Mini-itx photoshop rig

Dybdal · Nov 3, 2010, 10:08 AM

Hi guys.

My girlfriend needs a new computer to do some photoshoping on. She will be working on photos at a resulution up too 4288x2848.

So far i have these components picked out:
Cpu: Core i5 750
Mobo: Zotac h55-itx wifi
Ram: 8 gb 1066 mhz ddr3 ram

I wanna know how big the difference does the graphics card make in photoshop cs4?

Because i would like to keep the computer as small as possible and there aren't that many mini-itx cases with expansion slots and those who have arent all that pretty.

But if it makes a big difference, can you recommend a 1 slot gfx card?

Thanks guys.

Takaharu · Nov 3, 2010, 10:52 AM

Usually, the graphics card doesn't make that much of a difference and it's better just to jack the memory but with 4288x2848...
I'd be inclined to check out the 5770 or, if possible, a low-end Quadro. However, I don't think either would be possible in a mini-ITX case as they're normal width. Can the case you're after take standard width graphics cards?

Dybdal · Nov 3, 2010, 11:00 AM

Im letting her decide on the case

but so far the cases i have consideret if it has to have a gfx are Lian li Pc-Q07 and cases like that.

Would it be better to go with some 1333 mhz ddr3 ram instead?

Dybdal · Nov 3, 2010, 11:04 AM

It would be possible to get an ati firepro v3700 or v3800, or a nvidia quadro fx 370 or 380 and their all single slots

IvanV · Nov 3, 2010, 11:24 AM

Having seen these Adobe knowledge base articles 1 2 3, I think that there would be no need to go overboard with the GPU. The ordinary, gaming cards are officially supported and, as far as I know, Photoshop only uses the GPU to accelerate things like zooming and rotating to make the work flow more comfortable, so I don't think there's need to go for expensive professional solutions or high end cards.

Dybdal · Nov 3, 2010, 11:46 AM

Would it be efficient enough then to just use the onboard gfx?

And do you think it would be worth it to get the faster ram? I could even get 1600 mhz corsair dominater ram?

Edit: added comment on corsair ram..

IvanV · Nov 3, 2010, 12:40 PM

Are you sure that that board has onboard graphics? It has video output ports, but I think it needs one of the i3s or i5s with integrated GPUs to use them (which doesn't include the i5 750 you listed, only some weaker models).

As for higher spec memory, it should help with Photoshop somewhat, especially with those 10MP+ files, but nothing drastic.

Dybdal · Nov 3, 2010, 01:03 PM

How big would the performance drop be if i changed to a i5 660 or if i changed completely and used a amd phenom ii x4 965 and asus M4A88T-I Deluxe mobo?

Dybdal · Nov 3, 2010, 01:12 PM

or should i special order the Phenom II x6 1055t 95w edition from England?

IvanV · Nov 3, 2010, 01:14 PM

Well, if this is anything to go by, a 660 would actually outperform the 750 in Photoshop thanks to higher clock speed. That was in CS4 and I don't know if CS5 is more quad friendly, but I think that the 660 should mostly offer performance equal to the 750.

EDIT: The six core Phenom would probably be a bad idea, most, if not all filters in Photoshop would be unable to take advantage of all the cores.

simonw · Nov 3, 2010, 01:18 PM

The Asus M4A88T-I Deluxe is designed for 95W TDP cpus, so you should go with something that clocks lower than the X4 965.

Dybdal · Nov 3, 2010, 01:21 PM

Great thanks

An updated list:
Cpu: Core i5 660/661
Mobo: Zotac h55-itx wifi
Ram: 2x4gb corcair dominator 1600 mhz

Now what do you recommend for hdd? SSD, Hybrid or just regular mechanic drive?

Dybdal · Nov 3, 2010, 03:10 PM

Im thinking the WD caviar black wd6402aaex. I know its sata 6gps, but if i aint remembering wrong its backward compatible

Its quite cheap.

Sihastru · Nov 3, 2010, 03:25 PM

Hybrid SSD/HDD like Seagate has right now, no. That is a bad idea.

If you have the money, SSD is always better, but since we're talking about Photoshop then there are a lot of additional resources that are used, like stock photography, hundreds of additional fonts and so on. So an 80-160GB SSD might not be enough. Best combo is a small fast SSD for the actual OS + scratch drive for Photoshop + a very large storage drive.

When doing actual work and not just playing around, I prefer to have my work backed up, so look into RAID1. Case selection is very important with mini-ITX systems and will restrict component choices. So external backup solutions might be required.

Now people steered you away from a discrete graphics card, but we're talking about Photoshop and this implies color calibration. Depending on your monitor, you might need a videocard that will allow modification of the 3D LUT table profiles, I'm not sure if the integrated Intel allows that. You might want to look into that.

GPU acceleration in CS4 is not that important, it will save you loads of time when you're doing very specific tasks, working with medium sized images is very non-specific. Provide details about the actual workflow and filters used.

blibbax · Nov 3, 2010, 05:25 PM

Do you absououtely need it to be mini ITX? You pay a lot more and restrict your choices.

Also, keep in mind that Photoshop CS5 makes much better use of additional cores and Nvidia GPUs (even mid to low end gaming ones can be a huge boost).

Takaharu · Nov 3, 2010, 07:42 PM

Right, brain in gear, is she just working on photos? If so, lessen the quantity of RAM and up the speed a notch with the money saved. A PC with 2GB RAM will suffice for working on photos and 4GB would be a benefit.
If the size of the desktop is massive (2 or 3 screens) then an external graphics card is a must. If not, you could make do with an onboard but you'll want to render the picture(s) on the screen quite quickly so grab a low-end card. Maybe one of the new 430 1GB cards (keeps you up to date, though a 200 series card would suffice).

Photoshop isn't really resource-hungry; faster components just help. I got a score of 332.8 on the HH benchmark (work PC: 2GB DDR2 800 & Pentium D 2.7GHz, onboard GFX, Photoshop CS5 Extended) , which is an average of waiting just under 23s for a filter to apply to a 110MB file.

Dybdal · Nov 3, 2010, 10:35 PM

She will only be working with with her photos, And it will be on a 19" lcd moitor.

And regarding the gfx card im gonna wait and see what case she chooses.

A Desire to Game · Nov 4, 2010, 04:17 AM

I'm glad I came across your post. I recently built a rig for my sister in-law (a semi-pro photographer) and it has worked out nicely. I did some research.

Core i5 750
8GB DDR3 1333 Mhz RAM
1GB ATi Sapphire 4670
640GB Caviar Black
GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 Micro ATX Mobo

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PHOTOSHOP:

1) MUST GET 64-bit OS with 64-bit Photoshop
Photoshop comes with both installs but you must have a 64-bit OS. Very important due to its hunger for RAM.

1) RAM AND CPU SPEED ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT
Intel CPU's perform better than AMD clock for clock in Photoshop. But, a cheaper OC'd Phenom II would do nicely at say...3.8Ghz. RAM speed has a negligible effect on performance (1333 is fine).

2) More CPU cores the better
The more threads the better too. Big impact.

3) GPU Acceleration was new with CS4 but CS5 is more mature and uses CUDA (nVidia) amazingly. CUDA can be used with CS4 but it requires a Quadro card

Otherwise it will use OpenGL support which is not as impressive. CS5 can use pretty much any low end CUDA capable card.

4) Hard Drive / SSD
A SSD is expensive and you getter more performance for your dollar with more RAM. Buy more RAM before you get a SSD. If you max out your RAM then consider a SSD. Adobe recommends using a separate disk for Windows, and to use a SSD for the Photoshop install and set up the rest as a scratch disk (what CS4/5 uses when you run outta RAM).

5) Don't get a Micro case. What is she needs to add a Blu-ray burner down the road or add multiple hard drives to back up data in RAID?

