4-Year-old desktop

[Robert Harvey]

Lightroom Version Number

11.5

Operating System

1. Windows 11

I'm using a four-year-old desktop for Lightroom Classic subscription and wondering if I need to upgrade anything.

Operating System
Windows 11 Pro 64-bit
CPU
Intel Core i7 8700K @ 3.70GHz
Coffee Lake 14nm Technology
RAM
32.0GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1599MHz (22-22-22-52)
Motherboard
ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. ROG MAXIMUS X HERO (WI-FI AC) (LGA1151)
BenQ SW2700 (2560x1440@59Hz)
4095MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (EVGA)

 

[Replytoken]

Folks generally upgrade hardware if they are consistently running into problems that are not software related. Are you having specific issues that are causing you concerns? If so, then if you elaborate on them we can give some possible suggestions. If you are happy, then I would not recommend any changes unless you just want to upgrade for the sake of upgrading.

--Ken

 

[clee01l]

At four years, some components are reaching a possible fail point. Particularly HDDs . As long at you have regular system backups that will allow you to recover when a disk fails and the dated technology is not causing performance issues the there is no need to replace your desktop... unless you are looking for an excuse.
If your desktop is made up of components inside a user accessible tower, you might just want to upgrade parts, like replacing the HDD with an SSD to adding a newer Graphics card or more RAM.

 

[reidthaler]

I have almost the identical set up you do, and think I'll upgrade next year, not now, when we have Meteor Lake CPUs which will be a new design, PCI 5, and faster SSDs. I don't think I'll see a ton of difference running Lightroom Classic, but can justify if by saying it's been about 5 years since the last upgrade.

I would recommend that you upgrade your monitor to a 27" 4k. It's the interface with your photography and where you'll see the biggest difference.

 

[Gnits]

I agree with Cletus. Your config is fairly decent and maybe borderline as to timing of upgrade /replace, etc.. My instinct would be to review your current disk storage situation, consider use of SSD for Catalog and maybe current years images. I would also watch prices of 3000 series GPU’s as GPU prices return to more normal rates and 4000 series hit the market. The likelihood is that your motherboard may not support M2 drives. Maybe time to consider an improved or automated backup strategy, that can carry forward when you do decide to upgrade / replace. There will be a marketing push for Pcie5 based CPU’s, motherboards, superfaster M2 storage, etc…. but personally, I think it is too early to be on the bleeding edge of Pcie5. If you can hold off for 6 months or a year then you can leapfrog 2 generations of development and set yourself up then for the next 5 years. I built a rig close to max possible performance approx a year ago and was underwhelmed with the actual Lr performance, relative to a top spec machine built 10 years earlier. . Improvements in cpu, disk I/o were probably offset by the need to drive 32 inch 4k screen.

There is no perfect answer on this stuff and usually a specific trigger point, such as the need to upgrade storage, or drive a 4k screen force the issue.

I was concerned that putting a lot of high end components into a box would result in a powerful machine, but that there would be so many fans running to control the temp that it would be uncomfortable to use. I did not want to get into water cooled sysems, etc.. so noise might also be a consideration when specifying a new machine.

 

[PhilBurton]

As others have said, you might want to consider upgrading to an SSD if you don't already have one. Otherwise, you are probably fine for at least a year.

Depending on Adobe's Oct announcement for LRC 12, you might want to consider upgrading your GPU card if you plan to keep this machine for several more years, especially if you plan to get a newer monitor.

With an SSD, the only mechanical parts in your system will be the cooling fans, and they give off squealing noises long before they fail completely,.

Much is made of having the latest/greatest/fastest components in your system. However, unless you are doing elaborate panoramas in Photoshop, you will probably be fine for several more years. As Gnits said:

There is no perfect answer on this stuff and usually a specific trigger point, such as the need to upgrade storage, or drive a 4k screen force the issue.

 

[GregJ]

I'm using a four-year-old desktop for Lightroom Classic subscription and wondering if I need to upgrade anything.

Operating System
Windows 11 Pro 64-bit
CPU
Intel Core i7 8700K @ 3.70GHz
Coffee Lake 14nm Technology
RAM
32.0GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1599MHz (22-22-22-52)
Motherboard
ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. ROG MAXIMUS X HERO (WI-FI AC) (LGA1151)
BenQ SW2700 (2560x1440@59Hz)
4095MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (EVGA)

