I will be purchasing a new computer within the next month and my question is for those of you who do graphics every day what graphics card are you using and why.
I would also be interested in what type of processor you are using and the speed.
I have a few thousand images that I have created so getting the right system is something I really want to put a great deal of thought into before I make a purchase.
I always dread doing this because I have to download new servers for my printers.
I am talking to a few different service tech guys now about getting their help when it time to make the change.
Last time a service tech told me that I should reformat my system it turned into a compete nightmare!
I will be purchasing another PC with a windows operating system.
The one I have been using for the past five years is just really outdated.
Just wondering what others professionals are using and why.
Thanks for any advice you might be able to offer. Jimmy
Let me preface this comment with a link, that Foster posted recently, before I offer my opinion.
Read this as an introduction to what to plan for or to purchase then gather the various information to see what would suit your needs.
First off, build your own system or have a knowledged technician, someone you can trust, build it for you. You will get a very good system and it will be easily expandable and not overloaded with garbage or trial software.
For a video card/ or built in on the mother board, I would stay with either ATI's Raeon series or the NVidia series. In either case, I would not do less than a 512 VRam card (or able to dedicate 512 Meg of on board memory just for the video).
I would look to a system that is multi-core, either with an Intel CPU or AMD. Four cores would be good, more is not necessarily better, as a general statement. The number of cores is dependent upon the number of applications that you are running simultaneously.Oh, do go for the 64-bit processors, as these will run 32 bit applications as well as 64 bit applications.
For RAM, nothing less than 4 Gig and not more than 8 Gig, again unless you are running a ton of applications side-by-side, then you may want to go to 16 Gig.
If you want "screaming speed", then consider a Solid State Drive, with Windows and your main applications installed on it, while your data and transient files reside on a standard SATA Hard Drive. Else, just an ordinary HD. The size is really dependent upon how much data you foresee using over time.
For my main workstation(s), I have one system running a duel core 64 bit processor (AMD) and the other one is running a quad core AMD. One of the systems has an NVidia video card and the other has an on-board ATI-Radeon video (did have an ATI-Radeon card installed in it, but removed it after I no longer needed three monitors on that system). These systems have 4 & 8 Gigs RAM, respectively.
Another system that I use for testing, has a quad core AMD, with Windows and the CGS Suite sitting on a Solid State Disk (and the data sitting on a SATA HD) along with an ATI-Radeon video. (8 seconds time from the end of the POST test of the boot, to when it is fully up and running!) This baby is loaded with only 8 Gigs of RAM. More RAM than that, will actually slow it down as I do not run that many applications at one time on it.
Just my two cents..
Hello Jimmy; I found a Galaxy GTX 550 TI 2 Gig. of DDR 5 ram at "CompUSA" for $150.00, It's a Nvidia card.( They had ten left Monday ) As far as a computer goes my thoughts are do you want to just do graphics at a so so speed or do you want something that gets it done FAST. The fastest processor right now is a unlocked i7. If you are going to get a 64 bit system you can't have to much ram. Keep in mind that a off the shelf computer is probley not going to be the best at graphics work unless you get some custom work on it. If you know someone that can help you build one by buying parts and putting it together you can build a monster of a graphic mech. The computer I'm using was a build kit ( they are cheaper than buying each part separately ) and it's not the fastest but it's fast. there a lot to know about computers to build one. I think the main thing is get a large case ( the smaller the case the HOTTER they run ) I'm using a unlocked i5 with 8 gig of ram the the 2 gig video card and a few extra cabinet fans and a dual CPU fan, and it does a good job. And it you are going for the 64 bit sys. get Windows 7 Pro or better. Speed Cost Money How Fast Do You Want To Go?
My thoughts George
Thanks for the wonderful advice.
You have given me insight into which graphics card I should be using and how much ram to have.
I think my next move is going to be to find the right tech guy to build a computer using the right parts.
I understand that I could build this computer myself with a little bit more knowledge but right now my life is very busy with all kinds of projects going on and the thought of adding one more task to the list is out of the question.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on building the right computer for someone who spends many hours on graphics.
Jimmy