Photoshop and Lightroom Spec

[MartynB]

Not being completely computer savvy I drew up this spec based on numerous articles I have read and using the PC Specialist web site.

I will be editing large RAW files and even larger TIFF files. My old Dell machine (XP, 4GB, RAID 1, 246graphics) just wont cut the mustard and their new range doesn't seem to be as configurable. I do back up/ store my images to a ReadyNas DuoV2 drive (effectively running Raid 1).

I also leave the PC on all day as I run an automatic weather station which uploads information every 15 minutes (hence the RAID set up which has been invaluable in the past).

I do have a couple of questions though:
1) Is the SSD cache drive still available with my chosen RAID configuration?
2) Is the spec reasonable?
3) Have I a system that will last and be upgradeable?

Cheers

MartynB

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 400R MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-3820 (3.6GHz) 10MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® SABERTOOTH X79: SOCKET 2011, R.O.G
Memory (RAM)
32GB KINGSTON HYPERX GENESIS QUAD-DDR3 1600MHz X.M.P(8 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card
1.25GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 570 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
RAID
RAID 1 (MIRRORED VOLUME - 2 x same size & model HDD / SSD) (£9)
SSD CACHE DRIVE
20GB INTEL® SSD 313 SERIES - SLC CACHE DRIVE FOR SYSTEM / 1st HDD
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
12x BLU-RAY RE-WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX650 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE (£69)
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA2011 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£69)

 

[keynes]

Hi Martyn,

1) Is the SSD cache drive still available with my chosen RAID configuration?

I'd suggest getting an SSD as the main drive.

2) Is the spec reasonable?

An ivy bridge i7-3770 should perform better for your intended use, the i7-3770 + P8Z77-V LX motherboard will be cheaper without any loss in performance in photoshop. I don't think there is a dramatic increase in performance going from 16gb to 32gb memory ram.

3) Have I a system that will last and be upgradeable?

Yes.

 

[brukin]

Having an SSD for your catalog file for LightRoom and having space on it for scratch/working files is a really nice option. Depending on how you configure the thumbnails for catalog browsing it can speed up the loading a bit.

 

[MartynB]

Hmm, how about swapping the HDD for two SDD in raid 1 with the OS, Photoshop and Lightroom, then having a third HDD for the general stuff?

Just not sure about the reliability of the SDD so Raid would give me some confidence...

MartynB

 

[MartynB]

Ok here's a revised spec to include a i7-3770 and the two SDD as mentioned above.
Don't know much about motherboards but the one chosen gets a good write up.

Any thoughts

Thanks so far for your help.

MartynB

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 400R MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-3770 (3.4GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z77-V PRO/THUNDERBOLT: PCI-E 3.0 READY,WIFI, SLI, X-FIRE
Memory (RAM)
32GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (4 X 8GB)
Graphics Card
1.25GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 570 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
180GB INTEL® 330 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 500MB/sR | 450MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
180GB INTEL® 330 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 500MB/sR | 450MB/sW)
3rd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
RAID
RAID 1 (MIRRORED VOLUME - 2 x same size & model HDD / SSD) (£9)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
12x BLU-RAY RE-WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX650 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE (£69)
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1155 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence