What current Mac do I need to cope with large Photoshop layers?

psybear

psybear

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So... I have a late 2012 27" iMac that has served me very well until recently. The spec is as follows:

iMac (27-inch, Late 2012)
Processor: 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
Memory: 24 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Startup disk: Mac SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX 1 GB

It does 'grumble' a bit when I ask it to merge multiple high MP layers from my Nikon Z7 but (unlike my M1 Macbook Air) it usually get the job done without freezing up completely. It's also 'stuck' on Catalina OSX, as it's not compatible (according to Apple) with Big Sur. This really wasn't bothering me until recently, when I went to update Lightroom and Photoshop via Adobe CC, and both updates required mac OS 11.0 or later (i.e. Big Sur). So I am looking to upgrade to something that will hopefully serve me well for the next few years at least.

In the decade since I bought my 27" iMac things have obviously moved on. The 27" model has been discontinued and it doesn't look like the gorgeous 24" iMac is going to get a big brother any time soon, if at all. In any case, while the M1 processor it comes with is very impressive, I know that I'd need the 16gb maximum RAM that it can be specced with (my M1 MBA is the base 8gb/256 SSD model) which doesn't fill me with confidence about its future proofing capabilities. And while Apple also has the M1 Pro, M1 Ultra and M2 chips, none of these (as yet) are appearing in the 24" iMac. The same applies to the Mac mini - it's only available currently with the M1 chip and 16gb max RAM. If I want something that can take (at least) 32gb RAM, my only option is the Studio.

(I have to say that it does look like Apple have dropped the ball here, with no 'mid-range' system that can be specced up to meet home processing needs)

Getting into bigger money now. I can get a Studio (from the Apple Refurb store) for £1799 - that's the 10‑Core CPU and 24‑Core GPU 32gb 512gb SSD model. So this looks like my safest/cheapest option to get the minimum 32GB RAM that I think I now need. I'd love a matching Studio screen but it's silly money - the same amount again just for the screen alone! However if I go this route I will also have to budget for a quality monitor too.

I have a couple of photographer friends who see a much simpler solution - get a PC. And I wouldn't rule this out - I'm no Apple fanboy (I love my Android phone) - but I am used the Apple OS and I like it. Having being away from PCs for so long I'm not sure that I want the grief of learning the system all over again - plus I'd probably try to build a PC myself to save a few quid, adding to my grief!

I will get to the point of the post then, if it isn't already obvious. I'd love to hear from Photoshop-using photographers about the following:

1. Are you using a Mac for processing - which one and are you happy with it?
2. Any specific comments re the 16GB/M1 combo - is it up to the task of dealing with multiple large layers?
3. Anyone in a similar position who has jumped the Apple ship and moved to PC?
4. Any recommended PC builds for my needs?
5. Quality monitor recommendations for either PC build or the Apple Studio option?

Any and all responses/advice/views appreciated!
 
Okay so I've just found this thread, before anyone else points me to it:

www.talkphotography.co.uk

Advice required for potential Mac purchase

Hi Guys, My Windows PC is centuries old and is struggling with some programs and also my a7R4's 61mp images. I'm seriously contemplating moving to Mac in the near future. I know many photographers etc are using iMac so what do I look for? Ideally, I would like a 27" monitor but 24" would do...
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk

Some very useful info there and no need for anyone to repeat it here.

I would just emphasise however that (unlike some posters in that thread) my experience of the M1/8GB/256GB SSD MacBook Air is that, whilst it's a super wee machine, that spec just does NOT have the necessary grunt to handle multiple layers from my Z7. Last time I was away travelling and wanted to edit some images on it, I had to reduce the RAW file size right at the start of the process, otherwise it would just lock up on me.
 
psybear said:
Okay so I've just found this thread, before anyone else points me to it:

www.talkphotography.co.uk

Advice required for potential Mac purchase

Hi Guys, My Windows PC is centuries old and is struggling with some programs and also my a7R4's 61mp images. I'm seriously contemplating moving to Mac in the near future. I know many photographers etc are using iMac so what do I look for? Ideally, I would like a 27" monitor but 24" would do...
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk

Some very useful info there and no need for anyone to repeat it here.

