PC upgrade / performance query

[balin]

Thanks in advance and aplogies to Mac people but we don't want to go there.

Our work environment is PC and we want to upgrade our PC's to get the best performance. Currently using Pentium 4 2.8GHz 512mb RAM

We've just done a 4 colour banner job which was a screen print. Finished size was 1meter x 1.5meter. We set it up at 50% actual size and 300 dpi. The printer was then going to scale it up to full size. We've done this before and it produces good results. This was to keep file size down. Even so the psd was 432mb, Transforms were slow, opening and saving is slow expecially over the Network and machine was freezing.

Tricks I've learned to enhance performance.
Make sure There's plenty of free disc space for scratch disk. This fixed the freeze ups. Or would 2nd HD dedicated to scratch be even better?
Ram should be min of 1mb. Is this enough?
What about dual processors??

Can any one suggest anything else we can do to make a meaning full improvement to performance.

I should also say we don't do this type of job very often but we have quite a bit of A3 magazine work coming up.

JON

 

[Dweezel]

Have you set your preferences to high ram usage? Edit > Preferences > Memory and Image cache.

This might be useful reading:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Cl1f

 

[balin]

Thanks for the link - very useful.

Forgot about assigning memory. Will check it. Seems like P4s with 2gb RAM and fast HDs are the go.

Saving to the network is also a bottleneck but this is the only place on our system where files get backed up. I have to trust users to be 'organised' with saving their work.

Thanks again.
JON

 

[fizzak]

Transforms slow? Dual Core Pentium 4's, 3ghz or higher or a dual P4 Zeon workstation. Photoshop loves dual processors.

Slow refresh on screen? At least 128mb videocard. Highend Gamer cards work great.

Slow saves /loads? At least 7200 rpm 8mb cache ATA drive. Better? 2 of those drives in RAID 0 config. Even better? 10k rpm SCSI drives.

 

[duncdude]

Just try - for an experiment (if you can afford to) - running the same job off at 100 d.p.i., as well as the 150 d.p.i. it will currently be at

Do a 'blind' test afterwards - i.e. get someone to mix them up and you evaluate them, side-by-side, and you pick the one you think is best. Maybe do this 3 times

That is a big piece of artwork, which will mean people will have to stand back to appraise it. The resolution will still be that of newspaper print

Should it be O.K. you will cut your Photoshop files in half

Just try it - I personally think you will be surprised


Kind Regards
Duncan

 

[duncdude]

any joy?


Kind Regards
Duncan