Upgrading

Hey folks,

I've just recently sold my 2010 13" MacBook Pro and was trying to upgrade my set up. I'm looking at a Mac mini 2011 model (2.3GHZ i5 processor) with the integrated chip ($450 on Craigslist) and upping the ram to 16GB. Would this set up be alright for LR 4 and CS5? Should i opt for the 2.5 ghz with a dedicated GPU? Possibly upgrading to an SSD down the road (couple of weeks). Also, I'm looking for a nice IPS monitor for around ~$200. All in all, my budget is about ~$850-$900. Possibly 1k max if someone can think of a better Mac set up. Not really looking into the iMac, while they are awesome, all in one computers are not my cup of tea. Plus, it'll be really hard for me to switch out the HDD to SSD since I don't want to mess around with the screen (yikes!). Any help is appreciated!

I ran CS4 and LR3 on my 2010 Mac Mini with 4GB of ram no problem, so im sure the latest ones will be just fine. Im running a bas model 2012 MBP 13" with an SSD and 8GB ram right now and have no issues at all with LR4 or CS5. LR4 can be a little slow updating live results with a couple tools, but its plenty workable.

i5 good. 16GB good. SSD good.

Integrated GPU pretty good generally I'm sure, but dedicated nVidia GPU probably required to get nice-to-have but not essential acceleration.

Alright, just wanted reassurance that this set up can run Lightroom and photoshop without much of a hassle. Also, can someone recommend an IPS monitor for me for around that range?

Dell IPS

Does anyone have any experience with the following monitor?

Dell ultra sharp U2412M vs. U2312HM vs. AOC I2353PH? They're all relatively close to each other in terms of pricing but is there any advantage over the more expensive model of the dell monitor vs the little brother? And is there an advantage over the AOC?

Check out tftcentral.co.uk for reviews. The key things you want are LED and IPS.

didnt get the dell 2312HM just because of the reviews it received regarding the matte finish on the screen. Apparently, thats one aggressive coating on it and I don't need that aggressive of a coating on a desktop. I went with the AOC and hopefully it'll serve my purpose quite nicely :]. I ended up getting 8GB ram 1600 MHZ since I couldnt afford 16GB (double the price is not nice on a college budget). And working towards that SSD, should be in pretty soon. Hopefully this 8GB ram will last me with this 7200 RPM hard drive.

Thanks for all the help everyone.

do a search on "photography monitor". You will find lots of sites with reviews and recommendations.