You had a really fine rig in 2017, but 2017 was 5 years ago, which was an eternity in Desktop dog-years. You had the top-end 7th generation desktop chip 5 years ago when it came out, but the 13th generation is coming out right now, and it is the Core i9-13900K 13th-Gen Raptor Lake CPU, which is the equivalent now of what you bought then (2017 chip).
Anyway, it was great then. It is not now.
32 of DDR4 ram is fine. Your Motherboard was a great MB 5 (almost 6) years ago. I always build with ASUS Hero Motherboards, but yours is a Hero 10 (a great MB back then). But the Heros coming out now for the new Raptor Lake chips are Hero 15! Again, your MB is ancient at 5 years old.
Your GPU was also a very good GPU back 6 years ago when that10 series NVidia hit the market with a generational leap. (There is about to be another generational leap with the 40 series). That old GPU is not doing the trick today and GPUs are dropping in price extremely radically right now. But actually, that old GPU is not bad for LR. LR is not known for maxing out the latest gaming GPUs.
You didn't mention an SSD. I'm sure you are booting off of an M.2 SSD on the Motherboard, which for a good rig like that (back in the day), I'm sure it did. But yes, you have to be booting off of an M.2 1 TB SSD right now. That's a given.
What I'm saying is this. You were close to a very high near-top-end rig 5 years ago and that PC cost you a lot of money.
So that tells me you are the kind of guy who already knows the answer to your question.
Would you use a 5-year-old phone? Are you reading a 5-year-old tablet? Are you shooting with a 5-year-old camera? If the answer is no, then why are you running LR and your photography on a 5-year-old desktop?
I'll say this. Your rig will run LR pretty fine right now. Not great, but pretty good.
But yes, you know it is time.
Just do it. You did 5 years ago (but those components are well into pushing 6 years old).
If you want to know what I think you should buy or build, tell me your desktop replacement budget. Is it 1500 bucks or 5 grand?
Thanks,
Greg

 

[reidthaler]

Whenever a clients says, "I want to buy....." my first question is , "What problem are you trying to solve?" If they can't answer, they probably don't need it. Saying that you want something new and shiny is fine, just be clear with yourself that's the answer.

I'll consider upgrading next year, but seriously wonder how I'll really gain.

 

[GregJ]

Reid is right. What you have works but is old in terms of desktop years. Only you know what makes you happy and if you have the money to throw at an upgrade.
Like I said in my post above, the desktop you have now was close to a top-end rig 5 years ago. It will run LR today pretty well today.
My only point is this - you had a top-end rig 5 years ago for a reason. A top-end rig 5 years ago is a near bottom-level rig today and is nearing the sad dog death stage.
The PC you have works today for most of what you do (probably) but is it really what you want to be doing your photography work and post processing on? If not, then upgrade. You could upgrade at the mid-level PC range and have a much better rig than the one you are cruising on now.
The simple fact is that 5 years in desktop years is a very long time. Computers have a progression rate life all their own, and 5 years is a very long time.
It is just my opinion, but a lot of people ask me because they know I know.... 5 years? It is time.

 

[PhilBurton]

You had a really fine rig in 2017, but 2017 was 5 years ago, which was an eternity in Desktop dog-years. You had the top-end 7th generation desktop chip 5 years ago when it came out, but the 13th generation is coming out right now, and it is the Core i9-13900K 13th-Gen Raptor Lake CPU, which is the equivalent now of what you bought then (2017 chip).
Anyway, it was great then. It is not now.
32 of DDR4 ram is fine. Your Motherboard was a great MB 5 (almost 6) years ago. I always build with ASUS Hero Motherboards, but yours is a Hero 10 (a great MB back then). But the Heros coming out now for the new Raptor Lake chips are Hero 15! Again, your MB is ancient at 5 years old.
Your GPU was also a very good GPU back 6 years ago when that10 series NVidia hit the market with a generational leap. (There is about to be another generational leap with the 40 series). That old GPU is not doing the trick today and GPUs are dropping in price extremely radically right now. But actually, that old GPU is not bad for LR. LR is not known for maxing out the latest gaming GPUs.
You didn't mention an SSD. I'm sure you are booting off of an M.2 SSD on the Motherboard, which for a good rig like that (back in the day), I'm sure it did. But yes, you have to be booting off of an M.2 1 TB SSD right now. That's a given.
What I'm saying is this. You were close to a very high near-top-end rig 5 years ago and that PC cost you a lot of money.
So that tells me you are the kind of guy who already knows the answer to your question.
Would you use a 5-year-old phone? Are you reading a 5-year-old tablet? Are you shooting with a 5-year-old camera? If the answer is no, then why are you running LR and your photography on a 5-year-old desktop?
I'll say this. Your rig will run LR pretty fine right now. Not great, but pretty good.
But yes, you know it is time.
Just do it. You did 5 years ago (but those components are well into pushing 6 years old).
If you want to know what I think you should buy or build, tell me your desktop replacement budget. Is it 1500 bucks or 5 grand?
Thanks,
Greg

GrejJ

Help me to understand what is your objective here with this reply? If you are trying to demonstrate your knowledge of latest-and-greatest PC hardware, you have succeeded quite well. Of course, LRF is not focused on the latest PC hardware. Here we are focused on using Lightroom (and Photoshop) to maximize our photographic experiences. On overclockers.net, Hardforum, or Tom's Hardware, your comments would fit into the tenor of those forums.

If you are trying to demonstrate that you can give pat, glib recommendations without really understanding the OP's needs or situation, again you have succeeded quite well.

