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06/10/2008 10:56:10 AM · #1 |
Hi all. I'm considering buying a new iMac to do my photo processing in Lightroom and Photoshop, and there is a choice of graphic cards. It comes with a ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO w/256MB GDDR3, but I can upgrade to an NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS w/512MB GDDR3 for an extra $150. Would that boost the photo processing speed enough to justify the cost or is that card primarily for rendering graphics? Thanks!
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06/10/2008 11:19:55 AM · #2 |
Save your money. A faster graphics card would make a difference in Aperture and maybe some future versions of Adobe apps, but the current versions of Photoshop CS3 and Lightroom rely on the CPU for rendering effects. Even with the 2600, iMacs compare favorably to much more expensive Mac Pros.
Message edited by author 2008-06-10 11:25:02. |
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06/10/2008 11:31:02 AM · #3 |
That's what I figured, but just wanted to check first. You continue to rock, Shannon.
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06/10/2008 04:52:55 PM · #4 |
| Both those cards are pretty crappy. I've seen 8800GTs for $150 alone, which runs laps around both those cards. |
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06/10/2008 05:01:37 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by Anti-Martyr:
I've seen 8800GTs for $150 alone, which runs laps around both those cards. |
Current versions of Photoshop and Lightroom basically ignore the GPU, so it's irrelevant. It looks like CS4 will take advantage of these high end GPU cards, and then ANY of these cards could show a dramatic difference over CS3. Snow Leopard will likely provide a nice boost, too.
Message edited by author 2008-06-10 17:01:54. |
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06/10/2008 06:05:27 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by scalvert:
It looks like CS4 will take advantage of these high end GPU cards, and then ANY of these cards could show a dramatic difference over CS3. |
From the article: CS4 will have "a new rotate canvas tool". Whoop. If it's what I think it is, mentioned in the same sentence as zoom, then it's a great addition. This has been in Painter for years, and it's extremely useful. |
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