Read these articles and check out the benchmarks. Very good info.

Adobe CS4/CS5 Performance Info
Optimize Photoshop performance | CS4, CS5 | Windows 7, Vista, XP

Tom's Recent Article On CS5
Adobe CS5: 64-bit, CUDA-Accelerated, And Threaded Performance : How Should You Accelerate Adobe?

AnAndtech CPU Bench w/ CS4 Speed Test
Bench - CPU - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

Tom's CPU Benchmarks
Charts, benchmarks Desktop CPU Charts 2010, Image Processing: Adobe Photoshop CS 5

Sihastru · Nov 4, 2010, 08:23 AM

As stated in Tom's recent article on CS5, you do not require a Quadro card for CS4/CS5. You can add in a few easy steps any nVidia CUDA capable card to the supported list.

A Desire to Game · Nov 4, 2010, 11:54 PM

Not sure if its just certain plug-ins that require a Quadro card. Sorry, I read it quickly. Uncertain...

"Note that there is CUDA support for encode acceleration under Photoshop CS4, but it requires purchasing the Elemental plug-in and will only work if you’re running a compatible Quadro card. Unlike the text file hack we detailed earlier, there is no simple work-around to get past the Quadro requirement for CS4."

Photoshop CS5: CUDA : Adobe CS5: 64-bit, CUDA-Accelerated, And Threaded Performance

Sihastru · Nov 5, 2010, 08:51 AM

Yes, you're correct. I think I have some residual information in my brain about OpenGL acceleration in CS4, but that would work with both nVidia and AMD.

Dybdal · Nov 9, 2010, 05:48 PM

Hi guys. Thanks for all your great inputs.! I have some more info.
She will be starting at an architect school soon and she will be using autocad 2011 and adobe cs3 among other programs.

I can get her a laptop to take to school with these specs really cheap:
Acer aspire 6530
Cpu: AMD turion x2 ultra zm-80 2,2ghz Ram: 4gb DDR2 PC2-5300(330MHz)
graphics card: ATI mobility Radeon HD 3650

Will it be sufficient enough?

And its so cheap that I most likely still will be getting her a desktop to work on at home.

mcdragon2 · Nov 9, 2010, 08:10 PM

from my experiences with autoCAD it should be plenty but I have no idea with photoshop

**synthesis204** · Nov 9, 2010, 09:31 PM

Photoshop CS3 doesn't have hardware acceleration, so don't bother with a graphics card. Get 6+ GB of DDR3 ram and a better CPU. Of course, you'll still want a gfx unit for cad, but that isn't as important.

Dybdal · Nov 9, 2010, 11:21 PM

Could the i5 660 and 8 gb of ddr 1600 mhz ram and only the onboard gfx be enough then?

To run both smooth?

blibbax · Nov 10, 2010, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dybdal

Could the i5 660 and 8 gb of ddr 1600 mhz ram and only the onboard gfx be enough then?

To run both smooth?

I'd still be tempted to go for a basic discrete GPU, but I guess so.

mcdragon2 · Nov 10, 2010, 02:07 AM

I have an integrated card in my laptop and it runs autoCAD just fine with no noticeable lag or anything. so it should be fine for that atleast. and I only have 4GB of RAM

blibbax · Nov 10, 2010, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcdragon2

I have an integrated card in my laptop and it runs autoCAD just fine with no noticeable lag or anything. so it should be fine for that atleast. and I only have 4GB of RAM

I just distrust Intel graphics :P

mcdragon2 · Nov 10, 2010, 02:26 AM

I haven't really had a problem with my laptop and it has intel chipsets

A Desire to Game · Nov 11, 2010, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by synthesis204

Photoshop CS3 doesn't have hardware acceleration, so don't bother with a graphics card. Get 6+ GB of DDR3 ram and a better CPU. Of course, you'll still want a gfx unit for cad, but that isn't as important.

