Recommended Computer Specifications for Photometrics Cameras
Due to rapid advancement of computer CPU architectures and operating system updates, Photometrics tests and qualifies each of its cameras on the industry's most current computer platforms.
This following outlines the computers Photometrics has found to maximize scientific camera performance and those that are not recommended due to found performance issues.
Recommended Computers
Dell Computers
Photometrics has found the following Dell products provide high reliability for microscopy computer systems:
- Precision
- XPS
- Alienware
Computers Not Recommended
Dell Computers
Photometrics recommends avoiding these "budget" Dell models due to consistent use of low-performance parts:
- Optiplex
- Vostro
Gateway Computers
Photometrics recommends avoiding Gateway computers for use as high performance microscopy workstations. In general customers have experienced both stability and high speed acquisition issues on a regular basis.
Recommended Computer Specifications
Operating Systems
- Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (32/64 bit)
- Windows Vista (32/64 bit)
- Windows 7 (32/64 bit)
CPU/Processor
2.0 GHz or faster Intel processor of these brands:
- Core 2 Duo (E-series)
- Core 2 Quad (Q-series)
- Core 2 Extreme
- Xeon
- Core i5
- Core i7
Note: The notebook/laptop editions of these processors are inferior to their desktop counterparts and are not guaranteed the same performance.
Furthermore, all Core i3 processors have a small onboard cache and integrated graphics - these two factors combined yield poor streaming performance for real-time devices like Photometrics' scientific cameras. As a result, Core i3 processors are not recommended.
Basic Components
- >250 GB Serial ATA (SATA) HDD and/or >64 GB Solid State Drive (SDD) for high-speed imaging and storage
- 2+ GB of RAM/Memory, >3 GB recommended for streaming applications
- 256+ MB greater slot-based ATI/nVidia video graphics card (i.e. not an "onboard/integrated graphics" adapter)
