[BigMackCam]

Hyper threading can increase processing It's great for gaming but it isn't a cure all as there are still some tasks it isn't as efficient such as image editing. Instead of taking my word on it, I quote from HP;

Sure... I'm aware of the difference between physical and logical cores, and the benefits and downsides of hyper-threading. I was just pointing out that Norm's statement regarding seeing eight cores maxed out wasn't, in fact, an impossibility, as the activity monitoring was showing a combination of physical and logical cores

[gatorguy]

I think this article might also be helpful in pointing the OP in the right direction. In a nutshell an Intel processor, or any very high-end processor for that matter, might not be what they should be looking for.

Best Computer for Photo Editing [2021 Guide]

[kiwi_jono]

If you are doing mostly photo edit work then I don't think the i7 will give you much, if any, benefit.
However you may benefit from going to > 16 GB of RAM (ideally 32 GB), as it means optimal caching is going on and also can work more efficiently with multiple applications open (e.g. RAW processing and photo editor etc).
Worth bearing in mind, there are good cost effective AMD options too - I built a monster AMD Ryzen 9 machine but then I do a lot of software development so its saving me significant time but the point is AMD systems are good too.

[normhead]

Sorry Norm but that is an impossibility to have a 10 year old 8 core as Intel didn't come out with an 8 core processor until Generation 9 in Mid 2015 , the I7 6 core wasn't introduced until late 2011 using DDR3 1600MHZ max ram otherwise they were 4 cores. I think your confusing it with your Mini Mac. And yes with an 8 core one should rarely see more than 1/2 the cores loading.

That may be true, it was bought as a 4 core. But there are 8 columns showing processor activity in Activity monitor.

I started machine coding 6502s back in the Atari, Pet, Trash 80 days, back when you could replace sections of the OS using machine code and tap right in to OS routines or write you own.

My step brother wrote the first computer controlled traffic control system for stop lights in Toronto using 6502s.
And before that, my uncle was one of the first 10 programmers at IBM, back in the dawn of computers.

I put together the first Computers part 1 course for teachers here in Ontario, then running Pets.
Two years after I did that they told me if I wanted to teach computers I had to take Part 1, because I put it together but never officially took the course. They claimed I need to take part 1 before I could take part 2. I told them I didn't really want to teach in computer science anyway, but I did end up teaching Communications technology, thought 80% of my course was photography with the rest being desktop publishing, web design, computerized drafting, video, all but drafting being integrated into my photography program. I also ran a robotics course with a heavy software design component and a Cad/Cam machine for fabricating our own robot parts. But, as things got more complicated and machine code became less viable, I lost interest and moved on.

I've a long history of computers firsts in my lineage.

---

Last edited by normhead; 12-25-2021 at 03:01 PM.

[bobmaxja]

I am getting a new Lenovo I7 11700 T M90Q Gen , I gettting the I7 117700 as it will last at least 2 more than te I5 as it’s a lot more powerful. THe cheaper you buy the CPU, the faster you need to replace your PC. https://canada.lenovo.com/fr/ca/en/desktops-and-all-in-ones/thinkcentre/m-se...oogle.com%252F

[simsburyphoto]

I am getting a new Lenovo I7 11700 T M90Q Gen , I gettting the I7 117700 as it will last at least 2 more than te I5 as it’s a lot more powerful. THe cheaper you buy the CPU, the faster you need to replace your PC. https://canada.lenovo.com/fr/ca/en/desktops-and-all-in-ones/thinkcentre/m-se...oogle.com%252F

I always say buy the best processor, the most memory and the biggest hard drive you can afford. Spending a little more on the front end may will likely get you and extra few years of service life out of the computer.

A tangentially related consideration: if you put your swap (or "paging") file on a solid-state drive ("SSD"), that's going to speed things up considerably.

[normhead]

I always say buy the best processor, the most memory and the biggest hard drive you can afford. Spending a little more on the front end may will likely get you and extra few years of service life out of the computer.

I took that advice 10 years ago and as result still have a functioning 27" i7 4 core iMac, which is not at all unpleasant to use. I only bought something new because after 10 years the screen start cutting out from time to time. I've also bought a second monitor for it, if it wasn't for the 2160x1600 display, which looks weak compared to 4k, I wouldn't have upgraded.

[ProfessorBuzz]

Always go for the highest performance machine you can afford that is available, as you will get more value over a longer term.
Make sure you've got an NVMe SSD in the machine, 1TB would last a while. 16B of RAM, 32GB is probably overkill right now. NVidia or AMD graphics hardware - the Intel graphics are still lagging. And you should probably be asking i9 vs i7 vs i5. If you're ever going to do video, you'll want an i7 for sure. If you are doing full frame (>24megapixel) images, the extra horsepower helps. Disk performance is really the killer when opening and saving images, indexing / cataloging them etc.
i5 is sort of a bare minimum for performance these days.