Absolutely correct. That laptop should get the job done, but definitely build the desktop if she is wanting people to take her skills seriously.

Nov 3, 2010, 10:08 AM	#1
Dybdal HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Aarhus, Dk Posts: 234 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Mini-itx photoshop rig Hi guys. My girlfriend needs a new computer to do some photoshoping on. She will be working on photos at a resulution up too 4288x2848. So far i have these components picked out: Cpu: Core i5 750 Mobo: Zotac h55-itx wifi Ram: 8 gb 1066 mhz ddr3 ram I wanna know how big the difference does the graphics card make in photoshop cs4? Because i would like to keep the computer as small as possible and there aren't that many mini-itx cases with expansion slots and those who have arent all that pretty. But if it makes a big difference, can you recommend a 1 slot gfx card? Thanks guys. __________________ Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict. Best stable overclock done:

Nov 3, 2010, 10:52 AM	#2
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,847 Rep Power: 110 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Usually, the graphics card doesn't make that much of a difference and it's better just to jack the memory but with 4288x2848... I'd be inclined to check out the 5770 or, if possible, a low-end Quadro. However, I don't think either would be possible in a mini-ITX case as they're normal width. Can the case you're after take standard width graphics cards? __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Nov 3, 2010, 11:00 AM	Thread Starter #3
Dybdal HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Aarhus, Dk Posts: 234 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Im letting her decide on the case but so far the cases i have consideret if it has to have a gfx are Lian li Pc-Q07 and cases like that. Would it be better to go with some 1333 mhz ddr3 ram instead? __________________ Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict. Best stable overclock done:

Nov 3, 2010, 11:04 AM	Thread Starter #4
Dybdal HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Aarhus, Dk Posts: 234 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig It would be possible to get an ati firepro v3700 or v3800, or a nvidia quadro fx 370 or 380 and their all single slots __________________ Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict. Best stable overclock done:

Nov 3, 2010, 11:24 AM	#5
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 5,914 Rep Power: 333 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Having seen these Adobe knowledge base articles 1 2 3, I think that there would be no need to go overboard with the GPU. The ordinary, gaming cards are officially supported and, as far as I know, Photoshop only uses the GPU to accelerate things like zooming and rotating to make the work flow more comfortable, so I don't think there's need to go for expensive professional solutions or high end cards. __________________ If anyone has Portal 2 and hasn't played the co-op and wants to do me a favour, let me know (PM me or whatever).

Nov 3, 2010, 11:46 AM	Thread Starter #6
Dybdal HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Aarhus, Dk Posts: 234 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Would it be efficient enough then to just use the onboard gfx? And do you think it would be worth it to get the faster ram? I could even get 1600 mhz corsair dominater ram? Edit: added comment on corsair ram.. __________________ Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict. Best stable overclock done:

Nov 3, 2010, 12:40 PM	#7
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 5,914 Rep Power: 333 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Are you sure that that board has onboard graphics? It has video output ports, but I think it needs one of the i3s or i5s with integrated GPUs to use them (which doesn't include the i5 750 you listed, only some weaker models). As for higher spec memory, it should help with Photoshop somewhat, especially with those 10MP+ files, but nothing drastic. __________________ If anyone has Portal 2 and hasn't played the co-op and wants to do me a favour, let me know (PM me or whatever).

Nov 3, 2010, 01:03 PM	Thread Starter #8
Dybdal HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Aarhus, Dk Posts: 234 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig How big would the performance drop be if i changed to a i5 660 or if i changed completely and used a amd phenom ii x4 965 and asus M4A88T-I Deluxe mobo? __________________ Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict. Best stable overclock done:

Nov 3, 2010, 01:12 PM	Thread Starter #9
Dybdal HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Aarhus, Dk Posts: 234 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig or should i special order the Phenom II x6 1055t 95w edition from England? __________________ Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict. Best stable overclock done:

Nov 3, 2010, 01:14 PM	#10
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 5,914 Rep Power: 333 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Well, if this is anything to go by, a 660 would actually outperform the 750 in Photoshop thanks to higher clock speed. That was in CS4 and I don't know if CS5 is more quad friendly, but I think that the 660 should mostly offer performance equal to the 750. EDIT: The six core Phenom would probably be a bad idea, most, if not all filters in Photoshop would be unable to take advantage of all the cores. __________________ If anyone has Portal 2 and hasn't played the co-op and wants to do me a favour, let me know (PM me or whatever).

