Sorry if this annoys anybody!

nick.baker

nick.baker

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268
Name
Nick Baker
Edit My Images
Yes
I assume this has been asked more that once on a regular basis but here is my situation.

I have a macbook 15" with RET display, it is too slow to handle lightroom and photoshop at the same time and to store photos on here. I have a windows desktop that I built for gaming (first and last time I do it) and that runs to slow too. Is there anyone that can recomment a desktop or a laptop that will cope with a high work rate, I have over 1000 picture in my lightroom cat at the moment and I've been put off going out taking pictures until it is all sorted as I like to be organised!


If anybody can help that would be amazing!


Thanks in advance!
 
It should be easy to cope with a 1000 picture catalog?

Usually i5 or i7 with 16 gig ram is recommended.

I built an i7 a few years ago and that copes fine with a catalog of more than 200,000 images.
 
I don't know the specs, I could upgrade the Windows but not sure how to upgrade the Mac, Mac would be easier as I prefer the operating system, it's not the image capacity, it's the ability to use Lightroom and photoshop to a stage where it isn't going to slow me down
 
I run LR on my 13" MBPR 8GB 256SSD i5 that lives in my kit bag, crunches 5D3 raw files no problem at all. Tbh at times it seems faster than my main PC.
 
Limited amount of system ram will slow it down mostly, plus access times of a standard hard disk.
 
You say you have a 15" but the screen shot says 13". Either way, you need to up the RAM from 4GB to at least 8GB, if not 16GB.

They run fine together on my 13" with 8GB RAM and SSD.

As above, an SSD would help as well and it's very easy to clone your current HD to a new SSD on the Mac, far easier than Windows.
 
Yeah I realised it was the 13" when I googled the serial number. I think that might be the best way or go down the route of buying an iMac
 
Keith W said:
A RAM upgrade along with a new SSD hard drive would give your mac a new lease of life
Click to expand...

These are both possible as you have a 13" non retina Macbook Pro. Retina MacBooks cannot be upgraded later, but have mostly come with at least 8GB RAM (the exception seems to be the Late 2013 13" which was available with 4GB).

Your Macbook will take up to 16G although Apple says only 8GB. Crucial price for 8GB is £37 or 16GB for £67.
Their compatible SSDs are around £80 (256GB) or £140 (512 GB).

RAM and drive are both dead easy to fit, you only need a small Philips screwdriver and a way of transferring your data from HDD to SSD.

You can even keep the HDD by replacing the optical drive - a suitable caddy can be found for less than £20.

Shout if you need any more pointers :)
 
Andy Taylor said:
These are both possible as you have a 13" non retina Macbook Pro. Retina MacBooks cannot be upgraded later, but have mostly come with at least 8GB RAM (the exception seems to be the Late 2013 13" which was available with 4GB).

Your Macbook will take up to 16G although Apple says only 8GB. Crucial price for 8GB is £37 or 16GB for £67.
Their compatible SSDs are around £80 (256GB) or £140 (512 GB).

RAM and drive are both dead easy to fit, you only need a small Philips screwdriver and a way of transferring your data from HDD to SSD.

You can even keep the HDD by replacing the optical drive - a suitable caddy can be found for less than £20.

Shout if you need any more pointers :)
Click to expand...


I'm going to get a new one I think with retina display
 
thats surprising - my 15 retina works great with the 2 together - very fast - and its 3.5 years old - but it does have the discreet graphics card
 
nick.baker said:
I'm going to get a new one I think with retina display
Click to expand...

An excellent choice, I have a 13" retina and it's by far the best laptop I've ever had. It's worth getting a Thunderbolt cable to transfer your data to the new machine:

Firstly, start up the new machine and create a generic login - anything that isn't the same as the existing login on the old machine. Skip all the login to iCloud stuff (hit Cmd Q to quit the setup assistant), then run software update. Keep running software update until there are no more updates. Then boot the old machine while holding down the T key and it will start in transfer mode. Then plug the machines together and run migration assistant on the new one.
Once your data has been transferred, you can remove the generic login.

Alternatively, you can restore from a Time Machine backup, but Thunderbolt is usually much quicker.
 
Andy Taylor said:
An excellent choice, I have a 13" retina and it's by far the best laptop I've ever had. It's worth getting a Thunderbolt cable to transfer your data to the new machine:

Firstly, start up the new machine and create a generic login - anything that isn't the same as the existing login on the old machine. Skip all the login to iCloud stuff (hit Cmd Q to quit the setup assistant), then run software update. Keep running software update until there are no more updates. Then boot the old machine while holding down the T key and it will start in transfer mode. Then plug the machines together and run migration assistant on the new one.
Once your data has been transferred, you can remove the generic login.

Alternatively, you can restore from a Time Machine backup, but Thunderbolt is usually much quicker.
Click to expand...


I will be moving my stuff from my windows PC to the new MacBook when I purchase it, hopefully it's still an easy process
 
I might even push the boat out and get a 21.5 inch iMac and get the 4k display
 
nick.baker said:
I will be moving my stuff from my windows PC to the new MacBook when I purchase it, hopefully it's still an easy process
Click to expand...

