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Anyone had any experience with the Benq monitors?

I see them mentioned quite often in articles on topics of graphics production of higher quality.  (I'm having a difficult time justifying some of thier higher prices...)

And, if you have experienced them, what graphics cards did you couple with them??

RickyO
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(Still stumbling along given too many directions at any given moment)
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You can get a decent display with a $400 Asus PB278Q - a standard gamut, 8 bit display, or the $728 Dell U2713HM. If you want to get less costly displays, you can always opt for 24" 

Also, The NEC MODEL: P232W-BK lists for $569 and covers all of sRGB and about 75% of Adobe RGB color gamuts. It's at the very low end of the "professionally acceptable" spectrum.

You could get a  BenQ2700PT 27" refurbished monitor direct from BenQ.  In the neighborhood of $500 shipped.

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Thanks for the response, but price is not so much my consideration as is performance.

 

RickyO
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Thanks to ALL for you insights and comments!  I think it was a good discussion!!

RickyO
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  • 3 weeks later...

Just came across this article, which I believe slightly addresses this conversation.

If you go to Section 3, Hardware Acceleration on Windows, there is some interesting info:

https://affinityspotlight.com/article/5-things-you-should-know-about-affinity-photo-19/?utm_medium=App&utm_source=AffinityPhoto_1.9.1035_Windows&utm_campaign=Welcome

The other video above that section is VERY interesting!  Astrophotography Stacking.

 

 

Also, it refers to this page:

https://affinity.help/photo/English.lproj/index.html?page=pages/Extras/hardwareAcceleration.html?title=Hardware acceleration

(Now I just have to find out how to get that minimum Win10version .....  I'm on v.10.0.15063, but there doesn't appear to be a path for update and MS is finding my current version as up-to-date.  Go figure; but then again, it's MS.

 

Edited by RickyO

RickyO
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@RickyO You might want to take a look at this

https://www.cgdirector.com/pc-builder/

https://pcpartpicker.com

As for the GPU I agree, avoid Quadro unless you really need it, and judging from the software you're planning to run on it, you don't need it.

Nvidia 30-xx series are great, but due to several factors are hard to come by and the price increased outrageously.

You can still get some decent deal if you decide to go with a pre-built machine, just keep in mind the more power you put into it the better the ventilation needs to be and, in general, pre-built are not great at that (but usually you can still upgrade the fans by yourself).

As for AMD vs Intel do some research before you commit: it's literally a battle of cores vs clock speed. Try to find out what the software you need to use is optimized for.

Hope that helps.

 

Piero Desopo

 

Direction, Design <http://phoenixart.com>

Photography <http://www.pierodesopo.com>

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17 minutes ago, PhotoCat said:

Rick,

I went to the SETTINGS icon in Windows 10 ( A cogwheel) and clicked on the Update and Security menu and clicked on Windows update and updated my system.  The result was the Build 19042 version was installed.  

I'm not so lucky.  For giggles, I just tried it again.  Nada.

 

RickyO
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New User as of Mar, 2018
(Still stumbling along given too many directions at any given moment)
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  • Staff
On 4/1/2021 at 9:14 PM, RickyO said:

I'm not so lucky.  For giggles, I just tried it again.  Nada.

Sorry to hear this RickyO, does the update simply not show for you, or are you seeing an error when trying to update?

I recommend checking out the below article on the Microsoft support site for suggested resolutions to fix this - 

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/troubleshoot-problems-updating-windows-10-188c2b0f-10a7-d72f-65b8-32d177eb136c

Equally, I believe you should be able to download the latest update manually from the below link, however I cannot be certain of this as I am currently using a Chromebook and each time I visit this site I am re-directed by Microsoft as the computer I'm browsing from doesn't have Windows 10 installed, so please do let me know how you get on here!

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

I hope this helps :)

Please Note: I am now out of the office until Tuesday 2nd April on annual leave.

If you require urgent assistance, please create a new thread and a member of our team will be sure to assist asap.

Many thanks :)

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Yes, that seems to have worked.  An independent contributor on the MS community site suggested it also.

I have no understanding why a valid license of the app didn't update.  The contributor did say my original version was "five years old"; which I find interesting because I bought it as a boxed full install product at a national big box store about a year and a half ago when MS stopped supporting Win7.

