Image Manipulation Equipment

Computers, Memory, Hard disks, Monitors, Scanners

Whilst almost any computer can be used for image manipulation, there are a number of factors to consider.

All computers types are PCs, all use similar hardware..

PCs originated with the IBM PC and although until recently IBM still produced PCs most are clones based on the architecture originating from IBM but made by other companies.
About 80% of the worlds desktop computers run on the Microsoft Windows operating System.

AppleMAC computers have a market share of about 5%. They usually run their own operating system and there are no Apple clones, so all MACs are Apple. They use the same hardware components as other PCs.

There is now no longer any advantage in using a Mac over a PC, and Macs will cost you a lot more.

A computer designed for image manipulation requires specifications that differ from one used for more general office duties. You can e-mail and surf the internet on almost any computer, even the latest versions of office programmes will run on a moderately specified computer, but to work with large photographic images you require plenty of memory.
Much more on computers

The Linux operating system will run on any PC.. About 6% of the worlds PCs run Linux, and the proportion is growing. Linux is a free Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of developers around the world. Developed under the GNU General Public License, the source code for Linux is freely available to everyone.

Linux uses less resources to run your computer, so will run quicker and means that you don't need such a fast or powerful computer to carry out image manipulation.

You can buy a second user dual core computer with 4gb ram, 500gb hard disk, dvd-rw and 21 inch tft monitor and run Linux with Gimp
for less than £100
Or one with a quad core processor and 8gb ram with a IPS screen for around £150

The cost of a computer running Windows and Photoshop will be much higher as you will need a faster computer and more ram to achieve the same results. You will also need to pay for licenses for the software you are using.
Apple computers cost from £1000 and a 'basic' Apple desktop computer will cost upwards of £1500 without the software you need.

Memory - RAM
A typical new computer will be supplied with 4gb of RAM, which is usable on a Linux computer but to work comfortably if you are running Windows or OSX - 4gb would be the absolute minimum requirement and you realistically you will need 8gb or more.

Storage - Hard Disk
To store images on the computer a reasonable size hard disk is required. In the few past years the size of hard disks on new computers has risen so most have plenty of space, but older computers might have a problem. 80Gb should be large enough to accommodate the operating system, program files and work in progress, but bigger disks will be needed is you want to store a lot of images. Photographs can be large, one designed to print at A3 size will be about 50mb, 20 images will take up a Gigabyte of disk space.
External USB hard disks can be used to store and back-up files.

CD / DVD-Writer
In order to 'back-up' and transport images a CD/DVD-writer is useful, whilst there are other options, a CD/DVD-writer is cheat and flexible choice.

Monitor
A good monitor is essential, professionals use large screens, but any size will do so long as it is capable of giving a clear sharp picture.
IPS screens are the best - so spend a bit more and get a good one.

More on Monitors 

Flatbed Scanners
Will scan flat artwork and photographs. They need not be expensive and almost any of the scanners available will do a good job.

Some flatbed scanners with also scan from negatives, but generally these are not as good as dedicated film scanners.
Specialist ones designed to scan film are expensive.

Film Scanners
Designed for film, are expensive, costing more than a basic computer. For the same price you can buy a good digital camera and use that to digitise film.