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Archive 2009 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

amalgam
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p.2 #1 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

plubbry wrote:
@amalgam:

Are you using an SSD or Photoshop CS4 64bit? I am also looking at a new rig and am wondering how often a scratch disk would be needed by CS4 64bit if one also has 12GB of ram installed. I was under the impression that CS4 64bit could use more memory than the 32bit version and as such may not use a scratch disk all too often if enough ram was installed. Any thoughts or experience would be appreciated. Thanks.

64bit cs4 can address 4 billion times the amount of memory that 32bit can address so you are correct that the scratch disk probably won't be used too often. it is probably better to spend that ssd money on more ram.

Tom, you do have a point with SSD's still being a fairly immature product -- hopefully the problems will die down as more and more people adopt them and mfgs become more adept at bringing out quality mark 1 products. even the second version of intels X-25M's had problems and had to have the firmware recalled. if you do get one, it's best not to upgrade to the newest firmware until it has been well tested.

Nov 03, 2009 at 09:14 PM

Tom K.
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p.2 #2 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

The more I read about the new SSDs from Intel the more I am impressed. I just might choose one as my main Drive. Photoshop CS4 should fly on that.

Nov 03, 2009 at 11:46 PM

Tom K.
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p.2 #3 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

Here is a configuration that just might do the trick.

CUSTOM DESKTOP COMPUTER, Core™ i7 2-way SLI® DDR3 24GB Performance Series System $2068.39

* ANTEC, Performance One P183 Black Mid-Tower Computer Case, ATX, No PSU
* CORSAIR, CMPSU-650TX TX Series Power Supply, 650W, 80 PLUS®, 24-pin ATX12V EPS12V, SLI Ready
* ASUS, P6TD Deluxe, LGA1366, Intel® X58, 6400 MT/s QPI, DDR3-2000 (O.C.) 24GB /6, PCIe x16 SLI CF /3, SATA 3 Gb/s RAID 5 /6, HDA, GbLAN /2, FW /2, ATX, Retail
* INTEL, Core™ i7-920 Quad-Core 2.66GHz, LGA1366, 4.8 GT/s QPI, 8MB L3 Cache, 45nm, 130W, EM64T EIST VT XD, Retail
* COOLER MASTER, V8 CPU Cooler, Socket 1366/775/940/AM2, Aluminum
* KINGSTON, 12GB (6 x 2GB) ValueRAM PC3-10600 DDR3 1333MHz CL9 (9-9-9) 1.5V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
* GIGABYTE, GV-N96TSL-1GI, GeForce® 9600 GT 650MHz, 1GB GDDR3 1800MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, VGA+DVI, HDMI, Retail
* INTEL, 80GB X25-M Mainstream SSD, MLC, 250/70 MB/s, 2.5-Inch, SATA 3 Gb/s, Retail
* WESTERN DIGITAL, 750GB WD Caviar® Black™ (WD7501AALS), SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 32MB Cache
* WESTERN DIGITAL, 750GB WD Caviar® Black™ (WD7501AALS), SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 32MB Cache
* RAID, No RAID, Independent HDD Drives
* LITE-ON, iHDS118 Black 18x48x DVD-ROM Drive, SATA, OEM
* LITE-ON, iHAS324 Black 24x DVD±RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ Smart Erase, SATA, Retail
* MICROSOFT, Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Edition, OEM
* WARRANTY, Silver Warranty Package (3 Year Limited Parts, 3 Year Labor Warranty)

Nov 04, 2009 at 12:56 AM

Nickle S.
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p.2 #4 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

Tom,
That Antec is a sweet case, it's a lot like my Thermaltake ElementS with two 120 mm. fans in front blowing over the HDDs. It also has the power supply station on the bottom of the case in its own little cubby hole. The V8 heatsink looks awesome, too, great numbers, similar to my Noctua.
The SSDs did have a lot of problems when they first came out, lot of failures, but they have improved dramatically. I did read about the faulty firmware update to the Intels with Windows7, so you may need to hold up a bit until they straighten that out. But my two VelociRaptors are no slouches either at 10,000 RPM. BTW, after some initial hiccups when I first got my computer, the rig has performed brilliantly, Photoshop and Nikon CaptureNX are a pleasure to work in, rendering almost instantaneously.
Are you going to have AVA overclock the i7-920? Or maybe you'll do that yourself?

Lots of luck to you - decisions, decisions

Nicholas
www.copperhillimages.com

Nov 04, 2009 at 02:58 AM

Tom K.
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p.2 #5 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

Nickle S. wrote:
Tom,

Are you going to have AVA overclock the i7-920? Or maybe you'll do that yourself?

