iamimdoc

My low end I7 is long in the tooth, 8 years or so.

Hobby photographer only.

I use Photoshop, Lightroom and Affinity and NIK but have also bought over the years On1 and Capture 1 and a few others. I haven’t done much lately but I might retire soon and would thus use above more often. This is for fun and personal satisfaction only

I am getting some messages about “need more graphics card capability, etc” from some of the programs. Things are a bit slow at times. I presume newer, better would be faster.

Is there a simple answer, as of today, how much memory and what graphics cards would allow all of the above ( as of today) to work?

Are graphics cards rated as to levels (like a cpu chip I 5 or 7 for example) so that the purchase evaluation would be simpler?

How much memory would be guaranteed to be enough?

PC only please as I have tried Apple but just did not enjoy it.

Thanks for useful, pertinent information to my questions.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Look in the "recommended" column.

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/system-requirements.html

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Graphics card:- If you want a good card that can handle your current setup well, get an RTX 4060. If you want a really good card that will future-proof you by being able to handle AI processing, get an RTX 4070.

Whatever your opinion of AI is just now, the simple fact is it's going to be a significant part of all of our futures.

RAM memory:- 16 GB will cover your present needs if you use your photo editors one at a time, but 32 GB will future-proof you and will be OK if you use more than one photo editor at a time.

jamesl Loc: Pennsylvania

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There is no memory card or amount of memory that will ever be guaranteed to be enough. Software just keeps being revised so it will use whatever you have and before long will require more. It has always been that way and probably always will. If you spent $20,000 on a new computer with absolutely the best available components you might be good for a couple years but then you would be back to needing to upgrade again.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

More than a couple of years, more like 10 or so.

therwol Loc: USA

Not ten but at least 5. If you spend 3 grand on a computer, you might find something comparable at Costco for a grand in about 3 years.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I typically spend less than 2K (not including monitor) to build fast, upgradable machines that last 8-10 years.

If you want to make good cost/performance comparisons of CPUs and graphics cards (which comprise the cost driver of a machine), look here:

https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/

Here’s a sample machine with an options to upgrade:

Intel 1-7 13700K $365 (upgrade to I-9 13900k: +$200)
NVidia 4060 8GB. $290 (upgrade to 4060 TI 16GB or 4070 +$160-200)
Corsair DDR5 32GB $90 (upgrade to 64GB +$90)
Samsung 980 Pro 2TB $130 (upgrade to 990 Pro +$50)
ASUS TUF Z790 MB $230
CoolMaster CPU cooler $60
CoolMaster 600W Power Supply $60
CoolMaster case $100
Windows 11 Pro ($60-130 depending on source)

Total: $1385 + monitor
Or upgrade to I-9, 4070/4060TI, 64GB and 990 SSD: $1885 + monitor

This is assuming you have no parts from your old machine to reuse such as case, PS, SSD, disk, etc. you can spend more on the MB, but the chipset is what’s important. For reference, I just built that exact machine using the overclocked I-7, 4060, 980 Pro and 64GB. The MB will support the I-9, has extra m.2 slots and I can upgrade the graphics card going forward. My last machine, constructed like this lasted just under 10 years with upgrades to memory, graphics and disk. I was able to reuse all the SSDs, case, power supply and relatively new graphics card. It really isn’t necessary to buy a new machine every 3 years or spend 5K IF you shop wisely and assemble an upgradable machine.

BTW, you can assemble that machine in about an hour with nothing other than a 1/4” nut driver, Phillips screwdriver and a grounding strap, but if that scares you, you can pay a computer store a couple hundred to assemble it and load the OS.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Mine generally last 10 years or so and get swapped out when new os won't work.

iamimdoc

Question was “as of today” but thanks

iamimdoc

Thank you

therwol Loc: USA

I have two computers that are 4 years old and function perfectly. Neither will run a supported version of Win 11. My son has a laptop that cost 3 grand, also 4 years old. Same situation. So what to do when Win 10 support ends? Not sure at this point. I'm pretty good at upgrading hardware like hard drives and memory, but that won't help here. People have gotten good and bad results putting Win 11 on unsupported machines. I've never gotten rid of a working machine in such a short period of time.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Please use the “quote reply” function rather than the “quick reply” so we’ll know who you are responding to.

Cheers

dpswbab

If you choose to upgrade your current PC with more RAM and a new graphics card, be sure to verify that you power supply is adequate for the increased power draw. Some of the better cards use a surprising amount of power.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

And they have a separate connector to supply high current to the card. If your power supply doesn’t provide the connector, you’ll need a new power supply anyway - compared to the cost of the card, they aren’t that expensive. Most new higher power supplies have that connector as standard.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind