lesdmd Loc: Middleton Wi via N.Y.C. & Cleveland

Specifically interested in how the new machines handle heavy duty Photoshop demands. Ram and video card is limited in new laptops and mini Apple. I use a desktop machine and expect that Apple will make them more adaptable in the relatively near future.

bhapke

I saw a video on YouTube comparing a new M1 MacBook Pro with 8GB ram versus an M1 with 16GB of ram versus a 16" MacBook Pro with an Intel i9 with 64GB of ram. In Lightroom, Photoshop and all normal video editing tasks there was at most about 10% difference in speed, with the M1-16GB being fastest in some and the Intel in others. The Intel only really "won" with a high end task converting 8K video with multiple filters and effects to 4K video, so for photography there will be little need for more machine than the base M1 with 8GB ram. The performance in Lightroom and Photoshop will only improve in the future when they release native versions for the M1 and they don't have to run in emulation (Rosetta 2).

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

That's exactly correct. Affinity Photo, which I use now exclusively, has already been updated for the M1 chip - I ordered a MacBook Pro yesterday and it's scheduled to arrive on 1/15. I'm looking forward to the significantly increased performance that others have told me (personally) about.

I'm the treasurer for a local Mac Users Group and others have bought M1 laptops and all indicated the "wow" factor.

lesdmd Loc: Middleton Wi via N.Y.C. & Cleveland

Thank you, gentlemen. To expand my question a bit further, any further reports on how the M1 handles enormous (1Gb many layered, Ram intensive) files?

bhapke

I saw a test on a file with about 73 layers at 20" x 30" at 300 ppi (over 3.6GB) and it was able to export the file even though the size in RAM was larger than the M1's 8GB memory. The presenter said that the computer wasn't really able to edit the file because the brush was almost completely non-responsive, but even being able to open and convert the file was impressive. If you work with very large files then the model with 16GB memory would be a good upgrade. Since the memory is built into the chip, it is completely impossible to upgrade later. For speedier work, I would also recommend getting a little more internal storage but keeping all finished work on an external storage medium so the internal drive will not fill up.

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

Since the M1 chip is so fast your work flow will not need as much Ram as with prior chips. In fact, I read that even 8gb of Ram is overkill for most work. I purchased 16gb Ram since my workflow is layer intensive and I'm also thinking about the future (software keeps growing and using more Ram). You won't get a definitive answer to your question until someone uses it as we do. I'll let you know in a couple of days after receiving it.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

If you follow the 20 or so Mac experts on YouTube, you can most likely get your questions answered.

Right now, the Mac Mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro 13" entry level machines are available with M1 SoCs in them.

Adobe has released an M1 NATIVE version of Lightroom CC, but Lightroom Classic and Photoshop are still in beta test. Meanwhile, LrC and Ps get translated by Rosetta 2 the first time you open them, and run in emulation. That may sound slow, but it generally isn't.

Here is a test of a very impressive Windows laptop against the M1 MacBook Pro, where both Lightroom and Premier Pro, running in emulation on M1, were generally faster than the PC that was a little more expensive. https://youtu.be/xeMvZHqPiAQ

When Adobe and others release M1-native/x86 "dual binary" versions of their software, they should run substantially faster than in emulation mode for MOST tasks.

About the RAM and video and storage:

Apple is doing something entirely different with RAM on these machines. It is shared among all the processor cores in the 8-core CPU, 7- or 8-core GPU, *and* the 16-core neural engine. It takes advantage of the 5nm process to keep circuit paths extra short, which allows incredibly fast swap times. You really have to stress an M1 with lots of high bit rate video, or multitasking from many apps, to choke it.

Reviewer after reviewer has been blown away by the speed and responsiveness of these M1 Macs, AND by the incredible battery life and low power consumption. Max Yuryev illustrates that nicely in the video linked above.

The efficient use of memory is just a game changer. The consensus of the reviewers I follow is that 8GB on M1 is about like 16GB on Intel, and 16GB on M1 behaves about like 32GB on Intel.

The graphics processor in these machines is integrated into the M1, but with 8 fast cores, it is more powerful that most of the mid-range add-on GPUs on the market. You can still get better performance for some tasks with a separate GPU on an Intel Mac, but for the price, there are no better options.

As many have said, all this portends well for the future of Apple Silicon. Just know that the architecture is sealed into a single chip, so it's not possible to add RAM later. Get the RAM and internal storage you think you will need in the future, or perhaps buy a larger outboard Thunderbolt 3 SSD drive from a third party.

The laptops support just one external monitor, natively, but the mini can connect one to its HDMI port and one to a Thunderbolt/USB 4 port.

Currently, these M1 Macs DO NOT support external GPU systems.

