Slow Computer...More RAM? CPU? Video Card?

cali92rs · 05-21-2014, 02:29 PM

So i've noticed that when I run DxO, it is taking a long time for the image to preview, then when i make a change, it takes a while for the image to re-render.
Will upgrading my RAM help? Or is this more of a CPU or Video card issue?

Adam · 05-21-2014, 02:36 PM

How much ram do you have? On a 64-bit system 8Gb should be plenty, though more helps for multitasking.

AFAIK the video card isn't used that extensively by commercial image processing applications yet, so the next area to look at would be the CPU assuming your video card is decent and designed for the resolution you're working with.

cali92rs · 05-21-2014, 02:42 PM

Originally posted by Adam

How much ram do you have? On a 64-bit system 8Gb should be plenty, though more helps for multitasking.

AFAIK the video card isn't used that extensively by commercial image processing applications yet, so the next area to look at would be the CPU assuming your video card is decent and designed for the resolution you're working with.

Umm, yea...it only has 4GB of RAM (it's a 2009 iMac)

I have a faster/newer laptop, but it SUCKS processing pics on a laptop.

Na Horuk · 05-21-2014, 02:55 PM

Keep in mind that RAM also has a speed. Thats a little trick - you can buy lots of ram cheaply, but it will still be slow.

amoringello · 05-21-2014, 03:25 PM

With only 4GB, a memory boost will help a lot.... assuming your computer can handle more.
If you use both LightRoom and Photoshop I would suggest 16GB or more of RAM, but otherwise 8GB should be plenty for one or the other on most tasks.
Note: if your Mac says it only handles 4GB, check out OtherWorldComputing (www.maculaes.com).
They might have a 6GB kit that will work and that makes a significant difference. Certainly for a lot less $$ than a new computer.
I did that for my Mac and was surprised by how much it helped.

If you use Photoshop CS6, it will make use of your video card's GPU. This can help a lot!
Much more than any amount of RAM you might add once you get past internal buffer limits, which you're probably hitting with only 4GB.

I would not spend $500+ on a fancy high end graphics card.
Many of the cards that were *very fast* a year or two ago are going to give your excellent performance at a much lower price.
I think it then becomes a matter of diminishing returns for the amount that Photoshop does use them... so don't waste money on the biggest-baddest video cards.
If its a Mac, I think the 2009 models are about when GPU compatible cards went in. You can check to see if it will be helpful. I don't know how well the first line of GPU accessible cards were though.

RollsUp · 05-21-2014, 03:31 PM

Originally posted by cali92rs

Umm, yea...it only has 4GB of RAM (it's a 2009 iMac)

I have a faster/newer laptop, but it SUCKS processing pics on a laptop.

Upgrading RAM is the cheapest way to speed up a Mac. Depending on the exact model iMac you have, you could upgrade it to 8, 16 or even 32 GB (unsupported by Apple) of RAM.

Homo_erectus · 05-21-2014, 04:12 PM

From your description it sounds like a CPU issue more than anything else. Applying the changes to the preview is going to be a primarily CPU intensive task, although it will still need enough memory to DO the work in. What you can do is open up the Activity Monitor while you are using dxo and watch the cpu, memory and hard disc usage while you are working. This should give you a good idea of what you need to upgrade.

If ram is pegged at 100% usage, getting more, or closing *all* of your other applications while you work, could help with performance.

If the hard drive usage is pegged at 100% for long stretches then you should consider replacing it with an SSD.

If the CPU is sitting at 100% AND the hard disc activity and memory activity are NOT at 100% then you are looking at needing to upgrade the cpu. If the CPU is at 100% but so are the hard disc and / or ram then I'd look at those other components first.

The video card only has an impact in photo manipulation performance if you application relies heavily on openCL or cuda. I have no idea if dxo is programmed for either of those.

Good luck!

Uh, I forgot to mention that I don't think you *can* upgrade the cpu in an iMac. So if you determine that the cpu is the bottleneck there's not much you can do other than replace the machine.

Last edited by Homo_erectus; 05-21-2014 at 04:26 PM. Reason: edit to add cpu upgrade thoughts

cali92rs · 05-21-2014, 04:43 PM

Thanks for your suggestions.
According to the Apple site, I can go up to 16GB of RAM.

Yea, not much you can do CPU or graphics card wise on a Mac.

rawr · 05-21-2014, 05:36 PM

Originally posted by cali92rs

So i've noticed that when I run DxO, it is taking a long time for the image to preview, then when i make a change, it takes a while for the image to re-render.
Will upgrading my RAM help? Or is this more of a CPU or Video card issue?

