Any benefit of getting the i7-3930k over the i7-3770k for Photoshop?

This is strictly for photo editing as I don't do video.

Pricing out a system based on the i7-3770k and i7-3930k results in about a $400 difference. Something to think about for sure...

Would the i7-3930k give me a significant boost in performance over the i7-3770k?

No first hand experience using 6+ core CPUs with PS, but from this article it does not sound like you should expect significant performance improvements once you have over four cores.

Can you afford the 3930?
If so, get it, you can never have to fast a CPU.


Remember photoshop makes heavy use of CPU, Ram and Disc, sometimes all 3 at once, sometimes only 1 at a time, or in any combination depending on what your doing.
So get the fastest and biggest and best of all 3 that you can afford.

DiMAn0684 wrote in post #15824431
No first hand experience using 6+ core CPUs with PS, but from this article it does not sound like you should expect significant performance improvements once you have over four cores.

Moppie wrote in post #15824469
Can you afford the 3930?
If so, get it, you can never have to fast a CPU.

Remember photoshop makes heavy use of CPU, Ram and Disc, sometimes all 3 at once, sometimes only 1 at a time, or in any combination depending on what your doing.
So get the fastest and biggest and best of all 3 that you can afford.

Thanks guys. From my reading, it sounds like the i7-3770k, particularly at the price I can get it for from Microcenter at $229, is the smart buy. The i7-3930k is more than twice the price. Motherboards for the CPU are also much cheaper than the socket 2011 ones. At least the ones I was looking at.

I'm looking at getting 32GB of RAM regardless. I have 24GB right now. I'm also going to be reusing the SSD drives in my machine. I've got 3 of them, along with a few 2TB Caviar Blacks. I'm also going to get a Radeon HD7770 video card since the on-board graphics won't be able to drive my 30" display and I don't want to pay that much for a display port to dual link DVI adapter. Might as well just get a video card for $100. I was originally thinking getting the HD7850 but I think the 7770 will do just fine. (???)

I forgot to mention, I'll also be running a few Hyper-V Virtual Machines on this thing, but not while I am editing photos. The Virtual Machines are for my other career.

Sure. I can afford a 3930. But I'm not going to buy it if it won't serve me well, mainly with photo editing. It's a generation behind too, so that's another thing. But I am not worried about "future proofing" because there is no such thing!

I current edit on a OC'd i7-920 (running at 4Ghz) with a nVidia 9500GTS video card. To be honest, it's holding its own. But I need another PC for other purposes so I am basically swapping out the old with the new.

I'm looking to take advantage of the improved hardware accelerated graphics in Photoshop CS6 as well.

I've got an 3770 and it's a great chip, the 3930 is faster, but not twice as fast

I don't recommend the ATI cards either, while the cards are great, the drivers and software is a pain in the ass. Catalyst Control Center should be labeled as malware. They are a great idea poorly executed.
I've had lots of problems with 3 different generations of ATI cards, but never had a problem with any of the Nvidia ones.

Moppie wrote in post #15824676
I've got an 3770 and it's a great chip, the 3930 is faster, but not twice as fast

I don't recommend the ATI cards either, while the cards are great, the drivers and software is a pain in the ass. Catalyst Control Center should be labeled as malware. They are a great idea poorly executed.
I've had lots of problems with 3 different generations of ATI cards, but never had a problem with any of the Nvidia ones.

Yeah, still on the fence about the processor. My gut feeling is that if I am getting by fine with the i7-920, the i7-3770k will be more than fine. I'm planning on overclocking the chip as well. I'll probably buy a Noctua NHD14 HSF for it, or maybe even use the NHD14 I am using on the i7-920, since I'll be returning that CPU to stock speeds when it's re-purposed.

What would you recommend as far as nVidia cards are concerned?
I want to be able to take advantage of OpenCL. (and not so much CUDA) Hence, I was looking at the AMD based cards. I'm looking to spend around $100-$150 on a video card. Just want something that Photoshop CS6 will take advantage of. Photoshop seem to be endorsing AMD based cards.

What software do you have that will use Open CL?

Under windows Adobe products use either Open GL (Photoshop, Speed Grade) or CUDA (Premier, After Effects).
And Adobe make a big deal about using Nvidia cards.

