Lightroom Build Intel or AMD & storage options

bodtwo

bodtwo

bodtwo

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Hi all,

getting around to replacing my iMac for lightroom work, hobbyist use with a little photoshop and general pc duties. I've a synology NAS and WHS2011 for storage and media serving.

I'm reusing some odd bits and donations from work, so using a Silverstone HTPC (ATX) case with an OCZ 650W mod power supply and a Radeon Pro WX7100 and a reasonable amount of balanced/quiet fans.

So looking at CPU, MBoard, 16GB Memory and local storage, probably not bothered with overclocking. Keen on something instant on, or near as and stability. It will Drive two 27" AOC monitors at 1920x1080, which i already have. Budget £800'ish, if i can save money but get something useable, then i'm all for that.

CPU, I've lost track of where Intel/AMD are, Lightroom doesn't make use of lots of cores, four possibly, but does like high clock speed. So Intel or AMD?

Motherboard, again depending on CPU, what would you recommend? I like the idea of a boot SSD, something like the samsung evo's 256GB and another fast SSD/Storage of about 1TB for local files. And it looks like after CPU, what boot and storage medium define the m/board.

Also like the idea of everything board mounted, minimum cables, SATA or otherwise.

So, what CPU, bits would people go for.
 
bodtwo said:
CPU, I've lost track of where Intel/AMD are, Lightroom doesn't make use of lots of cores, four possibly, but does like high clock speed. So Intel or AMD?
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Hi, you've pretty much answered your own question here; for Lighroom work definitely have to go Intel. Also I would go with a non HT CPU like the 8600K or 9700K and get a nice overclock on it. If you do get a HT enabled CPU then it is best for Lightroom work to disable HT.
You should also look to get an M.2 NVMe drive, the biggest you can afford to use for your OS and Lghtroom install, Catalogue and Cache.
 
IF your using Lightroom 2018 + then CORES are key and AMD catches or can out match Intel, but thats Thread Ripper series .

8700k/9700k /9900k would be the best shout
9700k (8 core 8 threads) edges out the 8700k ( 6 core 12 threads)
9900k ( 8 cores 16 threads) edges past the 9700k above

above is at stock speeds ^^

overclocking, or to be lazy- enabling MCE will gain performance - just need to keep it cool!

google Puget Systems and have a look at Lightroom articles. Newer versions above 15 do support cores, not threads but core count
 
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orbitalwalsh said:
IF your using Lightroom 2018 + then CORES are key and AMD catches or can out match Intel, but thats Thread Ripper series .

8700k or 9900k would be the best shout
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Sorry but you are mistaken. Cores are not the key for any top photo application including Lightroom CC. I have access to both a 24 core system and a 6 core 5.1 Ghz system. The 6 core is twice as fast in photo intensive tasks.

Check any current review on the subject and you will see this is the case.
 
MartinPrince said:
Sorry but you are mistaken. Cores are not the key for any top photo application including Lightroom CC. I have access to both a 24 core system and a 6 core 5.1 Ghz system. The 6 core is twice as fast in photo intensive tasks.

Check any current review on the subject and you will see this is the case.
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https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/a...2018-Core-i7-9700K-i9-9900K-Performance-1250/

dont forget your 24 core system is most likely running 3.4ghz ?

run 9700k at 5ghz and will out perform your above

bearing in mind the above site is properly considered one of the most go-to's for performance reviews for workstations, specially with programs like 4D Map which only 2 companies in EU have access rights for etc

come standard photoshop, just speed on dual core etc
 
Yes I've already seen that and many others. Photo related stuff is my main thing. Here is the conclusion from their recent review.

Conclusion

AMD has made great improvements with the new 2nd generation Ryzen CPUs that really closes the gap between AMD and Intel for Photoshop users. In the $200-250 price range you can easily justify either brand so it is likely going to come down to which platform offers you the features you need and any sales you may be able to find. However, at the higher end the Intel Core i7 8700 edges out over the Ryzen 7 2700X (especially in general tasks) while also retailing for a slightly lower cost. And if you are looking for the best possible performance, the Intel Core i7 8700K is still the overall king and our current go-to recommendation for Photoshop.
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You stated "CORES are the key". This simply is not correct, there is no other way to sugar coat it. The key is high clock speed combined with IPC. Once you get past 6 cores you will notice very little difference if all cores are running the same speed.


You also mention that Threadripper, with it's many cores will be faster than Intel
CORES are key and AMD catches or can out match Intel, but thats Thread Ripper series
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Yet in another recent review...
Photoshop with multi core processors
If the computer is mainly used for Photoshop and Lightroom it is important to understand how efficiently these applications cope with multi core processors. In order to understand this, we have undertaken testing using a range of processors from dual core right through to the huge 18 core variants. We were quickly able to conclude that both Photoshop and Lightroom are not able to take advantage of a great number of processor cores.
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An Intel 6 core I7 8086k is faster than a 16 core Threadripper 2950X for Photoshop/Lightroom work flows.
 
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@MartinPrince

which review is that ? Link so OP can see .

