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Photoshop CS4 hardware question



 
 
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Old January 10th 09, 10:01 PM posted to rec.photo.digital
SteveG
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Posts: 21
Default 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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