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Question

What computer(s) do you recommend for photoshop painting?

Forum|Forum|12 years ago
May 15, 2013
5 replies
47106 views

Hi,

I have a 4-year Packard Bell laptop computer that running on its last legs. So it's time for me to buy a new computer. I plan on mainly using it for digital painting with photoshop cs6. Therefore a computer that's very compatible with the newest versions of photoshop and graphic tablets like intous 5 is critically important. I am, however, terribly indecisive when it comes to choosing which one as there are so many and I'm not exactly tech savvy. I do have a short list of preferences though, that should help narrow down the dicision-making a bit:

- desktop computer

- large adjustable monitor

- compatible with photoshop cs6 + premium graphic tablets

- no Apple computer

- under $1500

It´s been suggested that I "build" my own computer, however this I do not want to do.

Thanks!

This topic has been closed for replies.

gessoclick

Participant

MissTake Thank you so much! Yes, I don't think I'm going to be designing massive images or using 3D animation. It's good to know that if I shop carefully, I'm not going to accidentally wind up with a computer that just can't handle Photoshop.

I'm glad to hear your computer is still performing well! I will look carefully at the specs you provided. I think part of the reason for my confusion is that I understand the names of the components themselves, but then I see computer specs listed that only give the brand name of the item - it's like seeing "Honda Accord" when the phrase you're looking for is "four-door sedan."

Sorry about the links! The site I've been looking at offers refurbs with a lot of customization, here's the full address: http://www.servermonkey.com/workstations/refurbished-dell-workstations.html

Thank you for the monitor info, I will budget for that as well. Monitors don't typically have comparability issues with various PCs, do they?

I do have a tablet, (not a monitor tablet - saving up for that!) but my 5-year-old secondhand Samsung laptop can barely run Photoshop and the tablet at once.

xtcmax Thanks for your feedback! Yes, at one point I was looking to build, but now I'm really not. The computers I've been looking at offer a lot of customization, which is why I've been asking for so many specifics on components. (The link is above) I just don't have the computer know-how to tinker with a build if something goes wrong!

gener7‌ Thank you! I'm not currently in the market for a build - right now, I'm just trying to learn enough to get a good computer, possibly a customized refurb. Thanks for the link, anyway! Always good to learn more.

xtcmax

Inspiring

Hello.

Basically you are asking for a computer build. I would suggest going to tom's hardware and asking about a build there. It is not like people here don't know anything, but this is photoshop forum and tom's hardware is specifically for PC/Mac tech stuff. I wish you all the best in your search.

p.s. Building your own system is much more rewarding and money saving. It is not hard to do, I built my system for the first time and still using it. But if you absolutely don't want to do it, god speed to you.

Regards,

max.

gessoclick

Participant

I just came across this thread last night. I know this thread is two years old, so I will be amazed if someone responds! I've been doing a lot of research, but I really need advice for getting a computer for painting in Photoshop, as I am not computer savvy.

I've been learning as much as I can about different computer specs, but it's been very slow going. I'm getting a bit muddled, and I just need some pointers/feedback.

I read this post, and did some research. I'm thinking of starting with a refurb Dell. As I searched, I came across this site (and others like it) that allow you to customize your refurb. Is this a good place to start, or should I buy a more recent workstation (refurb, with warranty) from Dell and then adjust where it might be lacking (such as RAM). I would take it to a local computer shop and have them put the parts in, both to maintain the warranty and because I cannot do it myself. Is it okay to buy older, even two-year old computers? I know to look for a computer than has room for expansions/upgrades. Could I theoretically get an older computer and upgrade certain parts? (e.g. the processor?)

I really have quite a limited budget, $800. (not including peripherals) From what I read on this thread that is no where near enough, but maybe it's a start. Someone did put together a custom build for my purposes that landed around $800 (OS included) but a build makes me nervous as I do not want to spend hours tinkering with it if some mysterious thing goes wrong.

I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but I would really appreciate some advice on this!

Thank you to anyone who responds!

War Unicorn

Community Expert

Where Photoshop is concerned: RAM, RAM, and more RAM. That'll be your benchmark. A two-year-old system would be fine as long as it was bleeding edge when it was first released. (See my RAM comment at the beginning.)

I would imagine you wouldn't command too much from Photoshop unless you're going to gigapixel-size documents, especially where painting is concerned.

gessoclick

Participant

Thank you! This is exactly what I need: to know what to look for.

