Author Topic: Good PC for handling Lightroom 4 (UK) (Read 17537 times)

Phadrea · « **on:** March 27, 2013, 11:40 »

I am in the UK and need to upgrade my PC fast as I want to get Lightroom 4. Currently I have a Medion 2004 model running Windows XP with 1 gig ram. It's slooooooooooow and blue screen shut downs here and there. I may also want to work with video editing in the future pending new camera.

I have been looking at this model as it just over my budget of £400. Would this be good ?

http://www.ebuyer.com/443461-zoostorm-pro-sff-desktop-pc-7873-0357

Thanks.

vlad_the_imp · « **Reply #1 on:** March 27, 2013, 11:49 »

I'm a Mac user so I'm not too up on PC's, but I do note it says 'on-board integrated graphics', I had a feeling that wasn't as good as a good graphics card, or am I completely misunderstanding the specs? Ebuyer are a good place to buy though, good service.

microstockphoto.co.uk · « **Reply #2 on:** March 27, 2013, 12:04 »

Lightroom 4 works perfectly well (and fast) on my Lenovo M82 which has similar specs:

2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i3 -2120 (3.30GHz)
14 GB ram
Windows 7 Pro 64bit

Yours is an even newer generation: Intel Core 3rd Generation

So I'd say it's fine

Regarding Lightroom, I just bought v.4 and image quality - even after heavy processing - is stunning, better than (already good) previous versions. Said from a Corel user, but especially impressed by this particular Adobe product.

Phadrea · « **Reply #3 on:** March 27, 2013, 12:18 »

Oh good as I have been editing all my shots since 2006 on Raw Shooter Essentials. Hey, it might even make my D200 images look good after all without having to buy a new camera

sharpshot · « **Reply #4 on:** March 27, 2013, 14:46 »

Quote from: vlad_the_imp on March 27, 2013, 11:49

I'm a Mac user so I'm not too up on PC's, but I do note it says 'on-board integrated graphics', I had a feeling that wasn't as good as a good graphics card, or am I completely misunderstanding the specs? Ebuyer are a good place to buy though, good service.

I agree, a dedicated graphics card is much better than integrated graphics. Ebuyer are great. I would either buy that PC and put in a graphics card or get one that has a dedicated graphics card.

LesHoward · « **Reply #5 on:** March 27, 2013, 15:07 »

I'm running Lightroom 4 on a 24 inch iMac (3.06 GHz/4GB memory/1TB internal HD+1TB external USB HD) I bought new in May, 2009. I have no issues with it.

Maybe you could find something like that on the used market at a fair price. I use the external hard drive to backup raw photos and my LR catalog.

Make sure you save your LR catalog on the internal HD and put a backup copy of it on the external drive as well - you set that up when you Quit LR.

Phadrea · « **Reply #6 on:** March 27, 2013, 15:41 »

I nearly did buy that PC on Ebuyer but held back after reading terrible review after terrible review on service, postage and non refunds. Wide berth I will give. Back to drawing board $:-\$

shotupdave · « **Reply #7 on:** March 27, 2013, 16:11 »

Quote from: Herg on March 27, 2013, 15:41

I nearly did buy that PC on Ebuyer but held back after reading terrible review after terrible review on service, postage and non refunds. Wide berth I will give. Back to drawing board $:-\$

For a non computer person I always suggest a name brand computer. The problem with many clone companies is the come and go like weather.

Phadrea · « **Reply #8 on:** March 28, 2013, 04:38 »

This is even cheaper, bigger hard drive ?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoostorm-7877-0095-Premium-i5-2320-Windows/dp/B006ZINMP6/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1364463281&sr=1-3#productDetails

Beppe Grillo · « **Reply #9 on:** March 28, 2013, 04:41 »

Whatever you will buy put a maximum of RAM on it!

shudderstok · « **Reply #10 on:** March 28, 2013, 04:47 »

I've been a fan of Dell for years. The XPS series is great. I even do all my video editing on this PC.

microstockphoto.co.uk · « **Reply #11 on:** March 28, 2013, 05:00 »

I bought my last PCs from LambaTek in the UK (No affiliation with them - but great service and choice of brands, so I thought I'd let you know)

vlad_the_imp · « **Reply #12 on:** March 28, 2013, 05:11 »

Quote

I nearly did buy that PC on Ebuyer but held back after reading terrible review after terrible review on service, postage and non refunds.

I've used ebuyer a number of times, based on their customer service reputation and always had great service. You can find bad reviews of just about any company if you look online.

Here's a quote from PC Advisor magazine

Quote

Ebuyer has an excellent reputation for customer service, we see very few complaints about the company in our forum

If you want the best service and face to face contact, use John Lewis.

http://www.johnlewis.com/electricals/desktop-pcs/c60000874

sharpshot · « **Reply #13 on:** March 28, 2013, 05:27 »

I've used Ebuyer for years and they've always been great. I built my own PC with components I bought from them a few years ago. Saved a lot of money and was good fun. Unfortunately I messed up the heat sink and my processor fried but that was my fault. I'll probably build my own again next time I need one.

rubyroo · « **Reply #14 on:** March 28, 2013, 05:44 »

Quote from: shudderstok on March 28, 2013, 04:47

I've been a fan of Dell for years. The XPS series is great. I even do all my video editing on this PC.