I also have 4GB on a Windows system. With DxO, it's a CPU issue. On Windows you can easily see this using Task Manager (or sysinternals Process Explorer) while DxO is doing it's thing - CPU being used extensively, RAM usage pretty static and not maxed out at all.

Try making sure you are not running too many other applications whilst also running DxO. Those apps may be robbing the CPU of some power. Some applications may also lock files, or be constantly checking the file system for changes, or be doing some other background task on the files DxO wants to work with.

I would also strongly suggest updating to the very latest increment of DxO. When I began using DxO v9 it was a slow pig, certainly slower than v8 for normal tasks. But progressively DxO v9 has become faster and more responsive, as their developers have tuned the code more. Now my DxO v9.1.5 Build 1919 runs very responsively.

I'd also suggest un-installing all the DxO lens modules you don't need. That seems to make a bit of a difference to DxO performance too.

cali92rs · 05-21-2014, 06:25 PM

Originally posted by rawr

I also have 4GB on a Windows system. With DxO, it's a CPU issue. On Windows you can easily see this using Task Manager (or sysinternals Process Explorer) while DxO is doing it's thing - CPU being used extensively, RAM usage pretty static and not maxed out at all.

Try making sure you are not running too many other applications whilst also running DxO. Those apps may be robbing the CPU of some power. Some applications may also lock files, or be constantly checking the file system for changes, or be doing some other background task on the files DxO wants to work with.

I would also strongly suggest updating to the very latest increment of DxO. When I began using DxO v9 it was a slow pig, certainly slower than v8 for normal tasks. But progressively DxO v9 has become faster and more responsive, as their developers have tuned the code more. Now my DxO v9.1.5 Build 1919 runs very responsively.

I'd also suggest un-installing all the DxO lens modules you don't need. That seems to make a bit of a difference to DxO performance too.

Thanks for the tip, I'll give that a try.
I love DxO, but ive been using LR because it's so much faster on my machine.

Winder · 05-21-2014, 09:34 PM

Originally posted by cali92rs

So i've noticed that when I run DxO, it is taking a long time for the image to preview, then when i make a change, it takes a while for the image to re-render.
Will upgrading my RAM help? Or is this more of a CPU or Video card issue?

I run 64-bit, 12GB with solid state drives and DxO is SLOW. Quad core i7 and 2GB of video memory. Can take up to 5 minutes to process an image with the PRIME noise reduction.

I'm sure your system is a little on the slow side, but don't expect much of a speed increase with DxO.

OregonJim · 05-21-2014, 10:52 PM

Originally posted by Homo_erectus

Uh, I forgot to mention that I don't think you *can* upgrade the cpu in an iMac. So if you determine that the cpu is the bottleneck there's not much you can do other than replace the machine.

You can. I've done four iMacs already. The first was a Core Solo to Core 2 Duo upgrade, the rest were simply speed bumped CPUs.

EDIT: Make that three iMacs - the fourth was actually a Mac Mini now that I think about it...

rawr · 05-22-2014, 12:25 AM

Originally posted by Winder

the PRIME noise reduction

DxO's PRIME NR is a funny feature. Sometimes it really makes a strange, ugly mess of some image areas, sometimes it does very well. But yes, it is always S-L-O-W-W-W-W-W.

To be fair though, most times it doesn't get in the way of normal DxO image processing. I have found that if you decrease the PRIME effect from the aggressive DxO default of 40 to something much more modest, it speeds PRIME up a lot. And of course the glacial slowness of PRIME is mainly at export stage.

But if I'm busy or in a hurry, PRIME certainly stays off.

cali92rs · 05-22-2014, 12:45 PM

Ideally,I would like to use my faster laptop PC for post processing and to drive my iMac monitor.
Apple, in typical fashion, makes it difficult to do this, requiring a $100 hdmi-to-mini displayport adapter. Unfortunately, the iMac can only get 720p resolution with this adapter.
How crappy would this look?

Your probably thinking "why doesnt he just buy a $75 used monitor and hook it up to his laptop".
Married politics, thats why

Homo_erectus · 05-22-2014, 01:38 PM

whats the native resolution of the iMacs display? If it's 720p (that's 1280x720) it'll look fine. If the iMac displays native resolution is different it'll look pretty bad and whether it's tolerable or not is really a personal preference thing.

Maybe using a remote desktop app from the iMac to the laptop would be a better way to go? You can download the Microsoft RDP client for Mac here Download Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2.1.1 from Official Microsoft Download Center (I'm not sure if that is the most recent version or not. I haven't touched a mac since 10.2 was current.)

It might not be usable over wifi but gigabit ethernet should be fine.