Nov 3, 2010, 01:18 PM	#11
simonw HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: HK Posts: 312 Rep Power: 43 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig The Asus M4A88T-I Deluxe is designed for 95W TDP cpus, so you should go with something that clocks lower than the X4 965.

Nov 3, 2010, 01:21 PM	Thread Starter #12
Dybdal HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Aarhus, Dk Posts: 234 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Great thanks An updated list: Cpu: Core i5 660/661 Mobo: Zotac h55-itx wifi Ram: 2x4gb corcair dominator 1600 mhz Now what do you recommend for hdd? SSD, Hybrid or just regular mechanic drive? __________________ Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict. Best stable overclock done:

Nov 3, 2010, 03:10 PM	Thread Starter #13
Dybdal HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Aarhus, Dk Posts: 234 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Im thinking the WD caviar black wd6402aaex. I know its sata 6gps, but if i aint remembering wrong its backward compatible Its quite cheap. __________________ Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict. Best stable overclock done:

Nov 3, 2010, 03:25 PM	#14
Sihastru Never been clicked Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 433 Rep Power: 45 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Hybrid SSD/HDD like Seagate has right now, no. That is a bad idea. If you have the money, SSD is always better, but since we're talking about Photoshop then there are a lot of additional resources that are used, like stock photography, hundreds of additional fonts and so on. So an 80-160GB SSD might not be enough. Best combo is a small fast SSD for the actual OS + scratch drive for Photoshop + a very large storage drive. When doing actual work and not just playing around, I prefer to have my work backed up, so look into RAID1. Case selection is very important with mini-ITX systems and will restrict component choices. So external backup solutions might be required. Now people steered you away from a discrete graphics card, but we're talking about Photoshop and this implies color calibration. Depending on your monitor, you might need a videocard that will allow modification of the 3D LUT table profiles, I'm not sure if the integrated Intel allows that. You might want to look into that. GPU acceleration in CS4 is not that important, it will save you loads of time when you're doing very specific tasks, working with medium sized images is very non-specific. Provide details about the actual workflow and filters used. __________________ There are more things in heaven and earth then are dreamt of in your philosophy. Intel Core i7 3820 \| Corsair H80 \| Asus P9X79 \| Kingston HyperX T1 Black 32GB DDR3 \| Gigabyte 8800 GTS 512 \| 2xIntel X25-M 160GB RAID0 + 2xWD 1TB Green RAID1 \| Asus Xonar DX \| Asus ES2-750 \| Sony OptiArc DVD+/-RW \| Corsair AX850 Gold \| Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium \| Dell 3007WFP-HC2 30" 2560x1600 \| Corsair SP2500 \| Logitech UltraX Premium \| CM Storm Advance \| Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64bit

Nov 3, 2010, 05:25 PM	#15
blibbax What does this do? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 4,230 Rep Power: 254 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Do you absououtely need it to be mini ITX? You pay a lot more and restrict your choices. Also, keep in mind that Photoshop CS5 makes much better use of additional cores and Nvidia GPUs (even mid to low end gaming ones can be a huge boost). __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure Alzheimer's, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

