Computer specs recommendation

[Clide]

I need to upgrade my existing computer; I am a PC guy (I could never get comfortable with the excellent Apple products in the past). I currently have the A7 IV and shoot in RAW. I will add a second higher resolution camera in the near future. I post process with Lightroom, lightroom classic and photoshop. I also use Topaz AI. Can I get some recommendations on CPU, RAM (64 GB), Storage and hard drive capacity. I am also going to add NAS for backup and storage. Thank in advance for your suggestions.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Are you going with a laptop or desktop? I ask because laptops like my Microsoft Surface Pro often make do with an integrated GPU, but I believe you'd get much better performance with a dedicated graphics card. Better in this case would mean faster processing of de-noise and other rendering as required by your editing software. I feel like it might also speed up the export of jpgs? or maybe that's just processor and ram usage.

 

[Roland]

I use Capture One only and was only concern about the graphics card. I bought a $1,200 gaming computer and have no problems with my A7iv raw pictures. Every change I make is shown instantaneous. It came with a 500GB SSD card for the the software and I am using external HD to store the pictures.
I also use an additional hard drive to store the pictures off site.

 

[iamdlewis]

Desktop
Processor = i9 or Ryzen 9 > i7 or Ryzen 7
GPU = dedicated > integrated
RAM = at least 32
Upgrade order: 1) CPU family - 2) RAM amount and speed - 3) GPU - 4) CPU clock speed
Hard drives = SSD on motherboard will be the fastest and most have this option now but this would be used for your OS and software not image storage. SSD on card slots will be next fastest but also very expensive and I don't personally believe this is worth the cost (few have this as options). SSD vs HD for secondary storage - I went SSD for my most recent desktop, it is faster than 7800rpm HD drives but only really for first loading into editing software. I can't tell the difference between files on the SSD vs those in my NAS using 7800rpm drives.

With a desktop as long as your case is large enough you can increase processing later by adding a second or upgrading the GPU down the line.

Laptop
Basically the same as above but obviously more limited. Here the GPU being dedicated may actually be worth more than a CPU family. Your choices tend to be far more limiting but Gaming laptops generally are the preferred for image editing.

Either case I would suggest at least 1T of internal storage (that is actually 951GB of space).

I have a desktop for primary and actually a super cheap laptop that is basically a USB hub device for my trips (I don't even bother doing editing). I was using a laptop previously but I just found that I had too many external devices (mouse, keyboard, headset, joystick and external drives) to make using it effective.

NAS = Synology DS923+

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

As much RAM as you can afford and an SSD, that's the basic recipe for anything running PS

 

[Landshark99]

I only use macs but I agree i would get a min of a 1tb internal drive, but better still something larger not to store images but to give your PS more room to operate in.

 

[iamdlewis]

You should not use SSD as backup drives, they have a higher fail rate and are more difficult or impossible to recover from if they do fail. Given we are entering in the shopping season there will probably be a large capacity WD Elements External drive at some great price.

 

[Clide]

Are you going with a laptop or desktop? I ask because laptops like my Microsoft Surface Pro often make do with an integrated GPU, but I believe you'd get much better performance with a dedicated graphics card. Better in this case would mean faster processing of de-noise and other rendering as required by your editing software. I feel like it might also speed up the export of jpgs? or maybe that's just processor and ram usage.

Desk top

 

[Clide]

Thanks everybody. I am looking at Intel i9 13900 K CPU, 64 GB of RAM, NVIDA Geforce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB GPU 1 TB NVE Gen4 M.2 SSD primary drive and 4 TB NVMe PCLe Gen 4 M.2 SSD secondary drive. I am adding a NAS system. I will have the capability of adding additional drive in the future if I need it. I think that set up will last a few years even if I decide to go with A 7 RV or the A1. Thanks for your help!

 

[Landshark99]

I use very two 14tb hds for my total storage, 2 4tb hds for computer backup and 4tb or 2 tb ssds external for work flow temp storage, and 2tb on in the computer for a work space. I have had pretty good luck with ssds, and have had maybe three hard drive total failures over the last whatever number of years. Even though we all forget it is always better to have multiple backups.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Thanks everybody. I am looking at Intel i9 13900 K CPU, 64 GB of RAM, NVIDA Geforce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB GPU 1 TB NVE Gen4 M.2 SSD primary drive and 4 TB NVMe PCLe Gen 4 M.2 SSD secondary drive. I am adding a NAS system. I will have the capability of adding additional drive in the future if I need it. I think that set up will last a few years even if I decide to go with A 7 RV or the A1. Thanks for your help!

You're well covered then!

 

[Clide]

I use very two 14tb hds for my total storage, 2 4tb hds for computer backup and 4tb or 2 tb ssds external for work flow temp storage, and 2tb on in the computer for a work space. I have had pretty good luck with ssds, and have had maybe three hard drive total failures over the last whatever number of years. Even though we all forget it is always better to have multiple backups.

