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Author Topic: A computer only for digital image processing  (Read 8444 times)

Pacific Photos

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A computer only for digital image processing
« on: September 14, 2010, 12:09:46 pm »

yeah Guyz, I was just wondering if any of you Pro's had found a computer just for digital image processing? 
I mistakenly thought the little mac mini was such a creature....and Snow Leopard the photographer's soothing balm.
I guess these modern computers are kinda like a new cell phone...they gotta do everything.....sort of?
  This would be a small computer that was just dedicated to downloading and processing digital photos...and would interface to old and new photo printers in a kind and loving way.   No other programs...no nag windows......anybody know of such a critter?
  I am prompted to write this question from the previous poster who is trying to get an older Epson 9000 to work.
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Gemmtech

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Re: A computer only for digital image processing
« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2010, 04:52:58 pm »

I think most here probably are like me and have several dedicated machines and yes, one dedicated to digital imaging.  I have several printers hooked up and all that one machine does is handle my photographs, it's on a network and I can access it from anywhere.  I have always built my own computers and continue to do so.  I like open architecture and I always have used SCSI hard drives, very rare today.  The few Imacs I have purchased all have had problems, so I stick mostly with Windows.  I do own a MBP 15" I take with me on trips and that's my backup, but it is a dual boot machine.  Always have dedicated machines, it makes life easier, one for finances, photography, music/videos and one for the internet.
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Pacific Photos

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Re: A computer only for digital image processing
« Reply #2 on: September 14, 2010, 06:12:52 pm »

Wow, Gemmtech...that is soooo cool...scsi hardrives and a Windows (xp?) system?  What is your parts recipe for your "homebuilt" photography only computer?  If it is a trade secret....dont answer, but do share your craft.   I repair my family computers and feel kinda savvy....and I truly want to distance myself from the "do everything" sort of garbage being sent down the pipes our way. I was hoping you might say that you even have your own operating system.....just for printing and foto manipulation??  For instance, would it be possible to have just Photoshop and Bridge and your best printer driver only on this hypo thetical "machine".??  No itunes or iphotos or ipod ......just bare bones foto manipulation and printing stuff. This thing would be  lean and mean dude! (or dudette) lemmee know?
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Misirlou

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Re: A computer only for digital image processing
« Reply #3 on: September 14, 2010, 06:37:18 pm »

Another way to handle this would be to set up a single machine to dual boot into multiple configurations, one of which is dedicated to photo work.

I did something like that with my big quad core tower. I run most of my apps in W7, but I can boot it into Snow leopard as well. I do that because HP orphaned my printer via not releasing a W7 driver that handles color management. So when it's time to print, I boot up OSX and use a Mac driver that works the way I need it to. I could also do photo editing and management tasks in OSX, but I still haven't found any compelling reason not to do all of that in W7. And, if ever get around to buying a new printer, I won't need OSX at all. Still, I can see the desirability of a photo-only configuration.

I also tried just running photo apps in the W7 XP virtual machine. That eliminated the outdated driver issue, but I found XP to be annoying after I got used to Vista.
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Gemmtech

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Re: A computer only for digital image processing
« Reply #4 on: September 14, 2010, 08:08:15 pm »

I still use Seagate 15K Cheetahs, Never have had one die on me!  I'm sure eventually I'll change everything over to SSD, right now the technology is unproven.  I use Intel Dual Xeons on Intel board, NVidia Quadro FX3700 (PNY) going to upgrade soon to the 5800 (I use CAD programs for my business).  I use either Corsair, or Crucial (16GB in main box)  Silverstone case, I love their cases!  That covers the main components.  I upgrade components as I feel necessary, not as much as I used to, too expensive.  I use Samsung and NEC monitors, I would love to have the IBM T221 but I didn't have the cash (I believe $8,000.00) when it was available, but I had the luck to see one in person and WOW, what a monitor, I don't believe there's anything better being made today. 

I agree with you, keep it lean and just use it for Photography and or CAD, no ITunes, no nothing.  I used to dual and triple boot, but it became old.  I like to mess around with Linux (for the past 10 years) and I use MAC OS X on my MBP 15" but I like windows best, (currently Vista, XP and 7).  I use CS4 and Lightroom 3, I'll upgrade to CS5 soon. 
« Last Edit: September 14, 2010, 08:12:38 pm by Gemmtech »
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PeterAit

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Re: A computer only for digital image processing
« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2010, 08:21:01 pm »

A computer is by definition a general purpose device, but you can dedicate one to image processing by limiting the software you install. That's what I do, a very fast Win 7 machine for images - and by keeping all the other crap off it, it stays fast! Then I have a run-of-the-mill laptop for everything else.
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Gemmtech

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Re: A computer only for digital image processing
« Reply #6 on: September 14, 2010, 09:26:11 pm »

I don't know if I agree with that statement, a home PC may have evolved into a general purpose device, but so have our cell phones, are cell phones by definition general purpose devices?  The first cell phones could make phone calls, now they can do just about everything a desktop PC can do.  The first computers couldn't do what they do today and the very first PCs weren't exactly general purpose devices, most people bought them to do a task or two.  A computer will do what YOU want it to do, well sometimes  8)
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Pacific Photos

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Re: A computer only for digital image processing
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2010, 02:46:18 pm »

Yeah Gemmtech, you, misirlou and Peter definitely pinned down my question, "A computer only for digital image processing".??
Each of you had a "different take" but gave me what I needed to know to create a lean and mean Foto machine. Get some " Seagate scsi's" a cup of flour, a double boot *misirlou*, some eggs and a IBm T221 monitor.....Voila!!
Did you guys check out Peters moody lake with dark hills and  lighter mountains behind....awesome ! (misirlou, I beg your pardon, but my keyboard will not capitalize "mm's?)
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BradSmith

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Re: A computer only for digital image processing
« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2010, 09:04:26 pm »

Hey!!!   Pacific Photos

You might want to configure that cool new PC with a cool new keyboard too!!!!   
Lettussss know if that new keyboard works!!!