Also, they do not yet support BootCamp installations of x86 Windows. HOWEVER, there are workarounds, and Parallels is working on a version of its Parallels Desktop emulation app that, in the beta version, runs Windows 10 on ARM faster on the Apple M1 than does any other Windows ARM solution sold to date.

These are "the worst" M1 machines Apple will ever make, and they are pretty incredible feats of engineering. I expect the next couple of years will see big improvements over these initial efforts. Still to come are Apple Silicon versions of all the other Macs in Apple's lineup. Whether they are called M1x, M2, or whatever, they will add high performance cores, graphics cores, and perhaps as rumored, external Apple GPUs.

paulevy Loc: Lawrenceville, NJ USA

I am still using Catlina on an Intel MacBook Pro. Have you or your club members encountered any problems in upgrading to Big Sur on an older computer?

bhapke

I have a mid-2012 MacBook Pro that won't upgrade (too old) and an iMac (about 2018?) that did upgrade to Big Sur. The only issue I found is that the disk cloning software I use for backup (SuperDuper) was not updated for Big Sur and they hadn't announced any schedule to update. I switched to Carbon Copy Cloner which seems to keep up to date better. There is still a minor problem. I use the backups as an alternate way to boot MacOS if the internal drive fails. Apple changed something that prevents the backups from updating if the OS updates to a new version, so you have to boot the backup and update it if you want to keep it up to date. Alternatively, just leave it alone and if you ever need it just update then.

If you have Catalina then all the software will already have been updated to 64-bit versions, so everything that runs in Catalina should run in Big Sur other than the software like SuperDuper that needed special permissions.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

The good news is, Catalina (MacOS 10.15.7) is very stable and will be supported for at least a year, probably two.

The bad news is, Big Sur (MacOS 11.1) is not natively installable on some older Macs, and also isn't supported on any Mac it will not natively install onto. If you want to risk it, you can find several hackers on YouTube who walk through the process of installing Big Sur on unsupported Macs. It looks doable, but risky.

Frankly, my Late 2013 21.5" iMac is one of those stuck on Catalina unless I intervene with an unsupported upgrade. I just upgraded to Catalina within the last two weeks! I like to run stable operating systems... I will stay on Catalina on this Mac and relegate it to mundane tasks when I get a new one. It has a 2 TB SSD and 16GB RAM that I added in 2019, so it runs reasonably fast, but nothing like the M1!

My first Big Sur Mac likely will be an M1 MacBook Pro. I miss Mac trackpads.

There is a great website setup to monitor which applications are ready for the M1 Macs:

https://isapplesiliconready.com

It will tell you what's been updated and what hasn't been. There is a ton of information and links to more information there... When everything I use daily is updated, I'll buy a new computer. Almost all of it works now, but there are some notable laggards.

Most x86 apps work with Rosetta 2 translation, with notable exceptions. Some apps can be run as M1 native OR via Rosetta 2, in case there's a minor incompatibility in the M1 version. You can switch the mode in the "Get Info" screen (select the app in the Finder, then Command+I).

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

We were told to wait for a couple of updates but I haven’t heard of any major issues. I’m still using Catalina but I’m trading this one in for the M1 which will come with Big Sur. Run Go64 (it’s free) to see which programs you have that are 32bit. Those won’t run on Big Sur and you’ll need to either upgrade them or find replacements.

Ednsb Loc: Santa Barbara

Another review - https://petapixel.com/2021/02/15/m1-mac-mini-review-the-best-mac-for-most-photographers/

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yes, if you can do all your editing in one place, this reviewer is correct. If not, the MB Air or MB Pro is a better choice. HOWEVER, you will need more peripherals with a laptop, especially if you need more than one external monitor.

Ednsb Loc: Santa Barbara

boy, I wish there was a like button on this page! Yes totally agree but for the cost difference as this guy said the mini beats the MacBooks for performance vs cost. In my case, I will be able to use my 2011 iMac 27 inch as the monitor for the mini Or the laptop if I went that way. I have an iPad Pro that I use in the field like you probably use a MacBook for. I prefer to do all pp on the large screen at my desk.

I would be buying a mini right now as a replacement for the iMac except I want to see what Apple will put out as a new M1 iMac but since I think the starting point for an M1 iMac will be at $1600 or more and probably have the same design and limitation as to the current M1 models of 16GB ram and a fixed SSD Im not sure why I am waiting.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Decisions, decisions!

Yes, I'm torn between buying an M1 Mac now, and waiting for a 14" MBP rumored to come out later this year. Logic tells me either the Mini or the MacBook Air we bought our kid for college is enough... It smokes my Late 2013 iMac in every way. But I lust for POWER!