Help choosing computer??

[coastguy111]

Please help free me from over analyzing what computer would best suited my current and future needs...
I am looking into laptop/2in1 computers that I will ultimately just dedicate to my signage business. I already have onyx rip software that came with my new Epson SureColor printer.
I'm also going to be using/learning the Adobe creative suite software products. My initial focus is going to be b2b vehicle wraps, but will have the capabilities to create all kinds of signage.
I will naturally subout the more graphic intense jobs in the beginning, but will be learning how to do my own designs especially in illustrator for printed graphics.
So I want to go ahead and get something a bit more robust then I might initially need so that I will have no problems when running software etc.
I've looked into the Microsoft surface pro and books..I'm also familiar with Wacom/Cintix(sp) design tablets also.

Any help/guidance would be greatly appreciated?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[bob]

Please help free me from over analyzing what computer would best suited my current and future needs...
I am looking into laptop/2in1 computers that I will ultimately just dedicate to my signage business. I already have onyx rip software that came with my new Epson SureColor printer.
I'm also going to be using/learning the Adobe creative suite software products. My initial focus is going to be b2b vehicle wraps, but will have the capabilities to create all kinds of signage.
I will naturally subout the more graphic intense jobs in the beginning, but will be learning how to do my own designs especially in illustrator for printed graphics.
So I want to go ahead and get something a bit more robust then I might initially need so that I will have no problems when running software etc.
I've looked into the Microsoft surface pro and books..I'm also familiar with Wacom/Cintix(sp) design tablets also.

Any help/guidance would be greatly appreciated?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Just buy the biggest baddest computer that's on sale and comes in whatever package you want [desktop, laptop, whatever]. It doesn't matter because In a couple of months it will be a passe boat anchor. The only real difference between computers is speed ,and magnitude of memory and storage.People will line up to advocate for this or that processor or ssd vice mechanical hard drive or whatever. Regardless of their arguments, entertaining though they might be, most any new computer will do what you want and, functionally, you'd be hard pressed to tell one from another.

 

[coastguy111]

You are probably correct. I was thinking of getting an external hard drive to download everything I could to it except the RIP software which has to be downloaded direct to the computerside hard drive.

Just buy the biggest baddest computer that's on sale and comes in whatever package you want [desktop, laptop, whatever]. It doesn't matter because In a couple of months it will be a passe boat anchor. The only real difference between computers is speed ,and magnitude of memory and storage.People will line up to advocate for this or that processor or ssd vice mechanical hard drive or whatever. Regardless of their arguments, entertaining though they might be, most any new computer will do what you want and, functionally, you'd be hard pressed to tell one from another.

 

[dale911]

Get a ton of RAM...at least 8meg. Check the requirements for Adobe as I'm. It sure what the are but plan on having a few projects open at once as clients will inevitably call you while you are working on something else and your web browser will eat a bunch if you have several windows open. I am a fan of AMD Athlon chips for performance on a budget but have also used Intel Pentium and can say that while the chip is a big part of it, memory and storage speeds are also a large piece of the puzzle for overall speed. I have art sent to me often that is 2gigs or more so plan to have a lot of drive storage or if using tablet style, a place to offload it to when the project is over. As Bob said, buy a decent computer that is on sale because technology is moving so rapidly that it will be outdated before you get through the checkout line.

 

[visual800]

dell xps systems. these things are beasts thats all i use. Check them out

 

[Pauly]

You RIP PC should be dedicated to a RIP only. I use a Dell Precision series. up to you on what one. Xeon over a i7 processor though. (i have a dual screen setup mainly because i did everything on the RIP PC)

I use a 13" XPS laptop for the rest of my work. I miss the dual big screens, but when i buy a laptop, i buy it because it's portable. I'm mostly cropping images for our glass work (multiple pieces) I don't do to much photo editing for work ect.

All my colour control tools are on both PC and laptop. but i use my PC because the RIP is on it.

 

[mark galoob]

Computer downtime can be costly and halt all business activity until it's resolved. Personally I decided on a signburst system a couple of yrs ago and not only was the result the single most bad ass problem free computer I have ever owned, I also now have an expert resource in Casey the owner who has gone out of his way to support my continued operations even when it really had nothing to do w that computer. In the long run this has not just saved me money but made me money.

 

[Johnny Best]

I am a MacBook Pro laptop user. Have three, one for my RIP to run the printer and one for my plotter. The newest one for artwork and internet, does not have USB ports so had t get an adapter to plug in my Wacom. Have never used Windows machines. I have the Adobe products of Photoshop and Illustrator. I never had a problem with Apple products and have always used them in the sign business. When the sign business first started with computers most everything was DOS based so most of the people in the sign business will tell you to get a PC, which are fine and great machines to work on and use the same processors as Macs now anyway. For artwork I love the Macs, if you use CorelDraw they only work on PCs.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

PC v. Mac? Ironically when I was growing up the term PC was OS agnostic. Didn't matter if it was UNIX (even the MS version of UNIX) or it was Windows. They were all PCs. Ironically we are all going back to the "dummy terminal" model. Enough with that.

