Rank specs in order of importance for design work

What would I need to run Adobe CS4 Suite on Vista/Windows 7 comfortably when working on large files? So far the largest I've gone is 12x18" 300 dpi posters, and boy is it a pain. Some things I have taken into consideration are RAM, VRAM, processor, screen type, screen size/resolution, HDD size, HDD speed. Does anyone have specific numbers/more suggestions? I want to know what's worth the upgrade and what I can skimp on. Thanks!

 

Memory. By and large, that is your number one priority above all else. The CPU is important as well, but the RAM is much more important. Personally, I would max whatever your motherboard supports if you are that serious in Adobe CS4.

 

Get one of them 7200RPM HDD with 8+MB cache,320GB+.Also a good vid card with DDR3 not DDR2 since its slower.MAke sure its above 9600m gs.

 

I'd say go for the video card specs first, since it can't upgrade after. RAM can always be upgraded, so don't worry about it much. A decent dual core is a must as well. Also note that a 64bit OS will allow 4+ GB RAM, so it may be worth looking into.

 

Although CS4 is GPU accelerated it does not heavily rely on it. Anything above Nvidia 9300 is enough.

I would suggest:
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 Ghz or higher
8GB RAM
Nvidia 9300 or higher (Ati 3450 or higher)
WD3200BEKT or even better: a good SSD

 

Thanks for all your opinions! So from what I gather, RAM>CPU>HDD>VRAM?

Can I get by with 4 GB RAM? 8 GB is a rather pricey upgrade... $565 with Dell if I buy my laptop from them, and even more ($700+) if I purchase the RAM myself. Those 4 GB sticks are surprisingly expensive. Would it be a good idea to wait for a possible drop in price and make do with 4 GB?

 

Video card is not a big requirement at all, pretty much if your video card can display the resolution of your monitor that is all it needs to do. Overspending for a powerfull gpu would be a bad idea and waist of machine.

CS4 added some open gl accelerated stuff, but as far as I know it is ONLY a few select things in CS4 that use the video card. The smooth panning, canvas rotation, and like 1 or 2 other things.

When I first got CS4 it had issues with my computer so I turned off Open GL features and it ran much better. So even CS4 is not really dependent or in need of a nice video card.

Now with that said.

RAM is important, the more you have the more it can avoid having to use your hard drive when working with stuff. Still I have 6GB of ram now in this laptop and manually increased photoshops ram avalible to like 5.5gb and did not really notice a performance boost over using the stock 3gb or so that was allocated to it.

CPU - I think this is most important for me, when your drawing, using filters, all that stuff is processed by the cpu, I definitly notice a huge boost in performance using a faster cpu, and more boost when I overclock my cpu.

HDD - Where stuff is saved/loaded from unless your willing to spend big $$$ on a SSD just get a 7200RPM high density drive.

Monitor - Yes its not maybe part of the computer that "works" on the files but its what is going to be the only interface between you and your work, so a good monitor is a must, and a higher resolution is better. 1680x1050 on a 15" is ok but I do prefer a 17"+ screen with 1920x1080 or 1920x1200.

Input Device - Something you can get seperatly from the laptop but also very important, again the interface between you and your work. Get a mouse that your comfortable with, or maybe get a Wacom tablet. Just start cheap/small get a bamboo or a bamboo fun off ebay, it will change how you use photoshop for sure. (2x Bing Cashback happening soon that would be 16% off a buyitnow item on ebay)

Also a side note: CS4 is the first photoshop that has a 64bit.exe, so you may want to use a 64bit OS so you can use this, its supposed to be a bit faster, and if you plan to use more than 4gb of ram your going to need a 64bit OS anyways.

I may 8.5" x 11" 300dpi signs for my workplace all the time and my machine has no issues with it. I think the largest upgrade for me on my new laptop vs the old one was the quad core cpu, the 2gb of RAM I don't really think did much (from 4 to 6gb)

Also I had raid0 before and now I do not and I cant say I notice a difference in file load/save times so I do not think that was a big limiting factor ether.

As your files get progressively larger though I think RAM & HDD speed would start to become a more important factor, they also start to take up a lot more hdd space, so a good idea would be a fast desktop hdd on a e-sata external enclosure.

