Advice sought re 2nd hand PC/Mac.

J

Jez Harris

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7
Name
Jez
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi,

I'm returning to the hobby and I'm new to all things digital photography related -

I cannot afford £1000s for a whizzy new PC or Mac.

I'm in the market therefore for a basic but capable device that will enable me to upload, view and tinker with images. I don't do gaming and everything else I do is on a work laptop (locked down so I cant use this!)

Can you recommend the minimum spec for PCs or recommend models of 2nd hand Macs I could look at?

Thank you all again.
 
I have an M1 Mac Mini, just the base model. It handles Affinity photo and also my music software with no problems. No idea of second-hand prices, but the M4 has been released now so I'm sure you'd get one like mine for a good price.
 
Best to decide on what screen size, memory and HD capacity you need first. And of course budget

Then any mac wth an M2 or above would be OK, but not any mac with an Intel processor.

PC/laptop, not quite as straight forward, as you would need to know the exact model number of the processor and GPU in it, for example, the i5 13600 has slightly better performance than the M2 pro, and far outperforms many i7 and i9 processors for image manipulation.
Also with PC/laptop, the GPU is very important and many integrated ones are very poor for graphics.


Impossible to make suggestions without any idea of budget and more idea of basic specs


As for minimum specs, for PC/laptop I would say 15" screen, 16GB RAM, decent 4GB+ graphics card, 1TB HD and a fast processor
 
Last edited:
I wouldn't rule out M1 Macs, I have a couple that I use daily (one for Lightroom and one for software development), but I certainly wouldn't go for an Intel Mac these days.
 
Jez Harris said:
Can you recommend the minimum spec for PCs or recommend models of 2nd hand Macs I could look at?
Click to expand...
I use various MacBooks.

If you are "in the market therefore for a basic but capable device that will enable me to upload, view and tinker with images." then any MacBook since 2012 will probably be able to do the job. I currently use a MacBook Pro 2012 as my home server and I occassionally edit images on that machine using Apple's Preview, which is built into OS-X.

I have later MacBooks that are faster and run later versions of OS-X, which have slightly improved versions of Preview but if I only had the 2012 I would be able to do most of what I want. I might even be able to make do with my old 2011 MacBook Pro, seen here on the left, next to my 2019 unit...

2011 and 2019 MacBook Pros GX7 P1140558.JPG
 
M1 Mac mini at least 512gb hard drive , me memory not relevant, about a 27 inch screen monitor ,mouse and keyboard all up should come in around £700-£850 mine handles the latest PS/ LR with no problems
 
It's worth ponting out you can get a brand new i7 laptop, with a good videocard, 16GB RAM and a 2TB drive for a shade under £1k

Add a 2k screen, better video card, total 32MB RAM and another 4TB drive, dead pixel guarantee all for around £1k4 including tax and delivery, so an excellent new machine does not need to be thousands




Chassis & Display
Elimina Series: 17.3" Matte QHD 165Hz WVA DCI-P3 LED Widescreen (2560x1440)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 10 Core Processor 13620H (4.90GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 3200MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 4060 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
4TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated Micro-SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 180W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Elimina Series Integrated 54WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Studio
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX211 + BT 5.3
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 x USB 3.2 PORTS (Type C) + 1 x USB 3.2 PORT + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
ELIMINA 17" SERIES MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
Clevo NP70RND1 (8GB RTX-4060, i7-13620H, AX211, QHD 165Hz, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,441.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/elimina-vi-17/9EFmJHTJzu/
 
the black fox said:
M1 Mac mini at least 512gb hard drive , me memory not relevant, about a 27 inch screen monitor ,mouse and keyboard all up should come in around £700-£850 mine handles the latest PS/ LR with no problems
Click to expand...

Do I need a specific type of monitor that will work with Macs?

I have a budget of around £1000 for a computer - Is it worth looking at the
AndrewFlannigan said:
I use various MacBooks.

If you are "in the market therefore for a basic but capable device that will enable me to upload, view and tinker with images." then any MacBook since 2012 will probably be able to do the job. I currently use a MacBook Pro 2012 as my home server and I occassionally edit images on that machine using Apple's Preview, which is built into OS-X.

I have later MacBooks that are faster and run later versions of OS-X, which have slightly improved versions of Preview but if I only had the 2012 I would be able to do most of what I want. I might even be able to make do with my old 2011 MacBook Pro, seen here on the left, next to my 2019 unit...

