What specs should I be looking for?

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pihadave

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#140946 25-Feb-2014 09:24

Hi there,

I'm new to this forum and a complete amateur when it comes to computer specs. My partner has just started a business and she needs a computer that can run Photoshop for BASIC photo editing etc (nothing intense) and she doesn't want to spend much..

Could someone advise what specs we should be looking out for in a computer / laptop?

timmmay

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#993875 25-Feb-2014 09:31

i3 minimum, i5 preferred. 8GB RAM is enough, 4GB might struggle slightly, 16GB is probably overkill for basic workl. Ideally an SSD for OS and such, but not necessary. Basically anything modern will run photoshop.

pihadave

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Wannabe Geek

#993881 25-Feb-2014 09:37

Awesome! Thanks! At least now I know what I should be looking for!

timmmay

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#993887 25-Feb-2014 09:41

No worries. Some laptops have a small SSD in addition to a hard drive, or a hybrid drive. That helps the OS and programs load quickly, but won't help much with Photoshop performance. With basic editing though disk performance isn't that important, so long as you have enough RAM.

I use an i7 with 16GB of RAM, two SSDs, three disks, but I edit a LOT of photos using CS6 Bridge and CS6 Photoshop.

If you're processing large numbers of images my recommendation would be different - the SSD would be important, and 16GB RAM.

Desktops are obviously faster for the same money, and you get better monitors.

Ragnor

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#994011 25-Feb-2014 11:50

It's usually better to determine a budget of how much you want to spend max then you can spec the best bang for buck you can within that budget.

Batman

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#994273 25-Feb-2014 16:50

The limiting factor for any modern system running Intel i-something is always a spinning hard disk. Ssd will make your computer run like a dream. But systems that come with ssd are expensive. I would but whatever i-something system you want (preferably i5) and then clone your disk onto ssd for bugger all cost

timmmay

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#994277 25-Feb-2014 17:08

Once an image is loaded disk isn't an issue. Generally even with a slow disk if you're doing significant editing loading is a few seconds, editing is a few minutes. Saving 1.5 seconds is irrelevant in that workflow.

My workflow with 2000+ images per batch saving 1.5 seconds per image is really significant.