Brad   (one of the Guyz)


".......(misirlou, I beg your pardon, but my keyboard will not capitalize "mm's?)......"
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welder

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Re: A computer only for digital image processing
« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2010, 04:34:47 pm »

In terms of hardware, the best computer for image processing will also be the computer that's best at doing anything else. Good hardware will let you do whatever you want to do, be that photo editing or whatever.

Most important in particualr to photo processing though is memory. Buy or build a computer with a 64bit OS and install as much memory as you can afford. The machine I built last year I put in 8 gigs of ram. And working on large files with multiple layers I still will hit the scratch disk in Photoshop. When prices on 4gb sticks come down a bit I'll probably upgrade to 16gb.

Second recommendation: buy a solid state drive. An SSD makes everything faster. The computer boots faster. Photoshop opens faster. Photos load faster. And working on photos, when I do hit the scratch disk, since I have the SSD as the scratch disk its a much smaller performance dip than it would be with a platter hard drive.

The processor is probably less important, but if you run filters that use intensive algorithims a good cpu may speed things up a bit.

Video card, not really that important since all the high end cards are geared for 3D gaming, but photos are 2 dimensional.

If you want to use your computer for other stuff besides photo editing, that's great. Installing a bunch of other programs on your computer may slow things down, but that scenario is easily remedied: as already mentioned in this thread, build a dual-boot system and keep your Photoshop on one, and all your other programs on the other.
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AaronPhotog

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Re: A computer only for digital image processing
« Reply #10 on: September 19, 2010, 01:20:19 am »

Joseph Holmes has an article on building a computer for digital image processing that has some very interesting information.  It's hard to find on his website, so I just went there and eventually found it.  It's pretty detailed, and a little geeky, but here's the link: http://www.josephholmes.com/news-fastphotoshop.html.  Be sure to read the last part, which was updated in May of 2009 (so now, it's way out of date I suppose).

You should visit his galleries while you're there.

Aloha,

Aaron
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BobShram

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Re: A computer only for digital image processing
« Reply #11 on: September 19, 2010, 10:26:39 am »

Like Gemmtech I use dual quad xeons, mine are on a Tyan board which supports SAS and SATA hard drives, card readers etc. This helps speed stuff up as you are connected to the north bridge which is connected to the xeons, no bottle necks. Internal card readers fly. One thing you should think about is heat, number one killer of hard drives. Ambent temp; hot air in, hotter out. Good directed air flow will save mainy a problem.
Wish you the best in your quest.
« Last Edit: September 19, 2010, 04:23:11 pm by BobShram »
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Pacific Photos

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Re: A computer only for digital image processing
« Reply #12 on: September 19, 2010, 11:30:17 pm »

Wow, what a wealth of talent is on the lula Forum.....you guyz are sooo helpful.  I know we are in the printers and papers column, but this info you guyz are dishing out is too cool for words..... like Brad was saying...get a new keyboard that can capitalize "m's"...and Welder tellin' me you gotta go 64 bit osx and "get down" with those ssd's man.   Now we are talkin a machine that can be just for digital photography....Aaron showed me this reall cool site where Joseph Holmes shows how we are all gonna be moving towards those "sand city" ssd's in dual and quad form.... who woulda thought that the good old spinning hardrive would become a relic....and BobShram talks fondly about the dual quad xeons and getting cool air in and hot air out...... this recipe for a computer for digital image processing  sounds almost like the Commander Cody song about the "Hot Rod Race"......you know, where the Ford and the merc were settin' the Pace.
 well we left  the lula forum late one night, the moon and stars were shining bright...every thing went fine up Digital Hill we were passin'other computers  like they were standing still......then all of a sudden like the flick of an eye, a ssd drive passed me by
 ...the "mark" was made, thats the computer for me, but the dimming of his pixels was all we could see......the guyz they ribbed me for bein' behind, so I dropped that scsi into overdrive....wound it up to 110 busted the printer cord rite off of the end...........it's got a intel  processor that's really souped up, that  Silverstone case makes her look like a pup.  she gotta four barrel fan and dual exausts......IBm t221's...you can really get lost!   (double picken boogie woogie instrumental)
She's got dual quad Xeons with forty gigs of ram with dry ice cooling (if yer using dramms)  She got the speed of a Leopard but no Snow on the heel, digital imaging with no sex appeal.....(instrumental double flatpicking boogie woogie break.)
I need some help with more verses guyZ!!    You know where I am going with this....we can do this together..... try to remember the original song......and the last verse should go " they arrested me and threw down in jail, had to call my pappy just to go my bail......... he said  "marty, you gonna drive me to drinkin' if you dont stop building those hot rod (digital foto ) computers"
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