I tried my best using the search engine, but I couldn't find anything pertaining the subject. If there is a thread as such, you are welcome to remove this post. Anyways, my father and I were thinking about building a nice PC from scratch and giving it all the hookups and case mods what not. I know what to buy and install but then again, I don't. My question is this: What type of CPU, Motherboard, etc. should I look into for graphic design. I like to draw and do alot of photoshoping, so I understand I'll need a good graphic card and RAM. But honestly I rarely play games on my PC so I'm not looking for high-end stuff, nor the cheapest thing on the market. So far, I feel comfortable with the XFX Radeon HD 4850 HD video card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150351 So guys, what are your recommendations?
ATi drivers are seriously crap and cause all sorts of problems. Shame, because the cards are otherwise pretty good. Basically your most important considerations are ram, and monitor. you need a lot of ram, and a very high quality monitor (I would even suggest you consider a dual monitor setup) Samsung are one of the best when it comes to LCD monitors, you want preferably 22 inch or larger, and certainly no less than 19 inch. Graphics card isn't hugely important so long as its not integrated, I would suggest a geforce 9600GT for example. processor needs to be adequate, but not fancy, a 2.6Ghz dual/quad core should do fine, its more or less the least important component for your needs. PSU should be a decent brand, minimum of 500W, and hard disk should be twice as big as you think you need. You might find it beneficial to have a separate hard disk configured as a scratch/temporary disk.
Acer have a good set of monitors too.. I got myself this AL1715 model which is 15'', I know it is small, I got it for about 4000 indian rupees which is about 85 US dollars as of current exchange rates. About the graphics card, I agree with Loony (How can I never agree, looney is such a master modding wizard) if I have got enough with the flattery ;D Nvidia is the best choice, I should say the only choice.. but 9600 is too much for just photoshopping, I think..
its not worth going lower than a 9600GT, and cheaper monitors tend to have poorer colours, which is a serious problem for a graphic artist. Don't skimp, go with an industry preferred brand such as samsung or viewsonic.
Well, actually I was trotting around asking which brand I should prefer to while buying, I came across alot of suggestions most of them prefering either Samsung, Acer or Compaq coz' the latter are very famous in India, as they are cheap and that's how ended up buying it.
yes, but you were looking for a consumer grade one. Graphics artists are (and have to be) very picky about what monitor they get,
The powerPC based macs were indeed better, now that they switched to intel processors the main advantage of a mac has gone.
Why the need for a larger monitor? I have a 17 inch IBM monitor seems like the perfect size for me to edit photos.
Graphics artists work on very high resolution images a lot, and the larger monitor helps a lot with that.
