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Participant
July 22, 2024
Answered

HP Z840 Slow - Graphics Card Issue?

  • July 22, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 687 views

I have an HP-Z840 with an Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2643 v3 @ 3.40GHz 3.40 GHz (2 processors) and 96 GB of installed RAM.  I'm currently using a NVIDIA M4000 graphics card.  The system runs slow when attempting to use the generative AI/denoise, etc features in Adobe Photoshop.  Can I improve the system's performance by upgrading the components (graphics card)?

 

If so, can you recommend the upgrade?  Also are there any technical challenges I may encounter while upgrading the system?

 

Thanks.

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer RjL190365

    There is not much that you can do to improve the performance of that system in Photoshop. It is heavily CPU- and RAM- dependent, and with your dual-CPU setup there is a lot of latency just switching between the two CPUs. Worse, that system with two 6-core/12-thread CPUs with an extremely low (by current standards) single-core performance is already bottlenecking that system's already-weakling (again by current standards) Quadro M4000 – in other words, you would be throwing good money after bad in the case of your syatem. And since all Haswell CPUs are already obsolete (according to Intel), there is absolutely no cost-effective upgrade for that relic of a workstation.

     

    So why waste any money on a PC that cannot handle the newest Ai features well (if at all)? Or put it this way, your best bet is a completely new PC (since even low-end current-gen desktop PCs will outperform your almost 10-year-old relic of a workstation).

    2 replies

    RjL190365Correct answer
    Legend
    July 23, 2024

    There is not much that you can do to improve the performance of that system in Photoshop. It is heavily CPU- and RAM- dependent, and with your dual-CPU setup there is a lot of latency just switching between the two CPUs. Worse, that system with two 6-core/12-thread CPUs with an extremely low (by current standards) single-core performance is already bottlenecking that system's already-weakling (again by current standards) Quadro M4000 – in other words, you would be throwing good money after bad in the case of your syatem. And since all Haswell CPUs are already obsolete (according to Intel), there is absolutely no cost-effective upgrade for that relic of a workstation.

     

    So why waste any money on a PC that cannot handle the newest Ai features well (if at all)? Or put it this way, your best bet is a completely new PC (since even low-end current-gen desktop PCs will outperform your almost 10-year-old relic of a workstation).

    Participant
    July 23, 2024

    Hi,  Thank you for the analysis of the bottleneck and slow performance.   Also,  and hard as it is to hear,  for the candid recommendation.  

    Again, thanks.

    John

    John T Smith
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    July 22, 2024

    >Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2643 v3 @ 3.40GHz 3.40 GHz (2 processors) 

     

    Does that mean 2 separate processors, or a CPU with 2 cores?

     

    Are you using the STUDIO driver?

    nVidia Driver Downloads https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
    -for all Adobe programs use the STUDIO driver, not the GAMING driver
    -To achieve the highest level of reliability, Studio Drivers undergo extensive
    -testing against multi-app creator workflows and multiple revisions of the top
    -creative applications from Adobe to Autodesk and beyond

    Participant
    July 24, 2024

    John,

     

    Thank you.  I just installed the new nvidia driver.  It's early, however, there appears an improvement.  

    Again, thank you for the advice/suggestion.

    Regards,

    John