Help on purchase decisions for new MacBook
Jun 28, 2019 08:52:58 #
Jun 28, 2019 09:18:54 #
jdm wrote:
Time for a new laptop. I plan to replace my old Ma... (show quote)
Do you mean that in addition to your catalog, you also keep your image files on your internal drive?
Jun 28, 2019 09:37:34 #
johnst1001a
Loc: West Chester, Ohio
15" Macbook Pro, i7 processor 16 gb ram, or 32gb as picture files are getting larger and larger. 50 mb ssd, i use external har drive space i already own. i triple backup by the way, no files in the computer drive, just applications which can take 200 gb alone.
BOOT time on my macbook pro is 9 -11 seconds, don't put too many app on computer that boot on start up. i generally do not have my browser on as it uses a lot of ram. i also do not run office applications in the background either. with the above, i never have a slowdown when processing pictures. my iMac on the other hand has the i5 processor, 16 gb ram, a old non ssd hard drive. The available ram often drops below 1 gb. the issue really gets bad if i use plugins like Topaz or nik as they open new layers go each plugin used. i often have a photo go from say 50mb to 300 mb while working on it. i often have several open at a time, so you can shut them down.
BOOT time on my macbook pro is 9 -11 seconds, don't put too many app on computer that boot on start up. i generally do not have my browser on as it uses a lot of ram. i also do not run office applications in the background either. with the above, i never have a slowdown when processing pictures. my iMac on the other hand has the i5 processor, 16 gb ram, a old non ssd hard drive. The available ram often drops below 1 gb. the issue really gets bad if i use plugins like Topaz or nik as they open new layers go each plugin used. i often have a photo go from say 50mb to 300 mb while working on it. i often have several open at a time, so you can shut them down.
Jun 28, 2019 09:41:21 #
Paul Buckhiester wrote:
Do you mean that in addition to your catalog, you also keep your image files on your internal drive?
Yes ... hence the need for so much space!
Jun 28, 2019 09:43:14 #
jdm wrote:
Time for a new laptop. I plan to replace my old Ma... (show quote)
I went with a MacPro with new control bar, maximum RAM, and a 1 TB SSD. I never keep any images on the laptop. That's what two 2-TB SSD external drives are used for. I like to keep a lot of free HD(SSD) space available for PS/LR to have for swap space. A lot of RAM and adequate free HD space are my silver rings of on the road photography post processing.
Jun 28, 2019 10:20:07 #
I've used a 13" MacBook Pro for years. I find not use for the control bar but do use a remote keyboard. On the road, I use the built-in monitor and at home hook it up to an older Mac display. The Macbook air just doesn't have the horsepower nor the memory. Maximize both the internal memory and hard drive memory, and you should be fine. (You might be able to get a 2T SSHD installed.) I just Time Machine hooked to a 4T external, and a RAID external HD for archiving older images (Which is also backed up to my external 4T portable drive) When I leave for a trip, the whole thing is backed up to a hard drive that I leave at home. I can run practically anything on this setup plus I have the portability of carrying all my applications with me when I travel. Good luck!
Jun 28, 2019 10:26:30 #
jdm wrote:
Time for a new laptop. I plan to replace my old Ma... (show quote)
Bigger Drives and Max memory are always desirable as files get larger and programs keep requiring more memory.
Personally I within the last few weeks purchased a MacBook Pro that was used, but... it is i7 2.5 ghz processor, 16 gig RAM with a 1 tb SSD drive, mid 2015 with retina display. It is plenty of computer for me and I shoot a 50mp camera and only shoot RAW and process with Photoshop CC. Originally this was a $3000 computer and I paid less than $1300 for it and the computer looks and operates "Like New". It came with a new display replaced by Apple because of a recall, I have the work order from Apple, and I just sent it off for a new battery because of another Apple recall. So as far as I am concerned I pretty much have a brand new computer. I did have to shop for a few days before finding this computer but I am thrilled with my purchase, this laptop smokes my 21" iMac.
The reason I offer my own story is to let you know there are options, I purchased this computer on ebay only after reading several pages of glowing reviews about the seller all 5 stars with 100% feedback. Now I can use the money I saved to buy a smokin' lens.
Jun 28, 2019 12:29:55 #
jdm wrote:
Time for a new laptop. I plan to replace my old Ma... (show quote)
If budget allows, get the newest 15" MacBook Pro. The previous few editions have keyboard failure issues. The new keyboard has been re-engineered.
The MacBook Air is for travelers, not photo editors. It does a great job with Microsoft Office, email, Internet browsing, and simple computing needs on the go. But it's not the imaging workhorse that is the MacBook Pro.
Get the best graphics processor you can afford.
Get 32 GB RAM if you can afford it, 16GB minimum. Running the Adobe CC apps takes breathing room.
Get the largest SSD drive you can afford. SSD= SPEED.
Get whatever processor you can afford. Few people need the high end one. That's important to video editing professionals, and those folks who do massive rendering projects in still photography apps (Lr/Ps). The rest of us are fine with Core i7 chips.
Remember, Macs usually last a long time. Consider this a minimum three year purchase. Five years is common, and my sons are still using 2012 MacBook Pros for school and the occasional audio or video project.
Jun 28, 2019 20:39:29 #
My 2018 15.4" MacBook Pro has an I7 processor, 16GB of RAM, 4GB on the Graphics Card and a 512 GB SSD. The ONLY things I keep on the SSD are the operating system, applications and a few misc. things. I also use the Lr subscription model and use this machine for some (limited) PP and Tethering plus general business uses. For Lr, I wouldn't recommend anything less. All photo storage is done on an external attached SSD or on my NAS systems. As Bill said, get the best you can afford for these tasks. For my tastes, the 13" screen is just too small and the Air, while also a good machine, too underpowered for most graphics tasks. Best of luck.
Jun 29, 2019 12:14:51 #
George II
Loc: Fayetteville, Georgia
jdm,
What are your main reasoning for replacing your Mac Book?. If your looking for a larger SSD with no other operating system malfunctions I would contact OWC, ask for tech guys, tell them what you presently have and where you would like your Mac Book to go....they will advice you of what route to take that will be cost effective for you and hook you up with vastly improved performance.
Just sayin,
“The G”
What are your main reasoning for replacing your Mac Book?. If your looking for a larger SSD with no other operating system malfunctions I would contact OWC, ask for tech guys, tell them what you presently have and where you would like your Mac Book to go....they will advice you of what route to take that will be cost effective for you and hook you up with vastly improved performance.
Just sayin,
“The G”
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