Mac laptop - photography newbie: Wish to buy a 15" mac laptop primarily for document management ... but for photo use by a bona fide newbie! Your suggestions for ram, post processing...

Shelton2

Wish to buy a 15" mac laptop primarily for document management ... but for photo use by a bona fide newbie! Your suggestions for ram, post processing (Lightroom), various details, separate (larger) monitor for aging eyes. $$ is important until I win the lottery.

"looking at my PC through a rear view window"

Shelton2

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

I just bought a 15 inch Mac laptop and love it but you won't find many choices in ram. What they offer is what you get. Do get the Retina Display.

Dennis

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

16gb ram, regardless of what you get.

doclab88 Loc: Baldwin Wisconsin

Shelton2 wrote:

Wish to buy a 15" mac laptop primarily for document management ... but for photo use by a bona fide newbie! Your suggestions for ram, post processing (Lightroom), various details, separate (larger) monitor for aging eyes. $$ is important until I win the lottery.

"looking at my PC through a rear view window"

Shelton2

Go to the Apple site and look at the refurbished units, that can save you some $$ also.

ptsingleton Loc: Sarasota, FL

I have a 13 inch MacBook Pro 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5 (early 2011) with 8gb. Lightroom runs fine, but I would agree with Clint, get 16gb if possible. I also swapped out my hard drive to 500gb ssd drive and it has made a huge difference.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Agree with the SSD for main drive.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Cdouthitt wrote:

16gb ram, regardless of what you get.

Right. That's always my minimum.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Shelton2 wrote:

Wish to buy a 15" mac laptop primarily for document management ... but for photo use by a bona fide newbie! Your suggestions for ram, post processing (Lightroom), various details, separate (larger) monitor for aging eyes. $$ is important until I win the lottery.

"looking at my PC through a rear view window"

Shelton2

Apple keeps limiting how much you can modify their products. I got a refurb MBP, and I was able to upgrade the memory to 16MB. Sometimes, older is better.

monroephoto

Unless portability is an absolute must, you get more bang for the buck with an iMac. The 27" screen rocks (though you can go smaller) and the post processing process is faster and easier to manage. If laptop is your choice - as much RAM as you can afford. 16 gig will work.

jbeejay80120 Loc: Littleton, Co 80120

I have a 15" Macbook Pro and added an Apple TV module which
displays your photo's on your TV, slide shows, and collage screen savers etc. The Apple TV module has many additional features and for $99 it is well worth the money especially if you don't have a smart TV. For viewing/editing your photo's on a larger screen I found a refurbished 21" Apple desktop on Ebay for less than $500.

OviedoPhotos

as mentioned 16gb is required. 4gb doesn't leave much room after the OS comes up.

bob fleer Loc: Annapolis, MD

not so much a reply but I am thinking of a new IMac desk top. I have a pc laptop is it good to keep laptop for trips and then move photo files to mac when I return to home base or just buy a mac laptop/ yur thoughts please. Please forgive me if I should have opened a different discussion page.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

This is what I'd buy...if I were to buy a "desktop" machine.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0PG1LL/A/refurbished-27-inch-imac-34ghz-quad-core-Intel-Core-i5

or

a mac mini if you have a keyboard and display already.

Currently I run a 2.4 i7 16GB 750 HHD MacBook Pro with a 24" second display and full keyboard at my work station.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

Anything less than 16GB ram and you will be disappointed. I also recommend that you begin saving your files to an external hard drive that will connect with fire wire.

Shelton2 wrote:

Wish to buy a 15" mac laptop primarily for document management ... but for photo use by a bona fide newbie! Your suggestions for ram, post processing (Lightroom), various details, separate (larger) monitor for aging eyes. $$ is important until I win the lottery.

"looking at my PC through a rear view window"

Shelton2

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

External hard drives.

bob fleer wrote:

not so much a reply but I am thinking of a new IMac desk top. I have a pc laptop is it good to keep laptop for trips and then move photo files to mac when I return to home base or just buy a mac laptop/ yur thoughts please. Please forgive me if I should have opened a different discussion page.