Great advice, I also back up with a cloud service along with a 4TB Lacie and a 4 TB SSD on my current system. My 2 internal drives are filling up and the post processing is slowing down so I want to be proactive and upgrade before I experience significant problems. Thanks for your help.

 

[Roland]

I would not store my pictures on just one hard drive. My first computer class 30 years ago, our teacher pushed us to purchase a very expensive external hard drive and never stored any documents on the computer itself. I never leave town without at least one of my hard drives (now they are SSDs) with all my documents and at least all jpg pictures. Living in California in wildfire country, you get paranoid.

 

[AlphaWorld]

My strongest recommendation is to keep the system drive for the OS and software, and use other drives for your images. Wearing out your system drive is a pain - wearing out secondary drives much less so.

At the moment I'm using a 4TB external SSD for my working image store (2TB is plenty if you aren't addicted to an A1 on Hi or Hi+, or buying an A9 III). I load from card to the external SSD, back up to magnetic storage, then work on the external SSD. When I'm done, everything is backed to external magnetic drives for backup, and a NAS box for long term access (The NAS is an 8 drive box holding 8TB drives in RAID 6). On a Mac I'd like to use a Thunderbolt attached NAS, but those are still very expensive (I'm looking at one which is >$5k before you add drives...). I'm using magnetic storage for my backups and long-term storage, but SSD for all work space.

In a non-Mac environment (I have swapped back and forth between Mac and PC over the years) I have used SATA attached SSDs inside the machine as secondary drives - no need to use external SSDs. SATA SSD is fast enough for image store, although if you have enough M2 slots, an NVMe drive would be faster. Primary / system drive in a Windows box these days would always be M2.

I agree, I'd rate RAM >= 32GB a good (I have 64GB at the moment, but that's on a Mac where it's shared between system and graphics). Some level of GPU is good, but I would not install a loud gamer card - a mid-range card is probably plenty.

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Thanks everybody. I am looking at Intel i9 13900 K CPU, 64 GB of RAM, NVIDA Geforce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB GPU 1 TB NVE Gen4 M.2 SSD primary drive and 4 TB NVMe PCLe Gen 4 M.2 SSD secondary drive. I am adding a NAS system. I will have the capability of adding additional drive in the future if I need it. I think that set up will last a few years even if I decide to go with A 7 RV or the A1. Thanks for your help!

That will get the job done.

 

[Clide]

My strongest recommendation is to keep the system drive for the OS and software, and use other drives for your images. Wearing out your system drive is a pain - wearing out secondary drives much less so.

At the moment I'm using a 4TB external SSD for my working image store (2TB is plenty if you aren't addicted to an A1 on Hi or Hi+, or buying an A9 III). I load from card to the external SSD, back up to magnetic storage, then work on the external SSD. When I'm done, everything is backed to external magnetic drives for backup, and a NAS box for long term access (The NAS is an 8 drive box holding 8TB drives in RAID 6). On a Mac I'd like to use a Thunderbolt attached NAS, but those are still very expensive (I'm looking at one which is >$5k before you add drives...). I'm using magnetic storage for my backups and long-term storage, but SSD for all work space.

In a non-Mac environment (I have swapped back and forth between Mac and PC over the years) I have used SATA attached SSDs inside the machine as secondary drives - no need to use external SSDs. SATA SSD is fast enough for image store, although if you have enough M2 slots, an NVMe drive would be faster. Primary / system drive in a Windows box these days would always be M2.

I agree, I'd rate RAM >= 32GB a good (I have 64GB at the moment, but that's on a Mac where it's shared between system and graphics). Some level of GPU is good, but I would not install a loud gamer card - a mid-range card is probably plenty.

Your PC and NAS set up is exactly what I am trying to do. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[iamdlewis]

For a NAS I can recommend the Synology DS923+ it is a 4 bay but also stackable.

In the NAS I only backup the RAW files. I backup JPEGs to a couple external drives and also to Amazon Photos since you get unlimited image storage with Prime membership (and easy to share from there).

I don't have the natural disaster worry that others have and with a full house sprinkler system not as worried about a fire.

 

[Clide]

For a NAS I can recommend the Synology DS923+ it is a 4 bay but also stackable.

In the NAS I only backup the RAW files. I backup JPEGs to a couple external drives and also to Amazon Photos since you get unlimited image storage with Prime membership (and easy to share from there).

I don't have the natural disaster worry that others have and with a full house sprinkler system not as worried about a fire.

