computer for CS5?

[clemmb]

I am thinking of a new computer. I have a dual core processor now. Should I go with a quad, 6 or 8? When is it more than I need.
Same question for memory. I have 6gig now. I am told I need 8gig, any more is over kill. What are your thoughts.
Do I get faster performance with a solid state data drive or a standard hard drive?
A friend suggested this website instead of the Dell's, HP's, etc...

[ddt0725]

The one my daughter just built me has a quad processor and 16 gig of memory (which is actually more than I need). I only have a standard hard drive because the SSD was way beyond the budget limit for me but yes, you would most definitely get faster performance and better reliability! So far though, everything has been working fantastic for me!

[Joel Eade]

What are your thoughts.
Do I get faster performance with a solid state data drive or a standard hard drive?

I am using a MacBook Pro with an i7 processor and 6 gb of RAM. Due to a recent mishap I was forced to replace the hard drive. I put in a 512 gb SSD from Crucial. It has definitely increased performance of CS5 in terms of speed and also the initial boot time is amazing....around 10 to 15 seconds to completely boot up. The SSD opens programs much faster too. I have not noted any extension in battery performance but have not measured it specifically. Very pleased so far with the increased performance.

[kingscurate]

I have just built my own I5 (quad core 3470) pc, tbh it isnt much quicker than the amd athon dual core 3.2. It is quicker but not that noticable difference. So would budget for something cheaper than the 3470 cpu. Im using the same ssd as in old system but 12 gig ram instead of 8. Its the ssd that makes the difference iimo. Boots up in20 secs. Ssd can be unreliable and can cause problems, like programs stop working etc. I do think my ssd does cause LR & PS to close or stop working unexpectedly.

[iND]

Personally I use the large MAC 26 27' i5
if I was upgrading I would get the newer model with a flash drive it is faster and more reliable

I also use 16GB RAM with CS5 and I have never had a problem (self upgraded from 4GB)

Up to a 3TB hard drive.

Go ahead and take all the photos, buy all the music, and shoot all the video you want. A 1TB hard drive comes standard, with the option to upgrade to a massive 3TB drive² — which is 50 percent more storage than ever before offered on iMac.



Up to 768GB of flash storage.

For maximum performance, you can configure a 27-inch iMac with 768GB of flash storage instead of a traditional hard drive. Flash storage delivers up to three times the performance of a traditional drive³ — speed you’ll notice when you start up your iMac, launch an app, or browse your photo library

[andnowimbroke]

Photoshop isn't super hard on computers like video editing and CAD can be. Right now, I've got a few year old $300 HP with old AMD chips in it (phenom 2?) and 6gig memory. Everything runs fine on it unless you have fancy actions that involve blur. If I were to chose now, I'd lean towards a 14-15" laptop that has an output for your monitor. Opens up options for portability, tethering, ect. Around here, 3rd gen i7 chips, 8gig memory, 1tb hard drive, and a couple 3.0usb with a touchscreen can be had for less than $700.