buying a computer !!help!!

[bmikeiel]

hey everyone, just looking for a little input here. my fiance is buying me a new computer for xmas strictly for my art needs, and i was wondering if a 37 or 38" monitor will be too big? also, does anyone know where i can get a deal on photoshop cs2? thanks all.

[Stahr]

hardware geek here, what can i help you with? ;)
by 37-38 inch monitor i think you mean a lcd tv, theese are not good for computer use.
first, monitor:
you get to be looking for a monitor with true 24bit colors, that's 16,7 millions, not 16,2. it can be tricky to get this facts though.
if you want a great screen i think the dell 24' would be a great choise, heard many good things about it.

as fr computer, i don't know how much you're going to spend, so i just have to guess.
but a dualcore intel or amd with at least 2gb of ram would be the nicest, just remember, for an artist the screen is half the computer, so don't go crazy on the 'pooter and nothing on the monitor, that's just an advice though.

a setup like this would do much, not just in 2d but also in 3d performance:
am2 X2 5000+ (i got a 4600+ great stuff also)
intel core2duo 6400 or 6600

theese might be a bit pricey though.

2gb standard ram (don't even bother for thoose yaddayadda expensive ram sticks)

you don't need a gaming graphics card to do just 2d, just a decent one, and maybe something over decent to do some heavy 3d stuff.

hope this helps a bit, otherwise send me a pm.


but, for 2d you often don't need that much power of the computer really, photoshop runns well on my old p4 3ghz computer as well...