Topic: Advice on new computer build for Photoshop, please! (Read 48505 times)

Alan Klein · « **Reply #60 on:** February 12, 2014, 12:15:48 pm »

So where will the SSD help? I use LR5 for photos and Adobe Premiere 12 for HD video. I might eventually get CS6. I'm also using scans of medium format film (200mb +) per image file but that will go up with drum scans when I scan outside.

Does the Radeon card have any impact on any of this? I hope the 24mb memory is sufficient.??

Torbjörn Tapani · « **Reply #61 on:** February 12, 2014, 12:43:57 pm »

The SSD will help with the overall responsiveness of your computer. Having LR catalogue and cache on the SSD will be a big plus. RAW files can be stored on the regular hard drive without much performance penalty.

A SSD is the single best upgrade you can make to an older computer after you maxed out the memory.

A new Haswell 4770, ample Ram and working on the SSD you will be pleasantly surprised at the speed I think.

Alan Klein · « **Reply #62 on:** February 12, 2014, 12:58:06 pm »

Thanks for the info about SSD. Do you have to select the SSD in LR when you set up for cataloguing and cache or does Lightroom do that automatically?

I already ordered from Dell with the Intel 4th Gen Intel Core i7-4770 processor (8M Cache, up to 3.9 GHz), 24mb memory and 2Tb hard drive with 256M SSD. Would that will be equivalent to Haswell?

Torbjörn Tapani · « **Reply #63 on:** February 12, 2014, 01:35:38 pm »

In a basic setup you will run Windows and programs on the SSD (this will be your c:) and LR will use the install drive for cache). But you can easily change this in preferences.

Haswell is the codename of the microprocessor architecture of that 4770. So you are all set.

Alan Klein · « **Reply #64 on:** February 12, 2014, 01:43:56 pm »

Great! So I just ordered the monotor from B and H. Just a heads up on the NEC PA242W-BK 24" monitor. You can save around $75 at B and H if you order the monitor and the Spectraview calibration kit SVII-PRO-KIT separately. For some reason their price for the PA242W-BK-SV which includes the kit is $75 more.

What are your experiences with this calibration kit with these photo editing specific NEC monitors? From what I read, the monitor is pretty good out of the box calibrated by the factory. Is the kit just something that you wind up screwing up the calibration? Something else to drive you crazy?

JayWPage · « **Reply #65 on:** February 12, 2014, 01:58:15 pm »

I have the NEC 2490WUXi3 and use Spectraview II for calibration, it's really slick, complete mindless. Just remember to clean your screen first and run the calibration regularly, I do mine about every 2 weeks.

Alan Klein · « **Reply #66 on:** February 12, 2014, 02:14:24 pm »

Jay: Wouldn't the requirement for calibration every two weeks be dependent on the monitor? Shouldn't newer monitors hold their calibration longer?

Tony Jay · « **Reply #67 on:** February 12, 2014, 03:39:37 pm »

Quote from: Alan Klein on February 12, 2014, 02:14:24 pm

Jay: Wouldn't the requirement for calibration every two weeks be dependent on the monitor? Shouldn't newer monitors hold their calibration longer?

No, calibrate regularly for an accurate display.

Tony Jay

jrsforums · « **Reply #68 on:** February 12, 2014, 05:21:55 pm »

Quote from: Tony Jay on February 12, 2014, 03:39:37 pm

No, calibrate regularly for an accurate display.

Tony Jay

I am sure that Tony is right for really critical work....and it was definitely correct for CRTs which tended to drift a bit.

Newer LCDs will hold calibration much longer. I find most, that I have used...and heard from others about....will have little change even after 3 or so months.

I have actually found CFL backlit LCDs to no achieve calibration quality unless allowed to warm up for about 1/2 hour....which is what both calibration mfgrs recommend to calibrate. LED backlighted LCDs do not seem to exhibit that.

John

Steve Weldon · « **Reply #69 on:** February 12, 2014, 05:25:36 pm »

Quote from: Alan Klein on February 12, 2014, 02:14:24 pm

Jay: Wouldn't the requirement for calibration every two weeks be dependent on the monitor? Shouldn't newer monitors hold their calibration longer?

It sounds like you're getting all set. You've made good choices. You could have done a "bit" better by building it yourself and hand selecting parts, but you're clearly more comfortable this way so that's the best way for you.

Yes, every two weeks IF you demand the utmost accuracy. I've found my 2690's drift very little, so I turn off my reminder and only calibrate every two months or right before an important job. YMMV. You'll find Spectraview II so easy to use you don't mind doing it every week..

You're stepping up more than a few levels. I suspect you're going to be very happy with your new system.

Nothing left to do now but enjoy!

Alan Klein · « **Reply #70 on:** February 12, 2014, 09:51:48 pm »

Thanks Steve and everyone else. Yes, I decided to stay with Dell. My current system is 7 years old and I can't really complain about Dell. Plus I really didn't want to put it all together myself. I hope I oversized the new system enough so it can keep up with future requirements for another 7 years. Unfortunately I won't get the new computer for a month. The new monitor should arrive in a few days so I'll be able to play with it in the meanwhile.

BrianWJH · « **Reply #71 on:** February 12, 2014, 10:12:25 pm »

Quote from: Alan Klein on February 12, 2014, 12:15:48 pm

I hope the 24mb memory is sufficient.??

