Boosting Photoshop Performance with External SSDs: A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction
Photographers, graphic designers, and any other type of professional who works with Photoshop understands the importance of performance in their daily workflow. When it comes to enhancing the speed of Photoshop, one common suggestion is to use an external SSD as a scratch disk. However, does it truly match the performance boost of an internal SSD? Here we explore the factors that can impact this and provide recommendations for optimal setup.
The Role of an External SSD as a Scratch Disk
Photoshop relies heavily on temporary files, known as scratch disks, to perform its complex calculations and to save work effectively. By default, Photoshop uses the system drive as the scratch disk. Using an external SSD connected as a scratch disk can significantly improve read and write speeds, leading to faster file processing and smoother overall performance.
Factors to Consider
When choosing between an external and internal SSD for use as a scratch disk, several factors come into play.
Connection Type: USB 3.0/3.1 connections provide good speeds but are generally slower than internal SSDs connected via SATA or NVMe interfaces. Thunderbolt connections, on the other hand, can achieve speeds closer to those of internal SSDs, making them a better choice for performance. Read/Write Speeds: Internal SSDs typically have higher read and write speeds than external SSDs, particularly if they are NVMe drives. This can impact the speed of actions like opening, cropping, saving, and closing images in Photoshop. Latency: Internal drives generally have lower latency compared to external drives, which can affect performance during intensive tasks in Photoshop. Usage Case: For actions like opening and saving files, both types of SSDs will be faster than traditional HDDs. However, if you are working with large files or performing complex operations, an internal SSD may yield better performance.Recommendations for Optimal Performance
To maximize your Photoshop performance, consider the following recommendations:
Opt for an external SSD with a Thunderbolt connection for the best performance. Ensure that the external SSD you choose has high read/write speeds; look for at least 500 MB/s for good performance. If you frequently work with large files in Photoshop, investing in an internal SSD might be more beneficial in the long run.Exploring Further: The Impact of Compression Code in Photoshop
Despite the potential of external SSDs, it's also worth noting that hardware isn't the only factor affecting Photoshop's performance. Adobe's software itself can be a bottleneck, especially when it comes to compressing files. An old piece of code in Photoshop, which hasn't been optimized for multi-threading, often causes the software to use only one CPU core, while the others remain idle.
One notable issue I encountered was during the file save operation. Even on high-spec machines with a Core i7 7700K 4.2GHz processor, an Samsung 960 Pro SSD, and 32GB DDR4 RAM, the disk utilization would barely reach 1-2 MB/s, while CPU usage might reach a peak of around 12.5. Testing with tools like Windows Task Manager and Resource Meter highlighted this issue.
To address this, I discovered that Photoshop uses old, unoptimized open-source compression code. Enabling the Disable Compression of .PSD and .PSB files option in the program's preferences can result in a significant speed improvement. This feature can increase file save speeds by up to 20 times.
Conclusion
While an external SSD can provide a noticeable improvement over an HDD, an internal SSD is likely to deliver superior performance, particularly for professionals who work with large files or perform complex operations in Photoshop. By understanding the factors that impact performance and making informed choices, you can enhance your overall workflow and achieve faster, more efficient design tasks.