Talking about processors, Ram and other hardware stuff

Blacktop

Senior Member
I'm looking to get a new puter in a few weeks. I'll be using it mostly to run LR/PS and a few other editing software like Nik, Topaz.

I've been reading a lot about different CPUs and RAM and GPU cards.
The more I read the more I get confused.

First CPUs. The question I have, is if a CPU has 4 cores (quad core) and is 4GHZ, does that mean that each core is 1GHZ? What I mean is, that lets say I'm running an app and the CPU uses only 2 cores for that task, then basically it's only using 2GHZ and the other 2GHZ is left unused and wasted? (sorry if my question sounds silly but I really don't know)

Second is about RAM. I read that more RAM is better, but I also have to look at the speed of the RAM. Right? So sometimes 8Gigs of fast ram is better then 16 GIGs of slow RAM?

I do a lot of pano stitching. Well, at least I try but with my present machine with an AMD duel core, 8 gigs of RAM and a 256MB intergrated GPU it's a real pain.
For intense tasks like stitching together a lot of images would an i7 intell quad core CPU be the way to go?

This is the machine I'm looking at right now. Dell XPS 8900 Desktop Computer X8900-2506BLK

Think this would be enough? I don't want to spend much more right now. Also I could always expand the RAM and buy a better GPU later on if I need it.
 
Those specs look very good. i7 processor is pretty much the top of the line, The video card is the next model about the one I just put in. I was going to put this one in but my power supply would have to be upgraded. Even mine (the 730) works great and I just did a 10 frame pano but I have 24GB of RAM. Memory is cheap when you buy and install it yourself. With 16GB normally that would be 4x4GB sticks and you have to replace them in pairs. so you would have to buy 2x8GB move up to 24 or 2X16GB to move up even more. I think this machine will handle up to 64GB but not sure about that. but 24GB or 32GB is great for LR and PS in my experience.

The specs are pretty good. More or less what I want in my next desktop with the exception that I want a SSD drive to load the operating system and LR and PS on plus the 1TB drive for all the rest of the programs. I use only USB externals for storing photos.
 

Blacktop

Senior Member
Those specs look very good. i7 processor is pretty much the top of the line, The video card is the next model about the one I just put in. I was going to put this one in but my power supply would have to be upgraded. Even mine (the 730) works great and I just did a 10 frame pano but I have 24GB of RAM. Memory is cheap when you buy and install it yourself. With 16GB normally that would be 4x4GB sticks and you have to replace them in pairs. so you would have to buy 2x8GB move up to 24 or 2X16GB to move up even more. I think this machine will handle up to 64GB but not sure about that. but 24GB or 32GB is great for LR and PS in my experience.

The specs are pretty good. More or less what I want in my next desktop with the exception that I want a SSD drive to load the operating system and LR and PS on plus the 1TB drive for all the rest of the programs. I use only USB externals for storing photos.

Good to hear. Question about SSd. If I buy this machine, can I add an SSD drive to it, and if I can would I have to re-install windows on the SSD drive?. Or should I just spend a few hundred more and get a machine with an SSD already installed?

Do you use the USB drive to store NEF files as well from LR catalog?
 
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Good to hear. Question about SSd. If I buy this machine, can I add an SSD drive to it, and if I can would I have to re-install windows on the SSD drive?. Or should I just spend a few hundred more and get a machine with an SSD already installed?

Do you use the USB drive to store NEF files as well from LR catalog?


That is a very good question. I am not sure if it can be moved after it is installed.
 

rocketman122

Senior Member
I would do a clean install on the ssd. I tried doing that with acronis by making an image and things went bad.

anything over 8gb ram is for video editors. I never had an issue with it hiccuping and I deleted my pagefile.sys
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
Personally... when I buy a computer/ any computer... I always max out the RAM that will fit on the MB... that single factor will extend the useful life of any computer
 

paul04

Senior Member
My plan in the next few weeks, is to add a SSD drive to make my PC load and run faster, load windows 10 on to it (fresh install)
And use the old drive as a backup for all the raw files.
 
Went and bought a 240GB Hard drive and Acronis cloning software and am now in the process of cloning my hard drive. cost for drive, software and SATA cable is around $110 so far. Will update when I get it cloned and booting from the new SSD drive.

I was shocked at how cheap SSD drives have gotten. Bought it locally at BestBuy Brand is SanDisk
 
Went and bought a 240GB Hard drive and Acronis cloning software and am now in the process of cloning my hard drive. cost for drive, software and SATA cable is around $110 so far. Will update when I get it cloned and booting from the new SSD drive.

