Computers are a mystery!

Computers for Photography

-Brian Loflin

I for one would just like to sit back and let it work for me without worry, care, or interruption. I have found that it just doesn’t work that way. If we are to become proficient users, we need to become savvy with our computer equipment. Just like cameras, lenses, F-stops, shutter speed, and aperture, we must know how one component affects another.

One photography club member recently asked me why computers needed so much horsepower to process image files efficiently. He wanted to know if it was possible to upgrade his laptop. Here is a brief answer:

Processing images in computer software today requires more horsepower than ever. The software installation itself is several hundred MB.

Image files from today’s cameras files can often exceed 50 MB. So, memory capacity is required at an exponential rate. It is not long before we acquire tens, if not thousands, of images. That also requires a lot of storage. And to create a redundant backup- twice that.

So, the solution is a robust computer designed and built with the components for our work.

Gone are the days where off-the-shelf laptops can do the job of modern photo editing with Lightroom, Photoshop, and Camera Raw.

Ideally there must be two or more hard drives installed. One drive for the Operating System and the Software ONLY. And another (or more) for files and documents. These should be 2 TB or larger and preferably solid state drives.

Then we need a hefty processor that will manage the work efficiently. INTEL or AMD processors with six, eight or more cores, running at 4.0 GHz or more, are now minimum.

All the data is temporarily held in and operated from RAM (Random Access Memory). 64MB of RAM is minimal, twice that optimal. It also takes a robust Mother Board and Video Graphics Card (with its own memory) to manage all that.

Now, all that stuff creates heat, the enemy of electronics. The computer case requires a lot of empty space in it through which to move air in large volumes. Therefore, the system needs lots of large fans.

Bottom line: YOU CAN’T GET ALL THIS IN A LAPTOP.

Therefore, you need to find one off the shelf that is built for gaming or design/build one customized for your needs. You may spend $2,000 or more..

See this example from B&H: 
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1734901-REG/lenovo_30e000meus_thinkstation_p620_ryzen_threadripper.html

Copyright © 2023 Brian Loflin. All rights reserved.