I would just emphasise however that (unlike some posters in that thread) my experience of the M1/8GB/256GB SSD MacBook Air is that, whilst it's a super wee machine, that spec just does NOT have the necessary grunt to handle multiple layers from my Z7. Last time I was away travelling and wanted to edit some images on it, I had to reduce the RAW file size right at the start of the process, otherwise it would just lock up on me.
Click to expand...

I think the 8Gb was probably the main issue and isn't the Macbook Air also throttled due to not having a fan.

I ran the M1 Mini with 16Gb ram and easily processed Canon R5 files in both LR and photoshop without any issues.

I think the M1 Mini is a no brainer for image and video editing if you're on a budget.
The studio Max with 32Gb is expensive and probably a bit of an overkill for image editing but it's never skipped a beat and I suspect I'll be using for many many years before it needs to upgrading.
 
I moved to pc due to crazy expense with apple. I have 32gb for now and find it barely adequate for heavier Photoshop tasked involving 50mp files. I'm going 64gb and not looking back.
A decent recent GPU is now pretty much a requirement too for serious media work
 
ecoleman said:
I ran the M1 Mini with 16Gb ram and easily processed Canon R5 files in both LR and photoshop without any issues.
Click to expand...
Open 12 layers, try pano merge, run topaz concurrently...
 
Hi

I have a similar problem

mine is a Late 2014 27" 5K iMac - 1TB, 24GB running High Sierra - the machine/screen is great and I would not want to upgrade - it copes in LR with D850 files obviously slower than with past DSLR's. i.e the D750 but when I process stuff in PS that creates larger files it has become slow - plus I cannot upgrade LR and PS as the OS High Sierra 10.13.6 is the most up to date that it will take

I would like Z9 and almost keep pressing the buy button - but my current iMac will struggle and at up to £6k for the Z9, plus bits and piece I would be stuck in mo mans land as far as LR and PS processing on my current machine is concerned.

Looking at a new 24" iMac - the max spec you can get is the basic M1 chip plus 16GB and 2TB = £2500
MBP 14" with same M1, 16GB and 2TB is £2,799

but to go for future "proof" as much as possible then it would be the 16" MBP with the M1 max chip, 64GB and 2TB = £4,099, (with the same spec 14" being just £99 less)

and if I wanted a 27" 5K screen - the Apple one is £1400 and the LG 5K 27" is £900, (a current offer)

So in conclusion - £5,500 to replace my current 27" iMac, (albeit I'll have a new MBP - but I still have an older MBP which I'm happy with) and up to £6,000 for a Z9 and bits

so £11,500 to go to the next stage - lasting for say 8 years as my current iMac/D850 has

The upgrade spiral which keeps our American and Japanese friends happy!

My feeling is not to bother, but as my wife says, "your nearly 76 why don't you treat yourself"!

but being from Yorkshire it's very difficult

good luck
 
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plus I forgot - add another £150 for a new keyboard and mouse!!
 
LongLensPhotography said:
I moved to pc due to crazy expense with apple. I have 32gb for now and find it barely adequate for heavier Photoshop tasked involving 50mp files. I'm going 64gb and not looking back.
A decent recent GPU is now pretty much a requirement too for serious media work
Click to expand...
What GPU are you using? I've submitted a query to Scan computers for a suggested PC build.
 
BillN_33 said:
Hi

I have a similar problem

mine is a Late 2014 27" 5K iMac - 1TB, 24GB running High Sierra - the machine/screen is great and I would not want to upgrade - it copes in LR with D850 files obviously slower than with past DSLR's. i.e the D750 but when I process stuff in PS that creates larger files it has become slow - plus I cannot upgrade LR and PS as the OS High Sierra 10.13.6 is the most up to date that it will take

I would like Z9 and almost keep pressing the buy button - but my current iMac will struggle and at up to £6k for the Z9, plus bits and piece I would be stuck in mo mans land as far as LR and PS processing on my current machine is concerned.

Looking at a new 24" iMac - the max spec you can get is the basic M1 chip plus 16GB and 2TB = £2500
MBP 14" with same M1, 16GB and 2TB is £2,799

but to go for future "proof" as much as possible then it would be the 16" MBP with the M1 max chip, 64GB and 2TB = £4,099, (with the same spec 14" being just £99 less)

and if I wanted a 27" 5K screen - the Apple one is £1400 and the LG 5K 27" is £900, (a current offer)

So in conclusion - £5,500 to replace my current 27" iMac, (able it I've have a new MBP - I still have one which I'm happy with) and up to £6,000 for a Z9 and bits

so £11,500 to go to the next stage - lasting for say 8 years as my current iMac/D850 has

The upgrade spiral which keeps our American and Japanese friends happy!