Nov 3, 2010, 07:42 PM	#16
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,847 Rep Power: 110 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Right, brain in gear, is she just working on photos? If so, lessen the quantity of RAM and up the speed a notch with the money saved. A PC with 2GB RAM will suffice for working on photos and 4GB would be a benefit. If the size of the desktop is massive (2 or 3 screens) then an external graphics card is a must. If not, you could make do with an onboard but you'll want to render the picture(s) on the screen quite quickly so grab a low-end card. Maybe one of the new 430 1GB cards (keeps you up to date, though a 200 series card would suffice). Photoshop isn't really resource-hungry; faster components just help. I got a score of 332.8 on the HH benchmark (work PC: 2GB DDR2 800 & Pentium D 2.7GHz, onboard GFX, Photoshop CS5 Extended) , which is an average of waiting just under 23s for a filter to apply to a 110MB file. __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Nov 3, 2010, 10:35 PM	Thread Starter #17
Dybdal HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Aarhus, Dk Posts: 234 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig She will only be working with with her photos, And it will be on a 19" lcd moitor. And regarding the gfx card im gonna wait and see what case she chooses. __________________ Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict. Best stable overclock done:

Nov 4, 2010, 04:17 AM	#18
A Desire to Game HardwareHeaven Hoosier Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 296 Rep Power: 33 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig I'm glad I came across your post. I recently built a rig for my sister in-law (a semi-pro photographer) and it has worked out nicely. I did some research. Core i5 750 8GB DDR3 1333 Mhz RAM 1GB ATi Sapphire 4670 640GB Caviar Black GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 Micro ATX Mobo THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PHOTOSHOP: 1) MUST GET 64-bit OS with 64-bit Photoshop Photoshop comes with both installs but you must have a 64-bit OS. Very important due to its hunger for RAM. 1) RAM AND CPU SPEED ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT Intel CPU's perform better than AMD clock for clock in Photoshop. But, a cheaper OC'd Phenom II would do nicely at say...3.8Ghz. RAM speed has a negligible effect on performance (1333 is fine). 2) More CPU cores the better The more threads the better too. Big impact. 3) GPU Acceleration was new with CS4 but CS5 is more mature and uses CUDA (nVidia) amazingly. CUDA can be used with CS4 but it requires a Quadro card Otherwise it will use OpenGL support which is not as impressive. CS5 can use pretty much any low end CUDA capable card. 4) Hard Drive / SSD A SSD is expensive and you getter more performance for your dollar with more RAM. Buy more RAM before you get a SSD. If you max out your RAM then consider a SSD. Adobe recommends using a separate disk for Windows, and to use a SSD for the Photoshop install and set up the rest as a scratch disk (what CS4/5 uses when you run outta RAM). 5) Don't get a Micro case. What is she needs to add a Blu-ray burner down the road or add multiple hard drives to back up data in RAID? Read these articles and check out the benchmarks. Very good info. Adobe CS4/CS5 Performance Info Optimize Photoshop performance \| CS4, CS5 \| Windows 7, Vista, XP Tom's Recent Article On CS5 Adobe CS5: 64-bit, CUDA-Accelerated, And Threaded Performance : How Should You Accelerate Adobe? AnAndtech CPU Bench w/ CS4 Speed Test Bench - CPU - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News Tom's CPU Benchmarks Charts, benchmarks Desktop CPU Charts 2010, Image Processing: Adobe Photoshop CS 5 __________________ Three is my new favorite number. (SATA III, USB 3.0, and triple channel memory) Last edited by A Desire to Game; Nov 4, 2010 at 04:23 AM.

Nov 4, 2010, 08:23 AM	#19
Sihastru Never been clicked Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 433 Rep Power: 45 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig As stated in Tom's recent article on CS5, you do not require a Quadro card for CS4/CS5. You can add in a few easy steps any nVidia CUDA capable card to the supported list. __________________ There are more things in heaven and earth then are dreamt of in your philosophy. Intel Core i7 3820 \| Corsair H80 \| Asus P9X79 \| Kingston HyperX T1 Black 32GB DDR3 \| Gigabyte 8800 GTS 512 \| 2xIntel X25-M 160GB RAID0 + 2xWD 1TB Green RAID1 \| Asus Xonar DX \| Asus ES2-750 \| Sony OptiArc DVD+/-RW \| Corsair AX850 Gold \| Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium \| Dell 3007WFP-HC2 30" 2560x1600 \| Corsair SP2500 \| Logitech UltraX Premium \| CM Storm Advance \| Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64bit

