i5 6630M (mid 2011) vs i7 (2012)

[solidsponge]

Which is better for photoshop usage?

(both upgraded to 8 or 16gb of ram)

The i5 2.5ghz with 6630 or the newer i7 2.3 with hd 4000?

Also for illustrator, no games.

 

[fa8362]

The i7 is better.

 

[solidsponge]

Thanks I was thinking that. Also the i5 I was looking at was only dual core.

Cheers

 

[Chupa Chupa]

It's a real dilemma. The GPU in the '11 model is better than the Intel 4000 in the '12. But the proc in the '12 is better than the '11 and the '12 has USB 3.

So if you use apps that are GPU intensive you are better off with the '11. If they are more processor intensive than the '12.

Everything else is a coin toss.

Or just wait for the Haswell update w/ Intel 5000 graphics... bound to happen sometime this year.

 

[solidsponge]

It's a real dilemma. The GPU in the '11 model is better than the Intel 4000 in the '12. But the proc in the '12 is better than the '11 and the '12 has USB 3.

So if you use apps that are GPU intensive you are better off with the '11. If they are more processor intensive than the '12.

Everything else is a coin toss.

Or just wait for the Haswell update w/ Intel 5000 graphics... bound to happen sometime this year.

I have researched quite a lot and the conclusion Ive come to is basically no one knows for sure what photoshop really does GPU wise. Some say it does very little, others assume it does everything in photoshop (I doubt that). Ive read the hd4000 is better than the 6630 on graphics card charts too so again its difficult to know.

I think overall the creative suite as it stands is more CPU intensive and RAM intensive and doesnt use the GPU for general usage, could be wrong but no one seems to know 100%. I think the i7 will probably work better so Im gonna go with that.

On to the next problem is which i7, as there is an older one for cheaper (on the osx server one). I think maybe spent too much time deliberating really

 

[thekev]

It's a real dilemma. The GPU in the '11 model is better than the Intel 4000 in the '12. But the proc in the '12 is better than the '11 and the '12 has USB 3.

So if you use apps that are GPU intensive you are better off with the '11. If they are more processor intensive than the '12.

Everything else is a coin toss.

Or just wait for the Haswell update w/ Intel 5000 graphics... bound to happen sometime this year.

The gpu has very little to do with those apps. There are a few functions that can be performed by it, but some have a minimum of 512MB of vram with CS6 and beyond. Before that they had too little reliance on the gpu for it to matter. It should probably be a third rate consideration unless they drastically rewrite code. Even then if some future versions does that, it will probably require something higher than OpenCL 1.1, and the memory available to the 2011 model certainly wouldn't be suitable. If you know what you're looking at, there is no dilemma.

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I have researched quite a lot and the conclusion Ive come to is basically no one knows for sure what photoshop really does GPU wise.

It's stated on the Adobe site.

http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/photoshop-cs6-gpu-faq.html#cs6_features

Most of those aren't things you are likely to use constantly.

There are further limitations.

Adobe tested the following video cards before the release of Photoshop CS6*. This document lists the video card by series. The minimum amount of RAM supported on video cards for Photoshop CS6 is 256 MB. Photoshop 13.1 cannot display 3D features if you have less than 512 MB of VRAM on your video card.

I'm amazed that everyone finds this to be complicated.

 

[binwind]

yeah,I think maybe spent too much time deliberating really too

 

[fig]

Yup, photoshop has really never done much on the GPU. It's just starting to now with a few features in recent versions.

If you're gaming or doing a lot of 3d modeling/playback then yes, the GPU is important. If you're editing tons of HD video, still important. For most other applications, not so much.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

The gpu has very little to do with those apps.

Which apps? I didn't name or imply any specific ones in my post. I merely said "If you use apps that are GPU intensive...."

 

[thekev]

Which apps? I didn't name or imply any specific ones in my post. I merely said "If you use apps that are GPU intensive...."

He mentioned photoshop and illustrator, which would be why I linked to those.

 

[calvol]

You might look up the Cinebench scores for each model. I bought the 2012 i7 and sold it for the 2011 i5/6630 because the 2012 at the time had the HDMI issue, and the i5/6630 had a Cinebench of something like 24 vs 22 for the 2012 machine. Plus, I saved $500! Eventually the 2011 will be my HTPC, so I stuck with it at a lower price point.

 

[blanka]

And the 2011 runs 10.6 and Rosetta. I run Photoshop CS1 on my Mini 2011. On the new one I would need to purchase a new PS.

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

Which is better for photoshop usage?

The i7 (HD 4000 IGP). The reason is, that Apple updates the drivers and frameworks for newer models (Ivy Bridge) in OS X 10.8.5 and OS X 10.9.x, which means better OpenGL and OpenCL support and better speed in OpenGL and OpenCL applications. I doubt that older dGPUs get those updates.

----------

I have researched quite a lot and the conclusion Ive come to is basically no one knows for sure what photoshop really does GPU wise. Some say it does very little, others assume it does everything in photoshop (I doubt that).

Please read the official
Photoshop CS6 GPU FAQ
!

Thank you!​

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And the 2011 runs 10.6 and Rosetta. I run Photoshop CS1 on my Mini 2011. On the new one I would need to purchase a new PS.

Correct, PS in a SL VM is not an option (color management problems). *grrr*

 

[fa8362]

You might look up the Cinebench scores for each model. .

Why would he do that? He wants to use Photoshop and Illustrator.