Photogorapher with questions on processor and graphics card

[babyjewels18]

Hi! I'm a photographer looking for some information on what the best display and setup would be for me. I run Lightroom3 and Photoshop CS5 daily to edit photos, I need a computer that will be fast and efficient so I can batch process photos etc. and do some light graphic design work.

Recently my laptop died since I'm a nut and spilled coffee on it. I have a backup desktop but it hasn't been used in awhile and i dont know much about it other than its an HP Pc compaq7900 with an intel core 2 duo -- it needs repaired so i cant figure out if i should get a new desktop or just work on this desktop i currently have and possibly add more ram or upgrade my processor - any advice would really be appreciated - i also dont know what type of graphics card is best for my line of work?

 

[fb39ca4]

A Sandy Bridge i5 will serve you well. If you want to take advantage of the GPU acceleration in Photoshop, you will need an Nvidia GPU. How much are you willing to spend on a new system?

 

[amuffin]

What is your budget?

 

[babyjewels18]

hm my budget is tight - i broke my laptop and am using a backup desktop - so i need to "fix it up" a bit or else buy a new desktop - I was thinking a desktop would be a better option for me because I keep breaking laptops. I'm a photographer, and i have no idea what i need as far as computers go - I'm pretty lost !

 

[amuffin]

Please give us your budget so we can help you!

 

[babyjewels18]

300?