David, yes to the Synology, I am comparing it with the QNAP. I have not settled on the specific model. I will check out Amazon photos as I am not familiar with that. I am a prime member. I am currently backing up to the cloud with Carbonite. May I ask you folks are you Pro photographers, what are you doing with your photos, printing, selling or being the best photographers, you can be? I am glad I asked the question the feedback has been very enlightening! Thanks

 

[Landshark99]

I was a pro for over 40 years and have lost count on how many negs, transparencies and prints stored in file cabinets, as well as digital files stored in a closet full of 8tb hard drives. Now I just shoot for me. so I am not interested in selling or printing for others, I do print here and there with my large format print, displaying them in the house.

 

[Clide]

I was a pro for over 40 years and have lost count on how many negs, transparencies and prints stored in file cabinets, as well as digital files stored in a closet full of 8tb hard drives. Now I just shoot for me. so I am not interested in selling or printing for others, I do print here and there with my large format print, displaying them in the house.

Thanks!

 

[AlphaWorld]

For a NAS I can recommend the Synology DS923+ it is a 4 bay but also stackable.

In the NAS I only backup the RAW files. I backup JPEGs to a couple external drives and also to Amazon Photos since you get unlimited image storage with Prime membership (and easy to share from there).

I don't have the natural disaster worry that others have and with a full house sprinkler system not as worried about a fire.

My primary NAS is a Synology 1821 with the addition of a 10GbE card (the Mac Studio comes with 10GbE natively).

 

[DaveC Oz]

Reviving an older thread. My current gaming laptop is really starting to struggle with my photo editing needs, so I have decided on an upgrade. Over the past few years I have grown increasingly frustrated with Microsoft's constant defaulting to their own products/services. If it was just a matter of setting defaults and file structure etc. up when initialising a computer, then I could live with it. But every few months the windows upgrade will totally ignore previous set-ups and sneak in its own defaults, not to mention Windows as an advertising platform.

Okay rant over, I have made the decision to move to an Apple M4 Pro Mac Mini, my question for the Apple users here is how to spec it. The base M4 Pro has 24gb of memory & 512gb storage internal. My thinking is to raise this to 48gb memory & 1tb of internal storage, supplemented by an Acasis TB1201 SSD hub (already ordered). My software is On1 Photo Raw 2024, and Affinity Photo 2. I would appreciate any feedback on the spec.

 

[iamdlewis]

Over the past few years I have grown increasingly frustrated with Microsoft's constant defaulting to their own products/services. If it was just a matter of setting defaults and file structure etc. up when initialising a computer, then I could live with it. But every few months the windows upgrade will totally ignore previous set-ups and sneak in its own defaults, not to mention Windows as an advertising platform.

I don't know what settings you have but I don't have that issue. Anyway I guess you won't have that issue with Apple because there really isn't any other options with them. Just before you dump the PC for gaming Apple as a gaming system has gotten better but that is still kind of like saying it is better to have a car with 3 flat tires instead of 4.

 

[DaveC Oz]

I don't know what settings you have but I don't have that issue. Anyway I guess you won't have that issue with Apple because there really isn't any other options with them. Just before you dump the PC for gaming Apple as a gaming system has gotten better but that is still kind of like saying it is better to have a car with 3 flat tires instead of 4.

Not using the current system for gaming, the only reason for the gaming laptop was to get the graphics/ processor power I wanted. I also don't want one drive, or office. After initial set-up I don't have any real problems maintaining my configuration, however my wife is more inclined to just click whichever button gets rid of pop-ups quickest

 

[Richard A]

I am a long time Mac user and I'm actually a qualified Mac technician. Not that you can do much to them these days but that's beside the point. If it was me, I'd just go with the 24GB RAM but upgrading to 48GB will future proof it more I guess. I definitely wouldn't upgrade the storage. I would spend that money on a large, fast, external drive. I have moved my users/Movies, Music and Pictures folders (the ones that take up all the space) to my external drive. Once you get your system I can show you how to do this so that it is seamless, if you wish. I have an M2 Max Mac Studio with 32GB Ram (the minimum) and 512GB internal storage, which is only about half full. I do however have a 2TB fast external drive which I use pretty much exclusively for Photoshop Scratch.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.

 

[DaveC Oz]

Thanks for the feedback Richard, I think I'll probably stick with the 48GB option and use the storage upgrade budget for a 4tb ssd in the hub. I'm almost certain 24gb of memory would be okay for now but it seems like a wise move to cover my possible needs into the future. I have dabbled a bit with my daughters Macbooks but I'm certain that the learning curve will be steep, so I'm afraid you may end up getting some dumb questions from me as I switch over. I'm currently trying to sell some of my APSC gear to partially fund the new set-up

 

[Richard A]

I have dabbled a bit with my daughters Macbooks but I'm certain that the learning curve will be steep, so I'm afraid you may end up getting some dumb questions from me as I switch over.

That's no problem at all. I'm happy to help.