Does a 64-bit processor make a difference with CS3? How about CS4?

[Zirngibism]

Right now, I own Photoshop CS3, and was not intending to upgrade to CS4.

But I just heard that Adobe just put out a version of Photoshop specifically designed to run a 64-bit.

Does that mean that normal 32-bit Photoshop isn't really affected by a 64-bit processor, meaning I'l

I ask because I was planning to get Windows XP 64-bit, and whether PS CS3 performance would be enhanced would help me decide.

And how much faster is the 64-bit CS4 than the 32-bit CS4?

(The reason I want this is to be able to work on higher-res documents without brush lag. If 64-bit doesn't even affect this much, then the whole issue isn't really very important, I suppose.)


Thanks!

[Palomar]

CS3 is not a 64bit application. CS4 has both 32bit and 64bit versions.

The practical difference is how much memory you can address, not how fast you can address it. Photographers working on 20+ MP images might benefit (provided they have the excess RAM); most of us would not.

That said, “In early testing of 64-bit support in Photoshop Extended for Windows®, overall performance gains ranged from 8% to 12%.”

Lots of people are having problems with CS4. You should download the trial version (http://www.adobe.com/downloads/), which is free, before planning a purchase.

Also, Adobe has explicitly stated that they will not support XP 64 users (though you can still install CS4 on this OS). Adobe supports Vista 64.

[Zirngibism]

CS3 is not a 64bit application. CS4 has both 32bit and 64bit versions.

The practical difference is how much memory you can address, not how fast you can address it. Photographers working on 20+ MP images might benefit (provided they have the excess RAM); most of us would not.

That said, “In early testing of 64-bit support in Photoshop Extended for Windows®, overall performance gains ranged from 8% to 12%.”

Lots of people are having problems with CS4. You should download the trial version (http://www.adobe.com/downloads/), which is free, before planning a purchase.

Also, Adobe has explicitly stated that they will not support XP 64 users (though you can still install CS4 on this OS). Adobe supports Vista 64.

Thank you!
I have no intentions of getting Vista, so I guess that's ruled out.

See, my computer can support up to 8 gigs of RAM, though 32-bit can only support 3, supposedly.

I'm starting to think I should be content with what I have. :-}

[Palomar]

Yeah, I'll be sticking with XP until Windows 7 is released (current ETA is Oct 09). The beta testers have been very positive.

With 4Gb of memory installed, XP can usually access between 3.1 and 3.5Gb. By default, however, XP only allows 2Gb of memory to be addressed per application. If you have 3 or 4Gb of Ram, and have not already done so, you might consider activating the /3GB switch (http://www.photographicworkflow.com/wiki/3GB_Switch) in your boot.ini. This will allow Photoshop to address significantly more memory (set under the performance tab).

Some people have problems (immediately apparent) after setting the /3GB switch, so read the linked page carefully.

[Zirngibism]

Thank you again!
I'll definitely read into this.
I was actually planning to buy a new desktop computer (I currently work on my laptop) next fall, so that should coincide nicely with the new Windows.

[h2rra]

Sry for a small thread hijack, but it should help you also if you are planning to buy a new comp.

What's currently the best processor for digital painting. I currently have C2D E6300 clocked to 2.3 ghz and there is noticible brush lag(in cs2-cs4). I have 6gigs of ram under vista, so it isn't a problem. I'm considering buying Q9550 but maybe E8500 is a better choice? One has better clock speeds but the other one better cache. The brush tool probably doesn't utilize more that 1/2 cores?

How much does hard drive speed influence digital painting? I know it's a big deal for photographers but I have a feeling it doesn't change the brush lag. Anyone with experience please post.

Anyone who can paint brush-lag free on 4000x3000 size canvas must post their specs :P

Btw Zirngibism, there are 3 major features in photoshop cs4 for digital painters:
1. Rotatable canvas
2. Flash panels - Makes possible having dockable color wheel and color picker. I'm already testing one (http://www.anastasiy.com/down/down.php?id=4)
3. Drag brush resize. Alt+left click and moving the mouse resizes the brush.

I would consider getting it :P

[Palomar]

I’ll have to try out that color picker.

- - -
The new Core i7 processors (all of which are quad core) are the best you can buy. They are also the most expensive—particularly with the requisite DDR3 and $200+ motherboard.

The rest of the tech world hasn’t caught up with the Core i7. Modern GPUs, for example, are too slow to take advantage of them…unless you break the bank and buy several. (http://www.guru3d.com/article/core-i7-multigpu-sli-crossfire-game-performance-review/15)

Zirngibism’s desktop purchase will not only coincide with the release of Windows 7, but also a reduction in Core i7 costs, and a new generation of GPUs. A good time to buy indeed—assuming the economy hasn’t forced us to join pillaging, nomadic motor-gangs.

- - -
h2rra, I think the payoff of buying an E8500 or Q9550—as opposed to a Core i7—would be questionable.

Your e6300 overclock is overly conservative. What’s holding it back? The motherboard? The odd memory configuration? Most e6300’s have no trouble hitting 3ghz.

I can’t give you a definitive answer regarding hard drive speeds. It goes without saying that it matters if your painting habits invoke the scratch disk. My brush strokes used to suffer occasional hiccups. This stopped after I bought a newer drive, but my old drive was lousy.

Run HDtune (http://www.hdtune.com/). If your average read\write is below 50MB/s, a newer drive would make for a better computing experience in general. Check Tom’s Charts (http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/3-5-hard-drive-charts/Average-Read-Transfer-Performance,658.html)—a fast drive can be a pretty inexpensive upgrade.

- - -

3. Drag brush resize. Alt+left click and moving the mouse resizes the brush.

Alt+Right Click...unless you make a script to change it (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2053531#post2053531). har har.

[Brashen]

I would definitely go with a Core i7. I bought the extreme edition recently but havent got a chance to test out anything as I'm still waiting on the GPU. I'll run a few tests on Photoshop cs 4 to see if the lag persists.

[h2rra]

Thanks Palomar! I upped my clock to 3ghz and painting and games are alot smoother now. Yep, I'm probably better off buying a new comp in a year or two. I also did some scratch disk testing. I created a 1.2gb ramdisk and set it as my only scratch disk in PS. There were no differences while painting. I think that if you throw plenty of ram at PS then scratch disk doesn't matter. And thanks for the script, I have to check it out. I wish they fixed that dual brush problem when using drag-resize though :(

Brashen, I'll be waiting for your tests :P Would be really interesting to see how new quads with 12mb cache and i7's handle digital painting.

Edit: What? Did you seriously buy i7 965? I'm even more interested to hear your results. Can you create a A4 300dpi document and see if you can paint with 500px 0% hardness round brush without any lag?

[Brashen]

Hahaha hold on buddy still waiting on the gpu...don't worry I'll perform the tests you want in good time ^^

[kait]

I'm even more interested to hear your results. Can you create a A4 300dpi document and see if you can paint with 500px 0% hardness round brush without any lag?

me too!