mouse ($30-$100 depending on what quality you want), and one of those 'multi-USB' things (I forget the proper name, but it's the thing that you plug into one USB port, and it has 4 or more USB ports in an array on the end of a short cord). If you do that, there is no risk that your laptop's keyboard will start to fail (and the wireless keyboard is a lot nicer to use anyways), and there is no risk that you will eventually wear out/destroy any of the laptop's USB ports. Personally I've found that if these two simple steps are taken, the only thing that ever dies on a laptop is the battery. Inevitably that seems to die after a few years, even if it's always plugged in/the battery is never used. Dunno why, maybe someone here can tell me?!?

• 

  skamalpreet on 03/11/2021 - 08:29

  Thanks GnarlyKnuckles.

  I do have a monitor (infact two) and wireless keyboard / mouse. Could definitely use a USB hub. Thank for your advise.