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ScarySquirrel

ScarySquirrel

ScarySquirrel

Soldato
Joined
13 Jan 2004
Posts
23,964
Location
South East
Hello everyone.

I am in the process of turning my 'wishlist' into a realistic shopping list of things I feel I need to purchase over the next few months in order to build upon what I have done in the past few months.

One area which needs serious attention is that of my desktop, so I'm just going to dump some thoughts I had into this post and hope that everyone can offer some advice.

Firstly, my C2D desktop machine is generally ok, but it can be a bit slow when running Lightroom and Photoshop at once, with multiple browser tabs open, music playing, etc. So for the past month I've been lusting over Macs, but I think I've decided that as I own plenty of PC components already I will stick to a Windows based setup. So I'll probably look into an i7 upgrade, and a new PC case with more space for HDDs (as storage and backup are now a very important thing to me).

The other area, and the purpose of this thread, is my monitor setup. I currently work on a single 20" TN panel monitor, a Samsung 2053BW. It's a little on the small side for me, and I am now aware of the issues a TN panel poses me as a photographer. Having said that I've never had any problems with it, printing has always resulted in no noticeable colour problems for me, but perhaps it's just a case of me not really knowing enough to be able to notice.

I've rambled on enough now, so here are my options:

- Buy two Dell Ultrasharp U2311H 23" monitors - Around £520
- Buy one Dell UltraSharp U2410 24" - Around £460
- Buy one Dell UltraSharp U2711 27" - Around £850

I do really like the idea of a dual screen setup, particularly when I think about having Lightroom in one window, Photoshop in the other, or having a grid view of my photos in Lightroom and the selected image for processing in the other monitor. It definitely appeals to me.

Having said that I love the idea of one massive 27" monitor to work with, although it's pushing my budget quite far. I wouldn't really want to pay more than £600 for a new monitor setup, but if the 27" really was worth it then I might be able to stretch.

What do you all work with? What are your thoughts on the above monitors?
 
Since posting this I've ruled out the 27", I don't think I need anything that big. I think I'll go for the single 24", and then maybe get a second later down the line if I need to.

I will certainly look into calibration equipment. I understand you can get some which dynamically calibrate your monitor based on the ambient light, is that right?
 
GSXRMovistar said:
Get the 24" for editing, use your current screen for tool boxes and another other apps you use whilst on the PC (browser, media player, etc) and then when budget allows/prices drop pick up another 24".

EDIT: Yep I typed that before you decided and posted after. :D
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I hadn't even thought about using my current monitor as well, that's a great idea :)

I think I'll hold off on the PC upgrade as well, might just get a new case (for more HDD space), new SSD and new 2TB storage drive (to add to the ones I already have).

glitch said:
I've tried the Huey range that does the dynamic calibration and found it to be a load of old guff. If you're working in a room with controlled lighting you shouldn't need such a gimmick, although that's not to say the Huey isn't a bad calibration unit itself, as it's fairly decent at what it does.

For my money, what you need is one of these and the LaCie Blue Eye software, which can be downloaded from the interweb if you know where to look.

While the hardware is coming up for four years old (if not more) it's still about as good as it gets and easily obtainable second-hand for under £100. Every one of the commercial photographers I've worked with has relied upon that hardware for years, despite all the recent additions to the scene.

And if you're really, really serious about colour accuracy, pair the hardware calibrator with a Gretag MacBeth Colour Checker Chart. Essential if you're doing anything where you need to know that your colours are as accurate as they can possibly be.
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Thanks for the advice. I'll look into one of these second hand then :)
 
I'm not going to bother with the PC upgrade just yet. I'm currently running an E8400 overclocked to 3.6Ghz with 4Gb RAM. I'm just going to buy a new case and sort out my current storage solution. Going to get an SSD drive as a boot drive and to run core apps from, then I'll have 1 x 2Tb, 2 x 1Tb, and 1 x 500Gb drive for storage. Plus a fresh W7 install on the new SSD should help speed things up a little.
 
Namistai said:
Sounds sensible to me - you'll probably get more 'real world' performance boost from an SSD than from upgrading to an i7 system.

I was also going to suggest getting a single 24" then using your existing for palettes or other apps etc - beaten to it! :D You'll clearly need the right tools for the job, but don't need to be extravagant when you could be saving the money for higher priorities such as a second body, extra flash(es), lenses etc :)
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Yeah definitely. I'm holding off on all of this for now as I need a second body and a new flash first.
 
Thanks Hodders. I've got 4Gb RAM already. I think my main problem is my mess of storage setup. I haven't formatted for a while and I just have loads installed, and my organisation of files is terrible. I think I just need a spring clean.

Hopefully going to pick up another 4Gb RAM cheap as well. Then I'll consider sorting out my storage and a fresh W7 install, along with the U2410 of course, which as suggested I'll pair with my current 20" TN panel.

I'm holding off on all purchases for a month or so (very hard as I always impulse buy) as I within touching distance of a 5D2, so I'll get the bigger purchase out of the way first :) I'll update this thread with my next steps as and when they happen, just in case they help someone else out.
 
twoblacklines said:
If you can find one cheap get a gfx card with 1024mb of ram, photoshop lightroom etc all use it for performance. But its mainly down to cpu speed when applying filters and stuff. Have you overclocked yet ?
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Yeah I've got my CPU running and 3.6Ghz, and I have a 4870 1Gb graphics card. I really think my system is just chugging as all do after a while without a format and a clean up.

Phate said:
I'm not saving for a car dude. Mainly somewhere to live and a holiday right now.
Click to expand...

Tell me about it. I could have bought the 5D2 right now if I wasn't going away next month. Then again 5 days in Rome with Helen is worth it ;)

I don't have any confirmed jobs until 2011 now (bar one at the end of October) so if my 5D1 can not break on me for just one more job I'll probably hold out on clicking 'BUY' until Christmas time.
 
Realised I had a 19" monitor lying about so a temporary solution :)

photoeuj.jpg


*That's a rip on the (free from work) office chair, not *****.
 
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