buying a NOTEBOOK for PS

tommy wrote:

hi

I am getting a notebook to work with PS and wonder what sort of hardware specs to get …..
there are those with HT cpu and there is the new 715 with 2MB L2 cache but there is really no benchmark that shows which is better at photoshop

I have no direct experience, but rumor has it that hyperthreading does not do much for Photoshop.

I will be getting 512 MB ram
is that more than enough for 6MB raw CANON 10D files ? ?

It’s 6 megapixels, if you convert to a 16 bit image, you’ll be using 6x3x2 = 36 MB per image. Even at 8 bits, you’ll be using 18 MB per image, and Photoshop generally uses double the actual memory to support an image.

Then there’s the overhead of Photoshop itself, and the OS, both of which are competing for memory like there’s a pie eating contest hosted inside your computer.

I’d get at least a gig, perferably 2 if this will be your primary system. Photoshop wants lots of memory, and even 4 gig would not be overdoing it.

Memory is something you can add on later, but do make sure you can upgrade your notebook to a gig minimum, and that you’re not painting yourself into a corner with the number of memory sticks (one?) your notebook will accept. —

Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com
www.geigy.2y.net

Mike Russell wrote:

tommy wrote:

hi

I am getting a notebook to work with PS and wonder what sort of hardware specs to get …..
there are those with HT cpu and there is the new 715 with 2MB L2 cache but there is really no benchmark that shows which is better at photoshop

I have no direct experience, but rumor has it that hyperthreading does not do much for Photoshop.

I will be getting 512 MB ram
is that more than enough for 6MB raw CANON 10D files ? ?

It’s 6 megapixels, if you convert to a 16 bit image, you’ll be using 6x3x2 = 36 MB per image. Even at 8 bits, you’ll be using 18 MB per image, and Photoshop generally uses double the actual memory to support an image.

Then there’s the overhead of Photoshop itself, and the OS, both of which are competing for memory like there’s a pie eating contest hosted inside your computer.

I’d get at least a gig, perferably 2 if this will be your primary system. Photoshop wants lots of memory, and even 4 gig would not be overdoing it.

Memory is something you can add on later, but do make sure you can upgrade your notebook to a gig minimum, and that you’re not painting yourself into a corner with the number of memory sticks (one?) your notebook will accept.

I have a HT system, and don’t see any spectacular differences, other than the fact no single app will completely grind my pc to a halt. 1 Gb is indeed no luxury anymore. I have PS set to take max 65% to prevent Xp from swapping all too much. I heard Macs are much more speedy when it comes to PS by the way. Maybe an Ibook could be interesting ? (I myself have no macxperience whatsoever)

Memory is something you can add on later, but do make sure you can upgrade your notebook to a gig minimum, and that you’re not painting yourself into

a

corner with the number of memory sticks (one?) your notebook will accept.

I just want to add that some manufacturers deliver 512 MB (or whatever memory the notebook has) in two memory moldules (a notebook is not likely to have more than two banks). In that case, the only way to upgrade to more memory is to dispose (or sell) the two modules and buy for example 1 GB new memory.

So make sure that the memory is "in one piece".

Waldo

In article <ePnOc.2116$>,
Mike Russell wrote:

tommy wrote:

hi

I am getting a notebook to work with PS and wonder what sort of hardware specs to get …..
there are those with HT cpu and there is the new 715 with 2MB L2 cache but there is really no benchmark that shows which is better at photoshop

I have no direct experience, but rumor has it that hyperthreading does not do much for Photoshop.

I will be getting 512 MB ram
is that more than enough for 6MB raw CANON 10D files ? ?

It’s 6 megapixels, if you convert to a 16 bit image, you’ll be using 6x3x2 = 36 MB per image. Even at 8 bits, you’ll be using 18 MB per image, and Photoshop generally uses double the actual memory to support an image.
Then there’s the overhead of Photoshop itself, and the OS, both of which are competing for memory like there’s a pie eating contest hosted inside your computer.

I’d get at least a gig, perferably 2 if this will be your primary system. Photoshop wants lots of memory, and even 4 gig would not be overdoing it.
Memory is something you can add on later, but do make sure you can upgrade your notebook to a gig minimum, and that you’re not painting yourself into a corner with the number of memory sticks (one?) your notebook will accept. —

Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com
www.geigy.2y.net

No personal experience but getting a laptop with Firewire and using an external backpack disk for archives and a work disk seems to be a good tip.

Look at the Mac laptops.

—
Al Dykes
———–
adykes at p a n i x . c o m

In article <ePnOc.2116$>,
says…

tommy wrote:

hi

I am getting a notebook to work with PS and wonder what sort of hardware specs to get …..
there are those with HT cpu and there is the new 715 with 2MB L2 cache but there is really no benchmark that shows which is better at photoshop

I have no direct experience, but rumor has it that hyperthreading does not do much for Photoshop.

I will be getting 512 MB ram
is that more than enough for 6MB raw CANON 10D files ? ?

It’s 6 megapixels, if you convert to a 16 bit image, you’ll be using 6x3x2 = 36 MB per image. Even at 8 bits, you’ll be using 18 MB per image, and Photoshop generally uses double the actual memory to support an image.
Then there’s the overhead of Photoshop itself, and the OS, both of which are competing for memory like there’s a pie eating contest hosted inside your computer.

I’d get at least a gig, perferably 2 if this will be your primary system. Photoshop wants lots of memory, and even 4 gig would not be overdoing it.
Memory is something you can add on later, but do make sure you can upgrade your notebook to a gig minimum, and that you’re not painting yourself into a corner with the number of memory sticks (one?) your notebook will accept. —

Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com
www.geigy.2y.net

Some added thoughts:

Larger screen is easier to use PS on. Non-CRT monitor is more difficult to get calibrated for critical color work, but is OK for quick edits in the field, leaving color for your equiped desktop.

Second HDD (harder to come by in laptops) is a real plus for Scratch Disks.

For field work only, Toshiba’s P25-S670 does a nice job. As this is my only XP/PS machine, I can’t comment on the HT issues, but have heard the same thing as Mike. The Toshiba has HT, and, so far, no problems. It isn’t as fast as my slower (CPU speed) dual-CPU W2K with 2GB RAM and big, fast SCSI HDD’s, but it is OK, and runs PS CS well, with no slow down, that I can tell. Sony’s VAIO UXGA large monitor laptops seem very nice too, but they were in the middle of changing their lineup, so I went with Toshiba.

Hunt

In article , says…

Memory is something you can add on later, but do make sure you can upgrade your notebook to a gig minimum, and that you’re not painting yourself into

a

corner with the number of memory sticks (one?) your notebook will accept.

I just want to add that some manufacturers deliver 512 MB (or whatever memory the notebook has) in two memory moldules (a notebook is not likely to have more than two banks). In that case, the only way to upgrade to more memory is to dispose (or sell) the two modules and buy for example 1 GB new memory.

So make sure that the memory is "in one piece".
Waldo

Good point. It hurts to have to dispose of two brand new 256MB sticks, just to pay the premium for two 1GB ones, but most laptop mfg will not do this upgrade. Maybe a really good reseller will, but you will probably have to pay a premium someplace along the chain.

Hunt

PS Toshiba mentioned earlier is 2GB max in two busses.