So if I get an older (but good) refurb, can I update the RAM, or is that something that gets glued onto the motherboard and can't be switched? (my ignorance is exposed!)

This is why I am attracted to the customizable refurbs. The only issue is that I could switch out many parts upon ordering. Is there a heriarchy of parts importance? I keep hearing that the processor, power supply, and (as you said) RAM.

Here's another refurbished Dell with customizable components: The Dell Online Store: Build Your System‌ (and the one I linked to in my last post is even more customizable, as far as I understand)

I'm going to keep searching around, see what last year's highly-rated workstations are going for price-wise now.

EDIT: I've been looking at the Dell Precicion line, hoping to customize it here. There's the T7500 and the T5500 that seem like they can really be outfitted nicely. I'm not able to find out when these computers where new, or reviews from when they came out. Even searching the model name and "release date" has yeilded little information. One site seemed to say the T7500 came out in 2014, while another article about it is dated 2009. I couldn't find dates on the official Dell site, either. Hmm...

davidc1815

Legend

I do a lot of natural media simulation photo painting and free brushing with both CS6 and Painter 12 and the key thing in painting is the speed with which brush strokes render. It can be agonisingly slow working on a highish res image with a mid to large brush. I found that the key components are the cpu and motherboard, OS/programs' hdd, graphics card, and memory. I am sure there are lots of components and configurations that will work well but I can say for sure that an Intel 3770K, Asus P8Z77-V Deluxe, 256Gb Crucial SSD for OS and programs, Asus GTX 660, and 32Gb of ram give me a very satisfactory speed with painting and applying filters. Brush lag is really irritating and it's worth spending the money to avoid this as far as possible.

Noel Carboni

Legend

Some parts of the painting process are single-threaded (not hard to imagine why), and so single core speed is quite important. That's why the newest processors, e.g., i7-3770K and E5-2640, are good for this.

Interestingly, JJ's and my single core speed are almost on par, with JJ's being about 2% faster. The i7-3770K single core speed is up to 70% faster.

-Noel

S

SquirrelMonkey88Author

Participating Frequently

Here I am again. I've been chatting with some sales experts on the Dell site. 3 to be exact. The first 2 recommended I should buy the XPS 8700. The last one recommended me the Precision T1650 with these specs:

Processor: four core, XEON E3-1225 v2 (3.2Ghz)

Memory: 16GB, non-ECC

Graphics: NVIDIA quadro NVS 510, 2GB

This with a subtotal of $1213.

What do you guys think? I know it's well under $2000-$2500 but she said it's still very good for the applications I will use for it.

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

I'd be thinking in terms of a well balanced system. There is no point in throwing half your budget at the CPU, for instance, if that leaves you short of RAM and with a poor choice of graphics card. Make sure you have at least 1Gb of RAM on your graphics card to make use of GPU accelerated features. I guess 2Gb might be better, (but I only have a 1Gb GTX570 on a high end system). 16Gb RAM seems to be the way to go nowadays, but at least 8Gb. CS6 will use all the cores you throw at it, so four core (eight thread) minimum. (I'm a year out of touch with CPUs) At least a midi tower, but full tower would be better. >750W gold standard PSU. SSD for OS and program files; a drive reserved for Photoshop scratch space, and drive(s) for data.

A good idea might be a pair of 1Tb drives on a raid0 for data, and a single 2Tb drive for backup. I use Shadow Protect, and it has saved my ass twice in the last year or so.

Noel Carboni

Legend

Your budget and the desire to build a high-end graphics editing system are a little at odds ($1500 is tight, especially if you need a monitor). You may need to push that up a bit, espeically if you want to make your machine a bit future-proof.

Just something to think about - an out-of-the-box idea might be to do what I do... Get a used high-end workstation from eBay. Last generation's workstation class machines (example, Dell Precision), populated with the high-end components of their era, come off lease all the time and they still outperform almost everything else. You can get a surprising value this way if you shop a bit, make yourself familiar with what's available, and wait for a good deal. With a little luck you can even get a manufacturer's warranty.

-Noel

S

SquirrelMonkey88Author

Participating Frequently

Hmm, I did not expect my budget would be "tight" for a pc of my desire. I guess I could push it up a bit, though I won't buying one then anytime soon. I've also been having second thoughts about building my own. What do you think? Will it give me more bang for my buck? And how does it work exactly? I'm hesitant about it because my father once bought a computer from a guy who builds his own computers and we've always had problems with it and it broke down early in its lifetime.

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