Of interest was the contributor's directions to download the ISO and simply 2xclick on it to run it, as compared to having to burn the ISO to media and then installing from there; but it worked.

Going forward, I'm considering only purchasing directly from MS and downloading should they ever move on to the next major iteration.

 

RickyO
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New User as of Mar, 2018
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  • 1 month later...

It's been a few months.  Anything new in graphics accelerators?  (Still not finding any availability in the nVidia product line....)

 

RickyO
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New User as of Mar, 2018
(Still stumbling along given too many directions at any given moment)
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  • 3 months later...

I am building a new PC to replace my Dell twin xeon Precision 5500.  When I started with this rig in 2012, my average file size was 12mb.  Currently it is nearer 50mb, and for HDR and Photomerge much greater.  I have analysed several requirements, as I don't just use Affinity Photo, but also Photolab DXO (superior noise management on night time shots), as well as a rapidly declining usage of Photoshop which though capable and familiar is full of bloatware and getting slower by the day.  Most of my work is for government, including structural installations, roads, improvements etc.  This can involve a lot of shots.  So speed of processing has become somewhat important.  I had a look at the user forum, and I gather that AMD built GPU's are not as favoured as NVIDIA architecture (which is fair enough).  And I note a tendency to favour Intel CPU's.   However, I think I will build on the AMD Ryzen as this current generation has some superior characteristics to the Intel i9, and I will select the NVIDIA architecture for my GPU but my major investment will be in integrating the components on a fast motherboard and superfast memory.  It is currently being built for me, and I hope to have it in a couple of weeks.  Here is the spec: (Any critical comments on my choice is welcomed).  Will let the forum know the outcome in due course.

Motherboard:
MSI MPG B550 GAMING CARBON WIFI
Processor:
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core Processor
Memory:
2 x 16GB (2*8GB) ADATA XPG SPECTRIX D50 RGB DDR4 3200MHz Tungsten Grey
Graphics Card:
ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3060 12GB
Super-Fast SSD Drive:
1TB (7000MB/5000MB R/W) Samsung 980 PRO Gen4 PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
Fast SSD 1:
2TB (560MB/530MB R/W) Western Digital WD Blue 2.5" SATA III SSD
Fast SSD 2:
2TB (560MB/530MB R/W) Western Digital WD Blue 2.5" SATA III SSD
RAID:
RAID 1 (Mirror)
Power Supply:
Antec HCG850 850W 80+ Gold Fully-Modular PSU
Cooling:

ASUS ROG Strix LC 240 Liquid Cooler

 

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  • 1 month later...
On 3/3/2021 at 12:38 PM, James Ritson said:

"Using a Mac Mini M1 now and I can’t recommend it enough! The thing is basically silent and I’ve never heard the fan at all. In most situations it’s basically as fast as a MPB four times the price.."

That did it for me James!  I have been nickeling and diming an older tower machine in search of better performance.  As a matter of fact, I was lurking around this thread looking for yet another investment:  a new video card with faster everything.  Then as I followed the thread down, I saw your comment on the new Mini M1.  I went to Apple's website and checked it out.  That's one little monster of a machine!

Well the upshot is I just ordered one and should have it tomorrow 😄😁:27_sunglasses:.  

NOW, since I am a newbie, I can follow your excellent instruction videos far better than before!

Thank you Sir!

Jeff

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What monitor(s) (and other add-ons) are both of you using???

 

Thanks.

Edited by RickyO
Clarity

RickyO
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(Still stumbling along given too many directions at any given moment)
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On 9/18/2021 at 10:31 PM, Ian41 said:

I am building a new PC to replace my Dell twin xeon Precision 5500.  When I started with this rig in 2012, my average file size was 12mb.  Currently it is nearer 50mb, and for HDR and Photomerge much greater.  I have analysed several requirements, as I don't just use Affinity Photo, but also Photolab DXO (superior noise management on night time shots), as well as a rapidly declining usage of Photoshop which though capable and familiar is full of bloatware and getting slower by the day.  Most of my work is for government, including structural installations, roads, improvements etc.  This can involve a lot of shots.  So speed of processing has become somewhat important.  I had a look at the user forum, and I gather that AMD built GPU's are not as favoured as NVIDIA architecture (which is fair enough).  And I note a tendency to favour Intel CPU's.   However, I think I will build on the AMD Ryzen as this current generation has some superior characteristics to the Intel i9, and I will select the NVIDIA architecture for my GPU but my major investment will be in integrating the components on a fast motherboard and superfast memory.  It is currently being built for me, and I hope to have it in a couple of weeks.  Here is the spec: (Any critical comments on my choice is welcomed).  Will let the forum know the outcome in due course.

