Overclocking and photo editing

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leighton w
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p.1 #1 · Overclocking and photo editing

I was wondering if there would be any benefit to overclocking to improve photo editing?

My system right now consist of an i5 2500k that runs at 3.30 GHz, along with 8 gigs of ram. I have LR4 installed on a SSD with my images on a HD. The only noticeable issue I've seen is when I'm doing a lot of batch processing or something similar, I would sometimes get a cpu overheat warning. I have now installed a Cooler Master cpu cooler which will take care of the overheat. So, I figured I'd ask this question since I now have the ability to overclock because of the addition of the cooler.

Thanks

Aug 27, 2012 at 04:12 PM

pcschwenke
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p.1 #2 · Overclocking and photo editing

I'm sure overclocking will help but, not sure how much. I have my 2600K overclocked to 4Ghz with 16 gig of RAM being cooled by a Noctua (DH14?) CPU cooler. Didn't need it but, it was there. I can tell you that my home system I built running at 4Ghz is much quicker than my work (Engineering) system at 3.4Ghz. Before overclocking, I read a lot about it and if I find the websites, I'll add them.

Was your CPU overheating while processing photos before overclocking? If so, I wonder why? I'd try to find your issue before going forward. We never see overheating on our 2600's at work and we are running huge FEA, CAD, and CAM models. We get out of memory errors with Solid Works but, that common with that software. What program are you running the batch processes in?

Aug 27, 2012 at 04:56 PM

Chuck Fry
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p.1 #3 · Overclocking and photo editing

My primary photo processing computer is an overclocked Core 2 Quad Hackintosh. I tend to be fairly conservative with my settings; I've installed lots of cooling fans and a big heat sink, the CPU is at standard voltage, and I tested by running Linpack for 24 hours at full speed. I get a 30% clock speed improvement. And I have absolute confidence it will run any application without problems.

IMHO, you are asking for trouble if you do not "torture test" your overclock before using it for real work.

Aug 27, 2012 at 05:05 PM

DTOB
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p.1 #4 · Overclocking and photo editing

Leighton, I've been overclocking CPU's almost as long as I've been making photos, I'd say around 15 years now.

If you'd like a hand getting yout CPU up to speed safely let me know and we can chat sometime.

Currently I'm running my I7 970 (6 cores) at 4.2ghz. Chews through anything I can throw at it. Your 2500k should be good up to around 4.3-4.4ghz with your current cooler, depending on case air flow.

Aug 27, 2012 at 05:42 PM

BobCollette
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p.1 #5 · Overclocking and photo editing

I'm running an i5-2500K on a Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 motherboard and a CoolerMaster Hyper212+. The system is very stable at 4.6 GHz and never goes over 70C at full load. While the amount that you can overclock depends somewhat on the particular CPU & motherboard, I agree with the other posters that 4.2+GHz should be easily attainable.

Aug 27, 2012 at 06:09 PM

DTOB
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p.1 #6 · Overclocking and photo editing

Yep, those sandybridge i5's/i7's sure do clock nice. I would get one, but I am still in love with my hexacore.

Aug 27, 2012 at 06:22 PM

leighton w
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p.1 #7 · Overclocking and photo editing

Thanks everyone for your input. I have an Asus P8Z68 with the AI Suite that will let me overclock by using the "auto tune" option. I watched an Newegg video on how to do, pretty easy. I was just wondering if it was worth it. Judging by the answers you guys gave me it is. Thanks again!

Aug 27, 2012 at 07:15 PM

DTOB
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p.1 #8 · Overclocking and photo editing

I've never let my motherboard auto-tune things for me, just as you don't let your cameras auto-focus for you.

Let me know how you get along. Maybe I'll take some MF shots of my rig and throw them in "the thread" for discussion.

Dylan

Aug 27, 2012 at 07:30 PM

Hammy
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p.1 #9 · Overclocking and photo editing

I have an i7-2700k that 'auto' overclocks to 4.8Ghz (@ 1.38v)when the CPU ramps up, otherwise it idles at 1.6Ghz(@.96v). My system does this via BIOS where the Turbo capabilities of the chip kick on the extra frequency and likewise voltage to do so.

Normal operations of the Sandy Bridge chips run the voltage from .96v at C-state to 'normal' speed at 1.12v to 1.2v-ish depending on model.

The key to a succesful overclock is to keep your voltage as low as you can, therefore you can get by with as little extra cooling (extra volts = extra heat).

If you're already on the edge of heat stress, the first thing it sounds like you need is a new CPU cooler. They are easy to install, but may require removing the motherboard for a backplate. If you're handy with a screwdriver, you should be able to handle it. There are plenty of good coolers out there for 'standard' overclocks.

