I readily admit that I am a computer geek. I took a Fortran computer language class at Temple University, back in the days when we still used punch cards! My laptop often has a large number of programs running in the task bar and my browser typically has far too many tabs open. Yeah, I like computers.
However, I would rather spend my hard-earned money on more photography equipment than on a computer! But reality has set in and I know I need a new pc. I recently purchased a Drobo and my current desktop is unable to run the Drobo–it’s just too old. My wife is reluctant to let me share her desktop pc, worrying that I will hog it much of the time and cut out too much of her surfing and pc game time! Hmmm, I guess I do have to spring for a new pc of my own.
I spent some time tonight configuring some pc arrangements. I am planning to use the new pc almost exclusively for Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. I want 3-4GB of RAM and a fast processor. Not much need for any other software at the moment. Oh, yeah, and I want Windows 7.0.
Do you think of your computer as photography equipment?
I think the computer is photographic equipment and in my case video equipment also. They are almost as important as the cameras and lenses.
I have found that especially in the case of video editing computers that one wants as few programs as possible installed and that computer should not even have anti-virus installed. It should be used on the net only to activate software or download important operating system and program updates. This keeps boot time to a minimum and helps the machine handle large data streams reliably without crashing.
I recently upgraded to a new editing machine and moved my previous editing machine into the Photoshop machine slot. I had used the previous Photoshop machine as a general purpose computer and find that things are working out better since I have dedicated it almost exclusively to photographs.
I am using my laptop for general purpose use.