LightRoom & PS Performance

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GaryK26

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Gary
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Having recently upgraded from a Canon 40D to 5D2, I am noticing a significant performance hit when processing images (as you'd expect).

My PC is an Intel dual core running at 2.70 GHz and has 4GB DDR (4 x 1GB modules). Obviously not the latest and greatest spec!

Would I see much improvement if I swapped a couple of the 1GB modules with 2GB ones (or potentially swap all 4 out to give me 8GB).
The better solution would be to get a new i5 or i7, but this would cost much more than simply upgrading the memory.

Thanks
Gary
 
The memory upgrade would only be feasible if you are running 64bit Windows rather than 32bit. 64bit 'recognises' more than 4GB of memory.

This is assuming your MB supports 8GB, and yes you would see an improvement.
 
You would only see an improvement if your current system is running out of memory when processing. Lightroom (for example) is pretty difficult to get over 2GB memory usage, so 4G is probably enough. You can tell as your disk activity light will be on constantly if more memory would help.

Having said that, there are a number of people here (me and Neil for starters ;) :D) who have upgraded their computers from dual cores to i5/i7 when they moved to a 5D2.
 
As Neil and Andy have said it will depend really on whether you use lightroom or photoshop for your editing.

I use an intel core 2 quad (Q6600) with 8gb RAM to edit 5D2 RAW files in photoshop CS6.
The hard drive light never flashes like mad during processing so the 8GB memory must be ample.
My limitations are probably the CPU and lack of SSD drive.

Does your motherboard have breathing space to drop in a faster CPU and more RAM (assuming you are 64 bit windows) if a new upgrade can't be achieved?
 
Thanks for the replies....
I am running Win 7 64Bit. Not sure what processor upgrades my MB will take - will have to look into that.

I suppose what I could do is open Task Manager and keep an eye on the CPU & Mem utilization as I import and process images in Lightroom. That way I can see where the spike / bottleneck is.
 
An upgrade within the Socket 775 range will never be the best but if your budget cannot stretch to a newer/better setup then it is at least an alternative option.

I went from a Core 2 Duo E4500 (2.2Ghz) to a the C2Q 2.4Ghz (now overclocked at 3.2Ghz) which I picked up for £50 of that well know auction site.

What kind of budget do you have to play with out of interest?
 
I dont have a set budget as such - the cheaper, the better! :D
Having said that, probably up to £200, but would like to keep it under £100, and that really does restrict my options (ie, memory upgrade).

As per my previous post, I'll have a play tonight and see whether the hit is on CPU, Memory or both.

The performance isn't dire, but certainly noticable now that its having to crunch all that extra data.

On a similar note, I have always preferred desktops to laptops (more bang to your buck). Although if my budget can stretch, I might consider getting a laptop - the one that I use for tethered shooting in the studio is rather old and slow - takes a several seconds from clicking the shutter to show the image. Not sure if this just the fact the laptop is a few years old (cant remember the spec), or that the USB connection plays a major factor as well. If USB is a bottleneck, then would it be worthwhile getting a laptop with USB3? I'm guessing that it would make no difference as I suspect the 5D2 is USB2.:thinking:
 
When using Lightroom, it may be useful to render 1:1 previews, after you import. Will initially take a while (you could get on with something else whilst waiting) but will be quicker when you're actually processing.
 
If you have spare HDD space then try increasing the size on the cache in Lightroom preferences from 1 to 10-15 GB. Should help cut down on the amount if rendering required. Might help you out until you decide you want to upgrade.

Also have a look at this Adobe guide to help performance.

http://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/kb/optimize-performance-lightroom.html
 
Increased cache to 20GB and it seems to have made an improvement.
However, as already stated, having PS open as well does make things drag a bit. Task Manager shows almost all of my 4GB being used, so I guess a mem upgrade should be worthwhile.
 
I found my old machine which was a 2.8 core duo with 4gb struggled to run cs4 and lightroom when using raw files and if I opened firefox too then it was curtains :D

Just got a new machine which is a 3.4 quad core with 24gb and cs6 /lr4 is flying now with the RAWs even with safari and itunes open.
 
Put the catalogue file on a different disk. I run a dual quad core with 32gb of ram, 3 ssd's and 1 old big disk and surprisingly it runs ok! ;)

If you can grab an SSD put on ine and move your cat file to it, LIghtroom seems to love trashing disks.

Also, if you're doing lots and lots (50+) of adjustment brushes changes it really doesnt like it. For stuff like tha you would be bette roff in Photoshop.

I love Lightroom to bits, but you have to remember what it is, its a workflow management tool. It's photo editing options are superb, but just because you can do something in Lightroom it doesn't mean you should always be doing it in lightroom.


I use it for the vast majority of my pictures, but sometimes I find I have to go outside of it to PS or another addin for either peroformance reasons or extra functionality.
 
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