Nicholas
www.copperhillimages.com

I don't know much about overclocking. I was thinking I would stay safe and not do it.

I go back and forth about the SSD. Gotta figure that one out.

Nov 04, 2009 at 03:16 AM

Nickle S.
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p.2 #6 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

Tom K. wrote:
Nickle S. wrote:
Tom,

Are you going to have AVA overclock the i7-920? Or maybe you'll do that yourself?

Nicholas
www.copperhillimages.com

I don't know much about overclocking. I was thinking I would stay safe and not do it.

I go back and forth about the SSD. Gotta figure that one out.

Tom,
Although I'm not an expert on this, I have read enough to know the i7-920 can be overclocked close to the max and maintain system stability. AVA can do this very easily and they'll burn the unit in for at least 48 hours, maybe 72. This will have all cores of the CPU running at 100% for that amount of time, I don't think our photo programs even come close to that type of stress, you only go there if you're into extreme gaming. This is one advantage of using an experienced and well-regarded company for your build. If you have to tweak anything in the BIOS, their tech-support will walk you through it. They may have more current information on the SSDs, you know, if the number of issues has decreased or been eliminated altogether. I do know that the WD-VelociRaptor has a great reputation for performance and durability.

Decisions, decisions

Nicholas

Nov 04, 2009 at 03:31 AM

scalesusa
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p.2 #7 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

Tom K. wrote:
I'm running Photoshop CS3 on a 6 year old self-built PC. In it's day it was a powerhouse......but 6 years is a long time in the world of computers and it's time for an upgrade.

I don't want to build this time. I need a powerful computer to run Photoshop CS4. 64 bit.

I am will to go PC or Mac. It doesn't matter.

Can folks please recommend a computer to run Photoshop CS4 that won't even break a sweat working with huge files and multiple layers if needed.

Thank you,
Tom K.

Photoshop is generally considered to run fastest on a PC.

I bought a Studio Dell XPS with i7 processor, 12GB memory, dual raid 0 drives, and 24 in Monitor with 64 bit windows last November ($1500 then). It really flies for Lightroom and for high end Video editing. I'm currently running the windows 7 64 bit beta on it until my new copy arrives next week.

One drawback is the limited number of USB ports, I use a lot of them.

Nov 04, 2009 at 03:40 AM

Edward Castro
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p.2 #8 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

Another thing to consider, X58 motherboards will be able to use Intel's 6 core i9.

Nov 04, 2009 at 04:32 AM

amalgam
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p.2 #9 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

regarding SSD, anandtech has a great article, including a new 40GB kingston SSD (without trim support) but under $100 w/ rebate.

http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3667&p=1

Nov 04, 2009 at 04:55 PM

kevinsullivan
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p.2 #10 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

I built a Core i7 machine with 12 GB memory, and it works well. In particular, I can have a few big (1DsIII/5DII) files open in PS CS4 without having the machine grind to a near halt. My physical memory usage in such cases has sometimes been around 10GB, so having the extra memory really does help. I use a modest fanless graphics card. You don't need a gamer's card.

Nov 05, 2009 at 04:12 AM

mdbassman
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p.2 #11 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

Richard in Ida wrote:
Puget systems is one of the top rated custom builders. They are very helpful.

http://www.pugetsystems.com/

OK, any time you order a computer online you cannot just walk in an talk to some one about a problem. While my Puget computer is great I will check with local shops next time I buy.

Just, will not buy from mass market sellers. No HP, Dell, Best Buy, etc.

Puget is "top shelf" for PC's but I will never buy a PC again. Way too much conflicts/problems.

Nov 05, 2009 at 02:18 PM

Tom K.
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p.2 #12 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

mdbassman wrote:
Richard in Ida wrote:
Puget systems is one of the top rated custom builders. They are very helpful.

http://www.pugetsystems.com/

OK, any time you order a computer online you cannot just walk in an talk to some one about a problem. While my Puget computer is great I will check with local shops next time I buy.

Just, will not buy from mass market sellers. No HP, Dell, Best Buy, etc.

Puget is "top shelf" for PC's but I will never buy a PC again. Way too much conflicts/problems.

So you have enjoyed using Macs better than PC's?

Nov 05, 2009 at 04:47 PM

Nickle S.
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p.2 #13 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

Tom K. wrote:
mdbassman wrote:
Richard in Ida wrote:
Puget systems is one of the top rated custom builders. They are very helpful.

http://www.pugetsystems.com/

OK, any time you order a computer online you cannot just walk in an talk to some one about a problem. While my Puget computer is great I will check with local shops next time I buy.