There is a difference between processors and RAM. It all depends on your application. I have run my setup on full bore gaming rigs (including laptops), high end consumer custom built rigs and I've run them on workstation computers (Xeon processor and ECC RAM). I must say that my VM of Windows 7 responds a whole lot faster then when it was installed on bare metal and the only difference (I used the same video card, just swapped it out) was the processor and the type of RAM (the amount of RAM that the VM is getting is the same amount that it had when it was installed on bare metal).

I have had programs installed directly on bare metal and I've had programs installed via VM. I have done 3D rendering, video editing and even pretty intensive gaming through VMs (something that most people wouldn't suggest doing due to the demands required). And that's with running 3 VMs at once (1 VM actually within another VM, which presents its own challenges).

I have one computer that has nothing but mechanical drives, but has twice the RAM (and an i7 versus an i5) and it runs slower then the one which the OS is running on an SSD (same OS, same programs "installed" on it (I have installed in "", because I use AppImages more then having programs directly installed, unless they have to be)), different processor and half the RAM. There are differences among the components. Especially if you are looking at one level over another or one generation over another (I do believe the i5 is a newer generation compared to the i7).

You have video cards that are designed for CAD work and you have cards designed for games. They all have different needs (different refresh rates etc). Some that are really good at CAD work will suck big time at gaming.

The biggest difference and one that you will notice depends on how much you are truly pushing the computer. Even though, sometimes we might think we are pushing it, we really aren't. In those cases, get the most that you can afford and be done with it. You probably won't notice a difference among components on the upper levels of what's out there. If you are truly pushing it, that's when knowing your components and what you are explicitly using them for will come in handy.

 

[anthony smith]

call casey at signburst you wont be sorry

 

[lbpalm]

Please help free me from over analyzing what computer would best suited my current and future needs...
I am looking into laptop/2in1 computers that I will ultimately just dedicate to my signage business. I already have onyx rip software that came with my new Epson SureColor printer.
I'm also going to be using/learning the Adobe creative suite software products. My initial focus is going to be b2b vehicle wraps, but will have the capabilities to create all kinds of signage.
I will naturally subout the more graphic intense jobs in the beginning, but will be learning how to do my own designs especially in illustrator for printed graphics.
So I want to go ahead and get something a bit more robust then I might initially need so that I will have no problems when running software etc.
I've looked into the Microsoft surface pro and books..I'm also familiar with Wacom/Cintix(sp) design tablets also.

Any help/guidance would be greatly appreciated?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

- What is your budget?

A few considerations:
- RAM: 64 GB recommended
- CPU: 3.5 t0 4.5 GHz (a few flavors are available but suggested considering Intel only)
- GPU: Nvidia 1070 or 1080
- SSD: For OS Samsung 1TB (850 or 860 evo or Pro series, or M.2 architecture if you want to splurge)
- 2nd SSD or SATA6 HDD for Data HDD will save a few bucks & can be had in 2 - 4 TB for not a lot of $$$
-MOB: ASUS (a few flavors are available minimum recommendation is the x99 series chipset) (also consider a mob that has at least 2 wired connections + wireless: you would ideally have one connection for WAN/LAN and the other for the printer's direct-wired private IP (do not route printer through a hub or switch + wireless spare))
- PS : 800 watt or more; quality vendor like Thermaltake

General rule: Look for components that have 3-5 year warranties.
Another consideration: A dual monitor setup can make your workday much more enjoyable and productive.
Suggested component vendors: Newegg or Amazon.
- Newegg is nice because once registered there you can setup some wish lists for various builds to compare prices, specs, etc.

NOTE ON CASE: Spec your case very carefully. WC dims., GPU length, height of ram banks and many other factors come in to play when selecting the system's case.
***review the dimensional specifications for all components very carefully***

Other considerations:
- Fractal designs has some very nice Mid-Tower ATX cases.
- Consider Corsair water cooling - 80 series is good.
(WC will allow a mild overclock; maybe 10%-12% but do not go more than 12% for a production machine.)
ASUS mobos now come with an auto-overclock that makes this a point & shoot proposition, but again it would not be recommended that you manually overclock for a production machine.

