# New PC Question



## Souwalker (Jun 9, 2009)

Hi

As you can see from my signature, I've got a P4 with 2 gig ram. I am looking for an upgrade but unfortunately the price for a Quad core is out of my budget. My budget would lean towards a Intel Duo Core with 4 gig ram. Is this enough to run LR and also occassiossnally Cs4?

Rgds
Patrick


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## Replytoken (Jun 9, 2009)

It depends on what you are doing in LR, as well as your performance expectations.  Do you do lots of editing?  Do you frequently use the healing brush?  Are you constantly importing large batches of images?  4GB of RAM would probably work for most users, but YMMV.  Are you able to elaborate a bit more on your work flow?

--Ken


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## Souwalker (Jun 9, 2009)

Replytoken said:


> It depends on what you are doing in LR, as well as your performance expectations. Do you do lots of editing? Do you frequently use the healing brush? Are you constantly importing large batches of images? 4GB of RAM would probably work for most users, but YMMV. Are you able to elaborate a bit more on your work flow?
> 
> --Ken


 
Hi Ken

I am just a hobbiest  and I only import RAW files twice, thrice a month tops. Each import would be between 2'-4' RAW files tops. 

My workflow:
- Import into LR
- Cull
- Crop
- Do basic development task i.e. Exposure, Recovery, Fill Light, Blacks, Clarity, Vibance, curves, presets
- if required then I do abit of brush work such e.g. smooth skin, some healing if required
- if required, I do external edit via CS4 or Noiseware, HDR, Portraiture, NIK sharpener, viveza
-then I export to jpg to upload to smugmug

Rgds
Patrick


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## breyman (Jun 9, 2009)

Duo core with 4 GB RAM will work for what you do. I just upgraded from a machine similar to that and Lightroom ran sufficiently well (waiting a bit in certain cases, but not terrible).

I have to say, though, that I upgraded to a machine with an Intel i7 92' processor and 12 GB of RAM and Lightroom is MUCH more responsive (as is Photoshop CS4, which I see you also have), especially in slider smoothness, adjustment brush speed and 1:1 preview generation.

I'm not sure what your PC preferences are, but I've found that you get a lot of bang for your buck from places like www.ibuypower.com. I just ordered my PC from them and while it took about 2 weeks to build/ship to me, it is VERY fast and was cheaper than buying something similar from Dell/HP.

Good luck - buying a new PC is always fun!


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## Brad Snyder (Jun 9, 2009)

Patrick, my system is in between your old and proposed new, specification wise. In my busy season, I regularly deal with shoots in the 1'''s (let's say weekly, once in a while daily). I don't do a lot of Local Adjustments in this workflow. I'd have to rate performance as frustratingly adequate. An upgrade is in the budget, along the lines of Brian's.

You should be fine with your proposed system.


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## Souwalker (Jun 9, 2009)

I got a quote back from my local PC shop. I asked him for something that won't break the bank and an i7 or Quad 2 Core is not in my budget.

Core 2 Duo E74'' 2.8G
ASUS P5QL-SE (with Gigabit LAN and HD Audio)
4G DDR2-8'' RAM
5''G SATA HDD
DVD Burner
512M HD455' VGA Card
CoolerMaster Elite33' Case 

I emailed him asking if I could upgrade to an i7 or Quad Core using the above m/board and add more then 4 gig ram in the future when more funds are available.

Would the above be ok for my needs?

Rgds
Pat


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## Brad Snyder (Jun 10, 2009)

I'd think so. I wonder if he/she would let you give it (or something similar) a test run with Lr, before commiting to purchase. Maybe worth asking.


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## Souwalker (Jun 10, 2009)

Brad Snyder said:


> I'd think so. I wonder if he/she would let you give it (or something similar) a test run with Lr, before commiting to purchase. Maybe worth asking.


 
Unfortunately, no, Brad.

Rgds
Pat


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## Brad Snyder (Jun 10, 2009)

Well, I'd hate to see you disappointed. I think you'll see improvement, but not miraculously so.


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## breyman (Jun 10, 2009)

Agreed. Your specs will definately give you adequate speed. 

You'll be a bit faster than where I was at - I had a 2.4 GHz dual core Athlon processor, which is a bit slower than what you've spec'd and the speed worked for me (I even shoot RAW with a 4'D as well - so my experiences should line up well with yours).

My upgrade was largely driven by the need for a better video editing experience (I do a lot of HD editing using Adobe Premiere Pro). The increase in Lightroom responsiveness was a nice side effect - but not the main driver for the upgrade.

You should be happy with the purchase.


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