I'd vote for Dell too. My last four PCs have all been Dells and never had a problem with any of them.

@ the OP, you might want to look at the prices here. Cheaper prices lower down the page, but (if the site's still the same as last time I used it) you have to click through to make your choices and assemble the PC as you want it.. so keep an eye on the changing price as you go along:

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/desktops.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&ref=hpt4&s=dhs

Phadrea · « **Reply #15 on:** March 28, 2013, 05:44 »

So between the ebuyer PC and Amazon which would be the best ?

gostwyck · « **Reply #16 on:** March 28, 2013, 06:22 »

I recommend you find a local PC repairer/builder, either operating from home or small shop. Upgrading the PC to modern standards by swapping a couple of components is likely to be far cheaper than a complete new PC. You'll also get good advice too.

When my PC fried it's motherboard a few years ago that's what I did. Having a new PC built by the local chap turned out to be significantly cheaper than slightly lower-specced models from on-line retailers like Evesham, Mesh and Dell.

Interestingly both Evesham and Mesh, at the time two of the biggest PC suppliers in the UK, went bust a year or two later.

I've since had the PC upgraded twice by the same chap, again for a fraction of the cost of a new PC. Last year my PC was invaded by a virus which somehow got through my protection. It was good to have an expert on hand to deal with it and be up and running again within 24 hours, with the PC slightly upgraded at the same time.

Phadrea · « **Reply #17 on:** March 28, 2013, 08:02 »

I appreciate what you say but as my machine is so old it's not worth upgrading, pretty impossible to get it anywhere near the spec to run Lightroom, let alone run windows 7. A totally new machine is my only option.

This is why I am suspicious of buying from Ebuyer

http://www.trustpilot.co.uk/review/www.ebuyer.com

sharpshot · « **Reply #18 on:** March 28, 2013, 08:48 »

I've never had anything go wrong with the many items I've bought from ebuyer and I'm not sure I would trust trustpilot

Phadrea · « **Reply #19 on:** March 29, 2013, 05:08 »

The terrible customer services reviews are still coming through strong every day for Ebuyer. Apparently they have a poor returns system. Seems to me like a huge risk when spending on a £400+ machine.

shotupdave · « **Reply #20 on:** March 29, 2013, 16:56 »

May I ask why you are giving yourself a budget of only L400. Considering that your computer is such an important tool of this profession?

sharpshot · « **Reply #21 on:** March 29, 2013, 17:12 »

Quote from: Herg on March 29, 2013, 05:08

The terrible customer services reviews are still coming through strong every day for Ebuyer. Apparently they have a poor returns system. Seems to me like a huge risk when spending on a £400+ machine.

Do you know they're real? I know that often rival sites leave made up poor reviews, that's why I'm wary of the review sites.

Phadrea · « **Reply #22 on:** March 29, 2013, 20:54 »

Quote from: sharpshot on March 29, 2013, 17:12

Quote from: Herg on March 29, 2013, 05:08
The terrible customer services reviews are still coming through strong every day for Ebuyer. Apparently they have a poor returns system. Seems to me like a huge risk when spending on a £400+ machine.
Do you know they're real? I know that often rival sites leave made up poor reviews, that's why I'm wary of the review sites.

Why, how much would you spend ? Surely the spec I have linked does the job for photo editing ?

RacePhoto · « **Reply #23 on:** April 03, 2013, 12:59 »

Quote from: sharpshot on March 29, 2013, 17:12

Quote from: Herg on March 29, 2013, 05:08
The terrible customer services reviews are still coming through strong every day for Ebuyer. Apparently they have a poor returns system. Seems to me like a huge risk when spending on a £400+ machine.
Do you know they're real? I know that often rival sites leave made up poor reviews, that's why I'm wary of the review sites.

Also places that are scams will run up their positive reviews, one of them (a lowball camera store) even runs a review site and as they change names and continue to rip off people, they give themselves great reviews. That and usually the only people who take time to write a review are unhappy and want to get back at the company. The happy people are doing something else...

For those reasons, I don't trust the review sites for buyers, either way. Product reviews are slightly more credible.

Herg, find a local custom builder like Gostwyck says, you'll get a good value and exactly what you need, not some mass produced box.

Phadrea · « **Reply #24 on:** April 03, 2013, 13:44 »

I hope the camera site you are refering to doesn't begin with "1st" as I have ordered Lightroom 4 from them and still have not received the order a week later, despite paying for 48 hr delivery. they have excellent reviews on Trust pilot.

Thinking about the PC, as I record music and use Cubase I perhaps would be better off getting a very powerful machine that can handle both as photo/audio can use a lot of CPU. My music PC is dated too and crashes regular.

can't wait to get Lightroom 4 working and finally see some more acceptances with SS. I am tired of getting them turned away on the basis of lighting.