 

Yup, I was mightily surprised at the massive difference between 2GB and 4GB sticks. I decided that I could make do with 4MB for now and wait for the inevitable price drops in the future.

CS4 does make good use of multiple processors, so a Quad core could be a better choice than loads of gigllyhurts.

 

Wow, very comprehensive post--thanks! What CPU speed do you recommend? For the monitor, do you know which models include a good display? I think color accuracy would be a good thing to have if you're producing images for print.
I actually do own a Wacom Graphire 4 from two years ago. The pen's really beat up though; the eraser end stopped working, the grip is tearing, the right click button's missing, the other shortcut button is kinda out of place, and there's a little crack on the pen itself, heh. I'd like to get an Intuos 4, but it is far from cheap.
64bit is pretty much a guarantee since I have to purchase a new computer for college. Good to know that 4 GB of RAM is sufficient though.

Not too many laptops have Quad though, right? And I'd assume a big price boost comes with one too.

 

Ram
Cpu
Ssd
Gpu

 

Sony Z, Macbook Pro, Dell SXPS 16 and Studio 17 with RGB LED, Sony FW Double Lamp, HP Elitebook with Dreamcolour display. And all other models with RGB LED.

CPU: look for Intel core 2 Duo 2.4 and up. (although 2.2 will do fine but since you're buying now...)

 

Thanks for the recommendations Phil! I'll look into those models.

 

A Dell M4400 with RGB LED will do great!
Get it with 4GB of RAM, and can be upgraded up to 8GB.
15 inch screen with WUXGA RGBLED
Up to QX9300 if you ever going to use it, if not, stick to a T9400 or a P8700/P8800
Good professional and more stable GPU
Fast HDD inside should provide a better performance
Very good performer

If you dislike the look of the M4400, a SXPS 16 with RGBLED in a 16 inch screen, with fast HDD, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, fast CPU, great GPU selection, good performer as well, and it sure looks a lot better than the M4400....lol

 

Reading the Anandtech review of the RGB LED screen I noticed that color accuracy was not so good. I can imagine it might be important for design work and image editing.

 

Then what laptop uses a good screen?
The W700? M6400? 8730w?

EDIT: Thanks sgogeta for the correction

 

Yes, those three are the some of the best TN panels in current notebooks. And it's 8730w.

 

yeah the hp elitebook 17" has the option for an artist screen, that can get adjusted for perfect colour accuracy.

that, filled with an ssd, and 4gb ram would be great for the start. later, when cheap, get 8gb or more ram.

for the cpu.. quadcore would be lovely but is not really available for notebooks much.

the other end of the spectrum of art things is a nice little 12" tablet or so (like my hp 2730p) for sketchy things

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I looked at all models, and...

MacBook Pro 17", HP EliteBook 8730w and Dell M6400 Covet are out of my budget for sure.
Properly spec'd Macbook Pro 15" (which has a lower resolution than I'd like), Sony Z, Dell M6400, Dell M4400, and Lenovo W700 veer towards the expensive side, so they may not be very affordable either.
Studio 17 isn't available with RGBLED, and its resolution is pretty low too.
The tablet PC doesn't have the right specs, and I already have a Wacom tablet I can plug into a USB port.

This leaves me with the SXPS 16 and the VAIO FW. With the current deals/promotions, I can get them respectively for:
~$1500 (a little cheaper for the 15.6" WLED FHD screen)/~$1450 (+ carrying case and Bluetooth mouse)
C2D P8700 2.53GHz
500GB/320GB 7200 RPM
4GB DDR3/DDR2 RAM
ATI Radeon 4650HD 1GB vRAM
6-cell/9-cell battery
3-yr/2-yr accidental damage warranty
Bluetooth

Not sure if I can still get them at this price come September; that's when I'll purchase the notebook.
The VAIO is DDR2 though, and I couldn't find the "double lamp," unless it's the XBrite Full-HD screen. Does DDR3 really make a big difference?

++ yeah, I read that about the RGBLED display too; a little alarming, sooo I'm not so sure about it anymore.

 

Not at all. DDR2 and DDR3 have a very negligible performance difference.

 

Yes that's the double lamp display.

Like Serg said: no.

Me too. I believe the color accuracy of the FW is better.