Desktop PC for photo editing

[CMunzel]

Any suggestions on buying a desktop PC for photo editing for under $1000 AU? 

[Black Pearl]

Doesn't need to be OTT so an i5 processor, a reasonable GPU, 8-16Gb of RAM and the most important bit - it absolutely has to have a SSD.

The faster the SSD the faster your system will run and the quicker it will browse/load/save your images.
You could pay. for an i7 but it won't make a huge deal of difference as few image editing apps can make use of all the cores or even the little extra grunt.
Madly expensive GPU's are only useful for gaming and editing complex video streams so don't pay a fortune, just get what the system comes with.
If you regularly edit multi layer complex images in PS then loads of RAM might be handy but for regular stuff you'd rarely if ever exceed 16GB. If its cheap and within budget sling more in but don't compromise something else to get it.
 

Now the other important bit...

Buy the best monitor you can possibly afford for your budget and get a profiler thingy to use with it. There is no point in having a good PC if what you see is wrong.

[CMunzel]

Thanks heaps, BP. I was thinking along these lines so it really helpful to have you confirming what I've picked up from reading reviews. Only one question, what a profiler thingy?

[Phil]

39 minutes ago, CMunzel said:

Only one question, what a profiler thingy?

I'm guessing he's referring to a means of calibrating your monitor (or I could be totally wrong ), I'm using the Spyder 3 (I believe the latest incarnation is the Spyder 5, there are many other manufacturers out there) and it's surprising how much difference they make. I always considered my monitors to be pretty close until I calibrated, then I realised just how blue they had been, now what I see on my screen is what comes back from the printers.
I also feel qualified to comment on how images appear here on the forum knowing my monitor is displaying true colours.

[FUJI]

I took similar advice about a year ago now....my old Windows XP pro was on its last legs..

My advisers including BP understood that my budget was restricted and that I use Photoshop CS6 and Nik- Efex.........After other consultation in our local independent computer shop I went for a very high spec SONY VIAO laptop running Widows 10, that utilises my existing large monitor.....it works on photo processing without a hitch....Well within my budget too.

Cant fault it.

FUJI

[Black Pearl]

8 hours ago, CMunzel said:

Thanks heaps, BP. I was thinking along these lines so it really helpful to have you confirming what I've picked up from reading reviews. Only one question, what a profiler thingy?

Phil beat me to it - get a good screen then calibrate it as it makes editing your shots far easier knowing what you are seeing is right.

[CMunzel]

Thanks BP and Fuji. I ended up purchasing a Dell laptop with a solid state drive. I decided on the laptop - over a desktop - on the advice of the salesperson with expertise in processing large files. Plan to connect it to the 27 monitor I forked out for 6 mths ago. I'll set it up and see about calibrating it. 

[MaryC]

Tell me, does the SSD manufacturer matter, and what is its average cost?

[kev7d]

50 minutes ago, MaryC said:

Tell me, does the SSD manufacturer matter, and what is its average cost?

Are you buying one Mary?   ?

[MaryC]

3 minutes ago, kev7d said:

Are you buying one Mary?

Yes, I think about buying a 512 GB drive
 

[Black Pearl]

Brand isn't particularly important but the connection and therefor drive type is. Your basic drives plug in where the original spinning disc HDD goes and can run at speeds up to 500MB/s - more modern motherboards may also have a M.2 or faster slots that can take very, very high speeds drives with speeds in excess of 10Gbig/s but typically running round 2000-4000MB/s.

[CMunzel]

Correction: my new laptop is a HP. The shop I purchased from said they were moving away from selling desktops as laptops were just as powerful and more portable.