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RAM, Processor, or Video Card..?
Hi all,
So, my iMac is about 5 years old, and as I’ve just discovered the wonder that is Adobe Premiere, the age of my rig is starting to show.. i.e., trying to run eight video tracks with different effects chokes up my computer to the point that I have to quit and restart Premiere nearly every ten minutes -that is, if it doesn’t just crash first. At the same time, I’d also like to be able to bounce back and forth between Logic Pro and Photoshop with less hiccups..
Now, I’m looking into upgrading my iMac, and I’m not sure what should be the priority.. RAM, processor, video card, mouse pad..?
Here is my current rig (2009):
-Processor 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7
-Memory 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
-Graphics ATI Radeon HD 4850 512 MB
-Software OS X 10.9.4 (13E28)Any suggestions or enlightenments would be uber appreciated!
much thanks!
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4 Replies
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Hmm, this is more of a general hardware question than it is a Premiere question, but here goes. My 2 cents:
Personally, I’ve always found that RAM tends to fill up most while working. Having multiple programs open and running smoothly draws mostly on the memory available. RAM isn’t all that expensive anymore, and it’s the bottleneck that will be most noticeable while working on your computer.
However, seeing your current specs, your video card seems a little outdated. If you’re looking for hardware rendering support from any of the Adobe programmes, you should look into buying a CUDA capable card, like the NVidea GeForce series. Again, a new videocard will add some video RAM, which should help you with your 8 video tracks all overlaying etc.
The CPU is of course an important part of the computer, but will usually only be very stressed while rendering, which is something you can do overnight for the really lengthy exports. I would say this has a lower priority if you just want a rig that ‘works smoothly’.
This is the general approach I would take to upgrading a system, with these priorities, although I think in this case I’d put the videocard-upgrade a bit higher than I usually would.
And yes, your mouse pad should be awesome. But I would assume that’s a given. 😉
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That system is not really worth upgrading at this point especially since even the lowest end Haswell system whether mac or PC is several times faster. I really suggest you take a look at new system options. Nothing added to that system is going to improve your workflow enough based on your information so far to justify any money spent.
Eric-ADK
Tech Manager
support@adkvideoediting.com -
Cool, thanks for the info – that’s all stuff I should’ve known by now!
And I actually just did get a new mouse pad, and things are already looking up!
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Ah, yeah that’s what I was thinking.. these things go out of date so fast.. I’m going to hunt for a new rig then..
Thanks for the post!
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