The Sports Photo Guy

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Computers

Computers are clearly becoming tools that are almost as important as cameras and lenses to the modern photographer.  This page contains a summary of some of the systems and technologies I am using today.


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Desktop System. I have been tinkering with and building my own PC-based systems for nearly 20 years, and thus most of my desktop systems are custom built.  I tend to look for bargain components and mix-and-match features striving for a reasonably high level of performance.

My current desktop workstation consists of the following components:

Laptop. I’ve given up on Toshibas, since my last one gave up the ghost at about 15 months (right outside the warranty period, naturally).  I’ve replaced it with not one, but two smaller portables (both together for less than $1,000):

  • Lenovo s10e.  This 10″ netbook features the ubiquitous Intel Atom processor.  I’ve made the following noteworthy upgrades:
    • Intel X25-M 80GB SSD hard drive.  This baby screams along with a 91 MB/sec transfer rate, more than double the speed of your typical 7200 RPM notebook drive.
    • Added 2GB of RAM, for a total of 2.5 GB.
    • Adobe PhotoShop Elements 7.  This is what PSE should have always been.  Forget the “organizer” and guided modes, put the editor into “Full” mode and you have a scaled-down version of PhotoShop.  Aside from the fact they’ve rearranged most menu items, it’s a reasonably good substitute for full PhotoShop.
      With hindsight, I probably would not have opted for the Lenovo.  It has only a 3-cell battery, has one RAM slot permanently occupied with a measly 512MB module, and screen resolution tops out at 1024×600.  But I got it for a song and can’t complain.  It slides into the notepad compartment of my Think Tank Speed Racer and is great when I’m traveling light.
  • HP Pavilion dv2z-1100.  This is a 12″ based on AMD’s new dual-core Neo processor, which runs circles around the Atom but comes in under 3 pounds total.  Key features:
    • Upgraded to 4GB RAM.
    • Hard drive upgraded to 7200 RPM.
    • 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium.
    • Discrete graphics – definitely useful with PhotoShop CS4, this machine only has ATI Mobility Radeon 3410 HD.  Yes it’s dedicated graphics memory, but rather low-end.  Gets the job done, though.
    • Limited expansion capability.  This machine has NO ExpressCard slot – a near-fatal flaw.  Three USB ports just aren’t sufficient for expandability.

File Server. I maintain a dedicated file server on my home network which basically serves as a home for my photo and document backups, although it can serve as a backup workstation in a pinch.  It is equipped as follows:

  • Basic components: AMD Athlon 3200+ single-core processor; 1GB dual-channel (2×512) RAM; Windows 7 Home Premium.
  • Foxconn 6150BK8MC-KRSHN2 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard : This very inexpensive motherboard provides two essential components for a file server: gigabit (1000 mbps) LAN and RAID 5.  I recently had to rebuild my RAID 5 array and the system handled it without a hitch.
  • Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive : My RAID 5 array is built with four of the very similar 7200.10 Maxtor-branded Barracuda drives (STM3500630AS) which provide a sustained throughput of 187 MB/sec in my RAID.  I use the Seagate-branded IDE version of this drive (ST3500630A) as my system drive and for additional backup storage, which by contrast achieves sustained throughput of about 65.4 MB/sec.
  • Thermaltake Xaser V Damier Silver Computer Case : The server is housed in this massive case, which features great fan and temperature monitoring capabilities.

What to look for in an off-the-shelf system. If you’re looking for a desktop or notebook system, here is what you want to look for:

  • Processor.  In a desktop system, you want a quad-core system.  Intel if money is no object, otherwise AMD gives you more bang for the buck.  For notebooks, I’d opt for an Intel Core 2 Duo processor at 2.0 MHz or higher.
  • Memory.  4GB of dual-channel memory.  Don’t scrimp here, memory is the cheapest and most effective upgrade you can make.
  • Hard drive.  Speed matters as much as or more than size.  You want 7200 RPM drives without exception in a desktop; 7200 RPM drives in a notebook make a big difference too, but it’s often a slightly pricey upgrade if you don’t want to buy an OEM drive and do the upgrade yourself.
  • Monitor.  You’re better off getting your own monitor for use with a desktop.  I consult the Anandtech LCD Thread for the latest panel recommendations.  At least as important as your monitor is a calibration tool – an essential item for serious photographers.  I use the X-Rite Eye One Display 2; the Pantone Huey is a more economical alternative.  (I have not tried the Huey personally, however.)
  • Video card.  Discrete graphics is the key; do not go for video adapters that utilize “shared memory.”

TigerDirect

7 Comments

7 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Steve // Aug 3, 2009 at 11:11 PM

    OK – so for those of us who are not PC assembly pros, if you were buying an off the shelf system, what would you recommend?

  • 2 The Sports Photo Guy // Aug 4, 2009 at 6:25 AM

    I’ve added a new section to address the major components – good idea.

  • 3 Andy Alonso // Aug 13, 2009 at 9:19 PM

    When nobody is looking, do you use a MAC…..

  • 4 The Sports Photo Guy // Aug 13, 2009 at 9:29 PM

    I just can’t bring myself to use a computer that is so counterintuitive as to expect you to put your newly burned CD in the trash can in order to use it!

  • 5 Steve // Aug 18, 2009 at 12:14 AM

    LOL. I just decided to switch platforms to a Mac Pro. Thanks for the off-the-shelf recommendations. Ultimatley, when I compred price based on specs the equivalent PC based system was a clean $700 cheaper. However, the Microsoft OS has worn me out. Too much maintence time required for me, and oten much slower than I expect.

  • 6 Gabriele // Aug 24, 2009 at 11:57 AM

    Hi, thanks for these tips… I already have a system almost like yours except for the disks, and i was looking for an upgrade. Do you recommend a SATA RAID controller or the one embedded on the motherboard? And what about partitioning a single 10k RPM drive?

  • 7 The Sports Photo Guy // Aug 28, 2009 at 7:48 AM

    Separate SATA RAID controllers are really intended for intense, enterprise-class operations. So unless you are building a system that is intended for use in a corporate environment, an on-board RAID controllers will be just fine. As for partitioning Western Digital Raptors, I just use a single partition: the less overhead, the better.

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