05-21-2014, 02:29 PM	#1
cali92rs Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 3,354	Slow Computer...More RAM? CPU? Video Card? So i've noticed that when I run DxO, it is taking a long time for the image to preview, then when i make a change, it takes a while for the image to re-render. Will upgrading my RAM help? Or is this more of a CPU or Video card issue?

05-21-2014, 02:36 PM	#2
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,593	How much ram do you have? On a 64-bit system 8Gb should be plenty, though more helps for multitasking. AFAIK the video card isn't used that extensively by commercial image processing applications yet, so the next area to look at would be the CPU assuming your video card is decent and designed for the resolution you're working with. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

05-21-2014, 10:52 PM	#12
OregonJim Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon Posts: 1,327	Originally posted by Homo_erectus Uh, I forgot to mention that I don't think you can upgrade the cpu in an iMac. So if you determine that the cpu is the bottleneck there's not much you can do other than replace the machine. You can. I've done four iMacs already. The first was a Core Solo to Core 2 Duo upgrade, the rest were simply speed bumped CPUs. EDIT: Make that three iMacs - the fourth was actually a Mac Mini now that I think about it... Last edited by OregonJim; 05-21-2014 at 10:58 PM.

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05-21-2014, 02:42 PM	#3
cali92rs Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 3,354 Original Poster	Originally posted by Adam How much ram do you have? On a 64-bit system 8Gb should be plenty, though more helps for multitasking. AFAIK the video card isn't used that extensively by commercial image processing applications yet, so the next area to look at would be the CPU assuming your video card is decent and designed for the resolution you're working with. Umm, yea...it only has 4GB of RAM (it's a 2009 iMac) I have a faster/newer laptop, but it SUCKS processing pics on a laptop.

05-21-2014, 02:55 PM	#4
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	Keep in mind that RAM also has a speed. Thats a little trick - you can buy lots of ram cheaply, but it will still be slow.

05-21-2014, 03:25 PM	#5
amoringello Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Virginia, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,562	With only 4GB, a memory boost will help a lot.... assuming your computer can handle more. If you use both LightRoom and Photoshop I would suggest 16GB or more of RAM, but otherwise 8GB should be plenty for one or the other on most tasks. Note: if your Mac says it only handles 4GB, check out OtherWorldComputing (www.maculaes.com). They might have a 6GB kit that will work and that makes a significant difference. Certainly for a lot less $$ than a new computer. I did that for my Mac and was surprised by how much it helped. If you use Photoshop CS6, it will make use of your video card's GPU. This can help a lot! Much more than any amount of RAM you might add once you get past internal buffer limits, which you're probably hitting with only 4GB. I would not spend $500+ on a fancy high end graphics card. Many of the cards that were very fast a year or two ago are going to give your excellent performance at a much lower price. I think it then becomes a matter of diminishing returns for the amount that Photoshop does use them... so don't waste money on the biggest-baddest video cards. If its a Mac, I think the 2009 models are about when GPU compatible cards went in. You can check to see if it will be helpful. I don't know how well the first line of GPU accessible cards were though.

05-21-2014, 03:31 PM	#6
RollsUp Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: AK USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,766	Originally posted by cali92rs Umm, yea...it only has 4GB of RAM (it's a 2009 iMac) I have a faster/newer laptop, but it SUCKS processing pics on a laptop. Upgrading RAM is the cheapest way to speed up a Mac. Depending on the exact model iMac you have, you could upgrade it to 8, 16 or even 32 GB (unsupported by Apple) of RAM.

05-21-2014, 04:12 PM	#7
Homo_erectus Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 410	From your description it sounds like a CPU issue more than anything else. Applying the changes to the preview is going to be a primarily CPU intensive task, although it will still need enough memory to DO the work in. What you can do is open up the Activity Monitor while you are using dxo and watch the cpu, memory and hard disc usage while you are working. This should give you a good idea of what you need to upgrade. If ram is pegged at 100% usage, getting more, or closing all of your other applications while you work, could help with performance. If the hard drive usage is pegged at 100% for long stretches then you should consider replacing it with an SSD. If the CPU is sitting at 100% AND the hard disc activity and memory activity are NOT at 100% then you are looking at needing to upgrade the cpu. If the CPU is at 100% but so are the hard disc and / or ram then I'd look at those other components first. The video card only has an impact in photo manipulation performance if you application relies heavily on openCL or cuda. I have no idea if dxo is programmed for either of those. Good luck! Uh, I forgot to mention that I don't think you can upgrade the cpu in an iMac. So if you determine that the cpu is the bottleneck there's not much you can do other than replace the machine. Last edited by Homo_erectus; 05-21-2014 at 04:26 PM. Reason: edit to add cpu upgrade thoughts

05-21-2014, 04:43 PM	#8
cali92rs Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 3,354 Original Poster	Thanks for your suggestions. According to the Apple site, I can go up to 16GB of RAM. Yea, not much you can do CPU or graphics card wise on a Mac.

