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daring_Star15B9
Inspiring
May 16, 2023
Question

PC Hardware Recommendations

  • May 16, 2023
  • 3 replies
  • 907 views

I have an older Windows 10 PC.  My main use is LR Classic.

 

All in all, LR works fine with my system, although I get a reminder that my proprietary video card needs a driver update.  

 

However, I've noticed that with some of the new AI features, such as masking, that my system takes longer and longer to apply changes.

 

Would appreciate getting some guidance on hardware recommendations to replace my current PC.  Staying with PC systems, no Apple recommendations, please.

 

My current machine is summarized below:

 

 

Operating System

Windows 10 Professional (x64) Version 2009 (build 19045.2965)

Install Language: English (United States)

System Locale: English (United States)

Installed: 2020-08-15 7:49:12 PM

Servicing Branch: Current Branch (CB)

Boot Mode: UEFI (Secure Boot likely not supported by this UEFI)

System Model

Hewlett-Packard HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF

System Serial Number: MXL6020Q25

Chassis Serial Number: MXL6020Q25

Enclosure Type: Low Profile Desktop

Processor a

3.30 gigahertz Intel Core i5-4590

256 kilobyte primary memory cache

1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache

6144 kilobyte tertiary memory cache

64-bit ready

Multi-core (4 total)

Not hyper-threaded

Main Circuit Board b

Board: Hewlett-Packard 18E7

Serial Number: MXL6020Q25

Bus Clock: 100 megahertz

UEFI: Hewlett-Packard L01 v02.75 05/04/2018

 

Controllers

Intel(R) 8 Series/C220 Chipset Family SATA AHCI Controller

Display

Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600 [Display adapter]

ViewSonic VX2450 SERIES [Monitor] (24.0"vis, s/n S4Z110800765, February 2011)

Bus Adapters

Microsoft Storage Spaces Controller

Intel(R) 8 Series/C220 Series USB EHCI #1 - 8C26

Intel(R) 8 Series/C220 Series USB EHCI #2 - 8C2D

 

 

This topic has been closed for replies.

3 replies

T
Thor Egil Leirtrø
Known Participant
May 17, 2023

I have ripped out the internals of my old HP box and built my system around a  AMD Ryzen 9 7900X Prosessor with 64GB RAM running Windows 11. 


And to quote my reply to another thread about the GPU:

With my GeForce RTX 2060 6GB RAM it used about 15 sec using 100% of the RAM on my 24MP SONY ARW files. Some times it could use a minute or two denoising some, probably very noisy, pictures.
I moved to a  GeForce RTX 4070 12GB RAM and is now down to about 6 sec on the same files, still using about 6GB RAM during the process.
Adobe recommend at least 8GB RAM and I think I can see why.

Thor Egil LeirtrøFreelance concert photographer - thoregilphoto.com
    D
    DS256
    Inspiring
    May 17, 2023

    FWIW, I'm in the same boat as you. I recently had to upgrade my Video card (with a used one) to meet the minimum for GPU memory. Since I've had my current Windows PC for 10 years, and hoping to replicate that, my considerations for a new system currently are:

    • Desktop. I'd like to go laptop but with the lack of upgradeability, it means the trend in software requirements will drive it's EOL long before the hardware is failing. A desktop will allow me replace components.
    • Minimal motherboard features. I've been stung by having disk hardware installed on the motherboard which caused problems in upgrading to W10.
    • Lots of memory or ability to add
    • Lots of GPU memory on video card

    Full disclosure, I haven't started to price any of this out.

    I've seen a number of people point to Puget Systems and their LrC specific configurations. No idea now accurate they are since their benchmark is driven by the own workflow, but likely worth a view for comparison https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/pugetbench-for-lightroom-classic-1571/

     

      dj_paige
      dj_paige
      Legend
      May 17, 2023

      I think Puget Systems is guilty of what I said before, pushing hardware that simply isn't necessary because they'll make more profits. They say:

       

      Can you work directly from an external drive in Lightroom Classic?

      Technically, you could keep your photos on an external drive and edit directly from that drive. However, this is one of the most common causes of performance and stability issues we hear about from our customers. We highly recommend having a large enough internal drive so that you can copy all your files to a local drive before working on them. External drives are terrific for backup and archiving, but not ideal to work off of.

       

       

      This is absolutely false, disk speed where the photos are stored has only a trivial impact on LrC performance. So when they call it a common cause of performance issues, that is complete rubbish. Many people here (including me) have used external HDDs for their photos without performance issues caused by the disk speed.

      dj_paige
      dj_paige
      Legend
      May 16, 2023

      Recommendation: get a fast CPU, get a fast GPU with 8GB or more of video memory, both as fast as you can afford. 16GB RAM or more

        D Fosse
        Community Expert
        D FosseCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        May 16, 2023

        That's about it. To be specific, i7 and RTX 30-series should be a safe bet.

         

        You may not be keen on building your own machine, but it's much easier than most think. Not necessarily to save money, but because that's the way to get a reliable and problem-free machine without any bells and whistles in the way. Plus, it's fun 😉 If so, we could advise you on components that go well together.

         

        <Edit>

         

        In case you're considering a laptop, be very careful. Most laptops today come with dual GPUs, which sounds like a good idea. The problem is that the two GPUs tend to conflict. It's a well known and big problem particularly with Photoshop, but it can also give problems in Lightroom.

        dj_paige
        dj_paige
        Legend
        May 17, 2023

        With regards to building your own machine, there are companies out there that will build computers to your specifications. I have used such a company (CyberPowerPC and others) to build my last 4 or 5 computers. Then not only do you get the computer with the components you want, but you save money because other big name manufacturers generally configure and price the computer the way they want (to maximize their profits?) and then charge you extra just for having their name on the outside of the box.

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