Mobo for heavy Photoshop use and image editing

[kingtut00]

Hello all,
I have been a member here forever, however, haven't been active lately and I think I lost my original login info under "Kingtut", Any way.

I have a real job now - could not keep up with what-is-new, I have built my PCs over the last 15 years, so I am good here.

Here is my request if you please; I do photo retouching which means photoshop all the time, I also use RAW converter (Nikon NX2 - too damn slow), in addition, I do HDR (high dynamic range) which is basically, combining 5 to 7 hi-res pictures into one.

Here are my requirements:
- Being able to edit very large files, 70-130 MB in size
- Very heavy on the floating point calculations
- Need to be able to speed up badly written software (Nikon NX2), it is a must to use (to convert RAW image to TIFF/JPG)
- Basically, every thing I do is CPU intensive.
- No over clocking
- No games
- watch movie once in a blue
- I do only one thing at a time, the SW might multi task but I do not take the risk of losing a 4 hour job
- I need a VERY, stable mobo
- I have been using Asus all my life but welling to divorce.
- Will be using XP pro sp3
- I have AGP nForce video with 256 K, I hope it works with the new mobo

Any idea or recommendation is appreciated, looking to spend 500-550 (mobo+cpu+ram) or a bit more

Thanks in advance

Alan

 

[NXIL]

Dear Tut,

first off:

- I have AGP nForce video with 256 K, I hope it works with the new mobo

1999 called, and wants its graphics card back. Um, that's a no go, AGP is pretty much dead.....

Your budget precludes a Mac Pro system......good for Photoshop.

So, what you need is



http://photo.net/digital-darkroom-forum/00PIn6

"What dose Photoshop prefer? Quad cores, lots of GHzs, or lots of cache and a faster FSB?".

Photoshop loves a few things. Fast hard drives for OS and a separate fast drive for scratch. A fast cpu and fast ram. Multi-cores aren't much of a benefit yet, only a couple filters utilize multi-core abilities unfortunately. But I'd still build around a quad just in case CS4 has some great surprises in store for us.

I'd get a third fast drive for your scratch disk.

For the current 32bit versions of LR and PS, CPU speed and amount of RAM trumps all else. At stock speeds an E8400 is faster than a Q9450, let alone a Q6600. Right now I'm running a E8400 at 3.6 Ghz (trivial to do on a P35 board) with 4 gig of RAM (Windows sees 3.5 gig). Lightroom converts 1660 NEF files from a D200, with all sorts of setting applied, in an hour.

http://photo.net/digital-darkroom-forum/00Pbqx

GPU: next version will tap GPU power, but, "check is in the mail on that one", kind of like full quad core support:

http://techreport.com/discussions.x/14788

Recommend:

A P35 or P45 motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...6043%2CN82E16813131295

About $120

CPU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...5017%2CN82E16819115037

About $200

Memory:

2 x 2gb 1.8v standard JDEC:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...4582%2CN82E16820148160

About $90.

Vid card: silent cooling i.e. no fan:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...1250%2CN82E16814102757

~ $50

That's about $450....that leaves about $100 for hard drives....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...6218%2CN82E16822136161

GL HTH\\NXIL