Full SSD vs More RAM (Page 2): The use of SSD and RAM is different. A SSD advantage is speed to load programs and data as well as for swapping temporary files (if using a single...

Rongnongno Loc: FL

The use of SSD and RAM is different.

A SSD advantage is speed to load programs and data as well as for swapping temporary files (if using a single drive). Best practice is a dedicated SSD for the temp files to use.

RAM is about how much the computer can load as data and program w/o starting swapping to the disk. Please not that some programs are set to swap to disk regardless of how much RAM you have.

PS CC is one of those so if you are using this, check the program preference to determine and adjust PS CC performance.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Fusion drives are the equivalent of a fast disk cache. The problem is that all disk operations are not cacheable. Writes - typically yes (until you run out of cache), Sequental or read ahead reads (again, as long as it fits into cache) - yes, Random reads - no.

BebuLamar

SSD will help. You have plenty of RAM already I don't think it's the reason. I don't know about the Mac but if a Windows machine does that it needs to get rid of all the junk stuff.

MartyM Loc: Monroe, NC

Thanks to all that replied. I will start first by running the Activity Monitor and checking on the RAM usage. I had not considered getting SSD external for my OS and apps, therefore I will also compare the cost to that to the other options as well. Again, thanks so much for all of your input. Happy (photo/video) shooting!

sloscheider Loc: Minnesota

MartyM wrote:

Hi br I have a 2019 IMac 27" I5 with a 2TB fu... (show quote)

Can you define what “longer than expected delay” is? 5 seconds or 30? My 2014 MacBook with 16 gig ram and 256 gig ssd takes perhaps 7-10 seconds to open an image selected within LR into PS. I’ll time it more precisely in a bit though.

sloscheider Loc: Minnesota

Okay, from a cold start it took 14 seconds to open PS and the image after clicking in LR. Once open it takes 4 seconds to open another image.

sloscheider Loc: Minnesota

I've got 12.6 of 16 gig in use with LR, PS, MS Word and Safari open

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

40 GB should be adequate DRAM for almost any application(s). Slow performance in a given ap can have any number of causes (best diagnosed from a HW perspective with performance monitoring tools), but I would look to I/O (disk) and CPU for the issue. Since you can’t change the CPU, your next step is to move the OS, scratch and apps to an SSD (internal or Thunderbolt connected) and put your photos on the Fusion drive.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

MartyM wrote:

Thanks to all that replied. I will start first by running the Activity Monitor and checking on the RAM usage. I had not considered getting SSD external for my OS and apps, therefore I will also compare the cost to that to the other options as well. Again, thanks so much for all of your input. Happy (photo/video) shooting!

Please note that an external SSD is all and well but will never match the speed of an internal drive, even non SSD. USB has limitations that will slow down everything.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Rongnongno wrote:

Please note that an external SSD is all and well but will never match the speed of an internal drive, even non SSD. USB has limitations that will slow down everything.

I agree that internal is preferable, but everything depends on the interface. The fastest is internal nvme M.2 (or PCIe) connected which can achieve 2,000 MB/sec. Next best is 6Gb SATA which may achieve 500 MB/sec. In terms of external interfaces, USB3 is rated at 5Gb, so not much slower than 6Gb SATA internal, but there is a hit for the protocol conversion. Finally, of the external interfaces, Thunderbolt 2 is by far the fastest. An SSD externally connected via USB3 or Thunderbolt 2 will certainly be faster than a conventional HD in spite of the interface limitation.

Note that we have been talking about BW throughput of sequential files. A much more telling spec is IOPS and access time which affects random accesses. Conventional HDs have uncached IOPs oF about 200 IOPs best case and an access time of 10 Msec. Even an externally connected SSD can achieve 100,000 IOPs and access retime in microseconds, not milliseconds, so the performance is 3 orders of magnitude faster than an external HD.

tcthome Loc: NJ

MartyM wrote:

Hi br I have a 2019 IMac 27" I5 with a 2TB fu... (show quote)

I'm no computer expert so maybe someone here with more knowledge can chime in. I thought I read somewhere that all the ram should be the same eg, 2x16, 3x16 etc. from what I read from the op is 2x16 +8 = 40 if I read it correct. could this have a performance issue. just curious!

tcthome Loc: NJ

MartyM wrote:

Hi br I have a 2019 IMac 27" I5 with a 2TB fu... (show quote)

you have mixed size ram installed? 2x16 & 8 gb of ram?

droszel

MartyM wrote:

Hi br I have a 2019 IMac 27" I5 with a 2TB fu... (show quote)

droszel

I have a 2019 IMac 27" I5 with a 2TB fusion drive and 40GB RAM. I seem to have a longer than expected delay in going from LR Classic to PS 2019, both updated to latest versions. Also, delays when using some bruh functions. I can purchase 2X 16GB to replace the 2X 8GB and have a total of 64GB. I have already replace two slots with 2x 16GB. The cost of this is approximately $200.00, and I can install this myself.
I have a 2TB fusion drive. To replace this with a 2TB SSD would cost approximately $300.00 and whatever is the cost to have a pro install it. I will not attempt to do this myself! Is there a possibility that I do not have the "fusion" portion of the drive appropriately set up for this handoff between the two programs?
My goal is to get more performance, at least preceived performance, in LR and PS.
Any suggestions are appreciated.

I have an older iMac with only 8gb of ram. Switched out the 1TB HD for a 500 gig SSD. It was like buying a brand new computer. The Lightroom speed increase was reminiscent of transitioning from dial up to cable

If 40G ram isn’t doing it, ram is not the problem. SSD will solve it, I promise.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

MartyM wrote:

Thanks to all that replied. I will start first by running the Activity Monitor and checking on the RAM usage. I had not considered getting SSD external for my OS and apps, therefore I will also compare the cost to that to the other options as well. Again, thanks so much for all of your input. Happy (photo/video) shooting!

The downside of an external boot drive: corruption, if you disconnect its data cable while computer and drive are both running.