But if you are trying to add to the overall wisdom and clarity of LRF for the benefit of all members, I don't think you have done so well. Or less charitably, done very badly.

Let's not forget that for the members of this forum, many if not most are not techno whizzes. Nor need they be. A PC (or a Mac) is just the means to an end, running Lightroom (and Photoshop and plug-ins, etc) to maximize our photo experiences. And many of the posts on this forum are from people running not exactly state of the art hardware, and that is not an issue for them. You are mistakenly assuming that the user wants to run cutting edge hardware.

To be clear, I realize that there are OS support level issues for MacOS, about which I know nothing, so my comments pertain to only Windows PC users.

Assuming that the OP is satisfied with his current computer's performance, there is no reason to upgrade, unless "something" changes. The fact that there are newer and better motherboards is no justification for an upgrade, absent other reasons. Same for faster NVMe SSDs, as compared with con ventional SATA 3 SSDs.

A new camera, with a much larger RAW files, is a very good reason. Getting a monitor with much higher resolution may require a GPU upgrade, notably because his current GPU has only 4 GB of video memory.

If disk performance is an issue, an upgrade to an SSD may be a low cost and relatively straightforward solution. An upgrade from LrC 6 to LR 11 may justify a complete upgrade. A new interest in producing HDR or panorama photos may be also be a valid reason, if the current system can't handle these new requirements. I'm sure that there are other valid reasons.

You also have no idea about the OP's budget. Did you even bother to inquire? How can you possibly justify this statement, without an in-depth conversation with the OP:
You were close to a very high near-top-end rig 5 years ago and that PC cost you a lot of money.
So that tells me you are the kind of guy who already knows the answer to your question.

But to blithely suggest that the OP upgrade, can only add to confusion for both the OP and other users of this forum. You assumed that the OP already has an SSD. Did you even bother to ask? You didn't ask, so how can you assert: I'm sure you are booting off of an M.2 SSD on the Motherboard. Again, did you bother to ask?

The analogy between phones and computers is a false one, because phone manufacturers really limit the support lifetime of their products to drive upgrades. Microsoft no longer supports Windows 7, but will support Windows 10 until 2025. And if you buy a new phone, it is relatively easy to do a migration. Not so for a desktop, for an unsophisticated user.

You also have no idea if the OP is experiencing problems with the current hardware. With an SSD drive, there are no mechanical parts in a desktop system except for the cooling fans, which are easily repaired.

Of course, if the OP is not satisfied with the performance of his current system, then an upgrade is in order.

I regard the high tech industry knowledge I gained over a 40 year career as something that I can use to help people with useful information, not to impress them that I once worked for Sun Microsystems or XYZ startup doing advanced crypto, or whatever.

 

[GregJ]

Phil, I'm just trying to help the guy out. This is a discussion forum where people trade advice and ideas and seek solutions to problems with their post processing with LR. A lot of times that has to do with computers since LR is a computer software program.

I'm not a coder and didn't work in the tech industry. I'm also not a scientist, computer engineer, software developer or chip designer. I'm just a retired infantry soldier - a photographer and computer hobbyist of many decades who follows the world of computer components for fun so I can build my own nice PC every 3 years. I do it for fun, not to make money or even save money. I spend a lot on cameras and computers. Why? Because I can and I want to.

Anyway, I know lots of coders, scientists and guys who work at the tech giants but probably would not ask them what components to get for a PC build or which SSD to get.

Building a PC (or buying one) is very personal, and it is very hard to read a short post here on this board where someone asks what components to get or if they need to upgrade their desktop or laptop and buy or build a new PC to make LR (or any program) run better and answer with something meaningful because there is not much info to go on.

The only reason it is relevant on this forum is because computers are an integral part of our photography and our post processing with LR.
I have noticed that on this forum recently that there has been about ten people who have desktops that are 5 years old and older, and they come on here and post about whether or not is time to upgrade and how to best go about it.

I don't just automatically say to go buy a new desktop (although when someone has a 5 or 6-year-old desktop that is not a bad idea). I try to tailor it to the question. Usually, people don't tell us their budget, and that is the most important thing.

This OP was interesting because he says he has a 4-year-old PC, but it is a 5-6-year-old rig component-wise. When he first bought or built that PC, it was a very nice pretty high-end rig. He spent some money on it.

So, I took that into consideration when I said he knew if it was time. I think he knows it is and if I were a betting man, I would bet within 6 months the OP has a new rig. The question is how much he will spend. That is the most important question.

Everyone I know who builds or buys a PC ... the first question one asks themselves is, "how much will I spend on this build or new rig?" Then you start shopping for the best components at that overall price limit. I always say, if you are a gamer, spend on the GPU. If you are a photographer, spend on the CPU, RAM, and monitor. If you are a photographer, you are also concerned with storage - thus all the talk about newer, faster, cheaper, higher-capacity and better-connected SSDs, which in my opinion is one of the most important things happening right now for all of us as photographers.