Considering an upgrade for photo editing

[Berethorn]

So I was shocked just now when I looked back and saw that my computer is already 4 1/2 years old! It doesn't feel that old; it's still going strong, and it gained new life when I upgraded the graphics card and then installed Win 7 64bit.

However, photo editing has become a much bigger part of my computer life than it used to be, and now that I'm heading more seriously into photography, I'm starting to think about an upgrade. Lightroom (both 3 and 4) quickly slows to a crawl after editing a few 12MP photos. I think it's mostly a memory hog, but it's possible there are other bottlenecks.

I just purchased CS5 and haven't used it much yet, but I imagine it would quickly slow down on large files. I've also upgraded to a 16MP camera, so the files aren't getting smaller. In addition to all of this, I'm planning to work with HD video more often.

Other than this, I stick mostly to multi-tabbed browsing and gaming in the form of racing, like F1 2011. I have dual monitors.

Here's what I have now:

Intel Q6600 Quad Core
Asus P5K-E
EVGA nVidia 8800GS
2 x 2GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800
Samsung 1TB HD103SJ (OS installed on partition)
Seagate 1TB
WD5000AAKS 500GB
Antec Twinpower Trio 650W
Antec 900 case
Windows 7 Home Premium

The most basic upgrade would be to double the RAM to 8GB for $60, and bring in an SSD for the OS. It might even help to have a second SSD as a working drive for Lightroom and CS5 files, but this is where I reach the limit of knowledge. I don't have enough understanding of the way that the photo editing programs work and how to optimize their performance.

Compared to the simple upgrade above, I'm not sure what kind of performance increase I would get with a full-scale overhaul (new CPU, RAM, MoBo, maybe GPU).

Any thoughts? I've come here for advice every time I've built or upgraded a computer since 2003 and I've never been disappointed or had a part go bad.

[jdeb]

Huge performance increase with the newer Sandybridge or Ivybridge. I would get a workstation card if your not into gaming as they have way better drivers and are designed for your applications. 8 to 16 gb of ram would be a wise choice. Larger SSD for OS and apps would be the icing on the cake. You would not be served well with buying a sata11 SSD and DDR2 memory purchase as they offer little to nothing, you would be throwing money out the window.

Utilize the 500 gb as a scratch drive and the 1tb for data in the new build. Leave the other samsung in there to keep the older build intact and sell it on craigslist cheap to get rid of it fast. Would not hurt to get an external usb3.0 backup because the drives are getting a little old as well.

If convinced, need a realistic budget.

[Berethorn]

Well, that's decisive, thanks.

Looks like it's build new or do nothing...

Can you tell me a bit about workstation cards? I know nothing about them - are they completely useless for gaming? Because I DO want the ability to play racing games like F1 2011, 2012 when it comes out, rFactor, etc. The card I have now is sufficient to play and record with decent FPS. I don't even know how the GPU affects photo or video editing performace - I was under the impression that these things did not tax the GPU too highly.

I know this is something I can Google, but you might be able to quickly summarize what it would take me a few hours to learn on my own.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Berethorn Well, that's decisive, thanks. Looks like it's build new or do nothing... Can you tell me a bit about workstation cards? I know nothing about them - are they completely useless for gaming? Because I DO want the ability to play racing games like F1 2011, 2012 when it comes out, rFactor, etc. The card I have now is sufficient to play and record with decent FPS. I don't even know how the GPU affects photo or video editing performace - I was under the impression that these things did not tax the GPU too highly. I know this is something I can Google, but you might be able to quickly summarize what it would take me a few hours to learn on my own.

Personally, I would use your old build for gaming since your satisfied with it. However, you can still buy an admirable gaming card for workstation applications but the drivers are not made for some of the advanced features found in Adobe products. Workstation cards do not game well at all as the drivers are built around the software you are currently using. The physical hardware is there but the driver development is absent in the features found in gaming software. Workstation cards are also very stable and durable as many artists earn their living from them, so down time is not an option. Workstation cards only use the highend components, you are paying more for driver development and advanced hardware. If your trying to take your professionalism to the next level, go with a workstation card, it is worth the extra money.

http://www.adobe.com/content/dam/Ado...ility-cs55.pdf

[Berethorn]

Okay, thanks for the details! I have a feeling my particular photo and video editing needs will not benefit from a workstation card enough to justify the extra cost and inconvenience of having to use two separate computers, since I won't be doing any 3D rendering or really intense hundred-layer PS editing. The area where I stand to gain the most time is in the speedy previewing and saving of RAW files in Lightroom, and (please correct me if I'm wrong!) I think that's mostly a task for RAM, CPU, and HD. Furthermore, I'm not professional enough yet to need that extra reliability (not had a problem with a GPU before).

Actually, if I used the same GPU I have now, the 8800GS, do you think it would create any bottlenecks in an upgraded Sandybridge/16GB DDR3/SSD system?

[jdeb]

I do not think it would be a bottleneck but you could upgrade it to a gtx560 and it fully supports cs5. Worse case is to try it, you could always get the 560 later.

