build the best computer for running Photoshop, 64bit 32bit

JP
Posted By
James_Patageul
Sep 30, 2008
Views
530
Replies
22
Status
Closed
Hi people,

the new Photoshop CS4 include new improvement who include support of Vista 64bit and GPU acceleration trough OpenGL 2

ok, so i want build a very fast computer how take advantage of new improvement dedicated to photoshop CS4.

So the first question 32(XP or Vista) or 64bit ? have you any bench ?

Vista 32bit support 4GB of maximum memory
Vista 64bit support 16GB

what i should do care also… ?

thx people…

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D
dpick
Sep 30, 2008
I use Vista x64 with 8gigs of ram and an Nvidia 8800gt video card. My system runs great, and I have no issues.
PS
Paulo_Skylar
Sep 30, 2008
dpick,
Do you want to share your performance preference settings and which version of PS you are running?
DM
dave_milbut
Sep 30, 2008
run away from vista32. stick with 64. i’ll probably switch myself when i get cs4 (shut up bart and bob, or i’ll reload windows me just to spite you! 😛 )
BL
Bob Levine
Sep 30, 2008
Hey everyone…ski season just started in hell! <g>

Bob
J
jcates
Sep 30, 2008
So that’s why it got cold here all of a sudden.
😉

Go with 64-bit. I do not have benchmark numbers yet, but I also only have CS2 and haven’t loaded it on the new machine as I am waiting for CS4 to start shipping.
BC
Bart_Cross
Sep 30, 2008
Dave: I’m laughing so hard I can hardly type. ’nuff said.

Go for it Dave, load ME, you only hurt yourself.
H
Ho
Sep 30, 2008
Ok, if Milbut goes, I go.

Where do I get my lift pass? 🙂
DM
dave_milbut
Sep 30, 2008
So that’s why it got cold here all of a sudden.

<mater>I don’t care who y’are, that thar’s funny!</mater>

load ME, you only hurt yourself.

oh no. i’m taking you with me. i’ll be in here whining about how i can’t get cs4 to load every day! 😛
CF
chris_farrell
Sep 30, 2008
Vista X64 is the only way to go with CS4….

I’m sick of the slow performance of cs3 with it’s 3.2gb memory cap and white screens when you apply filters or try to draw on large format files on x64…..I need more power Scottie…..

I’ll do me best captain, but any more ‘n she’ll blow ………….my god,…it’s…..It’s…..IT’S…….CS4…..systems stabilised, large format files are ready and armed Captain………[/Scottie]

Not..so…fast…We’ll just have to see about that…..roll on October the # [/captain]
CF
chris_farrell
Sep 30, 2008
……oooops..sorry about that.

You’ll need as much RAM as you can afford. I currently have 16gb and it still runs out – but I work on massive files….I mean HUGE 6 metre then, the more powerful the specs available the harder I’ll push it… There’s never enough power IMHO

///Earth to Chris, calling Chris….//back to Earth….:)

Think about your hard drives too. 1: system only 2: files programs ( although some work better on the c drive ) 3: PS dedicated scratch drive around 8 to 60gb depending on what you do….maybe an ssd for fast random read / write times….

Also I reckon a Nvidia 8800 series would be fine for CS4…..but wait and see on that – the 9000 series might have improved performance. No real way of knowing until CS4 is released and we all get to complain about it…:)….sorry, it’s been a long day.
H
Ho
Oct 1, 2008
I want a motherboard that has a 64GB capacity for RAM. I don’t plant to populate it with more than 8GB (or so :)) at the outset, but I bet the sucker will be full before I’m done with it.

Now if SSD makers can get their issues sorted out so the drives can read and write in a blazingly fast manner, scratch issues with be a thing of the past
LH
Lawrence_Hudetz
Oct 1, 2008
H
Ho
Oct 1, 2008
Ooooh… 🙂
LH
Lawrence_Hudetz
Oct 2, 2008
Yeah, more like Oooouch!
D
dpick
Oct 7, 2008
dpick, Do you want to share your performance preference settings and which version of PS you are running?

Sorry I haven’t replied sooner. I run CS3, and here’s my performance settings:

RAM–3255mb (100%)
scratch–dedicated 40gb partition
20 history states, 6 cache levels.

As said, I rarely have issues. But I do get white fades once in a while, and when I load 16bit panoramics, the system really slows down quite a bit.

I built this system with an eye towards running Vista x64. There are few motherboards supporting more than 8gb of ram. Most are server boards, and they have their own peculiarities. I image mainstream boards supporting more ram will start to show up sooner rather than later. However, 8gigs is still very, very sweet. With a quadcore running at 3.2ghz, I never worry at all how many apps I have open, and the only thing that will bring this system to its knees are those dang 16bit panos…
LH
Lawrence_Hudetz
Oct 7, 2008
Interesting. I dislike the slowdown with 16 bit panos on a single core system and it looks like I’ll have the same complaint when I upgrade. 🙁

One thing I do is to copy the document ans drop the bit size to 8 before running resource hungry filters, like Smart Sharp. Huge gain in speed, and after all, if I am doing final sharpening, I can’t use the 16 bit file anyway.
CF
chris_farrell
Oct 7, 2008
dpick – the asus p5q series will support 16gb. Although, it does have only 4 slots, so, yeah, 4 x 4gb to achieve 16gb – But ram is so cheap. My 16gb of Ram was £240 – a no brainer really.

Even with loads of RAM I still get the white fade outs – CS4 might resolve this issue…lets hope….
JJ
John Joslin
Oct 7, 2008
I know about the claimed advantages of 16bit for some operations, but is there a visible difference in the printed result from merging panos in 16bit? (I’m talking results, not histograms!)
D
dpick
Oct 7, 2008
I know about the claimed advantages of 16bit for some operations, but is there a visible difference in the printed result from merging panos in 16bit? (I’m talking results, not histograms!)

Josh,

I think it helps a great deal with blending–especially the sky. I never have posterization issues with 16bit images like I had with 8 bit. For me, that’s the main advantage. I could drop to 16 bit after the initial blend, but the 16bit is still held in the history state. If I weren’t so lazy, I’d save it, close, and reopen the 8bit and go from there 🙂

Chris,

I’ve checked into a few boards using 16gb, but I can’t seem to find 4gb ram sticks. Every board I check at Crucial only show 2gb sticks. I figured they just weren’t widely available, yet. But thanks for the heads up on that board–it’s looks promising.
CF
chris_farrell
Oct 7, 2008
check out these – This is what I have in my P5Q deluxe and they work perfectly.

< http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-120- OC&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=813&name=OCZ%2 08GB%20 (2x4GB)%20PC2-6400C5%20Dual%20Channel%20Vista%20Series%20DDR 2%20(OCZ2VU8008GK) >
LH
Lawrence_Hudetz
Oct 7, 2008
….and it’s out of stock!

When you drop from 16 to 8 bit, any errors in sky tones will be exaggerated, exactly as if it were 8 bit to begin with.( I’m speaking of the very gradual change in these values which can and do show posterization so that the tonal distribution looks like an isothermal map).

I have a photo of Mt. Hood reflected in a lake in which this effect is pronounced. The analog print shows no such effect, and remains the better image.
CF
chris_farrell
Oct 7, 2008
eh!!!! well, you can get it somewhere else – just google OCZ and the ram type……

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