system requirements for CS6

[Todd_Kopriva]

Have a look at the new system requirements page:

http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/tech-specs.html

In the past, a legitimate criticism of the system requirements on the box (and on that page) was that they were just the bare minimum for running the software. I encouraged the folks writing the system requirements to add some parts to go beyond that minimum and at least suggest what an "optimum" system would be. Of course, one can only fit so much text on the box, and we don't want to scare people into thinking that they need a juggernaut of a machine to just do simple things... but I think that we made some progress here.

Thoughts?

[Guest]

Thank you for your timely response, Harm. At this point, I really don't have the time or money to go into a new case and so I just need to optimize what I have. I do still have my old Sony Vaio case which (due to this discussion I had a look see at the interior) was a fairly rocking computer back in the day. It has 3 bays. May make a project out of it and slowly build up to what would be ideal.

The recommended page file size is 12285. So I've set the min/max to that value on my C drive and removed page file from my B drive. And I will put all of my projects on B drive. That should include all media including graphics and images, too, right?

[Harm_Millaard]

Complex. It is not a simple matter of saying put this here and the other stuff there. It is about distributing the workload among your disks as best you can. If you have graphics intermingled with video, then you can leave the graphics on one drive and the video on the other drive, if OTOH you have a huge amount of images and graphics in your timeline, you may have to look into distributing them among your two disks.

[Guest]

That's a far different perspective than I've ever understood before regarding workflow organization. And, yes, it is complex, but I am beginning to get a better feel for it. I need to look at how I am working and redistribute a bit better. Thank you...much still to understand all of this.

[Harm_Millaard]

Look at Adobe Forums: System requirements for CS5 and Adobe Forums: What PC to build? An update...

[Guest]

Harm -> You've done an amazing job with that write up. Your guidance is everywhere! And I understand about 60%...lol! But that's what learning curves are all about! I really don't have it in me to build my own system. I am looking for an off the shelf, budget system for handling my light load of video editing.

I guess I need to take baby steps here with my current computer as it still has potential albeit it is not  an i3-i7, nor does it have Windows 7 (does that really make a difference??). I am going to start by first installing a second hard drive. Then I am going to get a new graphics card. Ill take a deep breath and see where these steps, along with following setup guidelines above, leave me. Hopefully in a much more manageable space.

Thank you all for your insights and taking the time to post these gantastic links!

[RjL190365]

Yes, Windows 7 64-bit with Service Pack 1 is absolutely required to even run Premiere Pro CS6 at all. It will not even run at all with an older OS or with any 32-bit OS, and the program might not even install at all in such older OSes.

[Jim_Simon]

I'd still have gone with two categories, Minimum (which is mostly what we see now) and Recommended, which would include an i7 processor and at least and three hard drives (no RAID) as a starting point.

QuickTime should fall under the Optional: heading, just like the certified GPU.

[Harm_Millaard]

Todd,

I would suggest the following changes/adjustments, at least for Windows machines:

Windows

• Intel® Core™2 Duo or AMD Phenom® II processor; 64-bit support required as bare minimum. Intel quad core or better recommended.
• Microsoft® Windows® 7 with Service Pack 1 (64 bit)
• 4GB of RAM as bare minimum. (8GB or more recommended)
• 4GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on removable flash storage devices)
• Additional disk space required for preview files and other working files (10GB recommended)
• 1280x900 display
• OpenGL 2.0–capable system
• Separate 7200 RPM hard drive in addition to the boot disk (multiple fast disk drives, preferably RAID 0 or parity raid configured, recommended)
• Sound card compatible with ASIO protocol or Microsoft Windows Driver Model
• DVD-ROM drive compatible with dual-layer DVDs (DVD+-R burner for burning DVDs; Blu-ray burner for creating Blu-ray Disc media)
• QuickTime 7.6.6 software required for QuickTime features
• Optional: Adobe-certified GPU card for GPU-accelerated performance
• This software will not operate without activation. Broadband Internet connection and registration are required for software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services.* Phone activation is not available.

These few words go a long way to making the minimum requirements easier to understand and more realistic IMO.

[jamesp2]

One would have hoped Adobe would be  more forthcoming.  For example, are the new Xeon processors (1600, 2600) preferable to the 3930 series, all else being equal?  How are current CPUs ranked generally, with respect to PP6 performance?  What are the relative advantages of its approved GPUs, one from the other?  What kind of performance can be expected from any Adobe system recommendations, such as Dell or HP?

It's understood that Adobe cannot control for all variables or test every system, but we're talking, after all, about a company with enormous resources.  Why should the consumer have to do all the guesswork?

[Harm_Millaard]

See PPBM5 Benchmark

Dell and HP are always slower and more costly than from a dedicated custom builder or from a DIY system.

[Jim_Simon]

Why should the consumer have to do all the guesswork?

You don't.  Tom's does.

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/desktop-cpu-charts-2010/Video-Editing-Adobe-Premiere-Pro-CS5,2428...

If you want performance numbers with CS6, it would not be a bad idea to write Tom's and suggest they update their test with new software and newer model CPUs.

[Nicol_Simard]

Damn, that chart is two years old! It really needs updating.