My feeling is not to bother, but as my wife says, "your nearly 76 why don't you treat yourself"!

but being from Yorkshire it's very difficult

good luck
Click to expand...

I feel your pain Bill.

That's a good price on the LG, I forgot that they had a Mac specific monitor option, worth considering with the Studio.
 
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BillN_33 said:
Hi

I have a similar problem

mine is a Late 2014 27" 5K iMac - 1TB, 24GB running High Sierra - the machine/screen is great and I would not want to upgrade - it copes in LR with D850 files obviously slower than with past DSLR's. i.e the D750 but when I process stuff in PS that creates larger files it has become slow - plus I cannot upgrade LR and PS as the OS High Sierra 10.13.6 is the most up to date that it will take

I would like Z9 and almost keep pressing the buy button - but my current iMac will struggle and at up to £6k for the Z9, plus bits and piece I would be stuck in mo mans land as far as LR and PS processing on my current machine is concerned.

Looking at a new 24" iMac - the max spec you can get is the basic M1 chip plus 16GB and 2TB = £2500
MBP 14" with same M1, 16GB and 2TB is £2,799

but to go for future "proof" as much as possible then it would be the 16" MBP with the M1 max chip, 64GB and 2TB = £4,099, (with the same spec 14" being just £99 less)

and if I wanted a 27" 5K screen - the Apple one is £1400 and the LG 5K 27" is £900, (a current offer)

So in conclusion - £5,500 to replace my current 27" iMac, (able it I've have a new MBP - I still have one which I'm happy with) and up to £6,000 for a Z9 and bits

so £11,500 to go to the next stage - lasting for say 8 years as my current iMac/D850 has

The upgrade spiral which keeps our American and Japanese friends happy!

My feeling is not to bother, but as my wife says, "your nearly 76 why don't you treat yourself"!

but being from Yorkshire it's very difficult

good luck
Click to expand...

You really don't need 64Gb ram on the new macs. I run 32Gb on the studio and have never come close the maxing out the ram. I also wouldn't pay Apple for their storage. Just add external storage

Studio Max with 32Gb RAM and 512Gb HDD is £1999. Add £1300 for a BenQ SW271C 27" 4K display, a mouse and keyboard of choice. £200 for the Logitech MX and an external hard drive. You really don't need a super fast drive either. All my images are stored on my NAS and accessed over 1Gbit ethernet.
 
I bought an 14 inch MBP (32GB/1TB) to replace a tricked-out 2010 Cheesegrater Mac Pro last year, paired with a 4K Dell display - even with an upgraded GPU I was similarly out of road on system updates to keep up with Lightroom and Photoshop

No regrets and it never misses a beat, even with multi shot stitches (far better than the the old Mac) but I am only working with 24 Mpx files from a Sony A7III and rarely use a lot of layers in Photoshop.
 
ecoleman said:
You really don't need 64Gb ram on the new macs. I run 32Gb on the studio and have never come close the maxing out the ram. I also wouldn't pay Apple for their storage. Just add external storage
Click to expand...

I would second this point about storage, especially if it is a desktop machine. I would regard 512GB as a practical minimum, but put the money into external storage, which you can augment and upgrade later as needed.

I only went with 1TB on my MBP14 because I wanted to keep a year or two's work onboard to carry about with me and still leave plenty of free space for swap if it was ever necessary.

Adding memory is a diminishing returns exercise unless you know you will often be running into swap.
 
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psybear said:
What GPU are you using? I've submitted a query to Scan computers for a suggested PC build.
Click to expand...
3060 ti. It appears to be enough for now
 
Musicman said:
There might be another option

M2 MacBook Air 24GB/512GB Refurb: £1659

Refurbished 13-inch MacBook Air Apple M2 Chip with 8‑Core CPU and 8‑Core GPU - Starlight - Apple (UK)

Originally released July 2022|13.6-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology1|24GB unified memory|512GB SSD 2|1080p FaceTime HD camera|Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports
www.apple.com

And then you could offload the M1 MBA and get some money back from it to help pay for a new screen
Click to expand...
OOS currently but interesting nevertheless, hadn't realised that the new MBA was available with more than 16GB RAM plus the M2 chip.

