Computer for CS5

[sraichur]

Hello all,

I'm thinking of assembling a computer for CS5 use. Looking at bang for buck price point, not all out speed.
I've read through a few threads on this but still have a few questions and would love to get all your advice.

The max file size I would load might be 2 to 4 GB.
2 Stitched 4x5's scanned at 4000 dpi.

With that in mind could you all answer a few questions for me?

1. which processor - i5 - i7 - dual , quad or 6 core?
Affordability wise the i5 quad core 3.0 ghz is not bad. - I've read that it's better to spend the money on memory and SSD rather than CPU.

2. How much memory should i put - 16, 24, or 32 GB?

3. Does the speed of the memory matter that much - 1333 0r 1600 etc?

4. From previous threads people indicate it would be nice to have a SSD for applications, and photoshop scratch disk. Is this required if i use 32GB of memory?
I could spend the money on a SSD or 32GB of memory. Or should I do both? - Or is that overkill?

5. I don't do any gaming, (though i'll probably get MS Flight when it comes out), so is a video card required?. If so, which one would people suggest?

6. Any other suggestions?

Thanks very much
Sandeep

[Brian K]

Sandeep.

According to what I read on the Adobe site you need a 64 bit computer to utilize all your available RAM for Photoshop so make certain it's running 64 bit. I would get as much RAM as possible. Also I would reconsider using an SSD for photoshop if you get that much RAM. SSD drives are very fast but no one is sure how long they will last, there is a limit on rewrites with them and they are very costly. I would use one on a laptop, which I do, because they are shock proof.

[sraichur]

Brian,

Thanks. I will be using win 7 64 bit.
Have you had experience with SSD's failing? So many people are reccomending them these days.

[Brian K]

Brian,

Thanks. I will be using win 7 64 bit.
Have you had experience with SSD's failing? So many people are reccomending them these days.

Sandeep, it's not that they fail like a hard drive, it's that they have a certain limit on read/writes and eventually they stop doing that. I have an SSD in my laptop and have yet to have any issues with it. But it might be expensive to use it as a scratch disk for photoshop and you never want your OS on your scratch disk if you can help it. If I were you, I would RAM up and use a cheaper hard disk as a scratch disk, that is unless you can afford to burn out an SSD over time.

[Kirk Gittings]

I've done some homework on SSD failures and they are about the same as regular drives-about 3%.

[Brian K]

I've done some homework on SSD failures and they are about the same as regular drives-about 3%.

But they cost significantly more. A 250gb SSD drive will run you $300-400. You can get a 500 GB hard drive for $125 to 150. A 500 GB SSD enterprise drive will run you $1200.

So you're better off getting more RAM and a cheaper drive.

[Kirk Gittings]

But they cost significantly more. A 250gb SSD drive will run you $300-400. You can get a 500 GB hard drive for $125 to 150. A 500 GB SSD enterprise drive will run you $1200.

So you're better off getting more RAM and a cheaper drive.

Maybe. I am maxed out on RAM and run the fastest regular drives available all sata or esata. The only way I have to go for more PS speed is SSDs. I have not done that yet largely because of the expense, but with the next round of PS/LR upgrades I will probably have to go to a faster computer or the SSD option (which is a shorter term fix than a new computer).

[Brian K]

Maybe. I am maxed out on RAM and run the fastest regular drives available all sata or esata. The only way I have to go for more PS speed is SSDs. I have not done that yet largely because of the expense, but with the next round of PS/LR upgrades I will probably have to go to a faster computer or the SSD option (which is a shorter term fix than a new computer).

How much RAM do you have and what files sizes do you work with?

[Preston]

Sandeep,

"With that in mind could you all answer a few questions for me?"

1. CPU: an i5 Quad Core will be fine
2. RAM: for the size files you are using, I would get as much as you can afford--32GB will likely be the best price point.
3. 1333 RAM will be fine. Faster RAM will just cost you more money for a marginal gain.
4. SSD's are fine for the OS and applications. They are too expensive for mass storage and as a scratch disk.
5. I have a 1GB NVidia video card. If you use two monitors, one can run off the video card, and the second can run off of AGP on the motherboard. If you plan to run games, a video card will give better 3D performance.

I agree with Brian's notes about SSD's.

Take a look at Puget Systems. They built a machine for me back in May of 2011. It has performed flawlessly.

--P

[Peter De Smidt]

I agree that maxing out your ram is the most important thing. Don't worry about ram speed, as it's a much smaller boost. Multiple cores is more important for video editing, I've been told, than for Photoshop work. An ssd does really speed up some things. Check out Tom's Hardware and others for reviews. From what I've read, the Intel ones are the most reliable. If it's just for a system drive, do you really need a 250 gb? Have a separate start-up drive, storage drive and scratch drive. Make sure to enable UDMA when you install windows, so that esate drives will be recognized when you plug them in.