Motherboard:
MSI MPG B550 GAMING CARBON WIFI
Processor:
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core Processor
Memory:
2 x 16GB (2*8GB) ADATA XPG SPECTRIX D50 RGB DDR4 3200MHz Tungsten Grey
Graphics Card:
ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3060 12GB
Super-Fast SSD Drive:
1TB (7000MB/5000MB R/W) Samsung 980 PRO Gen4 PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
Fast SSD 1:
2TB (560MB/530MB R/W) Western Digital WD Blue 2.5" SATA III SSD
Fast SSD 2:
2TB (560MB/530MB R/W) Western Digital WD Blue 2.5" SATA III SSD
RAID:
RAID 1 (Mirror)
Power Supply:
Antec HCG850 850W 80+ Gold Fully-Modular PSU
Cooling:

ASUS ROG Strix LC 240 Liquid Cooler

 

Just curious why you are spec'ing the two WD drives with the Samsung?  (Personally, I'm a Seagate and Samsung fan.)

Thanks.

RickyO
APhADe and APu user
New User as of Mar, 2018
(Still stumbling along given too many directions at any given moment)
Windows10 platform

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1 hour ago, WhiteStone said:

That did it for me James!  I have been nickeling and diming an older tower machine in search of better performance.  As a matter of fact, I was lurking around this thread looking for yet another investment:  a new video card with faster everything.  Then as I followed the thread down, I saw your comment on the new Mini M1.  I went to Apple's website and checked it out.  That's one little monster of a machine!

Well the upshot is I just ordered one and should have it tomorrow 😄😁:27_sunglasses:.  

NOW, since I am a newbie, I can follow your excellent instruction videos far better than before!

Thank you Sir!

Jeff

For both James and Jeff:

I'm confused on the cpu.  BB is showing the M1 version for $700; and the i5 w/M1 for graphics at $1100.

Any input as to which you are using and comparisons?

Thanks.

 

 

RickyO
APhADe and APu user
New User as of Mar, 2018
(Still stumbling along given too many directions at any given moment)
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3 minutes ago, RickyO said:

What monitor (and other add-ons) are you using???

 

Thanks.

Hi Ricky.  Nothing special as of yet.  You see, I'm just starting out.  That's why I was trying my best to keep some older gear running and producing.  But alas, the technology simply outruns the hardware as we all know quite well 🙄.  Try as we might... 

Currently, I am using a Dell and an Acer; both 24" diagonally.  Don't recall the model numbers (they were written in cuneiform, just kidding) but they will do until I can save enough dough to purchase at least one 6k or at least 4k monitor, while using one of the existing ones just for secondary internet usage while editing photos.  

No other add-ons yet; but like I said, just starting.  I'll be watching and learning from all of you here!!

As far as the older equipment goes, I don't know how old you are, but Ian Anderson said it best in the Jethro Tull song Locomotive Breath:  "Ol' Charlie stole the handle and the train it won't stop going, no way too slow down!"  Clearly, we have very little control over the mad fast pace that life carries us on!

Best,

Jeff

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9 minutes ago, RickyO said:

For both James and Jeff:

I'm confused on the cpu.  BB is showing the M1 version for $700; and the i5 w/M1 for graphics at $1100.

Any input as to which you are using and comparisons?

Thanks.

 

 

Ricky, I don't know what or how James has his configured; but I ordered the $700 unit only because it had sufficient SSD space for my use.  I did not research the i5, as I plan, as posted just before, to replace existing monitor(s) with new ones.  When you mention i5, I'm assuming you are referring to a laptop model.  Am I correct? 

I was amazed at what $700 buys in that Mini M1!  I am now retired, and have to watch the money much more carefully, so this option, which I did not consider until James mentioned he was using one, turned out to be just what I needed.

Sorry that this isn't much of an answer for you on my part!  Hopefully James might chime in and give us much more insight and information on what he's using; and how he came to decide on it.

