Slow performance

T
Posted By
Thundercross
Jun 3, 2007
Views
452
Replies
15
Status
Closed
I cannot figure out why Photoshop ‘lags’…

When I switch between anything it lags for abt 3 seconds then works, ie. if I change tools, if I change a filter, when I write text, whenever I actually do something it takes forever! This occurs when no other significant processes are running in the background.

It seems slow regardless of my project specs, size, bit rate, colour space, and resolution. This leads me to believe something is not set right or something is executing some comand that takes forever to execute, and I dont actually need it. Help pls?

Specs:
– Photoshop CS2 with update 9.02 installed
– Windows XP SP2
– Dual 19" displays at 1280×1024
– nVidia 6600GS 256mb 128bit
– Core 2 Duo E6600
– 4gigs DDR800 mhz physical ram, with 3 gigs page file(on a seperate drive – to my photoshop cache drive) Have allowed Programs access to 3gigs of physical ram, and windows 1 gig.
– 3x 300GB sata HDD

Have done various combinations of RAM usage, to page files, and this < http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=3313 72>

But it still lags…

MacBook Pro 16” Mockups 🔥

– in 4 materials (clay versions included)

– 12 scenes

– 48 MacBook Pro 16″ mockups

– 6000 x 4500 px

C
chrisjbirchall
Jun 4, 2007
Having a network printer as the default has been known to cause CS3 to be sluggish.
T
Thundercross
Jun 4, 2007
Im not in CS3, and not on a network…
DM
dave_milbut
Jun 4, 2007
what version of photoshop then?

is the info palette open? try closing it if so.
T
Thundercross
Jun 4, 2007
Version is listed in my original post…
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Jun 4, 2007
Do you have any utility programs running in the background, such as anti-virus, anti-spam, etc.? If so, try disabling each of those to see if you notice any improvement. Personally, I never saw any CS2 issues with Norton Internet Security 2007 and WebRoot SpySweeper 5.0 running, but your results may vary.

Regards,

Daryl
T
Thundercross
Jun 4, 2007
"This occurs when no other significant processes are running in the background."
MD
Michael_D_Sullivan
Jun 5, 2007
Wait a minute. How much RAM do you have accessible to the system? In 32 bit WinXP, by default you don’t have more than a bit less than 2 GB available, and with the /3GB you get access to a bit less than 3 GB. If you assign 3 GB of memory to Photoshop, not only will the OS will run out of memory, but Photoshop will try to access RAM that can’t be accessed.

Example: I have 4 GB of RAM, and use the /3GB switch. System properties reports 3.50 GB of RAM (the amount that XP can use as working memory for itself and applications). If I open PSCS2, Edit > Properties >Memory and Cache reports 2689 MB of RAM available. I can choose to use up to the max, and will probably be OK because the OS actually has the headroom from 2.689 to 3.5 GB for itself, but this may not leave much for other apps, plugins, bridge, etc., so I am better off setting it to use 55-70%. In PSCS3, Edit > Preferences > Performance reports 2646 MB available, and says the ideal range for me is 1455-1905 MB. I have it set at 70%, or 1852 MB.

How can you be giving programs such as Photoshop access to 3 GB of RAM? What are your settings?
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Jun 5, 2007
Ha! Thundercross, you did cover the bases didn’t you? Seems Chris, Dave, and I each overlooked part of what you stated in your initial post as our minds went directly to one thought or another.

Michael, by "Have allowed Programs access to 3gigs of physical ram, and windows 1 gig", I think that’s just effectively Thundercross’s way of saying he enabled the /3GB boot switch, since that is effectively what that switch does in allocating the upper 1GB to the O/S. 3GB to Programs is an oversimplification but still basically in line with how the boot switch is discussed by Microsoft. He’s not saying PS gets a full 3GB.

Daryl
T
Thundercross
Jun 5, 2007
Thanks guys! 😉

Iv been following another post:

"LenHewitt – 12:40am Jun 5, 07 PST (#11 of 13)

I’ve tried % RAM allocations of 70% to 95%<< You would probably be better
backing that off rather than increasing it – try 45% or 55%"

Im just wondering
I
ID._Awe
Jun 5, 2007
I’ve never been sure that setting in PS has any real effect of the total size of available RAM available to PS. I get the impression that it may request a start amount of RAM to be used and the OS would allot more if needed. I am referring to the NT based OSs.
T
Thundercross
Jun 5, 2007
Read it 🙂

Ah, the problem is now fixed!!!!!!!!!

It was a setting in the nVidia control panel…

I discovered this when I narrowed down the problem to the quality setting, it was set to super duper high. Now on normal quality, Photoshop blasts through my workflow! Yay 🙂

Iv set the RAM allocation to 55% and see no diference when its at 75%…
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Jun 5, 2007
Hmmm…I’ve never messed with those nVidia settings from the default values when I installed my card. My Quality setting was at "Quality" and a changed it to "High Quality" to see if I noticed a difference in PS for a few quick operations on a 65MB file, and nothing yet. But, I’ll keep an eye open for any impact. Thanks for the heads up on this…gotta’ love all those buried settings that are so easily ignored!

Daryl
T
Thundercross
Jun 5, 2007
Also there where a few other things that were nailing my settings, for some reason the "PRESET" was set to a 3D Mark gaming benchmark (of DOOM 3 or something like that) preset!!! I must have changed it unwillingly… hmmm 🙁

Hence the trouble, also my graphics card is not a great card (256mb 128 bit 6600GS) it struggles a bit with big things…

Also it made the most difference, for me, when I split my photoshop workload over 2 screens at the above-mentioned settings. On super high quality photoshop ran fine on one screen, but when I split it over 2 screens that when it slowed down.

But its much much better now after some nVidia teaking, on both screens…
T
Thundercross
Jun 6, 2007
I have since made further enhancements to some settings, and things are better now! 🙂

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