Choosing a graphics card

D

Duncan_P

Suspended / Banned
Messages
353
Name
Duncan
Edit My Images
Yes
I need help :help: I'm considering buying a 5d2 or 5d3. The larger file sizes will munch my computer as it is a little sluggish editing files from my original 5d. I built my PC a few years ago now and it's only ever used built in graphics because I never had a reason to get a separate card but now I feel I need one. However when I look at them it's a minefield and I dont know whats going on... Budget of about £100, has anyone got any suggestions?

From a rusty memory, 2.4 dual processor, 2gb Ram and 160gb HDD. Windows Vista :( Not incredible by todays standards but it still does the job and I dont really want to invest in a new build yet, I can deal with it being slightly slow.

Thanks in advance!
 
a graphics card wont make any difference with processing image files. itll release a small amount of system memory granted.

lightroom needs processor resource, especially for 5Dmk2 files. mine pretty much wrung the neck of my previous core2 quad. i hate to think what the mk3 wouldve done to it.

more info needed on the pc you have now to advise any upgrade path.
 
Cheers Dave.

Ahh I really didn't want a response like that :lol:I was under the impression though that CS5 used or was at least able to use some of the GPU..? I'll turn the computer on later and dig out the exact specs. Thanks for taking the time to reply guys :thumbs:
 
CS5 just uses the GPU for 2D image moving - i.e. scaling/rotation. Most wouldn't notice the difference between a high end card and integrated graphics for most operations. CS6 is starting to use the hardware, but only on certain filters.

Processing power (and memory) is where it's at for faster processing. There's a reason why a number of us use 2nd/3rd gen i5's and i7's with 8+GB of memory (and SSDs if you read my recent post...)
 
Right, Intel pentium D 2.66GHz dual core processor
2gb RAM
Intel express chipset graphics with 256MBs memory.

So, CPU or graphics card? I suppose I could get new motherboard which would have better built in graphics and a faster cpu, am I thinking along the right lines? Thanks for your input guys :thumbs: Also, am I right in thinking that Vista only see's up to 4GB of memory or is that wrong? No point buying more if it doesn't see it...
 
Last edited:
Time to move on from a 2.66GHz Pentium...

How much you got to spend?
 
depends what the current motherboard is as to what CPU and memory options you have.

replace the motherboard and youll need CPU, memory etc.

vista 32 bit (along with other 32 bit OS) wont see more than 3.25gb (roughly) memory. 64 bit vista (likewise other 64 bit OS) will see more.
 
arad85 said:
Time to move on from a 2.66GHz Pentium...

How much you got to spend?
Click to expand...
I figured that would be the case... I could stretch to £200 but I don't really want to spend that much.

neil_g said:
depends what the current motherboard is as to what CPU and memory options you have.

replace the motherboard and youll need CPU, memory etc.

vista 32 bit (along with other 32 bit OS) wont see more than 3.25gb (roughly) memory. 64 bit vista (likewise other 64 bit OS) will see more.
Click to expand...

Fair point. Using 32 bit typically
 
That's not bad Neil.... £200 is pushing it a bit for a complete upgrade. Not sure if AMD have anything suitable...
 
And you think that'll be enough? I dont want to go OTT, I'm no pro but I also dont want to upgrade in a year again.. Noob question, I had a look at your suggestion and it looks good, I know it'll fit in the case but how do I find out how much power it requires? I'm sure my psu was 550/600w. Seriously appreciate your help mate :thumbs:
 
Is the original package worth the extra £££? If it is I don't mind spending a little bit more to upgrade properly once. How do I find the PSU requirements?
 
Duncan_P said:
And you think that'll be enough? I dont want to go OTT, I'm no pro but I also dont want to upgrade in a year again.. Noob question, I had a look at your suggestion and it looks good, I know it'll fit in the case but how do I find out how much power it requires? I'm sure my psu was 550/600w. Seriously appreciate your help mate :thumbs:
Click to expand...
What PSU is it?

The i5-3570K looks even better value at £280 (yes, I know that's pushing the budget) but you can overclcok the K processors very easily (a couple of BIOS tweaks) by 10-20%. Failing that the AMD 6 core at £170 also looks good although it is mATX and only 2 memory slots which could stop you upgrading the memory easily.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top