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Photoshop CS4 hardware question
Longfellow wrote:
I'm planning on building a PC dedicated to Photoshop CS4 and the latest Lightroom. I'm told that for a workflow that does not depend on continuous coffee breaks to allow the machine to crunch image data, a very powerful machine is requisite. I'm told that a 64 bit system with as much RAM as one can afford is what makes it possible to fiddle with multiple layers and do extensive comparison of effects, etc. I do know that a timely response from the machine is necessary to keep the creative juices from stagnating (shriveling on the vine, so to speak), so those requirements make some sense to me. OTOH, I'm told that CS4 runs just fine on much less powerful systems, that a 32 bit system is more than enough to handle anything that one might want to do with Photoshop. As I don't have access to the code of Photoshop, I can't evaluate it's ability to shine on such systems, but I'm not that sanguine about coding miracles from Adobe in any case. Some of these issues are addressed in an excerpt from "Real World Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers" by Chavez and Blatner. Check out: http://www.peachpit.com/articles/pri...aspx?p=1247538 A local acquaintance has touted very expensive Apple systems, while others talk about laptops, saying that they are more than good enough. I really don't want to have to hock the house for a genuinely useful system, but if that is what it takes... nah, the house is safe, but other money pits that yawn nearby are surely not. On their behalf, therefore, a question in this regard is appropriate. So... What is the experience of CS4 users in these regards? What sort of system works best? What sort of system works well enough that using it is not an onerous task? What am I looking at here? And what is it that I don't understand; what question do I need to ask that I'm not asking? Another question: What is the experience with good LCD monitors? What is a "good" LCD monitor and why is it "good"? I've got a couple of good CRT monitors, but don't know that they can be replaced. The guy that talks up the Apple system claims to have one, but he says that it's very expensive (presumably it's an Apple monitor). What is the reality here? Anyone know? Thanks for reading. All useful responses will be duly appreciated. Longfellow Windows PC requirements for Photoshop CS4 - from Adobe's web site: * 1.8GHz or faster processor * Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 (Service Pack 3 recommended) or Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise with Service Pack 1 (certified for 32-bit Windows XP and 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista) * 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended) * 1GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on flash-based storage devices) * 1,024x768 display (1,280x800 recommended) with 16-bit video card * Some GPU-accelerated features require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0 * DVD-ROM drive * QuickTime 7.2 software required for multimedia features * Broadband Internet connection required for online services* Personally I run CS4 on both my desktop (AMD Athlon 64 running at 3.2GHz with 1.3GB of RAM and Vista Home Premium in 32bit mode) and my laptop (IBM Thinkpad R31, 1.2GHz Intel Celeron and 632MB Ram on Windows XP Home). Yes, the desktop machine runs faster but the laptop doesn't ever go into "make a coffee" mode :-) If you want to know if your computer will handle CS4 just download the trial version from the website and check it out. I can't comment on LCD screens. My HP L1810 was bought used off eBay and I think it's very good but have nothing to compare it to. Prior to the HP I used a 20" IBM CRT monitor and only went for an LCD to reclaim some of my desk space. I've never calibrated it - wouldn't know how. HTH -- Regards Steve G |
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