GPU for Lightroom and Photoshop

[MxPhenom 216]

I am looking for a GPU for lightroom and photoshop for a relatives new computer upgrade im helping with. He is looking at GTX660ti, and he does absolutely ZERO gaming. Just system for work. I have near zero experience with requirements for lightroom and photoshop, so thats why im coming to ya'll for some recommendations.

 

[Easy Rhino]

I am looking for a GPU for lightroom and photoshop for a relatives new computer upgrade im helping with. He is looking at GTX660ti, and he does absolutely ZERO gaming. Just system for work. I have near zero experience with requirements for lightroom and photoshop, so thats why im coming to ya'll for some recommendations.

just get a really cheap $50 card. lightroom/photoshop don't offload and processing to the gpu.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

just get a really cheap $50 card. lightroom/photoshop don't offload and processing to the gpu.

I thought photoshop ran off Cuda?

 

[digibucc]

IDK about lightroom but photoshop uses the GPU. idk about cuda.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

I was thinking a little 650ti if hes not gaming.

 

[bencrutz]

I thought photoshop ran off Cuda?

nope.

photoshop cs5 only use opengl for drawing to screen, cs6 use opengl for drawing and opencl for Liquify, Warp, Lighting Effects, and the Oil Paint filter.

 

[erocker]

I was thinking a little 650ti if hes not gaming.

A non-ti version would be more than enough. What CPU and RAM are you going with?

 

[MxPhenom 216]

A non-ti version would be more than enough. What CPU and RAM are you going with?

Core i5 3570(Non K im pretty sure) and 16GB Corsair Vengeance Low-Profile 1600mhz.

 

[tokyoduong]

I thought photoshop ran off Cuda?

CS5 support cuda. CS6 is OpenCL(adobe website states that it does not support the cuda framework)

Also, I also doubt you even need a 660 if it's only for photo editing and not gaming. I think a 640 or 650 or the radeon 7700s is enough. He is probably only working with 24MP raw pics or lower. Unless he is a professional which then I doubt he would need help putting a system together. The most important thing to any adobe user is the monitor anyways.

 

[brandonwh64]

Core i5 3570(Non K im pretty sure) and 16GB Corsair Vengeance Low-Profile 1600mhz.

You could probably get away with a lower level I5 or a decent I3 for just photoshop. It would save money in the long run.

 

[Easy Rhino]

You could probably get away with a lower level I5 or a decent I3 for just photoshop. It would save money in the long run.

yea, the days of needing a super beefy machine to edit digital photos are thankfully long gone.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

CS5 support cuda. CS6 is OpenCL(adobe website states that it does not support the cuda framework)

Also, I also doubt you even need a 660 if it's only for photo editing and not gaming. I think a 640 or 650 or the radeon 7700s is enough. He is probably only working with 24MP raw pics or lower. Unless he is a professional which then I doubt he would need help putting a system together. The most important thing to any adobe user is the monitor anyways.

He does it for a job Im pretty sure, hes been out of the loop a while currently on a e8500 and messaged me yesterday out of random on facebook if I want to talk about computer parts since hes looking to upgrade, so im doing my part helping.

I may try and ask him what he thinks about a mini itx build inside of the BitFenix case. I think it would be pretty cool since he wants to get a new case anyways for USB 3.0

EDIT: Hes intrigued with the MINI itx build idea. His only requirement is really a Samsung 840 Pro SSD, USB 3.0 case, and CPU power.

 

[remixedcat]

I5 3570k/GeForce 650ti/16GB RAM and a decent SSD should be plenty.

 

[brandonwh64]

Since no gaming and no OCing here are my recommendations

Intel Core i5-3350P Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.3GHz Turb...

ASRock B75M-ITX Mini ITX Intel Motherboard - Neweg...

GeIL Black Dragon 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRA...

SilverStone Sugo Series SG05W-USB3.0 White SECC / ...

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 P...

SAMSUNG MZ-7PD128BW - Newegg.com

Total is 647.94 before shipping and rebates.

The samsung 840 pro price is ridiculous and he could benefit from the lower priced 840 standard

 

[MxPhenom 216]

Since no gaming and no OCing here are my recommendations

Intel Core i5-3350P Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.3GHz Turb...

ASRock B75M-ITX Mini ITX Intel Motherboard - Neweg...

GeIL Black Dragon 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRA...

SilverStone Sugo Series SG05W-USB3.0 White SECC / ...

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 P...

SAMSUNG MZ-7PD128BW - Newegg.com

He doesnt need a power supply. Hes got a good Antec 650w unit already.

What ive picked out so far.

Core i5 3570 (non-K)
Mushkin 16GB 1600mhz 8GB x2
Gigabyte Z77N Mini ITX
BitFenix Prodigy Mini ITX Black
Samsung 840 Pro 256GB
Evga GTX650ti 1GB

Trying to find out what his current hard drive setup is to better determine SSD size.

 

[brandonwh64]

He doesnt need a power supply. Hes got a good Antec 650w unit already.

