Page 88 - Photoshop User December 2016

Product Reviews
Cerise Cylinder Computer
This Workstation Aims at the Competition and Exceeds Expectations
Review by Bruce Bicknell
My favorite boutique computer builder is at it again, and this time they’re taking no prisoners with their newly designed cylinder-shaped computer. Yes, you heard that right! This time they’ve brought us the dream machine that we wished the “other” cylinder computers had been, with fully interchange- able and upgradable components. Loaded with options that include multiple (3–5 removable SSD or standard) drive con- figurations, up to 128-GB RAM, and a variety of video card options that smoke the capabilities of other machines in this class. This one is a game changer for the photography and content creators in our space.
As many of you know, I’ve been reviewing Cerise comput- ers for some time now and have always been impressed with their attention to customer service and build quality from their shop. If you recall, I dubbed them the AMG of the computer world because they have one person working with you on your build to ensure that it’s exactly what you need for your workflow. When I was contacted, I had no idea what I was in store for this time around and was truly “giddy” when they filled me in on this new product. Like many other users, I’ve been disenfranchised with the lack of style in the PC world and with the cost of the cool cylinder that has very limited options when you need to expand to match your needs. The problem has been solved.
Is the suspense killing you? Let’s get into it then. Let’s start with what everyone wants to know: The cylinder has a semi- gloss black finish that looks amazing and comes in at 12" in diameter and 15" in height. It weighs in at just under 17 lbs. and features top-mounted controls, with a bottom-mounted fan that keeps everything cool and ultra-quiet.
Now for the good stuff! My test unit came with: an i7 Skylake Quad-Core 4.0-GHz processor; 32-GB Crucial DDR4 2133 RAM; a 480-GB SSD for OS and applications and a 512- GB SSD for storage (with the option for up to 10 TB addi- tional swappable storage); and an NVIDIA Quadro K2200 4-GB, 128-bit GDDR5 workstation-class graphics card (one DVI, one HDMI out, and two DisplayPort connections). This is a true workstation card producing 10-bit color, 1.7 billion colors (normal cards are 8-bit, 16 million color), that handled my two, hi-res 27" monitors and my 40" monitor (HDMI out)
has six USB 3 and two USB 3.1 ports and, best of all, these are all industry-standard parts that you can swap out yourself. As for real-world use, I recently completed a corporate golf pro tour shoot with photos and video for all the typical media (print, Web, and video), so I used Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, After Effects, and Premiere Pro to complete the projects. The performance of the Cerise computer was stellar. I could give you all the numbers, but instead, I like the head- to-head method of reporting, so I put it up against my iMac 5K that’s similarly specked (but still over 1.5 K more). I must say that the import and render times were faster for the Cerise and the overall response time exceeded expectations. If I had
more space I’d continue writing, but unfortunately, I do not. As pros, we have all felt forgotten by the other brands in favor of their more profitable consumer market and it’s refreshing to finally have the option to get something that not only looks great, but is also a high-performance, upgradable beast. Imagine being able to install your own RAM and swap out hard drives (or even a video card) when you need to? This Cerise cylinder computer exceeded all my expectations and deserves a hard look if you’re searching for a machine that’s dedicated to your profession. The cost is very reasonable for this high-quality machine, and the staff’s attention to your needs is invaluable. I’m so impressed with this one that I’m looking forward to replacing my current system with my own
customized version of this machine. ■
Company: CeriseComputers,LLC Rating: ◆◆◆◆◆
Price:$3,339(asconfigured)
Hot: Styling;upgradability;configurability;graphicscard;veryquiet
Not:
088 with ease, and produced amazing detail. To wrap it up, it also
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