[glc]

The best gaming/Adobe card is a GTX570.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by glc The best gaming/Adobe card is a GTX570.

Right, it is also considerably more money. Usually 100 or more.

[Berethorn]

Thanks for the help, guys, I think the best course would be to keep the current card and only upgrade as it becomes necessary. Especially considering that new information has come to light, and it's a little embarassing, but I actually have the Galaxy GTS 450 graphics card...I upgraded it last year and forgot - or rather, I forgot that the new one wasn't the 8800GS (I still have the box for that one floating around).

Oops...

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Berethorn Thanks for the help, guys, I think the best course would be to keep the current card and only upgrade as it becomes necessary. Especially considering that new information has come to light, and it's a little embarassing, but I actually have the Galaxy GTS 450 graphics card...I upgraded it last year and forgot - or rather, I forgot that the new one wasn't the 8800GS (I still have the box for that one floating around). Oops...

Well, the 450 is a decent card but it will not support all of the features of CS5. Give it a shot, I think the upgrade of the CPU/MOBO/RAM will serve you well. ''Give us a budget and we can put together some suggestions for you.

[Berethorn]

Sorry for the delay..

It's hard to set a budget because this may be a future purchase and not an immediate one, but $400-500 sounds reasonable for CPU/Mobo/RAM. If going beyond that makes a big difference I will certainly consider it an option.

For the Mobo I would like USB 3.0 for forwards compatibility (not sure if it's a standard feature yet). Onboard LAN, of course.

For RAM it would be nice to start with 2x8GB and later upgrade by adding another set of 2x8 for a total of 32. Any downside to that? I like having RAM, and it's pretty darn cheap right now. Maybe I should just get 32gb right off the bat...

I would also like ideas for SSDs. I've seen Intel recommended a lot on the forum here but they can cost almost twice as much as some of the "lesser" brands. Are there any brands besides Intel that are reliable?

I was thinking of just getting a 120gb drive for the OS and important programs. I assume that would be the best utilization of a fast HD. Later I can add another SSD for Lightroom previews/working images/additional program files.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Berethorn Sorry for the delay.. It's hard to set a budget because this may be a future purchase and not an immediate one, but $400-500 sounds reasonable for CPU/Mobo/RAM. If going beyond that makes a big difference I will certainly consider it an option. For the Mobo I would like USB 3.0 for forwards compatibility (not sure if it's a standard feature yet). Onboard LAN, of course. For RAM it would be nice to start with 2x8GB and later upgrade by adding another set of 2x8 for a total of 32. Any downside to that? I like having RAM, and it's pretty darn cheap right now. Maybe I should just get 32gb right off the bat... I would also like ideas for SSDs. I've seen Intel recommended a lot on the forum here but they can cost almost twice as much as some of the "lesser" brands. Are there any brands besides Intel that are reliable? I was thinking of just getting a 120gb drive for the OS and important programs. I assume that would be the best utilization of a fast HD. Later I can add another SSD for Lightroom previews/working images/additional program files.

Things change pretty fast, so when your ready, let us know.

[Berethorn]

Well, if I have a list in my head now I can keep my eye out for sales - it will give me a starting place for when I do decide to pull the trigger.

I've done some looking myself in the last couple of days and I'm guessing you're going to suggest the Sandybridge 2400 or 2500 for CPU. RAM is mostly all the same price so it's a matter of which brands are trusted nowadays. It's the MoBo that would give me trouble if I had to pick one out myself, because there's a wide variety of brands/features/prices.

Also the SSD - I'm wondering why Intel is so strongly preferred.

[glc]

The Intel is strongly preferred for reliability and stability. The 520 has the same Sandforce controller as other brands, but it has custom firmware that's far superior to what the others have.

I'm not buying into 8gb ram modules yet. Cost and latency is high.

The best ram for Sandybridge/Ivybridge is Corsair Vengeance low profile.

[Berethorn]

Thanks glc, so you think it's simply not worth it right now to start with 32gb? I assume the extra memory that might seldom be useful would be negated by slightly slower speeds all the time.

I respect your opinion about the Intel, however, when it comes to real-world differences, if I pay an extra $50 for the Intel 520 over something like a Crucial M4, am I getting my money's worth? For that savings I could upgrade the CPU, get lower latency RAM (I see the Vengeance comes in 7 or 9 for $50 difference), or perhaps more practically purchase another smaller SSD for extra programs/caching/ etc (or just buy a bigger one to start with so I don't have to fill it so quickly).

All things being equal I don't doubt you about the Intel - just not sure how much of a difference it would really make at the current price differential.

[glc]

The best compromise right now is a Z68 or Z77 Asus board, a 60gb Intel 520 for SRT caching, and standard Vengeance CAS 9 ram in 4gb modules.

[Berethorn]

I appreciate the help as always, between your advice and my research I think I'll be able to choose the parts I need....at the present time. Just need to decide if it's a good investment right now.

[glc]

When you decide on specific parts, please run them by us in this thread.