Mid-Range Card for Photoshop

[trainspotting]

I am considering building a new PC for my daughter. Other than Sims she doesn't have any gaming requirements. She is an accomplished photographer. As such I am looking at what a $150-200 price will get. I don't think I need SLI. The PC will be a quad-core. I haven't decided on that. Thanks.

 

[dma0991]

For image editing like Photoshop it is a lot better to have a good CPU than a good GPU. For Photoshop you would not need a high end GC to get the benefit. You could use a low end GC and still get about the same results as a high end GC.

 

[trainspotting]

cool. so something in the Radeon line HD5750 which has 1 GB of memory? Will 1 GB offer better performance than 512 MB? How about a 4890? Sounds like a silly question; just not sure. I've poked around enough to get very confused...I'll search/post in CPU and/or mobo category to see what is the best combo. Thanks for your help!

 

[blckgrffn]

I think it is a frame buffer thing - big raw images can eat up frame buffer (the 1GB you were referring too) quickly.

The 5750 would be a good fit as it has a big fast frame buffer and uses a reasonable amount of power. The 4890 less so - it has more memory bandwidth but will come at a considerable power/heat/noise penalty.

I would encourage you to look at the 5570 and 5670 as well... I think you want a GDDR5 1GB card. A GT450 could also be a good fit on the nvidia side. I would think you could do well at or under $100.

 

[trainspotting]

Thanks. It helps to have a frame of reference when looking at the possibilities. Will check out the Radeon offerings as well as the nvidia.