It's not as easy, but you can use Windows Migration Assistant with a wireless or Ethernet connection. Bear in mind that none of the current MacBooks have an Ethernet port, so you will need a Thunderbolt-Ethernet or USB-Ethernet dongle for this. It's probably worth getting one as wireless migrations take absolutely ages.

All the details are here:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204087

I've always found the biggest issue with PCs is that they tend to get replaced when they are already failing/broken. A successful CHKDSK is vitally important.
 
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I wouldn't recommend upgrading the i5 mid 2012. I ran one for nearly 2 years with an ssd and 8gb of ram. It can handle Lightroom but can take up to 10 seconds to build the 1:1 previews and I found it frustrating. I bought a desktop pc and now it's almost instant to build a 1:1 preview. I have learnt it's all about heat dispersion and power, the best macs now have i7 chips but they are tightly packed into the rest of the laptop and only able to draw a limited current. Your phone probably has a quad core processor doesn't mean it's fast, size does matter too ;)
 
nick.baker said:
View attachment 48774


Would this spec be okay? Bearing in mind I have a 3tb WD HD
Click to expand...
I'm going to say no. Yes it will run it but your still using laptop components in that setup with all their limitations. A PC at A third of the cost would run rings around it and you could then invest in a nice screen too:)
 
Brazo said:
I'm going to say no. Yes it will run it but your still using laptop components in that setup with all their limitations. A PC at A third of the cost would run rings around it and you could then invest in a nice screen too:)
Click to expand...

When the Retina iMacs first appeared, the equivalent Dell 5K screen cost about the same as the Mac.
 
:stop:

You need to upgrade the RAM, go for 16Gb if you can.

Have a SSD instead of a SATA Drive and go for an i7 rather than the i5.

Keep most of your files on a separate drive except those you are working with.



Otherwise you will be back asking the same question in less than a year.
 
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Andy Taylor said:
I'd get the 2.8GHz with either a 1TB Fusion, or preferably the 256GB SSD. There's not much difference in the processor performance for the extra money and an SSD will make a bigger difference for about the same cost.
Click to expand...

The 2.8GHz doesn't come with Retina display though ?

Brazo said:
I'm going to say no. Yes it will run it but your still using laptop components in that setup with all their limitations. A PC at A third of the cost would run rings around it and you could then invest in a nice screen too:)
Click to expand...

I tried getting rid of a lot of stuff on my Windows earlier and I generally find Mac a lot easier to use. I'm just going to keep he Windows for the retro games I have on it and use a Mac as my main pc
 
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ImageUploadedByTalk Photography Forums1445380552.859071.jpg

I think I'll get this spec. Pushing my budget it a little but I think it will pay off
 
That's a lot of change to be forking out especially as you could upgrade your current system for around £200
 
I have a Mac Pro 2013, which might be overkill, but then I do have over 200,000 images in my LR library, and it's not too slow. Think about SSD as your main priority, and then ram, and fastest multicore cpu, and then more ram.
 
Keith W said:
That's a lot of change to be forking out especially as you could upgrade your current system for around £200
Click to expand...

I know what you mean, if windows were a smoother platform and I liked the layouts I would probably go for that. I just find Mac more user friendly. It makes it easier especially when traveling to be able to put my files onto my MacBook just to store until I can transfer them to the iMac.
 
Jolyon Ralph said:
I have a Mac Pro 2013, which might be overkill, but then I do have over 200,000 images in my LR library, and it's not too slow. Think about SSD as your main priority, and then ram, and fastest multicore cpu, and then more ram.
Click to expand...

Lightroom library size doesn't mean much. I have 300,000 or so raw files in mine, on a crappy 6 year old imac. Runs about the same as when it had 15 files in it.

I would put a fast CPU ahead of bucket loads of RAM for Lightroom. Never seen it use much RAM, but it will max the CPU constantly.

Video work, and heavy Photoshop need different things, LR I would concentrate on CPU and an SSD that can hold the job/s you are currently working on.
 
I had a time when Lightroom become slow for me, on my I7, 16gb, SSD, 7970 3gb PC!

This resolved it

Edit - Preferences - Performance - Disable 'Use Graphics Processor'

So worth a try
 
dancook said:
I had a time when Lightroom become slow for me, on my I7, 16gb, SSD, 7970 3gb PC!

This resolved it

Edit - Preferences - Performance - Disable 'Use Graphics Processor'

So worth a try
Click to expand...
What does that do Dan? My PC has a whacking gfx card in it but I'm led to believe LR is more cpu heavy and photoshop can utilise a gfx card better?
 
Brazo said:
What does that do Dan? My PC has a whacking gfx card in it but I'm led to believe LR is more cpu heavy and photoshop can utilise a gfx card better?
Click to expand...

I don't think it was an option for a while, then they introduced it and I enabled it - and it continued to run fine, then one day I updated graphics card drivers and LR was sluggish.

Turned it off, and all fine again :) I never noticed a difference from when it worked with it on and having it off.
 
nick.baker said:
I know what you mean, if windows were a smoother platform and I liked the layouts I would probably go for that. I just find Mac more user friendly. It makes it easier especially when traveling to be able to put my files onto my MacBook just to store until I can transfer them to the iMac.
Click to expand...
Even the macbook could be upgraded. That may be what Keith meant.
 
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