What ive picked out so far.

Core i5 3570 (non-K)
Mushkin 16GB 1600mhz 8GB x2
Gigabyte Z77N Mini ITX
BitFenix Prodigy Mini ITX Black
Samsung 840 Pro 256GB
Evga GTX650ti 1GB

Trying to find out what his current hard drive setup is to better determine SSD size.

I get that would be a fast machine but WHY Z77 when he will most likely no OC?

 

[MxPhenom 216]

I get that would be a fast machine but WHY Z77 when he will most likely no OC?

Because its a good board, and I think he might be running raid on his platter drives, so B75 wont work.

 

[remixedcat]

If you are gonna oc get the k

 

[brandonwh64]

Because its a good board, and I think he might be running raid on his platter drives, so B75 wont work.

What about this? Supports USB 3.0, SATA6 and full raid and 50$ less

ASRock H77M-ITX Mini ITX Intel Motherboard - Neweg...

 

[tokyoduong]

He does it for a job Im pretty sure, hes been out of the loop a while currently on a e8500 and messaged me yesterday out of random on facebook if I want to talk about computer parts since hes looking to upgrade, so im doing my part helping.

I may try and ask him what he thinks about a mini itx build inside of the BitFenix case. I think it would be pretty cool since he wants to get a new case anyways for USB 3.0

EDIT: Hes intrigued with the MINI itx build idea. His only requirement is really a Samsung 840 Pro SSD, USB 3.0 case, and CPU power.

I don't know if he can really notice the performance difference between 840 pro and 830 pro. I've seen a few complaints about the 840 pro reliability. Also avoid the 840 standard, it is definitely not something you want to do photos professionally on.

IMHO, why go mini itx when you can just go laptop. You can do light editing on the go and use it as a pic viewer. Yes it will cost more but you will be utilizing it at least 2x more. Get a good monitor and run dual screens at home. He probably needs 10-bit monitors and graphic cards that support it. The FirePro and Quadro support 10-bit colors so just look for laptops with those. Find it on ebay or amazon where big companies sell their slightly used laptops when they do a company wide upgrade. Or buy a new one for $2k lol.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

I don't know if he can really notice the performance difference between 840 pro and 830 pro. I've seen a few complaints about the 840 pro reliability. Also avoid the 840 standard, it is definitely not something you want to do photos professionally on.

IMHO, why go mini itx when you can just go laptop. You can do light editing on the go and use it as a pic viewer. Yes it will cost more but you will be utilizing it at least 2x more. Get a good monitor and run dual screens at home. He probably needs 10-bit monitors and graphic cards that support it. The FirePro and Quadro support 10-bit colors so just look for laptops with those. Find it on ebay or amazon where big companies sell their slightly used laptops when they do a company wide upgrade. Or buy a new one for $2k lol.

He has a disability, Paralized from about the waist down. He doesn't go anywhere when hes working but his office in his home.

He also pointed me at the 840 Pro because thats the one he wants so im not going to change his thought on it seeing how the Pro series are some of the best drives, just behind OCZ Vector series.

 

[tokyoduong]

He has a disability, Paralized from about the waist down. He doesn't go anywhere when hes working but his office in his home.

He also pointed me at the 840 Pro because thats the one he wants so im not going to change his thought on it seeing how the Pro series are some of the best drives, just behind OCZ Vector series.

840 Pro is an excellent drive. 830 pro is just a slightly better value with a proven record. So either choice is good. I will just reserve my opinions with ocz drives since I have not had the best experience with their drives or customer service.

just get at least 16 GB RAM. A velociraptor with 840 pro. i5. Don't go crazy on the video card if it's just photoshop and light room. He will probably want 10 bit monitors and gpu that support it. If he doesn't, you might want to recommend it to him. Every serious photographer I know cares more about accurate colors than extra performance. Hardware has become so fast now that even an entry or mid range card can easily handle photoshop.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

840 Pro is an excellent drive. 830 pro is just a slightly better value with a proven record. So either choice is good. I will just reserve my opinions with ocz drives since I have not had the best experience with their drives or customer service.

just get at least 16 GB RAM. A velociraptor with 840 pro. i5. Don't go crazy on the video card if it's just photoshop and light room. He will probably want 10 bit monitors and gpu that support it. If he doesn't, you might want to recommend it to him. Every serious photographer I know cares more about accurate colors than extra performance. Hardware has become so fast now that even an entry or mid range card can easily handle photoshop.

We will probably keep the platter drives he already has depending on what they are. We are trying not to do a full system build. Try to salvage some usable parts from his current system like PSU and drives.

 

[tokyoduong]

And you must also check reviews for motherboards for their usb3/2 and wifi performance. USB 3 varies a lot between different boards. New DSLRs and MLCs are packing wifi now that can send pics directly to any computer/devices as you shoot. I've been using it with my NEX 5R and I must say it's quite useful with a tablet or laptop. Haven't touched my Nikon or Cannon since then.