My computer bloke is suggesting I buy an Intel NUC to replace my 7 year old tower. Does anyone have one of these and if so is it satisfactory for using Lightroom, Photoshop and Neat Image or similar. I asked for 16 GB of RAM. I am new to post processing.
Thanks, Robin Spry

Hi Robin

I'd never heard of the Intel NUC so will leave it to others who may own one to comment. However, I did look them up. It seems their claim to fame is the small, compact form factor. Otherwise, they are meant to emulate performance of a normal form factor desktop computer. So my only comment would be that unless a small form factor box was appealing or necessary, you should get exactly that same performance from a 'normal' tower or other form factor. I don't know if there's a price premium for having the NUC over the same specifications in a 'normal' computer but I'd ask your supplier that question. A tower case or similar will give you greater options for adding components later, such as another hard disc or other components that may simply not fit in the NUC case (or require replacement of what's already in there rather than adding to). However that might also be something you never contemplate or need to do. So in summary, I'd be surprised if a suitably specified NUC couldn't do what you needed but will it cost more to get?

In terms of what to specify, I'd strongly recommend a two disc system if your final form factor will support this (I don't know if a NUC will). Your operating system should be on a solid state drive (SSD) and these are blisteringly fast. A size of 240 gigabytes should be fine. That's what I run without problems (Windows 10 system and plenty of software installed yet the disc is only half full still) Your second disc will be your main data store and probably should be at least 2 terabytes and normal hard disc (spinning) type. These are much better priced than SSDs but the SSD is worth it for the main operating system and program files for speed and performance. For RAM 16GB would be great but more is always better. Whether it makes a noticeable difference most of the time, I can't comment but it will come in to play for some image processing or video processing if you do that. In terms of the main CPU (processor), again, the fastest/best performance your budget will allow is the way to go. An Intel i7 or equivalent would be great but an i5 will do the job albeit more slowly. I run an i5 and find it is a little slow at times but not painfully so.

Hope that gives you some leads....
Glenn

Thanks Glenn, those comments will be a great help when I get the quote. I know it has 2 drives - hard and spinning. It will certainly be better than my 4GB of RAM!

Hi Robin, a hard disc and a spinning disc can mean the same thing. I had a quick look at the Intel NUC. It seems it may be able to take both an SSD and a normal hard disc however the SSD size and shape it a new, smaller standard. I don't know if there's any price premium for that. Similarly the hard disc it uses is the smaller 2.5 inch type typically used in laptops, not the 3.5 inch you'd find in a desktop tower normally. Again, not sure if there's a price premium for that and you may find you are more limited in the maximum capacity for the physically smaller disc.

It seems that the video output for your screen display on the NUC is a USB-C type. This may not work directly with your current monitor as USB-C is fairly new (unless you plan to upgrade your monitor too). Adapters are available for other monitor connectors but you'll be paying more for that. More generally, you'll need to ask what other peripherals you'll need to change or buy adapters for unless you are planning to buy a complete new package with all items included (keyboard, mouse, monitor etc).

The first question I'd ask your supplier is what price he can deliver a normal tower computer (or similar) with the same specifications as the NUC. The second is what additional adapters or components will I need to buy to make the things I'm not updating connected to the new machine.

It looks like other manufacturers make NUC form factor computers. I don't know how the Intel versions compare. Sorry to potentially complicate things but unless you are buying a complete new package, it can get complicated!

Thanks again Glenn. I am buying a complete new package and have been advised that a tower will be better (and more expensive). I am still waiting for the quote but have been warned it will be 3 times what we paid 7 years ago. The time has come as it won’t open my inbox today. Cheers, Robin

Hi Robin

I agree with Glenn's points. Buying a computer can be a bit stressing as there is a lot of salesman flimflam about whether you need this or that, unless you know exactly what you need. The key thing is to find someone you can trust, if possible.

My last computer was purchased from an online store (IJK in Queensland) where you can custom build the system to your specifications. There are several companies that do this, but you need to know what you are doing to get the right mix of things so this can be daunting.

Brand name desktop computers (eg Acer, HP) from places like Hardly Normal can work fine, although they can be overpriced compared to custom systems. I would always go for a tower type system (which can still be reasonably compact) rather than an all in one system so that you can change the computer separately from the screen at some future point if you want to.

Just like cameras, the key is 'the best you can afford'. I would suggest for raw processing you should try for an Intel i7 or similar, at least 16 G of RAM, and as Glenn suggests an solid state drive (SDD) on which you put the operating system, together with a 2TB minimum 'normal' hard drive for storage. I recently added additional RAM to my computer (to 24 G) but it did not make much difference because in my case my processor (intel i5) is the limiting factor. It is frequently working at 100% of capacity. SDDs are essential for Windows 10 in my opinion, as they load MUCH faster, and I have upgraded all computers we own to SDD for this reason. Going from a 'spinning' hard drive to an SDD is itself equivalent to a computer upgrade.

You do not need a special add-on video card no matter what the salesman may say. The 'on board' video that comes with virtually all modern computers (which is built in to the main processor board) is sufficient. Specialist (expensive) video cards are designed for computer games, which are highly demanding of video capability, and not needed unless you are a fairly high end gamer.

Avoid using laptops unless you really need the portability. Mid range laptops often have good specs on paper but these are slowed down in practice by the power management technology (aimed at making the battery last), so they often don't run as fast as the specifications would suggest. My i5 desktop is for most purposes faster than our mid range i7 laptop.

Also consider your screen needs. A good screen with well calibrated colour is very helpful in raw processing, with a minimum specification of 'full high definition' (1080 by 1920 pixels) or higher.

Cheers
Simon