Just, will not buy from mass market sellers. No HP, Dell, Best Buy, etc.

Puget is "top shelf" for PC's but I will never buy a PC again. Way too much conflicts/problems.

So you have enjoyed using Macs better than PC's?

Tom,

Here's a thread that has PC<>MAC opinions from some very knowledgeable people:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/831077

Nicholas
www.copperhillimages.com

Nov 05, 2009 at 06:17 PM

dan727
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p.2 #14 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

Tom K. wrote:
The more I read about the new SSDs from Intel the more I am impressed. I just might choose one as my main Drive. Photoshop CS4 should fly on that.

The velociraptors are over-rated. The are fast... but the increase is not worth the money you pay. The SSD's on the other hand... they are worth it.

Nov 05, 2009 at 08:51 PM

Tom K.
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p.2 #15 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

Nickle S. wrote:
Tom K. wrote:
mdbassman wrote:
Richard in Ida wrote:
Puget systems is one of the top rated custom builders. They are very helpful.

http://www.pugetsystems.com/

OK, any time you order a computer online you cannot just walk in an talk to some one about a problem. While my Puget computer is great I will check with local shops next time I buy.

Just, will not buy from mass market sellers. No HP, Dell, Best Buy, etc.

Puget is "top shelf" for PC's but I will never buy a PC again. Way too much conflicts/problems.

So you have enjoyed using Macs better than PC's?

Tom,

Here's a thread that has PC<>MAC opinions from some very knowledgeable people:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/831077

Nicholas
www.copperhillimages.com

That's a very informative thread. Thanks very much for pointing that out.

Nov 06, 2009 at 05:08 AM

MSC
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p.2 #16 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

Tom, you are making me crazy...man, you are going to get a heck of a machine!

Nov 06, 2009 at 05:26 AM

Tom K.
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p.2 #17 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

With computers I feel the more power the better.

Nov 07, 2009 at 07:06 AM

Nickle S.
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p.2 #18 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

Tom K. wrote:
With computers I feel the more power the better.

Tom,

The reason I went for the 1000W PSU is that nVidia strongly suggests that as a minimum if I were to add a second GTX-295 to run in SLI. I'm using a 26" monitor right now but I think I'll be adding a second one next year, so the computer will be fully prepared power-wise. But the next video card will have to wait until the price comes down to earth a little which will happen with nVidia's next-gen.

As far as the SSDs, I am waiting for some of the bugs to be ironed out with the Intels and Windows7. It would be very interesting to have one solely dedicated to CS4 and Nikon CaptureNX and a few other photo-programs I'm running, but I'm going to make some queries into how much of a speed increase I'd actually see in the real world. As I said previously, WD VelociRaptors are no slouches in my rig so there is no immediate need.

So have you pulled the trigger or are you getting close to pulling it? The last config you posted will make your head spin in Photoshop, if that's a help

And the company I recommended will do everything they can to make you happy after the sale, guaranteed. Puget has a great reputaion for custom-builds, but I chose AVA because of their myriad of choices in every facet of the components, I felt somewhat constricted with my Puget-config.

Nicholas
www.copperhillimages.com

Nov 07, 2009 at 01:22 PM

Tom K.
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p.2 #19 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

Nickle S. wrote:
Tom K. wrote:
With computers I feel the more power the better.

Tom,

So have you pulled the trigger or are you getting close to pulling it? The last config you posted will make your head spin in Photoshop, if that's a help

And the company I recommended will do everything they can to make you happy after the sale, guaranteed. Puget has a great reputaion for custom-builds, but I chose AVA because of their myriad of choices in every facet of the components, I felt somewhat constricted with my Puget-config.

Nicholas
www.copperhillimages.com

I'll be making the purchase very soon. I did a direct comparison of AVA vs Puget and surprisingly AVA was much less expensive and the components were the same.

Also....I priced out the components in the last build I posted at newegg to see if building was much cheaper. Surprise! AVA's price was $2088.54. Newegg's price was 2088.83. How about that!

How do you like AVA's tech support?

