New PC - worth the upgrade?

[TobiasPörtner]

Hi there,

I´m looking for a new desktop, because my graphics card is partly defect. So, I wanted to ask, if there´s something important to know considering the usage of Lightroom CC, esspecially the single or multi core Performance.

This is my current System:

i7 2600

16GB DDR3 1330

Gigabyte P67 (1x 6Gb, no USB 3.0)

Samsung EVO 840

MSI GTX560ti (partly defect)

So, a new System should cost under 450 euros. I don´t need an hard drive and case. Beside using Lightroom, it should also run FIFA, but that´s something for another Website.

Looking for a budget System, my current configuration is the following:

Pentium G4560 + beQuiet Shadow Rock Topblow Cooler

Gigabyte GA-H110M-S2H

8GB Crucial DDR4 2133

2GB EVGA GTX1050

450 Watt Corsair CX450M

The two questions I have:

1)  Is there a performance boost using an i3/5 or fx8350 cpu instead of the Pentium which is worth the higher Price?

2) Is the upgrade worth it or should I go on running my current System with a new gpu.

Thank you!

Greetings

Tobias

PS: Sorry for my bad english, I don´t live in an english speaking Country. Please be patient.

[F. McLion]

Lightroom gains most from a fast CPU and a fast drive - invest your money in these two if you want to optimize for LR.

IMHO, 8GB of RAM is sufficient.

With current versions a gain from a powerful GPU can only be seen when using a 4k or larger display. In fact, with a fast CPU and a FHD display it might perform better with the GPU acceleration turned off. However, this might change with future LR versions with improved code.

[dj_paige · Accepted solution]

The Pentium G4560 is a slow CPU by today's standards, I would avoid this; you would be wise to look at i7 chips. There are also people who indicate that the optimal number of cores is 4 (and that Lightroom for some reason either doesn't improve in speed, or gets worse in speed, when you have 6 or 8 cores).

So I would certainly spent money to get a relatively fast 4-core i7. I would not spend money on a high end GPU unless you have a 4K monitor. If you want to put your catalog and previews (but not photos) on an SSD, that's a good idea. But I don't have an SSD, and I find things are fast enough for me. 8GB of memory is fine for Lightroom, although if you are using other programs (and simultaneously with Lightroom), more memory would definitely help.