Buyer's Guide 2007: Ultimate Systems
Speed through digital darkroom work with these powerful computers
Mac Pro Desktop
Apple's professional desktops are not only beautiful to behold, but they boast some of the best specs in the industry as well. Featuring two Dual-Core Intel Xeon 64-bit processors—that's the equivalent of four processors—the Mac Pro can be custom configured up to a massive 16 GB of RAM and 2 terabytes of storage. There are also two optical drive bays if you want to add a second SuperDrive.
Base Configuration
Processor: Two 2 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon (Quad)
Memory: 1 GB
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256 MB
Hard Drive: 60 GB; 7200 RPM
Optical Drive: SuperDrive (CD/DVD burner)
Ports: FireWire 800 (2); FireWire 400 (2); USB 2.0 (5); DVI
Networking: 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports (2); Airport (WiFi) and Bluetooth optional
Price: $2,124 (as configured; monitor not included)
Dell XPS 700 Desktop
Dell has made a real effort to break out of the beige-box mold with its top-of-the-line consumer desktop, and it does look slick. Though billed as "heavy ordnance" for "next-generation gaming," the specs are also quite good for intense Photoshop work. Customize your XPS 700 by selecting one of Intel's dual-core processors, add up to three hard drives for a total of 1.5 terabytes of data storage and expand your RAM to a max of 4 GB.
Base Configuration
Processor: 3 GHz Intel Pentium D Dual-Core
Memory: 2 GB
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS 256 MB
Hard Drive: 250 GB, 7200 RPM
Optical Drive: CD/DVD burner
Ports: FireWire (2); USB 2.0 (10); DVI and S-Video
Networking: 10/100/1000 Ethernet
Price: $2,100 (as configured; 20-inch LCD included)
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