You'll see above 10 core X299 can beast 8700k at bulk tasks and exporting , even though its slower .

you'll notice with Puget they mention that Bulk batches or for best Exporting Thread ripper handles quite well, specially for the price .

Im either AMD or Intel, doesn't bother me, I have engineering samples supplied from both.

Mine price wise, would just slap a 2700x in a b450 board and auto OC, best performance with little concern for cost 9700k with z390 and clock to 5ghz all cores.

bottom line is how much they use lightroom and what they are doing

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/a...Intel-X-series-2018-Refresh-Performance-1281/

small gains but if its your bread and butter 7 hours a day then makes sense to invest - though still think x299 needs a slap in the face - madness
 
HI all,

thanks for taking the time to respond. Gone through all the Puget stuff and as interesting as it is, thats for a pro lightroom rig. I'm a hobbyist with a few hours LR time a week. So all about instant on and work through stuff.

Also apologies, i didn't give guidance on budget which i'm sure would have helped out. I'm lookign at between £600 to £800 for CPU, MB, Memory, Nvram and possibly a second ssd for temp storage.

I was looking at the 2700x or 2600x and B450 which someone suggested. It's the nvram/ssd set up that confuses me!
 
@orbitalwalsh
Hi, here is the link https://www.punchtechnology.co.uk/what-processor-adobe-photoshop-lightroom-2018/

The only time that it really helps to have multi-cores is if you are doing BATCH imports/exports because this can then be fed to different threads.

For working in the Develop module (where most people spend their time) then the higher Mhz/IPC comes into play. The next factor is the i/o system which is why an NVMe drive is also very beneficial.

@bodtwo
If you're a hobbyist on a budget then a 2600x/2700x system will be ideal. I'm not sure what you mean by NVram but I'd get at least this for your OS;
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/sams...-3.0-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-hd-23m-sa.html

and then a 1TB etc mechanical drive for data.
 
Seems like a British company trying to clone Puget lol, have a look through Puget systems on any of their articles . Damn better then the above . Regardless of what program or hardware is needed .

I see they use MSI distribution as well hehe

*Heads up, that's a direct competitor to OCUK . I can 50/50 get away with linking Puget Articles when no other forum or website comes close to reviews as it :/

And you don't need nvme for an OS, just spec standard SSD . I'm meant to be an affiliate for them as well and find it hard to recommend most of the time .
For scratch or import/export for butch images/videos then yeah, damn good.
 
orbitalwalsh said:
Seems like a British company trying to clone Puget lol, have a look through Puget systems on any of their articles . Damn better then the above . Regardless of what program or hardware is needed .

I see they use MSI distribution as well hehe

*Heads up, that's a direct competitor to OCUK . I can 50/50 get away with linking Puget Articles when no other forum or website comes close to reviews as it :/

And you don't need nvme for an OS, just spec standard SSD . I'm meant to be an affiliate for them as well and find it hard to recommend most of the time .
For scratch or import/export for butch images/videos then yeah, damn good.
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But what if the images/videos arent very butch? ;):p
 
Distracted said:
But what if the images/videos arent very butch? ;):p
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POWER !!!!!! Spank an 9700k . 8th gen are useless unless handy with some liquid metal :D then they are truly awesome. Always wanted to try a copper IHS over the top of one !

And history of Adobe , some programs really starting to uses threads better - still - to slow for market adaption. Amount flocking to Davinci Resolve :D
 
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orbitalwalsh said:
POWER !!!!!! Spank an 9700k . 8th gen are useless unless handy with some liquid metal :D then they are truly awesome. Always wanted to try a copper IHS over the top of one !
Click to expand...

Now the bleeding edge is delid, lap die to reduce height and apply lm. Then add a custom ihs for increased surface area or better thermals!

I'll give it a miss for now but in the future when i need those gains, who knows!
 
@bodtwo
If you're a hobbyist on a budget then a 2600x/2700x system will be ideal. I'm not sure what you mean by NVram but I'd get at least this for your OS;
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/sams...-3.0-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-hd-23m-sa.html

and then a 1TB etc mechanical drive for data.[/QUOTE]

That’s good to hear. Sorry meant NVMe drive. Can I go with two NVMe drives, or will I see no gain and better with OS on NVMe and files a SATA m2?

Thanks again
 
bodtwo said:
That’s good to hear. Sorry meant NVMe drive. Can I go with two NVMe drives, or will I see no gain and better with OS on NVMe and files a SATA m2?

Thanks again
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Many people (like OribitalWalsh) seem to extrapolate from other scenarios and apply it to Lightroom which is why they will think that a Threadripper CPU will be better. Over the years I've have built several system for friends and clients who only do photo processing.

At their request I've upgraded their SSD's to NVMe drives and they have all noticed the difference. It is not a massive one but things are definitely a bit snappier. There are many other scenarios where you will not notice a difference between an SSD and NVMe. With the prices of NVMe coming down and with you getting a new motherboard with native support for NVMe then it makes perfect sense to get one.

If you can afford 2 drives then it is nice to be able to separate your OS from your games etc or to put your RAW Cache, Catalog etc on a separate drive. Though it is more luxury then necessity. ;)
 
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