View attachment 442467
Click to expand...

Budget wise I can go to around £1k - so how about a MacBook Air 14,15/M2 (8-CPU 10-GPU)/8GB Ram/256GB? 2023 model second hand for around £700?
 
Most people have a clear preference for Mac or PC, or are you truly not fussed?

As above, need a view on budget.

When you say editing, are we just talking Light room, or getting into AI denoise etc too?

Does it need to be portable?
 
Jez Harris said:
Do I need a specific type of monitor that will work with Macs?
Click to expand...

These days anything that will take a USB-C to HDMI should work IIRC - the days of Macs being stupid about monitors have gone, fortunately.
 
Just get one of THESE
that will leave you with £400 to get a monitor, Keyboard and mouse which is easy reachable.
You won't regret getting that setup
 
Jez,

I was in a similar position to you a bit more than a year ago. My PC died on me, I needed a good replacement fast, and it needed to run Adobe Premier Pro as well as PS, so needed to be pretty high end.

My youngest daughter, who knows a thing or two about devil machines because she works in cyber security, strongly advised me against getting anything from eBay, and she specced up a machine that would do the job. £1500 from e-buyer, which I was going to go for until I mentioned the problem to a friend, who likes building computers.

He re-used the tower case, which is a low-cost component, he bought all of the parts needed, all brand new, and it took him about 2 hours to turn that box of bits into the best, fastest and most up to date computer I've ever had, total cost was about £350. He wouldn't take any money for his work, but even if I'd paid him it would still have been very cheap, compared to any other options.

I did have to replace one of the monitors, because it was too old to work with the new computer, and then I bought another monitor because 3 are better than two, but still a very cheap solution.

So, if you can find someone who likes building computers . . .
 
Back again! -

OK - I think I have have narrowed down my requirements after looking at the different options-

Windows not Mac ( I've only ever used windows so will stick with this for now)
Laptop preferred as I need to be portable sometimes at home.
Ability to plug into another monitor
Webcam (just a basic one for teams meetings)
I wont be gaming or editing videos.

Thanks again.
 
Jez Harris said:
Back again! -

OK - I think I have have narrowed down my requirements after looking at the different options-

Windows not Mac ( I've only ever used windows so will stick with this for now)
Laptop preferred as I need to be portable sometimes at home.
Ability to plug into another monitor
Webcam (just a basic one for teams meetings)
I wont be gaming or editing videos.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...
OK, but bear in mind that a PC is always better in every way, as well as cheaper, so maybe not ideal unless you really need the portability.

If you do decide that you really need a laptop, make sure it has a USB C port so that you can add a second monitor easily. Despite preferring a desktop, I also have a laptop, and I use this with it https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/276286083978
 
Jez Harris said:
Back again! -

OK - I think I have have narrowed down my requirements after looking at the different options-

Windows not Mac ( I've only ever used windows so will stick with this for now)
Laptop preferred as I need to be portable sometimes at home.
Ability to plug into another monitor
Webcam (just a basic one for teams meetings)
I wont be gaming or editing videos.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

I think sensible, especially if you are likely to want to try any free programmes.

I haven't seen a laptop for years that does not have an external monitor connection, I prefer HDMI, though adapters for our Dell for example are only a few pounds.

USB C I agree is just about essential now, you can use an adapter for memory sticks and mice etc. but not for some other devices.

Look carefully at the graphics card and processor. AMD have a good performance/price balance, and avoid the i7 with four digit model codes (generally) a good starting point is an i5 or i7 with numbers like 13700 or 13620 and similar.

Make sure the hard drive and memory is upgradeable and not soldered in, Decide on disk size, memory and screen size before you start looking :)
 
Just a point to add about USB-C, particularly if getting a laptop with the intention of then adding a cheap dock to provide things like network port, extra monitors, etc.

In addition to the physical USB type (A or C) there are also different generations / speeds of USB (EG 3.1, 3.2), and not all support the generic usb-c docks.
Hopefully someone will be able to clarify exactly which you need (I think you basically want USB-C 3.2, but not sure if 3.1 is also OK).
 
BTW, this is my PC setup, works well for me, I regard 2 monitors as a minimum but 3 makes life easier. When I only need 1 monitor I simply switch the other 2 off.

The one on the far right is a cheapie, not calibrated, hence the different colour - but I only use it for my tools, odd documents, photo elements that I will combine later and so on, so the colour doesn't matter
image0 (2).jpeg
 
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