Camera Labs

I'm in the process of upgrading my current computer, and I've got two questions that are probably simple, but Google is giving me mixed/unreliable/outdated info.

1. I'm considering either the Core i5-2500K or the Core i7-2600K with a Z68 board. (I'm less familiar with AMD offerings, but if there's something I should be considering, feel free to offer suggestions.) Does Photoshop get a significant boost from hyperthreading? (I don't think the speed boost of the i7 alone justifies the extra ~$100.)

2. To what extent does the graphics card affect Photoshop? Other than Photoshop, the hardest thing I'll ask a GPU to do is stream video on dual HD monitors. I think the integrated Intel HD 3000 of the i5/i7 should be able to handle that. I don't play games or anything, but I'll toss a graphics card into the new build if it will significantly affect Photoshop use. My three options are to stick with the integrated Intel graphics, use a 9500 GT from my current build, or buy a new card. (I was thinking of something like a Radeon HD 6770 or GTX 550 Ti. Are there other graphics cards I should be considering? Since it will only get heavy use while Photoshopping, I'd particularly like to keep the power use and temps low while not under load.) I don't really want to use the 9500 GT. I'd rather leave that in my current machine to have a second computer running. So this choice is really between the integrated HD 3000 or a new HD 6770/GTX 550 Ti/other card.

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Body: Canon Rebel XS, Canon EOS 7D
Lenses: Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4.0 OS HSM DC Macro, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II, Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II, Canon EF-S 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 USM, Canon EF 85mm f1.8 II USM

I've decided on the Core i5. I figured the $100 difference was better put into an SSD/graphics card/savings. According to various sources, some functions will see significant benefits from hyperthreading and others won't. But I figured the Core i5-2500K (overclocked to 4+ GHz) will already be a tremendous improvement over my current Core 2 Duo E8400.

I still haven't decided on the graphics card, mainly because I can't quite determine how much Photoshop will use it. Adobe recommends

So it sounds like the GPU won't be used for any processing, just for screen redrawing. (Is this anything more than getting a faster live preview?) In any case, any modern graphics card will meet these requirements. I'm leaning towards the HD 6770, which I think is comparable in performance to the GTX 550 Ti, but for some reason is much cheaper.

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Body: Canon Rebel XS, Canon EOS 7D
Lenses: Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-4.0 OS HSM DC Macro, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II, Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II, Canon EF-S 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 USM, Canon EF 85mm f1.8 II USM

Mine is a i5 chip with a nvidia geforce GTS 450 grafics card + 6GB DDR3 memory, on a dual boot system (Win7, XP pro) and it can opperate CS5 with no trouble at all Get it