[lp75220]

So my best friend is a photographer. He wants to up grade his 4 year old pc to something that can work a little faster with photo shop cs5. i really dont know where to post this so i thought this would be a good place.
he has 600 hundred to spend on every thing. i dont know alot about the sytem specs for cs5 or how to make th ecomputer operate fasteer for this program. any suggestions on a build i can get togeyther for him at lees than 600. only needs the p.c. no monitor or keyboard.
wants quad core
needs a decient gpu

 

[iDaryl]

does the 600 include the case?

 

[_02]

You probably want to focus on a decent processor, fast disc and RAM.

I wouldn't invest a pile of money in a nice GPU to specifically enhance CS unless he is doing video editing - but some features he might enjoy accelerating, so I'd review the accelerated features in CS4/5 and weight that separately. Personally they don't make me jump up and get excited about spending any real amount of money on a GPU for CS acceleration.

A 64 bit system with 4gb RAM would be basic - more RAM if he works with very large images or many layers/effects at the same time, etc. An SSD would be optimal for a working drive, or a fast platter HDD dedicated for media or as a scratch disc, with the OS on a separate drive.

 

[lp75220]

the case is not a big issue.
how about a sandy brigde chip he baiscally wants a faster p/c for this/ if he got a sandy brigde chip ther would be no need for a gpu right?

 

[_02]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lp75220;14136906
the case is not a big issue.
how about a sandy brigde chip he baiscally wants a faster p/c for this/ if he got a sandy brigde chip ther would be no need for a gpu right?

They tested the intel HDXXXX GPU and didn't find any problems with it, and it would probably work to accelerate some features, but I would not build your machine around that. The GPU features are not spectacular, and a discrete GPU will probably still do a better job.

I think the SandyBridge chip is a decent choice, and the GPU acceleration may or may not work well on the IGPU, but that shouldn't be your first worry anyways. A fast processor, HDD and RAM should be priority before GPU acceleration for a photographer.

If he doesn't play modern games, the IGPU will probably be fine even if it doesn't fully accelerate his Photoshop use.