[MossyRocks]

Although I agree entirely and obviously that M.2 NVMe drives are faster than SATA SSD.... but for most applications we are talking lightening vs greased lightening.
The only substantially appreciable difference in having an M.2 is when you are moving MASSIVE file libraries from one M.2 NVMe to another M.2 NVMe drive.
Everything else with an M.2 NVMe PCIe (loading windows, loading applications, accessing files) is nearly the same as SATA SSD (and may not be worth the additional costs):

However you actually described my used case quite well. Stacking and processing astro images eats disk space and ram and even with the M.2 drives I still end up close to being disk IO bound. My main desktop has 256GB ram and a 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe attached drive that is used a swap and I do hit the swap fairly hard. That is what happens when combining over 1500 light frames, plus several hundred correction frames (dark, and flat frames) for a final stack. Then begins the editing of that stack and in that case the file grew to about 12GB in size at its largest.

This does point to understanding one's use cases correctly and using the correct hardware.

As others have mentioned old spinning drives work well for low cost bulk storage which is what I have in my NAS but even there having more spindles does offer increased speed. I also have a large spinning drive in my main computer as well as use a couple of 4TB external drives as backups.

[FozzFoster]

combining over 1500 light frames, plus several hundred correction frames (dark, and flat frames) for a final stack. Then begins the editing of that stack and in that case the file grew to about 12GB in size at its largest.

lolo yes that will do it haha

This does point to understanding one's use cases correctly and using the correct hardware.

yes - very important indeed

[MossyRocks]

lolo yes that will do it haha

I'm not normal but at least I recognize that fact.

[FozzFoster]

I'm not normal but at least I recognize that fact.

Get yourself a Threadripper :P

[jersey]

If you know how to tinker with the components and will be able to replace them then I think:
- get an SSD drive. Keep HDD for storage, but install system, software and put all images you are editing there
- get more RAM. Best - fill it up to max of you system possibilities but aim for 16 GB (4x4 or 2x8 depending on number of slots on you motherboard)

- replace CPU with one that has better multicore performance and lots more internal cache. FX-8300 or better. It will work on your current motherboard
- get good cooling. Box cooling for FX is so so, so ask for something at the store, beQuiet is making pretty good ones and not really expensive
- install everything from scrap. If needed get box Windows and install it so that there is not crapware running in the background

------

If you do not want/know how to tinker in the case then perhaps there is someone here who lives nearby and can help?

if you want a new setup, here is my proposition: System Builder - Ryzen 7 2700 3.2 GHz 8-Core, Radeon RX 5700 8 GB MECH OC, Pure Base 500 ATX Mid Tower - PCPartPicker

[FlyingEagle]

You've provided much excellent useful information. I will sort through it all and come up with a plan.


The reason I am processing so many images is because I am shooting items for ebay sales. I am shooting raw because I am using x-rite passport color checker in Lightroom along with custom presets for batch processing to match my lighting. But it is not just the batch processing, every app is having difficulty. I have cleaned house by eliminating everything I could from the start menu and apps running in the background. Along with using the Task Manager to asses what might be the culprit. I don't find anything other than windows system stuff running a little hot. There is another issue, maybe a hardware conflict, not sure. Even opening a browser can take it up to 30 seconds to fully open and stabilize. I have had my computer guy try to resolve it and he gave up. Seems that it got progressively worse in the last couple years. So I am of the mind to start over fresh and if I need to spend a little more, then fine.


Again, thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely be using a high speed SSD along with the extra ports and consider everyone's recommendations regarding the rest.


All the best and happy post processing!

[MossyRocks]

Get yourself a Threadripper :P

Get one, I have one already but is only a 16 core 32 thread one. It is how I keep it so that even with the M.2 drives and that much RAM I'm still getting close to disk IO bound.

[FozzFoster]

Get one, I have one already

lolol just incredible hah
"only 16 cores, 32 threads"
just nuts

[jumbleview]

There is another issue, maybe a hardware conflict, not sure. Even opening a browser can take it up to 30 seconds to fully open and stabilize.

This is nothing with age of your computer. Delay on browser may happen if it tries to update itself at the moment of start. To avoid hardware conflict maybe you will better of buying workstation from the respectable vendor like Dell or Lenovo. BTW some Windows services are useless and should be disabled. Just week ago I did it according that source:

https://geeksadvice.com/fix-microsoft-compatibility-telemetry-high-cpu-usage/ (I used method 2).

[sausages]

Do you have any software/apps that can show where delays are, and help to diagnose issues? I can't remember if task manager has that cos its a while since I used it.
When the OS loads the app/program from the main drive, the slower HDD will be noticeable, but once in memory the software ought to be quick. With 32GB I think you have plenty of memory for editing and other programs - my computer uses up to 18GB with Photoshop Elements (though I appreciate that this is not Lightroom).
There is an error log, which is worth checking.
I second the suggestion to re-install. My son's laptop was very slow, but reasonable after Windows was reinstalled, and better still when we put an SSD in.

[MossyRocks]

I second the suggestion to re-install. My son's laptop was very slow, but reasonable after Windows was reinstalled, and better still when we put an SSD in.

Along the same lines is removing any programs that you don't use as a lot of them have stuff that just sits in the background now and eats resources. Not as complete as a clean install but will usually result in a good speed up. Also the worst programs for being resource pigs is an antivirus scanner, they all suck about the same at what they do but from a resource perspective the windows defender or windows security essentials, or what ever it is called now sucks the least. What I mean by they all suck at what they do is that they are a bad attempt at trying to solve the halting problem in the general case, which is a probably unsolvable problem. A lot of commercial security software fall into this category and while it does offer some increased protection from long known threats it is easily circumvented, consumes lots of resources, and offers no protection from new threats.

[mattb123]

I'm a longtime windows user and former IT guy and my PCs are usually in a state of evolution.
I use the same case and power supply across generations of other components which cuts costs.

My general approach is this:
When it is time for a big refresh and I need a new Motherboard, CPU, and RAM I buy all those together (since they are kind of a matching set) and put them in my existing case.
I try to get a motherboard with additional RAM capacity and also faster processors that will fit the same socket.
I get what I can afford at that time, usually one model back from the latest CPU for affordability.
Then as time goes by I can add RAM or buy a faster CPU when those items get a little cheaper and I might need them for something specific. This is usually every 3-5 years.

Hard drives can be done separately from the other items and I'll agree with everyone else to say this is where you should start. The difference will be an immediate performance boost, even with a "slower" SSD. But if you want to get the newer faster M.2 drive you could do it at the same time as the motherboard (and CPU/RAM) to get the newer tech.

But my point is if you are reasonably proficient, it's not hard to upgrade as you go so you don't need to spend a lot all at once very often.
If you aren't proficient, it's not really that hard to learn with all the how-to videos and articles out there. It's definitely not rocket science.

[FlyingEagle]

I am not hardware savvy, but have friend that can easily do the upgrades. I can let him know what I want and he can matching hardware that will fit my case. For now I monitor system resources and chug along ok, but not without some frustration at times. I am not in a super hurry, and I appreciate all the posts and personal guidance. I have copied the details and when I finally have my new system I will let everyone know how and what it turns out to be.


Thanks again!

[FlyingEagle]

I would think that it takes a lot of computing power when using DaVinci Resolve for movie editing. Here are their system recommendations. Again probably above my budget, but worth looking at for learning. Also likely more than anyone needs for photo editing, but fun to consider.


DaVinci Resolve System Requirements & Recommended Hardware | Motion Array