You can build a medium spec machine as loosely described about for about $2,600 - $3,000 (exclusive of monitors).
Higher spec would be a Xeon machine with 128 GB, but this route would gain you a 15% - 20% performance boost for 2x the cost.
Add about $1,000-$1,500 if you buy (instead of build) from a quality spec vendor like Puget Sound Computers.
Try to stay away from big box stores and generic manufacturers where you will find many compromises in specifications and OS (BB's make their money by cheapening specifications for the un-informed consumer).

Laptops of similar spec will be much more money & much less flexible in terms of the actual specifications availability.

If you will be initially subbing out design work, consider holding off on the Wacom until you actually need it since specs do change and you will get more bang for the buck by waiting to purchase when actually needed.

((BTW, unless you are a seasoned designer and very familiar with setting up one of these things, Wacom can be a useless investment.))

Surface Pro? not sure it will be compatible with all of your Print Shop and other peripheral requirements - research carefully before going this route.
Ditto Windows 10 which has much BSh*t packed into it which has nothing to do with getting productivity out of your machine.
Windows 7 Professional (64 bit only) may seem old school, but it is rock solid & 100% compatible.
Besides, changing out the OS is not a big issue down the road.

Also consider having a cloud repository like Drop Box.
- When something goes wrong you will be relieved to have secured your client projects and other important files in any event.

Good luck.

 

[rjssigns]

Go to a local shop and have one built for your needs. Nothing like being able to drive across town and drop it off should anything happen. Did that when my 9 year old PC ate a drive and power supply. Brought it back to where I had it built, and they got it going. Their builds all come with lifetime free diagnostics.

My latest PC was custom built to be a RIP server. Sat down with the owner of the company, and the systems guy. They asked me tons of questions to make sure the system was built correctly.
I redid their window graphics in exchange for a beast of a PC.

 

[lbpalm]

Roll your own is about $2,500 - $2,600 depending on available deals at the time of purchase.
This is a mid-budget system in terms of actual specs but beats the pants off "high end" vendor systems in both spec + cost; however the CPU, GPU & RAM specs. are pretty good for the price point.

- Add OS of your choice + 1 Saturday & compare.

This machine will rip big files very quickly.

rjssigns has a good point though: "turn it on & forget about it."
((Nice Rottie(?))




BTW, Here is a link to cpu comparison benchmarks - anything over 12,000 is a good RIP.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

(this machine):
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-6850K+@+3.60GHz&id=2800



Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
1

Thermaltake PS-TPD-0850MPCGUS-1 850W Intel ATX 12V V2.3 & EPS 12V standards 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817153205
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$40.00 Instant
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$139.99

1

Lite-On 24X SATA Internal DVD/RW Optical Drives Black Model IHAS324-17
Item #: 17D-001H-00002
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$21.99


1

Fractal Design Core 2300 Black Compact ATX Midtower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811352042
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$59.99


1

ASUS X99-A/USB 3.1 LGA 2011-v3 Intel X99 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813132516
Return Policy: Replacement Only Return Policy -$20.00 Instant
$249.99


1

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1070 DirectX 12 GV-N1070WF2OC-8GD 8GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX Video Cards
Item #: N82E16814125875
Return Policy: Replacement Only Return Policy -$24.00 Instant
$399.99


1

Intel Core i7-6850K 15M Broadwell-E 6-Core 3.6 GHz LGA 2011-v3 140W BX80671I76850K Desktop Processor
Item #: N82E16819117647
$609.99


1

CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 64GB (8 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2133 (PC4 17000) Memory Kit Model CMK64GX4M8A2133C13
Item #: N82E16820233733
$578.82


1

CORSAIR Hydro Series H60 (CW-9060007-WW) High Performance Water / Liquid CPU Cooler. 120mm
Item #: N82E16835181030
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$30.00 Instant
$89.99


1

SAMSUNG 850 EVO 2.5" 1TB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-75E1T0B/AM
Form Factor: 2.5" Capacity: 1TB Memory Components: 3-D Vertical Option: N/A
Item #: 9SIA12K2GN1593
Sold by 3C Expert
$353.95


1

Seagate BarraCuda ST3000DM008 3TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822178994
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$4.50 Instant
$94.49

 

[ikarasu]

That seems a tad overkill for what he needs. My rip computer is a office hand-me-down. 8 GB ram, Core I-5, 3470. Can be buy pre-built for under $1000, 5 years ago... probably way cheaper now.

What kind of prints are you doing? I can rip 8 52" x 8 FT panels in about 4-5 minutes. A full car wrap in even less.I usually queue up everything I want to print, and let it sit for a few minutes ripping, if it's not done by the time I'm done adding everything.