Phadrea · « **Reply #25 on:** April 08, 2013, 04:13 »

Would this be a good choice for music editing too ?

http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/-b-NEW...30-93p1636.htm

Reef · « **Reply #26 on:** April 08, 2013, 06:26 »

Quote from: Herg on April 08, 2013, 04:13

Would this be a good choice for music editing too ?

http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/-b-NEW...30-93p1636.htm

Don't know but my Nvida Quadro 4000 card alone cost more than this

I have 2 x Dell Workstations. Should anything fail (its rare but can happen) a Dell Service Engineer is at your door within 24 hours. Every now and then they do amazing discounts on their Workstations. Its worth checking out if you want power and peace of mind.

vlad_the_imp · « **Reply #27 on:** April 08, 2013, 06:44 »

Quote

Would this be a good choice for music editing too ?

Get a Mac mate, the vast majority of graphics pros use them. I have been in a lot of design studios, and I can think of only 1 that uses PC's.

gostwyck · « **Reply #28 on:** April 08, 2013, 07:04 »

Quote from: vlad_the_imp on April 08, 2013, 06:44

Quote
Would this be a good choice for music editing too ?

Get a Mac mate, the vast majority of graphics pros use them. I have been in a lot of design studios, and I can think of only 1 that uses PC's.

What sort of Mac can you buy for the OP's budget of £400?

Phadrea · « **Reply #29 on:** April 08, 2013, 07:27 »

A mac is Megga money so out of the question. I am willing to stretch to £500 if needed. All I need to know is if this PC is good for what I want or similar. I have lightroom 4 I am waiting to get stuck into but I can't because I have XP :-(

Reef · « **Reply #30 on:** April 08, 2013, 07:35 »

Quote from: gostwyck on April 08, 2013, 07:04

Quote from: vlad_the_imp on April 08, 2013, 06:44
Quote
Would this be a good choice for music editing too ?

Get a Mac mate, the vast majority of graphics pros use them. I have been in a lot of design studios, and I can think of only 1 that uses PC's.

What sort of Mac can you buy for the OP's budget of £400?

Oh, 400 quid. Well there's that saying "Poor people always pay twice" It's taken me half a life time to appreciate how true that is

vlad_the_imp · « **Reply #31 on:** April 08, 2013, 07:39 »

Yep, "buy cheap, buy twice" is a good thing to remember.

Phadrea · « **Reply #32 on:** April 08, 2013, 10:45 »

I have just had this quote back from Dino PC: Should I go for it ?

QTY SKU Description Price
1 geth3470 Mass Effect i5 3470 499.00
C ustomizations:
C PU: NEW! Intel C ore i5 3570 (2093) £17.90
C PU C ooler: Xigmatek Loki SDS963 (3015) £17.99
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (11014)
Motherboard: NEW! Asus P8B75-M LX (4154) £7.40
RAM: 16GB DDR3 1333mhz (2x8GB) (5052) £54.90
Hard Drive: 500GB S-ATAIII 6.0Gb/s (6027) Included
Additional Storage: 2TB S-ATAIII 6.0Gb/s (6029) £71.09
Optical Drive: 22x DVD±RW DL S-ATA (7003) Included
Graphics card: NEW! NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 1GB (8086) Included
Sound card: Onboard 7.1 Audio (10001) Included
C ase: Xigmatek Asgard (17024) Included
PSU: NEW! 450W C orsair VS (18045) Included
Warranty: 3 Year SureC are Warranty (sc-1) Included
Total: £668.28

aspp · « **Reply #33 on:** April 08, 2013, 10:53 »

Quote from: Herg on April 08, 2013, 07:27

A mac is Megga money so out of the question. I am willing to stretch to £500 if needed.

You can buy a Mac mini new in the UK for 499 GBP. Perfectly fine for running LR on. You do not need a good graphics cards for image editing.

Later on you can easily upgrade it to 16GB using aftermarket memory. And it will hold its used value much better than any non Apple computer.

Phadrea · « **Reply #34 on:** April 08, 2013, 11:14 »

Unfortunately I have already bought the lightroom 4 cd for PC. $:-\$

microstockphoto.co.uk · « **Reply #35 on:** April 08, 2013, 11:55 »

Quote from: Herg on April 08, 2013, 11:14

Unfortunately I have already bought the lightroom 4 cd for PC. $:-\$

On my Lightroom 4 box it says both Windows and Mac OS (Just saying, not that I'm trying to suggest to buy one or another)

Phadrea · « **Reply #36 on:** April 08, 2013, 12:34 »

I have looked into the mini Mac and you would be spending far more on cables, software etc than a PC of equivalent power.

sharpshot · « **Reply #37 on:** April 11, 2013, 05:15 »

Here's some better reviews of Ebuyer, more like my experience with them.
http://www.reevoo.com/retailer/557-ebuyer

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Author Topic: Good PC for handling Lightroom 4 (UK) (Read 17537 times)

vlad_the_imp

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Beppe Grillo

shudderstok

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vlad_the_imp

rubyroo

RacePhoto

vlad_the_imp

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aspp

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