I was shocked at how cheap SSD drives have gotten. Bought it locally at BestBuy Brand is SanDisk

Up and running.. From pressing the power button till after entering the password and it is up and ready to go takes 22 seconds. Lightroom takes 4 seconds from start till the catalog is open and ready to process. Still tweaking it but a lot faster than it was. turning it one before was a couple of minutes.
 

ryan20fun

Senior Member
First CPUs. The question I have, is if a CPU has 4 cores (quad core) and is 4GHZ, does that mean that each core is 1GHZ? What I mean is
Each core should run up to the nominal frequency (4GHZ for example), But the core(s) can run faster/slower depending on wheather the CPU has power saving functions(any recent once in the last several years) or if it has a turbo mode.

For example I have the AMD FX-8120 8 core 3.1GHZ CPU, The CPU frequency ranges from 1.4GHZ to 4GHZ depending on load and CPU temprature.


Second is about RAM. I read that more RAM is better, but I also have to look at the speed of the RAM. Right? So sometimes 8Gigs of fast ram is better then 16 GIGs of slow RAM?
Outside of stnthetic benchmarks, More RAM is better.
I would say try to go for at least 16GiB's of ram for photo editing, The more the merrier.

It does not help you if you have 8GiB the RAM that can be accessed 25% faster if you need to store 12GiB of data in there.
That will cause the system to page out unneeded memory to DISK (SUPER slow) to fit what the app wants.
But the app may want more RAM then you have, In which case it could crash(not designed very well in regards to memory allocation) or give a error about RAM requirements.


This is the machine I'm looking at right now. Dell XPS 8900 Desktop Computer X8900-2506BL
The GPU seams capable from the specs, But I would not expect very much from it being a low end card and it being a mobile version.
The memory controller is weak on the card (DDR3), But I don't think PS/LR need very fast access to VRAM.

You just have to remember that the CPUs and GPUs put into laptops/netbooks/etc are not going to be as fast as a desktop as they are power and heat problems to deal with.
But they should not be far behind the desktop version.

HTH
 
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The GPU seams capable from the specs, But I would not expect very much from it being a low end card and it being a mobile version.
The memory controller is weak on the card (DDR3), But I don't think PS/LR need very fast access to VRAM.

You just have to remember that the CPUs and GPUs put into laptops/netbooks/etc are not going to be as fast as a desktop as they are power and heat problems to deal with.
But they should not be far behind the desktop version.

HTH

This is a desktop card in a desktop and is pretty good. My next version down really made a big difference in LR CC and PS CC
 

Blacktop

Senior Member
The GPU seams capable from the specs, But I would not expect very much from it being a low end card and it being a mobile version.
The memory controller is weak on the card (DDR3), But I don't think PS/LR need very fast access to VRAM.

You just have to remember that the CPUs and GPUs put into laptops/netbooks/etc are not going to be as fast as a desktop as they are power and heat problems to deal with.
But they should not be far behind the desktop version.

HTH


@ryan20fun. I'm a little confused. The video card in the machine I linked to is a 4 GIG card. I hope that would be plenty to run some intense tasks like pano stitching, or a bunch of PS layering tasks.
 

ryan20fun

Senior Member
@ryan20fun. I'm a little confused. The video card in the machine I linked to is a 4 GIG card. I hope that would be plenty to run some intense tasks like pano stitching, or a bunch of PS layering tasks.
4GiB's of VRAM should be enough, What I was talking about with RAM was the system RAM.

AFAIK PS/LR uses the GPU to compute the results, But I don't think it needs lots of VRAM to do that.

Like @Don Kuykendall has said, It should do the job.
But the reson I expressed concern over it being a low end card comes from using GPU's to make games.

HTH
 
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ryan20fun

Senior Member
I feel stupid :confused:, I just relized that that Dell is not a laptop/netbook.
I have not seen Dell make a desktop.

Reading comprehension fail :eek:
 

Blacktop

Senior Member
So, did you get it yet? I am curious as to how good it works.

I have to wait a few weeks until I get my quarterly safety bonus (accident free driving, no citations and watching a 15 minute safety video once a month) from work, which should cover the cost.
I really wanted to surprise my wife with a 12 inch iPad pro with this money.
I just went out and bought a 480gig Sandisk SSD and in the process of slapping this in my old puter. If it gives me a significant performance upgrade, I may just forgo the new machine for another 3 months and get my wife the iPad pro instead.
She's been using the old iPad2 for years.
 
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