Photoshop/Illustrator are a bit slow. But I have little ram, and no dedicated GPU For it to use, so I suspect thats why... but even still, it's workable. I'm not saying cheap out and get the bare minimum, but you don't need a high end $3000 computer. If you were focused on doing graphics design... as in someone was at the computer designing 8 hours a day, I'd say spring for the $3000. Otherwise buy a mid-range, it'll do fine. a $3000 computer today, is worth $2000 next year, and $1000 the year after.

Set a budget of what you want to spend - Whether it's $500, or $1500. Then buy parts on sale, as they go on sale... you'll save a lot in the end run.


Also... I hate to say it, but stay away from Macs and All in one PCs. They look nice, take up little space, but you cant upgrade them. HD on a mac died? Thats $200 just to have them put a new one in + the price of the HD. Dies on a PC? you remove 2 screws + the price of a HD. I haven't looked into the All in ones latelly... but they tend to squish everything together, and use custom parts...so upgrading is a PITA. Make it future proof and upgrade able.

 

[lbpalm]

Some of our rips are 2gb & up; all are done at 300 dpi.
I also use the machines for 3d work/pre-viz rendering.
When working on a print project, many times Pshop Illustrator & Flexi are open at the same time, using about 10GB each, with no swap + plenty of overhead for printing.
For the level of machine I mentioned, the windows benchmark will stay within a .point or 2 of other current mid-spec machines for about 4 years.
Lesser machines fall off the performance spread more quickly.
Power can be good (do not need a separate rip), but your observations are well founded.

((and a wacom))

 

[coastguy111]

Wow...blown away by all the support to my post..so thank you all so far.
To be more specific in my needs and uses....
I already have an older rebuilt desktop dell with Windows 7. Nothing special about it. Your basic 4gb computer. Not even sure what Intel it is (3,5 or7).

This new computer I'm looking into buying will be the one I use for just about everything, hence why I'm leaning towards a 2 in 1 laptop/tablet style.
I would be taking it with me whenever going to a customer to do a quote, I like the pen option that the surface pro comes with.

I will be doing (atleast starting out) wide format printing for vehicle wraps and any other signage needs that come up. I have a 64in Epson surecolor that came with the very basic Onyx gammaprint rip software. So I imagine I will be upgrading to more robust rips as I continue to grow.
Also adding more skill sets in regard to learning the Adobe creative suite software products.
I think I read somewhere (or someone mentioned) that the Lenovo has a pretty good laptop/tablet.
I have to make a decision by this coming Wednesday so again your continued support is great full.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[ikarasu]

If your set on a tablet/laptop hybrid, The new surface pro will be out in this quarter... But if you need one by Wednesday and cant wait, the surface pro 4 should be good enough.

Keep in mind your paying for portability/hybrid factor. If you can live with a laptop, you can get one thats much, much better at both ripping, and designing, for the same price as the surface pro.

If I were you... I'd go for a laptop. Better bang for buck. I never liked the 2 in 1's though...so I may be biased! Ripping doesn't take too much time with Onyx... You'll be fine with either a laptop, or a surface... It all depends on whether you want more power, or more portability.

 

[dale911]

Honestly, if you want to be able to take something into the field, you are going to need two computers. A field computer doesn't need nearly the power that your desktop needs and you will spend about the same amount of money on one really good laptop or a cheap laptop and decent desktop and you will be able to do the same work but not have to be tied to the desk when you are printing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bob]

...

Some of our rips are 2gb & up; all are done at 300 dpi...

300 ppi images as input? Unless you're printing at 1200 or more dpi there's no reason whatsoever to deal with input at more than 150 ppi. There's lots of rationalizations but little else. A minimum printer to input resolution ratio of 4:1 is what you should be doing. Assuming that you're printing at 720dpi or less. A reasonable assumption since printing at anything much higher than that is, for the most part, a waste of ink.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

This new computer I'm looking into buying will be the one I use for just about everything, hence why I'm leaning towards a 2 in 1 laptop/tablet style.
I would be taking it with me whenever going to a customer to do a quote, I like the pen option that the surface pro comes with.

This is something that I wouldn't try to do. Just for my own particular workflow. You are sacrificing power and functionality for portability.

I think for our workflows we still need a powerful laptop and/or desktop if you want to use the thing full bore. Lenovo does have some great workstation laptops that I've been thinking about getting that have xeon processors and ECC RAM.

Right now, I use a Wacom Cintiq tablet (1st gen) for out of office work when I'm either doing tutorials with people or I'm doing work away from the office. For what it is (tablet), it's pretty powerful, but it doesn't compare to any of my desktops and what I can get done with them. Especially when considering the 3 monitor main office setup. It's great for the time being away from the office, but it wouldn't be that great for the main work when I'm at the office. Just doesn't have the functionality.

This is just me, my experience and the type of workflow that I have. Other's mileage may vary.