Hi Alan, if you are going to be processing HD video then 32gb of ram wouldn't hurt.

The only other issue I would see with 24gb ram versus 32gb ram is that if at some point you want to expand the ram to 32gb then you will need to find another 8gb stick to match the other 3x8gb sticks, maybe safer just buying the 4x8gb sticks to start with.

Brian.

Alan Klein · « **Reply #72 on:** February 12, 2014, 10:43:37 pm »

Brian: Currently I don't expect to do heavy HD video processing. But that could expand as I expect the future to include 4K. If the price is reasonable, I may add the extra 8mb. I'm checking with Dell for the cost but they're closed right now. Thanks. Alan.

Alan Goldhammer · « **Reply #73 on:** February 13, 2014, 08:59:23 am »

This will be a fine system to work with. There is one word of warning here regarding the use of LR and your SSD. Note that LR keeps old catalogs every time you exit with a full save. Depending on the size of your catalog you might find the SSD filling up rather quickly without really noticing. You will need to periodically go in and delete the older catalogs that are no longer used. I really don't understand why Adobe hasn't made this a more user friendly process.

Personally I keep all my LR stuff on a traditional hard drive (WD Black 2TB) and find that this is fast enough for my purposes.

Alan Klein · « **Reply #74 on:** February 13, 2014, 09:41:54 am »

Does the Catalog include the original scanned photo. Or is the photo kept on the hard drive with just the editing data base on the SSD?

Alan Goldhammer · « **Reply #75 on:** February 13, 2014, 11:20:40 am »

Quote from: Alan Klein on February 13, 2014, 09:41:54 am

Does the Catalog include the original scanned photo. Or is the photo kept on the hard drive with just the editing data base on the SSD?

Catalogs are in a separate directory from your photos so you can assign it to the SSD. I don't have a lot of images on my computer as I ruthlessly cull out those that I will never work on. The size of my photo collection is 68 GB and from this each LR catalog is 80 MB, and as you continue to back up and add new images to the catalog the directory will increase in size. It's just something to pay attention to as time goes by. You should be in good shape with a 256GB SSD.

Alan Klein · « **Reply #76 on:** February 13, 2014, 02:33:14 pm »

Quote from: BrianWJH on February 12, 2014, 10:12:25 pm

Hi Alan, if you are going to be processing HD video then 32gb of ram wouldn't hurt.

The only other issue I would see with 24gb ram versus 32gb ram is that if at some point you want to expand the ram to 32gb then you will need to find another 8gb stick to match the other 3x8gb sticks, maybe safer just buying the 4x8gb sticks to start with.

Brian.

Brian: I checked with Dell. The unit I ordered goes to 24gb memory max. I'd have to change the computer and get a 3TB drive but to get it with the 32gb they want like $300+ more. That's nuts!. So I kept the order the way it is-hopefully I'll be ok with 24gb. Thanks for the suggestion though. Al.

Steve Weldon · « **Reply #77 on:** February 13, 2014, 07:33:36 pm »

Quote from: Alan Klein on February 13, 2014, 02:33:14 pm

Brian: I checked with Dell. The unit I ordered goes to 24gb memory max. I'd have to change the computer and get a 3TB drive but to get it with the 32gb they want like $300+ more. That's nuts!. So I kept the order the way it is-hopefully I'll be ok with 24gb. Thanks for the suggestion though. Al.

Alan - Since it was brought up. $300 to get a full 32gb and go from a 2tb to 3tb drive.. kind of a bargain. But from a technical standpoint.. I never buy motherboards with odd number of slots. The industry standard for that CPU is 4 slots, 8gb per slot.. 32gb. And a company just released 16gb cards which hopefully means they'll become mainstream soon and our motherboard makers will change the BIOS to accept them. The CPU itself can handle over a hundred GB's.. but the motherboard limits it by the number of slots and then the BIOS limits it more.

Anyway.. I'd pay the $300..

Alan Klein · « **Reply #78 on:** February 13, 2014, 07:45:37 pm »

Steve I didn't understand Dell on this one either. This is the memory they are furnishing with the unit I ordered" 24GB Dual Channel DDR3 1600MHz - 4 DIMMs

Thats say 4 slots, no? Either the salesman made a mistake or they have a policy that you have to upgrade to the next level.

The price was more likem $330. But that seems like a liot for going from 24gb to 32 gb and 2tb to 3tb. Do I really need all that?

Steve Weldon · « **Reply #79 on:** February 13, 2014, 07:59:50 pm »

Quote from: Alan Klein on February 13, 2014, 07:45:37 pm

Steve I didn't understand Dell on this one either. This is the memory they are furnishing with the unit I ordered" 24GB Dual Channel DDR3 1600MHz - 4 DIMMs

Thats say 4 slots, no? Either the salesman made a mistake or they have a policy that you have to upgrade to the next level.

The price was more likem $330. But that seems like a liot for going from 24gb to 32 gb and 2tb to 3tb. Do I really need all that?

Right, 4 DIMM memory cards fit into 4 slots. 24gb doesn't add up. Ask them why. Sometimes they install oddball motherboards to save a bit.. Do you know what motherboard this is? The main chipset? Let's gather some more facts and see where it leads us.

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