Personal computing discussed
Moderators: renee, David, mac_h8r1, Nelliesboo
MixedPower wrote:Another thing to think about is storage. Having a fast disk drive (SSD/Hybrid/7200RPM) is very important, as well as ports for a fast connection to any external storage (such as USB 3.0 and eSATA).
riviera74 wrote:I suspect that you will need some discrete graphics for that software. Click here for a suggestion.
The reason why is here: Tech Specs
Voldenuit wrote:1. Good screen. IPS or high-gamut TN. Need color calibration if working with print media.
Voldenuit wrote:2. RAM. 6 GB minimum. That means 64-bit OS and Photoshop.
Voldenuit wrote:3. CPU.
Voldenuit wrote:In terms of nice but not essential:
4. SSD.
Voldenuit wrote:5. GPU. Contrary to some posters in this thread, I don't feel that a GPU is crucial to photoshop performance. The OpenGL acceleration in CS5 is minimal at best, and even very low powered discrete GPUs can handle them. IGPs are more than adequate for even power users at this stage.
DPete27 wrote:He was initally considering a MacBook Pro because apparently CS5 behaves better on macs than PC's? (can anyone confirm this?)
Voldenuit wrote:Good call on getting an external display. A good external IPS LCD is superior to most high end laptop LCDs, and having the extra workspace is great. I didn't suggest it earlier because your friend's insistence on getting a laptop made it uncertain whether he'd have the desk space or work habits to support a tethered workflow.
DPete27 wrote:He wanted a laptop mainly to be able to bring his work to clients. He's looking at starting up his own independent (firm?) so house/business calls may be necessary. He and I discussed this in great length as I pointed out to him that I could build him a much better and more flexible desktop. Ultimately, he will be doing the majority of his work from home where the external display will come in handy.
Voldenuit wrote:Well, the horse has bolted, and the budget might have been too limited to allow for it, but a desktop for work + IPS tablet for client presentations could have been a good option. A hacked (or even stock) nook or Kindle tablet with its lovely IPS screen would be a much nicer medium to show clients his work than the typical dull, low-contrast, narrow-viewing-angle TN screens we see on laptops these days. And the nook has a microSD slot for quick transferring of files to and fro (there is also an Android app that lets one transfer files through wifi).
DPete27 wrote:What can one do in Photoshop or Illustrator that will use the most memory possible?
MixedPower wrote:DPete27 wrote:What can one do in Photoshop or Illustrator that will use the most memory possible?
Why are you so adamant this upgrade? Your friend probably won't do anything that will use that much memory, and if he ever has the need for more RAM he can upgrade later. For whatever it's worth I just repeated the most memory-intensive action I've done before, a photomerge operation creating a ~100MP panorama, and it used 3GB of RAM (2GB was being used by other programs, bringing the system use up to 5GB).