Do you have shiny object syndrome? Do you conduct a self-control litmus test every week? B&HOUSE Newsletters drop in your inbox? Do you try to streamline new Profoto flashing photography when you know very well that your savings account is dropping faster than engagement for Instagram photos? If so, you may want to pass this article on.
For me, I don’t use to care about the device.
It was 2013. A famous wedding photographer broke his ankle in the middle of the season, so he hired me to shoot his wedding as he walked around beside me, barking orders. Having been warned about his cute rude personality, it’s no surprise that he quickly gets into the character, scoffing: “You edit on a laptop? You can’t edit on a computer? laptop!” He continued to pounce on me with everything from my camera to my outfit. At the end of the year, The Knot publishes its annual “top 5%” of photographers by city. My 5D Mark II “joke” and laptop setup and I crushed him that year and year after that until I moved out of the wedding space.
I never cared about equipment; I am interested in images. I am interested in creating incredible images.
Fast-forward to a decade later. Now, I’m a little more concerned, and in recent months it’s become clear that it’s time to upgrade my computer.
I’ve been working on an Acer desktop for the past few years and it gets the job done. Over the past few years, AI on Adobe software has become more advanced and system requirements on computers have increased. My computer is not keeping up. I added a Asus Geforce GTX 1060 Dual Video Graphics Card 3GBthis boosted its performance for another year, but soon it became clear that it was time for a big upgrade.
So I started building the photographer’s dream PC.
With the help of my tech colleagues and friends, I jotted down all the wish-list items to design a photographer’s dream PC, and I sent it to Computer & Technology Wholesale, LLC. They are local to me, but they work on big contracts, such as Disney, and ship all over the US. I gave them my list on a Thursday before I went shooting for the weekend, and by the time I got back the horse was already built! Here are the specifications:
- CPU Intel i7-11700K 8-core 3.6GHZ
- Motherboard B560M with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Liquid cooling system
- 64 GB DDR4 Memory
- Gigabit LAN
- HD Audio
- 2 terabyte NVME hard drive Samsung 980 pro
- DVD recorder + -RW
- 8 GB RTX 3050 Video Card
- Windows 11
- Cooler Master Tower NR400 ATX with tempered glass
- 750-watt EVGA power supply
- ASUS 31.5-inch 4K HDR monitor
The total cost for the computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and structure is just under $2,500. I also bought SpyderX Pro to calibrate my monitor ($130)
As I mentioned in the opening, I am only interested in technology because it makes a huge difference in my work, and let me tell you that this machine makes a huge difference in my life. my job. I ran a boot test with both computers side by side. It took six seconds for the whole machine to boot, compared to my old computer, which took 4 minutes and 19 seconds. The new computer took 4 seconds to open Photoshop: the speed of sound compared to the 4 minutes and 53 seconds it took my old computer to open and load everything. On top of that, I can run the image processor in Photoshop (to batch resize images) while replying to emails without any detectable lag. The computer is quiet, fast, and a real machine.
The value of investing in custom computers also emerges over time. My colleagues advise me that if I invest in a custom PC, it will easily extend my life by eight years or more. The added advantage to building a computer is that if something lags or becomes obsolete, you can replace that particular component instead of the whole machine.
While I don’t have what we jokingly call Shiny Object Syndrome in the writers’ conversation, I would love to have tools that help me create good and effective visuals. Do you need an R5, a custom built PC, f/1.2 aperture instead of f/1.8? No, you don’t. People with simpler equipment are always addicted to tools. However, as a full-time photographer who has spent hours working with system-heavy software, I’m sure to give this purchase five stars for the effect it has on me.
PC users, what’s your experience? Have you ever built a custom computer to upgrade your workflow? Do you have a built-in calculator that you recommend to photographers? Leave a comment; The discussions below are often my favorite part of being a writer.
