Hi Greg,
Are you looking for advice on ready made computers such as those supplied by Apple, Dell, HP, or do you want to receive advice on the components of a possible system? I assume the latter and will try to reply accordingly.
For a computer that will just do photo processing (DAM, Editing, Publishing), certain components of the system are crucial:
Processor:
Go for an Intel Core 2 Duo processor based system, they are currently the fastest processors and beat AMD processors hands down in many (if not almost all) benchmarks. Their prices are relatively cheap compared to the value and performance they deliver. I reckon that a E6400 (which is running on a clock speed of 2,13 GHz with a 2MB L2-cache) should be more than enough for regular photo editing activities. If you are going to (batch) process 100s of RAW files in one go and the timing is important, then go for a E6600 instead. E6700 is only marginally faster (plus 0.23 GHz) but costs 200 bucks more so I don’t recommend it.
Memory:
Normally, for a system like this, 2 GB of main memory is sufficient. If you want to open many files in Adobe and process them using many layers, the memory requirements grow exponentially. In that case, it is wiser to go for 4GB (depending on your motherboard, try using 2x2GB sticks instead of 4x1GB ones with extension in the future in mind). Mind you, if you are going to run Windows XP (32-bit version) on the PC then the applications will only see up to 3 GB (after using a tweak in the registry). If you will be running XP-64 or later Vista, then there are no limits.
Graphics Card:
Any decent, middle of the road graphics card will give you excellent results, as long as it has 2xDVI outputs. I’d recommend something like GeForce 7600 GS or 7600 GT cards with 256 MB memory. If you choose a “silent” version, you can even reduce the noise of the system a bit.
Hard disks:
This is where it gets nasty. How large is your data, and do you want to keep all of it on-line in this system? What kind of backup schemes you’ll be putting into use? Are the limitations as to the acceptable noise and heat generated by the system? So the answers will vary.
For a middle-of-the-road solution, I’d recommend using 2 SATA drives, 300-500 GB capacity each. If your space requirements are not that high, you might consider running the drives in RAID-1 configuration (mirrored). This does still not relieve you of the obligation of making off-line backups though
.
For a really high end solution, get yourself a decent RAID card with an on-board processor. I recommend among others cards from Areca, LSI Logic or HighPoint Rocket Raid (which does not have an independent processor but is fast enough). If you are on a tight budget, consider using the RAID controller of your motherboard, but beware that they won’t deliver top performance with RAID 10 , 5 or 6 (which is mostly not available anyway).
Next buy 2xRaptor 10,000 RPM drives and install them as RAID 1 for your OS.
For the data, buy 4 (plus) x SATA disks with capacities of 300 GB or more. You can combine them either as RAID 10 (faster, but the capacity is lower) or RAID 5 (slower, but less loss of capacity).
If you go for the high-end solution, you should also pay attention to other factors such as:
- the PC/server case/enclosure (big tower, lots of room, air flow, etc)
- Adequate cooling
- Power supply with enough capacity to provide stability
- Noise reduction
- Optional power surge device or UPS
Monitor:
1 x 24” (plus) LCD Monitor with 1900x1200 resolution or
2x 20” (plus) LCD Monitors with 1680x1050 (plus) resolutions
Pay attention to the fact that not all LCDs allow you to calibrate them. Also, the capability of displaying a wide gamut of colours, providing even lighting and good contrast, showing neutral colours, etc, are rather important, as you possibly know already
.
Well, I guess this is it for the time being. Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Cem
Edited to replace "Seagate Barracuda 10,000 RPM" with "Raptor 10,000 RPM". It must have been a momentary lapse of reason
