mac pro photoshop work question

[weswido]

I am running algorithms on photoshop files that are 1gb or bigger, and I am waiting minutes to render each one and then additional minutes to save. I have an 2008 quad hackintosh that works reliably but slowly on larger files.

I also want to run two screens, one in vertical position (older Dell u2410 - not sure if work on nMP - has HDMI, Display Port and DVI-D digital connector)

any reason to consider older 2012 MP 12core or new retina imac?
- looking at geekbench multi-thread scores and a little confused...

Thanks for your input

 

[glenthompson]

I am running algorithms on photoshop files that are 1gb or bigger, and I am waiting minutes to render each one and then additional minutes to save. I have an 2008 quad hackintosh that works reliably but slowly on larger files.

I also want to run two screens, one in vertical position (older Dell u2410 - not sure if work on nMP - has HDMI, Display Port and DVI-D digital connector)

any reason to consider older 2012 MP 12core or new retina imac?
- looking at geekbench multi-thread scores and a little confused...

Thanks for your input

It will depend on how well the program you're using will work across multiple cores. If it can use all 12 cores then you should see a significant speed gain. If it only uses 2 cores then you want the fastest single core speed you can get.

The new retina iMac will probably be too underpowered for your needs.

Have you run activity monitor to determine where your bottlenecks are in the current process? You may be more IO bound and additional CPU might not help.

 

[austinpike]

What are the other details on your current machine? (CPU, RAM, HD)

Based on the "minutes to save" comment - are you running a traditional spinning hard drive? An SSD will help Photoshop out immensely. That may be all you need.

As mentioned above, what does your usage look like in activity monitor? Assuming your CPU is hyper threaded, it should show 8 cores in the CPU usage window, and if your PS tasks can use multiple cores, then all threads should show at least 50% usage. If on the other hand you are just maxing out one thread, or bouncing at ~50% between a few of them, then additional cores won't help you.

If you are already comfortable with hackintosh, then by far the most cost effective solution would be to build another one, you can select a CPU that will equal or outperform the iMac. If you think 12 cores would be helpful, then a classic mac Pro 5,1 and possible CPU upgrades will be much cheaper and nearly as effective as spending $7k on a nMP.