What type of computer and OS do you use?

[Emily4Pres]

Hi Everyone!

I'm having issues getting CS4 to load on my computer and it has been suggested to me that my computer might not be able to handle CS4 because of how large of a program it is. So my question to you all, is what kind of computer and OS do you use for your post processing? Is Mac reeeaaaally better? In your opinion, can I get away with using my mutt PC with Windows XP or should I upgrade? Do you have a computer that is dedicated solely to your photography? What do you think?

-Emily

[ravncat]

more important, is how much hard drive space you have, how much memory is installed in your computer, your graphics card and your processor type. I run cs5 on my 5 year old win xp laptop.

[Blitzkrieg]

Well,true that! More RAM = Faster loading times for most programs.
Also,what about downloading the free SisoftSandra utility just to take a look
and tell us more about your computer s specs? Maybe we could help a lot more!
N.

[Krusty79]

The system requirements to run CS4 aren't very high:

Windows

1.8GHz or faster processor
Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 (Service Pack 3 recommended) or Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise with Service Pack 1 (certified for 32-bit Windows XP and 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista)
512MB of RAM (1GB recommended)
1GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on flash-based storage devices)
1,024x768 display (1,280x800 recommended) with 16-bit video card
Some GPU-accelerated features require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0
DVD-ROM drive
QuickTime 7.2 software required for multimedia features
Broadband Internet connection required for online services*

Any pc you purchased within the past few years should more than meet these requirements. I don't see how "large" the program is as an obstacle unless you are close to running out of hard drive space.

You can try clicking on your windows Start button, then Run and in the Run box, type "msconfig" and hit the Enter key. It will bring up a System Configuration screen. Click the Startup tab to see what programs are loading on startup. There are probably garbage ones that you can uncheck to free up your pc processor.

I bought an HP quad core 2.6Ghz pc with two 500 gig hard drives a few years ago and I can run PaintShopPro along with other programs simultaneously.

[Izzy]

Mine is a custom rig

Main editing machine

Windows 7 Home Prem SP1
3.2 AMD Phenom X6 (6 core)
8 gig of DDR2 ram (1066)
Nividia GTX 260 - Dual monitors
4 TB of drive space across 4 drives
2 CD/DVD burners - 1 lightscribe
Haupagge vid cap card

Blah blah blah

and boats loads of other stuff plugged in it, internal card reader, ext HDD's, etc.

Storage server

Ubuntu Server 11.04
2.8 Dual core AMD
onboard vid (not used)
5 - 3TB drives in RAID (hot swap)
4gig ram

This server is set to send me an email anytime there is a sys fault like a drive issue and reports the exact fault. If any one drive dies I can replace the dead drive (toolless) with a new one and the others will repopulate the drive without ever turning the machine off. In this repop I loose no data. I can also access this server securely anywhere in the world by logging in through a SSL connection to it and then send my images from the field home. This is helpful for getting that image at home you forgot to bring.

The first machine was built Frankenstein style from some used and new parts for about $500 (BASE) $700 now with all the additions.
The server was built from an older machine and it ran @ about $450

[ArmySoldier777]

Emily4Pres,

It may just be your version of windows. I've known others that have Windows XP that have issues with getting CS4 to run. XP was just one of those mess ups by Microsoft along the way to what we have now lol. It's notorious for having compatibility issues with software. So while this may not be the only cause, it could be a very likely one. But I also know that upgrading Windows isn't usually the cheapest option out there.

Edit: I'm not saying that just because you have XP means you can't run CS4 or CS5! lol. I'm just saying that it's well known that that version of Windows has Major bugs with software.

David

[DanielLane]

Running a MacBook Pro (15in) - 4GB Ram, 300GB hard drive, 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, 12TB external storage.
also...
Running an iMac (27in) - 16GB Ram, 2TB onboard strage, 3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, AMD Radeon HD 6970M (video Card with 2GB memory), Sharing that same 12TB storage.

Running Snow Leopard on both, and upgrading to Lion on release.

I used to be the most anti-mac person out there. When they changed over to the intel chips, I decided I would check them out. I went in as a total skeptic, and came out a changed man. Love these computers more than any of the PC's I've ever owned or built. (I've been building computers since the mid 80's). Fast, stable, reliable and yes, for things like Photoshop and other Adobe products, they are better. I have run the same processes on computers side by side. One Mac and one PC. Mac outperformed every time. Better on speed, RAM usage, processor usage, everything.