Newish computer time. Help me out photo mags.

Im a computer JONG especially when it comes to photos. What am I looking for? What should I avoid? Ive been a PC user most of my life but am also familiar with macs. Im by no means looking for a fancy super high dollar computer but Im starting to try and take some better photos and work with RAW so something that can run lightroom and something that can import/export lots of big files quickly. Ive got an external harddrive for storage so no worries there. My budget is probably around 1K but could go slightly more if need be. New or used is ok with me unless there is some reason I should stay away from used.

Edit to add: If it makes a difference I dont really shoot or edit any video. See the post below

I would try to find a 21.5" iMac, either past models or a refurb will bring you close to 1K but you probably will have to go over a little bit. I'd try to either get an ssd or fusion drive if it's the new one other than that you should be fine with the basic since you can buy of the shelf ram down the road!

Apple usually have some refurbs and you might be able to find past models as well! That's what I would look for...

If you go apple, check out the refurb option. It will usually save you at least $100.

I was in the same boat as you, and just built up a PC. I've got a Canon point and shoot that I loaded CHDK on so I could shoot in RAW. I'm also editing in Lightroom. If you're familiar with PCs and don't mind building a machine you could probably put together a quality machine for under $800. Building a machine really isn't hard at all.

Look into picking up an IPS monitor to use for editing, Newegg just had some 23" LP IPS monitors for $160. I also would recommend an SSD, you can go with a smaller one if you're storing all your media on external drives, the crucial M4's get pretty good ratings. For just editing photos you don't need something ridiculous, and with anything newer that you're building you will have room to upgrade in the future.

http://www.newegg.com/DIY-PC-SuperCo...ionStore/ID-33

i5-3570, 16gb ram, 128gb SSD type build with a good monitor like the Dell u2412m should keep you pretty close to a grand if you shop the sales. I'm about to buy something pretty similar and am debating between building and buying complete - price seems like a wash at this range. Self build would take some time, but I like the idea of having a clean OS without the preinstalled garbage.

Spend your money on a sick monitor! Any mid-range PC ought to suit your needs as far as processing power is concerned...

Oy! Thanks for the responses so far. My dumbass hadn't even thought about the monitor. Ill edit the OP but I should have mentioned this as well. I dont really do anything with video at the moment. Maybe in the future (since it does interest me but Ill stick with learning one thing at a time) but it is unimportant to me as of right now.

Edit: The more I think about it I could go with a desktop and just use the laptop I have for traveling and such.

It's too bad you're restricting yourself to a laptop because I've never seen a laptop with a good monitor (maybe Apple makes one?) and the monitor is the most important piece for photo editing. Getting a calibrated wide gamut monitor made a huge difference to my pictures. So, I think I'd buy a good monitor and look for the best combo of processor + RAM I could find at the lowest price, unless Apple makes something that meets your needs. Obviously I don't know shit about Apple, but Lightroom isn't a hugely processor/RAM intensive program so any midrange Windows laptop should meet your needs.

A GOOD monitor will exhaust your budget or be over. Apple in the recent past has made laptops with very good monitors. If you can, get matte instead of glossy, IMHO.

Also, photo editing apps are not proc heavy and don't use multiple cores. People need to start realizing hardware is so far ahead of software it isn't funny. You could buy the cheapest Mac mini, throw some more ram in it and have a screaming machine for photo editing. Hell, my MBP is 5 years old and it doesn't process photos any slower than my hexacore with 32GB.

OK. You want a laptop.
How big a screen do you want?
Do you care how much the thing weighs?
Will you be carrying this around or will it sit at home?
Do you care about battery life?
You aren't doing video so you don't need a super fast machine.

If you aren't too picky about the screen you won't need to spend anywhere near $1000 if you don't want to.

Take a look at online reviews for what they say about how the screen looks.

Do you have access to a shop with lots of laptops to look at? Bring some of your photos on a USB drive and compare the screens. See if you can tell the difference between them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by systemoverblow'd

A GOOD monitor will exhaust your budget or be over. ...

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I paid just over $600 for this Dell 2412 and borrowed a Spyder 3 from a guy I know. Shouldn't need to spend more than $400 on a laptop because what you said about hardware vs. software is absolutely right. You can get IPS monitors a lot cheaper than that if you're willing to go the Korean Ebay route. Just not sure if they're wide-gamut or not.

Of course, if Apple has the all-in-one solution then that's not a bad way to go, but a 24" monitor kicks any laptop monitor's ass.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chainsaw_Willie

I paid just over $600 for this Dell 2412 and borrowed a Spyder 3 from a guy I know. Shouldn't need to spend more than $400 on a laptop because what you said about hardware vs. software is absolutely right. You can get IPS monitors a lot cheaper than that if you're willing to go the Korean Ebay route. Just not sure if they're wide-gamut or not.

Of course, if Apple has the all-in-one solution then that's not a bad way to go, but a 24" monitor kicks any laptop monitor's ass.

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Those are dope monitors. I use the 24"s at work. I have the 27" with the spyder on my home edit system. I can't recommend them highly enough. Dell makes a whole lot of crap but their Ultrasharps are the balls.

If I had $2300 for a monitor I would get the HP Dreamcolor. But the Ultrasharps are pretty damn good. NEC makes some banger panels as well for some more dough.

I was simply commenting on the portability factor. Most consumer laptops can't come close to the displays Apple uses in their laps. But, if you are spending bank than you can get some good screen on lappy's. But bang-for-the-buck, contrary to popular belief, Apple is the way to go. And you can run windoze on it if you really care about that awful OS.

work:
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...17011956_n.jpg

home:
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...77565531_n.jpg

If I didn't care about portability I would max out the base macmini and get a 24" ultrasharp.

Damn, I thought I was cool cuz I had two monitors.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kidwoo

Damn, I thought I was cool cuz I had two monitors.

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If I didn't have a dedicated HD video viewing screen I would only use 2 as well. It's great for seeing action/title safe and seeing how other assholes would view your video for broadcast. Two monitors are always active and the TVs are only active when editing video.

Another must-have for a photography setup is some sort of screen calibration tool like a spyder. Can't emphasize enough how important a well-calibrated screen is.

Thanks guys. I think Ive got enough to go out into the world with. Of course, Any suggestions are still welcome.

Edit : Thoughts? http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00B16...410412&sr=1-14

Looks like ill probably pick up a 24inch ultrasharp too.