Where will the bottleneck be?

Eye seven · 19 Feb 2009 at 22:14

Hi,

I am trying to spec out a new PC and one of the issues I have with my existing arrangement is the speed of Photoshop CS3 for image processing. Now I won't embaress myself by putting down my current system but man it is slow. Having said that some of the files I have been working on have been around the 250mb mark. So, what is the key component here. Would it be hard drive, processor or a combination or something else entirely? The reason I am asking now is that the file sizes I am working on now look like they will be going up soon as I am getting a new camera with higher megapixel and therefore higher file size.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

yashiro · 19 Feb 2009 at 22:25

Ram and CPU speed.

spitzoid · 19 Feb 2009 at 22:26

RAM & Processor is my guess.

J.B · 20 Feb 2009 at 00:15

Chances are if your working on large files, its gonna be the RAM.

Eye seven · 20 Feb 2009 at 08:08

Thanks all, so one quick follow up question. If I go i7, and run vista 64 and use photoshop cs4 which does take advantage of 4 cores (and presumably 8 threads) will there be a distinct advantage in going for 12gb over 6gb? I also tend to multitask so along with photoshop I usually have about 4 applications going at once. Your opinions as before are much appreciated.

AlexTrickle · 20 Feb 2009 at 08:22

Had you said 6GB over 3GB i would have said yes. However 12GB is huge and isn't really required, having said that there is no harm in getting it if it falls within your budget. But to clarify for the same money i'd rather 6GB of the highest frequency and best performing RAM than 12GB of the lower end stuff.

siuko · 20 Feb 2009 at 08:36

How much extra would the 12Gb cost over the 6Gb?

Personally I always go with - if I can afford it get the most I can as it cant do any harm and who knows what you might need 1-2 years down the line.