Possible final config is below:

CUSTOM DESKTOP COMPUTER, Core™ i7 2-way SLI® DDR3 24GB Performance Series System $2055.42

* ANTEC, Performance One P183 Black Mid-Tower Computer Case, ATX, No PSU
* CORSAIR, CMPSU-650TX TX Series Power Supply, 650W, 80 PLUS®, 24-pin ATX12V EPS12V, SLI Ready
* ASUS, P6T Deluxe V2, LGA1366, Intel® X58, 6400 MT/s QPI, DDR3-2000 (O.C.) 24GB /6, PCIe x16 SLI CF /3, SATA 3 Gb/s RAID 5 /6, HDA, GbLAN /2, FW /2, ATX, Retail
* INTEL, Core™ i7-920 Quad-Core 2.66GHz, LGA1366, 4.8 GT/s QPI, 8MB L3 Cache, 45nm, 130W, EM64T EIST VT XD, Retail
* NOCTUA, NH-U12P Copper CPU Cooler, Socket 1366
* CRUCIAL, 12GB (6 x 2GB) Ballistix PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz CL8 (8-8-8-24) 1.65V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
* GIGABYTE, GV-N96TSL-1GI, GeForce® 9600 GT 650MHz, 1GB GDDR3 1800MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, VGA+DVI, HDMI, Retail
* WESTERN DIGITAL, 150GB (WD1500HLFS) WD VelociRaptor™, SATA 3 Gb/s, 10000 RPM, 16MB cache
* WESTERN DIGITAL, 1TB WD Caviar® Black™ (WD1001FALS), SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 32MB Cache
* RAID, No RAID, Independent HDD Drives
* LITE-ON, iHDS118 Black 18x48x DVD-ROM Drive, SATA, OEM
* LITE-ON, iHAS324 Black 24x DVD±RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ Smart Erase, SATA, Retail
* MICROSOFT, Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Edition, OEM
* WARRANTY, Silver Warranty Package (3 Year Limited Parts, 3 Year Labor Warranty)

Nov 07, 2009 at 05:13 PM

Nickle S.
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p.2 #20 · Best Computer for Photoshop?

Tom K. wrote:
Nickle S. wrote:
Tom K. wrote:
With computers I feel the more power the better.

Tom,

So have you pulled the trigger or are you getting close to pulling it? The last config you posted will make your head spin in Photoshop, if that's a help

And the company I recommended will do everything they can to make you happy after the sale, guaranteed. Puget has a great reputaion for custom-builds, but I chose AVA because of their myriad of choices in every facet of the components, I felt somewhat constricted with my Puget-config.

Nicholas
www.copperhillimages.com

I'll be making the purchase very soon. I did a direct comparison of AVA vs Puget and surprisingly AVA was much less expensive and the components were the same.

Also....I priced out the components in the last build I posted at newegg to see if building was much cheaper. Surprise! AVA's price was $2088.54. Newegg's price was 2088.83. How about that!

How do you like AVA's tech support?

Tom,

I just saw your final config - GO FOR IT

Chris Mundy is the top tech-support guy at AVA and he'll be there any time you need him. What impressed me most was that with both pre and post sales, you could always get someone to talk to in a speedy fashion, none of this "leave a message" stuff that seems to be the norm for a lot of on-line businesses these days. I had a few hardware issues come up at the onset and they bent over backwards to remedy things to my approval. I know I sound like a shill for this company, but another Miranda forumer just got his rig from them and the last I heard he was of the exact same opinion of AVA.

I really feel you should go with the overclocked i7-920, they should be able to get it up to about 3.2 or 3.3 GHz without breaking a sweat. If you want a super-quiet rig, talk to Joe Mundy in sales and tell him you need the same as Nicholas. You can see the blue LED fans on the heatsink and the rear of the case.
http://www.pbase.com/copperhill/image/116244768/original
These were not placed there for the visual effects, they were chosen over the stock Thermaltake fans because of the low-decibel rating. I also have two Noctua fans in the front of the case blowing over the HDDs and keeping the hot-air flow going to the rear and top exit fans. My computer has a steady hummm that is probably quieter than any super-charged off-the-shelf Dell or HP you can buy, incredible for the horsepower. The Antec case you're looking at is very similar to mine in that it has a full-frontal door with the air intake coming in through the sides. AVA took the acoustic padding and placed it on the backside of my door, this baffles the interior noise, tremendous if you have it under a desk like I do. I highly recommend this not too expensive add-on, better yet, buy the stuff from Newegg and do it yourself.

The only thing I would add to your setup would be a second HDD for programs, but that could be done later and it could be another Raptor or you might take a shot with a SSD. The nVidia 9600 card is perfect for the build, we have one in our other computer and it renders things beautifully, even DVDs and streaming stuff. The 1T storage drive is immense, I mean I have about 5 years of photos on mine with room for another 5 years worth.

Nicholas

Edited on Nov 07, 2009 at 09:17 PM · View previous versions

Nov 07, 2009 at 08:54 PM

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