You said you were confused on the cpu.  The way I understand it, is the M1 contains the 8 core CPU as well as the additional 8 core GPU together.  The i5 is an Intel processor, so is this a desktop or laptop?

Jeff

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51 minutes ago, WhiteStone said:

Ricky, I don't know what or how James has his configured; but I ordered the $700 unit only because it had sufficient SSD space for my use.  I did not research the i5, as I plan, as posted just before, to replace existing monitor(s) with new ones.  When you mention i5, I'm assuming you are referring to a laptop model.  Am I correct? 

I was amazed at what $700 buys in that Mini M1!  I am now retired, and have to watch the money much more carefully, so this option, which I did not consider until James mentioned he was using one, turned out to be just what I needed.

Sorry that this isn't much of an answer for you on my part!  Hopefully James might chime in and give us much more insight and information on what he's using; and how he came to decide on it.

You said you were confused on the cpu.  The way I understand it, is the M1 contains the 8 core CPU as well as the additional 8 core GPU together.  The i5 is an Intel processor, so is this a desktop or laptop?

Jeff

Desktop, not laptop.

One retailer has it with i5 & M1 graphics:  See attachments

Another has a version with i7, but is using :

 

What I think is a real advantage is the 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports.  If you add  a Thunderbolt box, it really can get you further up the mountain:

image.thumb.png.129b1971f6c47bf4ebde82291c94455b.png

image.thumb.png.61ef879b7604967e3d92d68234810664.png

 

image.png.6b0b121603453a1f919382a34d49dbf1.png

image.png.8e70ba665b76e3f437c12a1c087bd37f.png

 

 

image.png.9eec77e7190f4ad5fb436563ad115cf2.png

image.png

Edited by RickyO
Correcting typos

RickyO
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(Still stumbling along given too many directions at any given moment)
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WOW!  That is a lot of push for the i5 and i7 Intel processors.  I find it just as interesting that Apple isn't pushing Intel at all regarding the new Mini M1 on their website.  I haven't done much research like you have Ricky, so I'm the confused one now 😮.  Hmmm.  

I agree with your comment on the Thunderbolt USB.  

Have you decided which way you might be going?

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I've been a Windows person from the beginning (still have a complete install set of 3.5" disks for Windows 2....).  Have to say though, this info on the Mini has my attention; especially at the pricing (and given that getting the graphics adapter I want is literally impossible), I need to know more.  I was up around $5K in my planning, even if I could get the parts.  This Mini may just provide me what I can use and allow for a monitor upgrade.  All of my graphics and webdev apps are Win-oriented, so I have to consider the expense to upgrade.

RickyO
APhADe and APu user
New User as of Mar, 2018
(Still stumbling along given too many directions at any given moment)
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4 hours ago, RickyO said:

"I've been a Windows person from the beginning..."

You're preaching to the choir!  So have I.  I am familiar with the MacOS since I have used Linux in the past.  The original MacOS kernel creation was based on the Linux kernel at the time; so many of the lower commands are the same, file handling and file structures are (at least were) nearly identical.

However, I am an electrical engineer that specialized in Automation and Controls; so the software's that I used were all compiled for Windows; so I had to use Windows OS whether I wanted to or not.  Having said that, I really like using Linux; and I like the iPhone and iPad OS.  I'm sure the new MacOS, called Monterey, will be just as good and stable.  It was the excellent stability and security of the Linux kernel that I really was impressed with.

Yes, I not only have 3.5" discs; but even one 5" floppy I found the other day whilst going through old stuff that is heading for the garbage bin.  I'm keeping that for posterity sake.  I don't believe my grandkids have ever seen one.

Anyhow, the Mac Mini M1 is just the ticket for me.  This solves all of my problems; and its small size will really clean up my work area!

Jeff

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1 hour ago, WhiteStone said:

I am familiar with the MacOS since I have used Linux in the past.  The original MacOS kernel creation was based on the Linux kernel at the time;

No, based on Unix, like Linux is based on Unix.

Mac Pro (Late 2013) Mac OS 12.7.4 
Affinity Designer 2.4.0 | Affinity Photo 2.4.0 | Affinity Publisher 2.4.0 | Beta versions as they appear.

I have never mastered color management, period, so I cannot help with that.

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