[ThorSanchez]

You can have too much RAM if you rarely or never use it. If your system workflow is CPU bound more RAM won't make much difference. If you RAM is slow to begin with adding more slow RAM won't make much of a difference. Many factors to consider. But it mostly depends on what you are doing on your computer.

Will More RAM Make your PC Faster?? (2020) - YouTube

Yep, your best bet is to do some research, figure out your memory requirements now and in likely future applications and buy what makes sense. Unless you have unlimited funds to spend. I built a fairly high-end desktop a couple years ago and outfitted it with a 12-core Ryzen, but a mid-tier graphics card and 32 GB RAM. I was more than willing to go to 64 or 128 GB, but I didn't see any reason to.


Just now I brought up RawTherapee, Libre Office Writer, and played a video. In RT I edited a couple RAW files with some fairly resource-intensive algorithms like Tone Mapping and Retinex, then hit the export button. Looking at the Linux system monitor I never got above 12 GB memory utilization out of 32. Adding 32 or more gigs of RAM would do zero for my system performance, but cost $100+ per 32.

Maybe if you're doing something like 4K video editing it would be worthwhile? I don't really do that, so I don't know. But for photo editing you'd have to be doing some niche stuff like maybe stacking hundreds of RAW files for astrophotography for the extra cost to be worth it.

---------- Post added 12-26-21 at 08:47 AM ----------

A tangentially related consideration: if you put your swap (or "paging") file on a solid-state drive ("SSD"), that's going to speed things up considerably.

If you have enough RAM you won't use swap, and it'll be even faster than swap on an SSD.

[Weevil]

Save on the i5 and spend the saving on more RAM. You already get an ssd with either machine and that’s the other big performance plus in these machines. You can never have too much RAM.

OTOH, I'd say to take that saved money and invest in a larger SSD. On my old Dell Precision 7520, I have the main HD being a 2TB NVME SSD, and a 2nd standard 2TB SSD, and they fill up fast with my Lr library mainly with large RAW files from the K-1...

Local strorage might become the bottleneck faster than you think

p.s. also save some money for backing up those data would also be a good move

[Oldbayrunner]

I've a long history of computers firsts in my lineage.

I could post my long linage of computer history back at you and working with some pretty darn well known people in the industry but personally I dont think that pertinent to this thread.. You spouted off trying to dispel something I mentioned that was factually happening and does happen and the good ole boys jumped in.. Just because something doesn't happen with your computers doesn't mean it doesn't happen dude....now you gents ticked me off which I was willing to let it drop.

[gatorguy]

Just an observation, but this current worldwide shortage of computer chips has had a MAJOR effect on prices. I'd hate to be in the market right now needing one.
Buying a refurbished Dell Alienware with less memory, a slower processor and less storage than the one I bought two years ago is $400 more than I paid. $400 more used and refurb'd two years later. Geesh.

BTW guys, moderator hat on. Don't let things take a personal turn. We're all on the same team.

[Sholom]

Just to put things in perspective, while a modern i5 or i7 and 32 GB memory would be lovely, I am happily processing my K5 photos with a 4th generation (yup that old) high-end (4 real cores but no hyperthreading) i5, 16 GB memory and a relatively modest graphics card (Nvidia Geforce 1650 Super with 4 GB video memory). With this system and Windows and apps on one (256 GB) SSD, Windows swap file and some app caches on another (128 GB) SSD, and my images on a decent but unremarkable hard drive, I can run Photoshop CS6, RawTherapee, Firefox, and Topaz Sharpen AI all at once and rarely have Topaz take more than 40 sec to process an image. The point is not to brag but to encourage spending enough (if possible) to get a system that will still make you happy 5 or more years down the road. I probably will want to replace this system after I get a K3 III as it is too old to run Windows 11 anyhow. My rule is to not get a new computer until the need is pretty desperate, saving every penny in the meantime so I can get a machine that will last when the time comes. And of course the machine I have now would be very marginal to impossible for serious video work but I don't see myself ever doing that. Spend time thinking about your likely uses for the machine. If it is mainly still image developing, a high end i5 may be better than a bottom end i7, as it was when I bought my computer, but I am not familiar enough with the current Intel line to know if that holds right now.

[fs999]

The question is : do you want to change your computer every 4-5 years or keep it for 10+ years.
That's the difference between i5 and i7.
My i7 computer is going on it 12th year and will have a primary SSD drive upgrade this year.