Nov 4, 2010, 11:54 PM	#20
A Desire to Game HardwareHeaven Hoosier Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 296 Rep Power: 33 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Not sure if its just certain plug-ins that require a Quadro card. Sorry, I read it quickly. Uncertain... "Note that there is CUDA support for encode acceleration under Photoshop CS4, but it requires purchasing the Elemental plug-in and will only work if you’re running a compatible Quadro card. Unlike the text file hack we detailed earlier, there is no simple work-around to get past the Quadro requirement for CS4." Photoshop CS5: CUDA : Adobe CS5: 64-bit, CUDA-Accelerated, And Threaded Performance __________________ Three is my new favorite number. (SATA III, USB 3.0, and triple channel memory)

Nov 5, 2010, 08:51 AM	#21
Sihastru Never been clicked Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 433 Rep Power: 45 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Yes, you're correct. I think I have some residual information in my brain about OpenGL acceleration in CS4, but that would work with both nVidia and AMD. __________________ There are more things in heaven and earth then are dreamt of in your philosophy. Intel Core i7 3820 \| Corsair H80 \| Asus P9X79 \| Kingston HyperX T1 Black 32GB DDR3 \| Gigabyte 8800 GTS 512 \| 2xIntel X25-M 160GB RAID0 + 2xWD 1TB Green RAID1 \| Asus Xonar DX \| Asus ES2-750 \| Sony OptiArc DVD+/-RW \| Corsair AX850 Gold \| Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium \| Dell 3007WFP-HC2 30" 2560x1600 \| Corsair SP2500 \| Logitech UltraX Premium \| CM Storm Advance \| Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64bit

Nov 9, 2010, 05:48 PM	Thread Starter #22
Dybdal HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Aarhus, Dk Posts: 234 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Hi guys. Thanks for all your great inputs.! I have some more info. She will be starting at an architect school soon and she will be using autocad 2011 and adobe cs3 among other programs. I can get her a laptop to take to school with these specs really cheap: Acer aspire 6530 Cpu: AMD turion x2 ultra zm-80 2,2ghz Ram: 4gb DDR2 PC2-5300(330MHz) graphics card: ATI mobility Radeon HD 3650 Will it be sufficient enough? And its so cheap that I most likely still will be getting her a desktop to work on at home. __________________ Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict. Best stable overclock done:

Nov 9, 2010, 08:10 PM	#23
mcdragon2 HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: West, OH Posts: 252 Rep Power: 17 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig from my experiences with autoCAD it should be plenty but I have no idea with photoshop

Nov 9, 2010, 09:31 PM	#24
synthesis204 Dragonborn Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,175 Rep Power: 97 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Photoshop CS3 doesn't have hardware acceleration, so don't bother with a graphics card. Get 6+ GB of DDR3 ram and a better CPU. Of course, you'll still want a gfx unit for cad, but that isn't as important.

Nov 9, 2010, 11:21 PM	Thread Starter #25
Dybdal HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Aarhus, Dk Posts: 234 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig Could the i5 660 and 8 gb of ddr 1600 mhz ram and only the onboard gfx be enough then? To run both smooth? __________________ Im a Danish hardwareheaven addict. Best stable overclock done:

Nov 10, 2010, 02:07 AM	#27
mcdragon2 HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: West, OH Posts: 252 Rep Power: 17 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig I have an integrated card in my laptop and it runs autoCAD just fine with no noticeable lag or anything. so it should be fine for that atleast. and I only have 4GB of RAM

Nov 10, 2010, 02:26 AM	#29
mcdragon2 HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: West, OH Posts: 252 Rep Power: 17 System Specs	Re: Mini-itx photoshop rig I haven't really had a problem with my laptop and it has intel chipsets