Laptop (Mac) Purchase Help Needed

cambsno

cambsno

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At some point soon I plan to upgrade and get a new Macbook. Depending on budget available I may fancy one of the SSD ones as I like the fact they are slimmer and lighter. Screen is benefical too.

However, I am a bit of a numpty with technology and IT. I know that I really need 500gb of HD at least, so that rules out ssd unless I sell a child! My thought wasa to get 128gb ssd and to have essential stuff on there, iphoto library for example, but have all video and Lightroom stuff on an external HD.

Is this easy to setup and run with? How would it work with itunes? If I had video on the external to sync and apps on laptop how would that work?
 
lightroom = easy, just click on each collection and locate to the new external HD.
itunes = easy, theres a few guides on the apple site. might want to do this before the new machine though.
 
neil_g said:
lightroom = easy, just click on each collection and locate to the new external HD.
itunes = easy, theres a few guides on the apple site. might want to do this before the new machine though.
Click to expand...

It should be noted that its only easy if you let itunes manage your library. If you manage the folder structure it is a PITA!
 
I would suggest at the very least 256gb ssd. Anything less and there will be a struggle very soon, let alone a couple years later even doing basic things.

An external hdd for Lightroom is a very good plan, as even 512gb will be soon filled.

As they are soldiered in, you also need to make a decision to get 16gb RAM, by which point 15" version is getting roughly same price.
 
neil_g said:
as long as youre not a lazy sod and have your music named correctly that shouldnt be a problem (albeit temporarily)
Click to expand...

I do have htings named correctly, but havent worked out a way of moving my itunes library and keeping playlists / ratings / date added and other metadata intact.

The only way i managed to do it was to export the library as an xml, find and replace to change the filepaths, create playlists for each rating and then reimport the xml.

But if there is an easier way im all ears, as i think need to move my music again!
 
No need to do half of that - simply open iTunes Preferences, Advanced tab, and then point iTunes to the new location of the files.
So instead of the default Mac HD/User/Music/iTunes/ it would be Ext HD/iTunes Media, where you create a folder labelled iTunes Media, then put all your artist folders into it - like so.....

 
Rapscallion said:
I do have htings named correctly, but havent worked out a way of moving my itunes library and keeping playlists / ratings / date added and other metadata intact.

The only way i managed to do it was to export the library as an xml, find and replace to change the filepaths, create playlists for each rating and then reimport the xml.

But if there is an easier way im all ears, as i think need to move my music again!
Click to expand...

I've done that in the past. Quicker than letting iTunes deal with it lol
 
PJ S said:
No need to do half of that - simply open iTunes Preferences, Advanced tab, and then point iTunes to the new location of the files.
So instead of the default Mac HD/User/Music/iTunes/ it would be Ext HD/iTunes Media, where you create a folder labelled iTunes Media, then put all your artist folders into it - like so.....

http://picturepush.com/public/12131786
Click to expand...

Which is pretty much what the apple guides say.

But you'd need to follow the apple guide for moving the library first before setting up on the new mac to get it moved to the external disk, then follow the transfer between computers guide to attach it to the new iTunes.
 
Not really Neil - iTunes will update itself once you OK the Prefs changes.
So you can set up a new Mac/PC, move the files to the new location, and then set the Prefs as above.
The .itld and .xml files moved to the default iTunes install location will be useful, but if they're not there, a new version of each will be created once the Library has been updated.
 
PJ S said:
Not really Neil - iTunes will update itself once you OK the Prefs changes.
So you can set up a new Mac/PC, move the files to the new location, and then set the Prefs as above.
The .itld and .xml files moved to the default iTunes install location will be useful, but if they're not there, a new version of each will be created once the Library has been updated.
Click to expand...

Hi PJ S - i note you have 'keep itunes media organised' selected. Does this method work if you manage your own files?
 
Apologies to the OP for going off topic here!

What do you mean by managing your own files exactly?
All iTunes does is make use of the metadata provided when you tag the files or query a CD from the CDDB.
So if you download music from somewhere, and drop it on iTunes' window, it'll get added to the folder and displayed according to the IDTags info.
Any that displays something incorrectly, you fix by Get Info on the highlighted song/video/book/etc and amending the info fields accordingly.

So if, for example, you had a 2 CD album, the Artist would be listed as you can see in my image above, then the album folder, then the songs in track order, with a 1- or 2- before 01, 02, etc to denote which disc (1/2 or 2/2) it came from.

If you need any more help on iTunes usage, etc, maybe a new (or existing) thread can be posted in, instead of sidetracking Simon's Macbook thread further.
 
Apologies to the OP for going off track!

I will be interested how you manage with your music and photos. I am coming to the stage of filling my 500gb and am not sure how best to move photos to another drive, still have an easy and safe backup method, and have those pictures accessible even off site.
 
A thought - if you go with one of the "older" MacBook Pros, you could opt to replace the DVD-R with an SSD, for the best of both worlds: the capacity of a HD, and the speed of an SSD. It's not a particularly awkward process, though you do need to be certain to pick up the correct mounting bracket for the SSD (9.5mm tall - some are 12.5mm tall, which won't fit. At least, that's what I've been told. *ahem* *cough*).

I now have a 1TB HD and 256GB SSD in my relatively venerable workhorse, a mid-2009 17" MBP. Needless to say, I still find myself needing more space.. =:) (I'd concur with the SSD capacity - go for 256GB rather than 128GB, if you can. You'll easily fill up the smaller one, and often you'll find the larger capacity SSDs are faster as well)

Oh, and perhaps needless to say, max out the RAM - 8GB is virtually free with the cornflakes these days, and apps like Aperture can chew through 1-2GB just by themselves.
 
Porsupah said:
A thought - if you go with one of the "older" MacBook Pros, you could opt to replace the DVD-R with an SSD, for the best of both worlds: the capacity of a HD, and the speed of an SSD. It's not a particularly awkward process, though you do need to be certain to pick up the correct mounting bracket for the SSD (9.5mm tall - some are 12.5mm tall, which won't fit. At least, that's what I've been told. *ahem* *cough*).

I now have a 1TB HD and 256GB SSD in my relatively venerable workhorse, a mid-2009 17" MBP. Needless to say, I still find myself needing more space.. =:) (I'd concur with the SSD capacity - go for 256GB rather than 128GB, if you can. You'll easily fill up the smaller one, and often you'll find the larger capacity SSDs are faster as well)

Oh, and perhaps needless to say, max out the RAM - 8GB is virtually free with the cornflakes these days, and apps like Aperture can chew through 1-2GB just by themselves.
Click to expand...

Would always buy newest tech when it comes to laptops, plus would not see the point in having 2 hard drives.
 
Just research the models carefully - I haven't kept pace over the last 7 or eight months, but some models of MacBook cannot have their RAM or HD upgraded, it's what's putting me off upgrading mine atm - that and the fact that by the time you've chosen a sensible spec the prices are eye watering. I've got a 1TB drive in this thing, I don't fancy selling essential organs to finance a similarly specced replacement!
 
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