05-21-2014, 05:36 PM	#9
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	Originally posted by cali92rs So i've noticed that when I run DxO, it is taking a long time for the image to preview, then when i make a change, it takes a while for the image to re-render. Will upgrading my RAM help? Or is this more of a CPU or Video card issue? I also have 4GB on a Windows system. With DxO, it's a CPU issue. On Windows you can easily see this using Task Manager (or sysinternals Process Explorer) while DxO is doing it's thing - CPU being used extensively, RAM usage pretty static and not maxed out at all. Try making sure you are not running too many other applications whilst also running DxO. Those apps may be robbing the CPU of some power. Some applications may also lock files, or be constantly checking the file system for changes, or be doing some other background task on the files DxO wants to work with. I would also strongly suggest updating to the very latest increment of DxO. When I began using DxO v9 it was a slow pig, certainly slower than v8 for normal tasks. But progressively DxO v9 has become faster and more responsive, as their developers have tuned the code more. Now my DxO v9.1.5 Build 1919 runs very responsively. I'd also suggest un-installing all the DxO lens modules you don't need. That seems to make a bit of a difference to DxO performance too.

05-21-2014, 06:25 PM	#10
cali92rs Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 3,354 Original Poster	Originally posted by rawr I also have 4GB on a Windows system. With DxO, it's a CPU issue. On Windows you can easily see this using Task Manager (or sysinternals Process Explorer) while DxO is doing it's thing - CPU being used extensively, RAM usage pretty static and not maxed out at all. Try making sure you are not running too many other applications whilst also running DxO. Those apps may be robbing the CPU of some power. Some applications may also lock files, or be constantly checking the file system for changes, or be doing some other background task on the files DxO wants to work with. I would also strongly suggest updating to the very latest increment of DxO. When I began using DxO v9 it was a slow pig, certainly slower than v8 for normal tasks. But progressively DxO v9 has become faster and more responsive, as their developers have tuned the code more. Now my DxO v9.1.5 Build 1919 runs very responsively. I'd also suggest un-installing all the DxO lens modules you don't need. That seems to make a bit of a difference to DxO performance too. Thanks for the tip, I'll give that a try. I love DxO, but ive been using LR because it's so much faster on my machine.

05-21-2014, 09:34 PM	#11
Winder Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 6,617	Originally posted by cali92rs So i've noticed that when I run DxO, it is taking a long time for the image to preview, then when i make a change, it takes a while for the image to re-render. Will upgrading my RAM help? Or is this more of a CPU or Video card issue? I run 64-bit, 12GB with solid state drives and DxO is SLOW. Quad core i7 and 2GB of video memory. Can take up to 5 minutes to process an image with the PRIME noise reduction. I'm sure your system is a little on the slow side, but don't expect much of a speed increase with DxO.

05-22-2014, 12:25 AM	#13
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	Originally posted by Winder the PRIME noise reduction DxO's PRIME NR is a funny feature. Sometimes it really makes a strange, ugly mess of some image areas, sometimes it does very well. But yes, it is always S-L-O-W-W-W-W-W. To be fair though, most times it doesn't get in the way of normal DxO image processing. I have found that if you decrease the PRIME effect from the aggressive DxO default of 40 to something much more modest, it speeds PRIME up a lot. And of course the glacial slowness of PRIME is mainly at export stage. But if I'm busy or in a hurry, PRIME certainly stays off.

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05-22-2014, 12:45 PM	#14
cali92rs Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 3,354 Original Poster	Ideally,I would like to use my faster laptop PC for post processing and to drive my iMac monitor. Apple, in typical fashion, makes it difficult to do this, requiring a $100 hdmi-to-mini displayport adapter. Unfortunately, the iMac can only get 720p resolution with this adapter. How crappy would this look? Your probably thinking "why doesnt he just buy a $75 used monitor and hook it up to his laptop". Married politics, thats why

05-22-2014, 01:38 PM	#15
Homo_erectus Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 410	whats the native resolution of the iMacs display? If it's 720p (that's 1280x720) it'll look fine. If the iMac displays native resolution is different it'll look pretty bad and whether it's tolerable or not is really a personal preference thing. Maybe using a remote desktop app from the iMac to the laptop would be a better way to go? You can download the Microsoft RDP client for Mac here Download Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2.1.1 from Official Microsoft Download Center (I'm not sure if that is the most recent version or not. I haven't touched a mac since 10.2 was current.) It might not be usable over wifi but gigabit ethernet should be fine.