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Dual or Quad core Windows PC?

Peter306
I'm going to get a new computer soon (Windows 7 64-bit). Would I gain any real, practical increase in Capture One performance if I spent the extra money for a quad core processor as opposed to a dual core? I'm looking at two Intel-based machines:

* i3-550 Dual Core CPU, 3.2GHz 4MB L2 Cache / 733MHz, INTEL BOXDQ57TM motherboard, Intel Q57 chipset.
* i5 760 Quad Core CPU. 2.8GHz / 8MB L3 Cache, ASUS P7P55D-E PRO motherboard, Intel P55 Express Chipset

There is a considerable price difference between the two PCs, so I'd like to know if the extra expense would buy me a real Capture One performance gain or not.

Thanks!
--Peter
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Comments

5 comments

Date Votes
  • Paul Steunebrink
    Vital information is missing in your post to give a proper answer (except for a 'faster is always better' type of reply). Are you a patient type of user, what are you processing (few images a day, or a few thousand), size (in pixels or camera model) of images and whether all other components are the same in both PC offerings? Is a fast response during adjusting and browsing important, or do you need fast processing of a batch queue. Do you use other applications simultaneously (CO + Photoshop for example)?

    Having said that and reading between the lines note that Capture One is processor intensive and benefits clearly from more cores in the processor (CO6 is excellent in utilizing all cores). But a fast video card (OpenCL support) and a fast disk are as important as that as is sufficient RAM.
    The main point is that in a PC's life cycle, you may upgrade its video card and disk, extend RAM but not the processor and motherboard (in general). So it is good 'not to buy cheap'. Quad cores are becoming mainstream and software is increasingly based on that kind of hardware (you buy for the future today, yes?).

    So, while opting for the quad core option, have you considered the new Core i5 models (2300, 2400, 2400S, 2500) because they cost the same as the one you proposed but have better performance and lower power consumption. Requires a different motherboard though (socket 1155 and Intel is reworking the chipset due to a bug; should be ready by now).
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  • jonpaul
    Hello all: I built a hex core AMD Phenom II with 16 GB RAM for about $1500, last August.

    AMD gives more "Bang for the buck" than Intel CPUs!

    It runs CS5 and C1 fine, using P45+ thethered. MoBo was Gigabyte.

    Biggest improvement is not in CPU cores but Video Ram zise and speed as well al amount of RAM.

    Finally, An SSD is also a good idea.

    I am happy to pass you my BOM if you send an email addr.

    Enjoy!

    Jon Paul
    Crypto-Museum
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  • Peter306
    Thanks, Paul. Right now I have CO 5 Pro, but will probably upgrade to v.6 when I get the new PC. I am an amateur, not a pro, so I don't need to RAW process several hundred photos while simultaneously editing several 16-bit TIFFs in Photoshop. Usually I work on a folders of a few files to a few dozen files. Except after a vacation, where I might have serveral folders of around 300 RAWs. In that case, I set up my batch process, go have dinner, then start working on files individually.

    My other "vice" is music composition. I use the Sibelius notation/playback program. For my photo editor outside of Capture One, I use Picture Window Pro, which has a small footprint, and doesn't really take advantage of multiple processors.

    The systems I've been looking at include these two from our local "clone" shop, which I know uses good parts.



    But this is really tempting:


    A co worker claims you no longer have to worry about the quality of no-name PCs, as they all come from the same Asian factory as the name brands. I'm not sure I buy that, there's got to be a reason why they can sell such horsepower so cheaply.

    Whatever I buy, I'm also going to have to drop another $500 for a photo-quality monitor, so price is a factor. I'll gladly pay for processing power I will use, but I see no reason to overspend just for bragging rights.

    --Peter
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  • LadyRainbows
    Whatever you do, do not skimp on the video card! With a Phenom II x4 840, C1 V.6 only needs about 10-25% of each core while rest of the load is pretty much on the video card.
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  • Paul1921
    Your co-worker is correct, there is really no difference at all with name brand PCs versus a no name brand. All the parts do come from the same factories in Taiwan or China anyway. Actually one can suitably make the argument that name brand PCs are of less quality since the big firms buy scaled down components (less feature rich than their retail counterparts) to boost their profits. This is the main reason I just choose to build the box myself, that and to avoid the bloatware/trialware the name brands are paid to install. I have a hunch the PC on Costco's site will come preloaded with tons of junk that you'll get rid of, that's why it is so inexpensive.
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