Agony Aunt: What’s the best PC for photo editing and running a shop and website?

[#1]

Dear HP,

We’re looking for a new PC for our business. We are not sure which is the best way to go on this one. Is it better for us to buy a laptop such as a HP Pavilion or maybe better to buy a PC. We need to use Photoshop a lot for our jewellery business and we are having a very large website made. We will need various connections for receipt printers and so on. I know Photoshop needs a dual core processor as it is a very heavy software. I also need the computer to be fast and viruses are my main worry always. As this is a new company we need trouble free life to make everything a success. Our website will be B2C and B2B and if our business grows then we may need more PCs.

- Looking for a diamond

There are quite a few related questions here. So, let’s start with the first one: notebook or desktop? Mainly, this comes down to personal preference and how you plan to use the computer. If mobility is important – for example, if you plan to work from home sometimes – then a notebook is more flexible. However, it sounds like you’re going to use this in your business, for example to print receipts and edit photos, so a desktop computer is probably better in your case. If you’re using it in a shop, you can keep the box out of the way and just have the keyboard and monitor on the till which makes it a bit tidier, especially if you use a wireless keyboard and mouse.

You suggested buying an HP Pavilion laptop. This raises a second question: should you buy a consumer PC or a business computer? Superficially, they are similar but consumer PCs, like our Pavilion range, emphasise entertainment and home applications whereas our business PCs, such as the HP Pro and Elite desktops and HP ProBook notebooks, are designed for business users. For example, they have added security features, enhanced reliability and they come with preloaded software that businesses find useful, such as a trial version of McAfee Total Protection Anti-Virus. If you’re buying for business, it’s best to get a business-class PC. As you say, what you want is a trouble-free life. (On that subject, you may also want to take out an extended warranty with onsite support so that if you do have a problem, you get back to work sooner.)

The third question is around performance. How much processor power do you need to run Photoshop? If you’re editing a lot of photos on a regular basis, it is probably a good idea to go for a multi-core processor, such as the Intel® Core™ i3 or i5. Extra memory will also help; 4 GB of RAM will make Photoshop more responsive because you can hold more of the image in memory without hitting the (slower) hard disk all the time. For regular office applications and occasional photo editing an HP Pro 3120 is a great choice but for the kind of Photoshop work you want to do, I’d get something a little more powerful, perhaps the HP Compaq 8100 Elite and I’d go for 4 GB of memory.

One final thought: if you’re doing heavy-duty editing of very big photos, you might also look at entry-level Workstations – they’re like regular PCs but more powerful. Something like an HP Z200 Workstation would give you extra memory capacity, 64-bit Microsoft Windows 7 and a choice of more powerful processors. It might cost more but it’s likely you’ll recoup that because you won’t need to replace it as soon as a slower computer and you’ll get more work done because it’s faster.

You might find our detailed guide to choosing the right PC for your business. Also, check out our range of accessories for a wireless keyboard and mouse. For more information on keeping your business safe online, read our online guide on Business Answers. Finally, you might find our articles about doing business online helpful when you’re promoting your new website.