Hi Christophe,
                     The software package is not the only thing you should consider. The type (and size) of the data sets you will be analysing will govern what to buy. We run MetaMorph, ImageJ, Imaris, Volicty and FluoView on our systems. The systems we have range from older P4 desktops and laptops up to newer 2 x 4 Core Xeon Workstations with 16 or 32 GB of RAM in them.
 
The most basic of our systems will run metamorph for basic functions such as intensity mersurments, percentage stain and simple cell tracking. The higher end systems are for larger live cell experiments (>200GB) and 3D/4D/5D rendering of data.
 
$5000 will buy you a high end gaming system that i woudl assume woudl meet most of your needs. The more memory you can fit in the better it will all run. Processing power will help things along a bit but if you don't have enough memory the dastest CPU in the world won't help you.
 
If you are going to go over 3GB of RAM then you need to goto 64bit Windows. While XP and Vista 32 bit can theoretically support 4GB of RAM, the GB between 3 and 4 is mostly wasted shadowing the video RAM
 
GPU power is only important if you want to do heavy 3D modeling. There have been posts on graphics cards recently on this list, have a search through the archives and you should be able to find them
 
 
 
Cheers
 
 
Cam
 
 
 
Cameron Nowell
Research and Microscopy Core Facility
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
 
 
 

________________________________

From: Confocal Microscopy List on behalf of Christophe Leterrier
Sent: Mon 22/09/2008 6:33 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Advice for offline image analysis computer


Dear listers,

I have to buy a new computer for our team that will be used as for offline image analysis. The software required (ImageJ, Metamorph, Matlab) require to build a Windows/Vista machine. The cost would be around $5,000 / 5000EUR. The job would be processing (a lot) and rendering. My questions are :
- Should I go for a "traditionnal" computer, I mean a 32-bits, dual core, XP computer with maxed RAM (I guess it is 3GB or so) ? Is it usefull to go to more fancy stuff like 64 bits, 4 or 8 core, 8 to 16GB RAM machine ? Would ImageJ/Metamorph/Matlab really benefit from it (I would love to have an answer from the Metamorph/Matlab people) ?
- What about graphic cards and GPU ? What is the best choice ? I've heard about new strategies to speed up processing by making the GPU churn data as well as graphics, but I don't think it is really commercially available now or implemented in commercial software yet.

Thanks for your advices !

Christophe



This email (including any attachments or links) may contain 
confidential and/or legally privileged information and is 
intended only to be read or used by the addressee.  If you 
are not the intended addressee, any use, distribution, 
disclosure or copying of this email is strictly 
prohibited.  
Confidentiality and legal privilege attached to this email 
(including any attachments) are not waived or lost by 
reason of its mistaken delivery to you.
If you have received this email in error, please delete it 
and notify us immediately by telephone or email.  Peter 
MacCallum Cancer Centre provides no guarantee that this 
transmission is free of virus or that it has not been 
intercepted or altered and will not be liable for any delay 
in its receipt.