Personally, I have watercooling throughout my case - actually the case I built is made out of radiator material to cool the CPU and video card, but I only went to that extreme because the system is completely silent. You should be able to get away with an air cooler that fits your budget, quietness and performance. Here is a table of quiet coolers and their effectiveness: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1289-page7.html

Although, I'm unfamiliar with the Asus motherboard and bios (mine is MSI), but this site seems to have a handle on its capabilities and how to overclock: http://www.overclock.net/t/1012874/the-official-asus-p8p67-p8z68-p8z68-gen3-series-owners-club

What I don't know (didn't read all articles) is if you can successfully use the turbo feature of the CPU to push the overclock and therefore have a dynamic voltage. The other way to get higher overclocks is to lock the voltage higher than the system will go automatically, but at the expense of always running hotter. But with the right cooler, either is an acceptable method to get more out of your system.

Aug 27, 2012 at 08:35 PM

aubsxc
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p.1 #10 · Overclocking and photo editing

The i5 and i7 Intel processors offer tons of overclocking headroom and can easily be clocked to very high speeds. Just make sure that:

1. You are using a good aftermarket cpu cooler, and
2. You run a program like Prime95 or IntelBurn for a few hours with all cores fully loaded to make sure your system is stable under load.

With a decent cooler you should be able to get 4.5 or 4.6 GHz with a minimal increase in the core voltage. With high end cooling and more voltage many people are able to get 5.0 GHz + speeds that are stable for 24/7 use.

Aug 31, 2012 at 12:49 PM

tived
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p.1 #11 · Overclocking and photo editing

hmm, i better get my dual Xeon overclocked again, 2x X5650 @ 4.3Ghz with 48gb of ram, getting it overclocked with 96gb seems a little tricky and i have to replace the ram

but to answer the question of the OP, then yes it does make a difference

Henrik

Aug 31, 2012 at 01:05 PM

15Bit
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p.1 #12 · Overclocking and photo editing

Watch the AI Suite carefully as it is very happy to push the voltages around to get what it wants. I've an i5 3750K which runs up to 4.2Ghz without any effort. It does give a noticeable performance improvement with multi-threaded apps, LR4 in particular. With a bit of work i could probably get another few hundred Mhz out of it but i don't think its worth the effort for the small improvement it would give.

With respect to the temperatures, you either have poor airflow through the case, a seriously crap heatsink fan or you haven't mounted the heatsink properly. Easy mistakes to make on this are: Not clicking the mounting pins properly and using too much heat transfer compound. On this latter, pick a decent brand and use the very minimum necessary to get contact.

Aug 31, 2012 at 04:41 PM

leighton w
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p.1 #13 · Overclocking and photo editing

Just an update. I overclocked using the AI Suite up to 4.3 GHz with no problems. Thanks for all the help!

Sep 02, 2012 at 12:16 PM

15Bit
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p.1 #14 · Overclocking and photo editing

I'd suggest disabling the iNetwork module of the AI Suite - it does some network traffic shaping that can sometimes be inconsistent. On my machine it heavily throttles uploads to Zenfolio for no readily apparent reason.

Sep 02, 2012 at 12:32 PM

leighton w
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p.1 #15 · Overclocking and photo editing

15Bit wrote:
I'd suggest disabling the iNetwork module of the AI Suite - it does some network traffic shaping that can sometimes be inconsistent. On my machine it heavily throttles uploads to Zenfolio for no readily apparent reason.

How's this done? I don't see the iNetwork module.

Sep 02, 2012 at 02:46 PM

15Bit
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p.1 #16 · Overclocking and photo editing

My slight mistake - it's actually called Network iControl, but its quite possible you didn't install it. If so, don't install it in the future

Sep 02, 2012 at 03:20 PM

leighton w
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p.1 #17 · Overclocking and photo editing

15Bit wrote:
My slight mistake - it's actually called Network iControl, but its quite possible you didn't install it. If so, don't install it in the future

Okay, I must not have, and won't. Thanks.

Sep 02, 2012 at 03:57 PM

therock
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p.1 #18 · Overclocking and photo editing

I run a i7 3770K @ 4.5GHz and it batches amazingly faster than the 3.5GHz.

There is nothing like a good home build with a clean Windows install and only the ware you choose to run on it.

Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H WB Motherboard
Intel Ivy Bridge i7 3770K clocked @ 4.5GHz
16GB Kingston Hyper-X Genesis 2133 RAM
Water cooling by XSPC RASA RS240 Kit
Sapphire HD 6850 1GB DDR5 GPU
1TB - RAID1 setup with Western Digital 6GB/Sec Drives
Corsair HX750W Professional PSU
Windows 7 Professional (x64) Build 7601

Sep 03, 2012 at 01:22 AM

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