The HD4000 in the i7 3770 is more that enough for Photoshop, you only need a separate card if your gaming, doing video or getting into 3D rendering etc.

Moppie wrote in post #15824812
What software do you have that will use Open CL?

Under windows Adobe products use either Open GL (Photoshop, Speed Grade) or CUDA (Premier, After Effects).
And Adobe make a big deal about using Nvidia cards.

The HD4000 in the i7 3770 is more that enough for Photoshop, you only need a separate card if your gaming, doing video or getting into 3D rendering etc.

Photoshop CS6. I think Adobe is moving towards OpenCL and away from CUDA, at least for Photoshop.

I would have used the HD4000 graphics but I have a 30" Apple Cinema Display and require a Dual Link DVI port. I can of course get the Display port to DVI adapter but they are pricey and I might as well get a video card.

nicksan wrote in post #15824795
I'll probably buy a Noctua NHD14 HSF for it, or maybe even use the NHD14 I am using on the i7-920, since I'll be returning that CPU to stock speeds when it's re-purposed.

You might have to order a new mounting bracket if you try that. I think the mounting holes on the newer motherboards are spaced differently than they are for the x58 mobos.

Is it a pre display port Cinema display?
Most of the boards now have Displayport and DVi-D, or VGA on them.

nicksan wrote in post #15824942
Photoshop CS6. I think Adobe is moving towards OpenCL and away from CUDA, at least for Photoshop.

I would have used the HD4000 graphics but I have a 30" Apple Cinema Display and require a Dual Link DVI port. I can of course get the Display port to DVI adapter but they are pricey and I might as well get a video card.

From what I can tell Nvida have full OpenCL and OpenGL support for Windows Vista, 7 and 8

While AMD has done more work with OpenCL and makes more noise about it, for Photoshop use there is no advantage to be found in the AMD/ATi cards.

The Intel HD4000 doesn't support OpenCL.

Also note that the number of features in CS6 that actually use OpenCL is limited (Blur Galley). While it will grow in the future an Nvidia card will support it.

Moppie wrote in post #15825017
Is it a pre display port Cinema display?
Most of the boards now have Displayport and DVi-D, or VGA on them.

From what I can tell Nvida have full OpenCL and OpenGL support for Windows Vista, 7 and 8

While AMD has done more work with OpenCL and makes more noise about it, for Photoshop use there is no advantage to be found in the AMD/ATi cards.

The Intel HD4000 doesn't support OpenCL.

Also note that the number of features in CS6 that actually use OpenCL is limited (Blur Galley). While it will grow in the future an Nvidia card will support it.

The motherboards I've been looking at doesn't have Dual link DVI support. My display is the original Cinema Display and needs s dual link DVI port.

Actually I do believe that the HD4000 support OpenCL, at least according to what I read on the web. That's a moot point since I'll be using a dedicated graphics card due to the issue with driving my monitor.

Yeah, not sure on the whole AMD/nVidia thing. I read that Adobe is moving towards OpenCL. I haven't really looked at any nVidia card options. What card would you recommend that support OpenCL? I was going to spend between $100-$150 for a video card.

nicksan wrote in post #15825070
Yeah, not sure on the whole AMD/nVidia thing. I read that Adobe is moving towards OpenCL. I haven't really looked at any nVidia card options. What card would you recommend that support OpenCL? I was going to spend between $100-$150 for a video card.

I've got a GT670 at the moment, likely over kill for what you want.
Any of the 600 series cards would be fine though. A 650 should fit your budget and have the needed out puts.
You may have trouble finding a new AMD card with dual link DVI at your price point as well, unless they've changed after the last generation.

Moppie wrote in post #15825105
I've got a GT670 at the moment, likely over kill for what you want.
Any of the 600 series cards would be fine though. A 650 should fit your budget and have the needed out puts.
You may have trouble finding a new AMD card with dual link DVI at your price point as well, unless they've changed after the last generation.

Does the 650 support OpenCL? I am having a difficult time finding any concrete documentation on nVidia support of OpenCL.

Apparently it supports it enough to get a benchmark: http://clbenchmark.com …-info.jsp?config=133719​30

Moppie wrote in post #15825017
The Intel HD4000 doesn't support OpenCL.

Coming soon, apparently.

http://www.zdnet.com …ormance-boost-7000013410/