And I have considered just going for a more powerful laptop option + external screen. Just not sure about an Air as sole machine though, even with the new gubbins. A MBP would likely be a safer option.
 
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ecoleman said:
You really don't need 64Gb ram on the new macs. I run 32Gb on the studio and have never come close the maxing out the ram. I also wouldn't pay Apple for their storage. Just add external storage

Studio Max with 32Gb RAM and 512Gb HDD is £1999. Add £1300 for a BenQ SW271C 27" 4K display, a mouse and keyboard of choice. £200 for the Logitech MX and an external hard drive. You really don't need a super fast drive either. All my images are stored on my NAS and accessed over 1Gbit ethernet.
Click to expand...

I need to research which is the better match for a Mac - the BenQ or the £400 cheaper LG mentioned above.
 
Oh, that's sold since I posted!

Yes, the M2 goes to 24MB. I might have been tempted to go for one myself if it had been available a year ago. I had 48GB in the old Mac Pro, but it was hardly ever all being used.
 
I updated my 2017 i7 27"1Mac with 16GB memory earlier this year. I now run a Mac Studio, with the M1-Max chip, 32GB memory, 1TB storage and the Studio Display. It can handle PS files with multiple layers without breaking a sweat. I would say to handle the very large files you talk about then you should look at the M1-Max as the minimum CPU requirement. To get an equivalent PC system today would require a top-end gaming system with a top-end graphics card to even come near and it won't be cheap. The rumour mill is forecasting that a new Mac Mini will be released very soon and I would wait a bit and see what it delivers, but only consider it if it had the M1 or M2 MAX chip.
 
I just switched to a Mac Studio with BEnQ 27” screen. 32GB ram as my 2013 iMac even with 16GB was slow and I could not update. It’s excellent. My only issue now, after Adobe chat being terrible and wrong, is some issues with a Logitech webcam.
 
psybear said:
I need to research which is the better match for a Mac - the BenQ or the £400 cheaper LG mentioned above.
Click to expand...
Do you NEED a 4k monitor ? If not this will bring the price down and an Eizo CS2731 falls within your budget which is a highly rated monitor for photo processing.
 
I'm hanging on by my finger nails making an ageing PC work as I was intending to get a Mac Mini. The internet chatter suggested the new version should have been out this month but it looks like it's probably now March so hopefully no further delays
 
There is also the HUAWEI MateView 28.2" and 4K for £600
 
ecoleman said:
You really don't need 64Gb ram on the new macs. I run 32Gb on the studio and have never come close the maxing out the ram. I also wouldn't pay Apple for their storage. Just add external storage

Studio Max with 32Gb RAM and 512Gb HDD is £1999. Add £1300 for a BenQ SW271C 27" 4K display, a mouse and keyboard of choice. £200 for the Logitech MX and an external hard drive. You really don't need a super fast drive either. All my images are stored on my NAS and accessed over 1Gbit ethernet.
Click to expand...

I have about 850Gbte of used storage on my iMac - can you explain how this external storage would work with the LR Catalog - would I then need to plug another storage disk into the external storage that held my LR Catalogue
 
wornish said:
If you are used to using a 27" iMac with its 5K display going back to any 4K display will be a big disappointment.
Click to expand...
mac or no mac 4k is just about viable. On windows land there are very few other options so you just go with it and try to put up with a very small text after you have enlarged it slightly with hacks involving winaero tweaker. It is not retina either at 27" nor 32", and you need 5k and 6k respectively for that. I still see very few options under £4k on the market as I would seriously like one.
 
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BillN_33 said:
There is also the HUAWEI MateView 28.2" and 4K for £600
Click to expand...
That's gone up at least 50% then and note they have very dark edges all round, just google it.
 
LongLensPhotography said:
That's gone up at least 50% then and note they have very dark edges all round, just google it.
Click to expand...

£600 - is the 28.2" 4K not the cheaper 24" model

I've just checked HUAWEI official site = £600

other resellers = £400
 
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BillN_33 said:
£600 - is the 28.2" 4K not the cheaper 24" model

what link did you use?
Click to expand...
Actually no to both in this case (ps. they were given away earlier in the year with one of their new laptops).
The actual price is very keen but I still wouldn't spend that unless in emergency because of that edge issue, unless you are just happy to confine yourself to LR image working part for actual colour sensitive work

P.S. Can't you use that 5K imac as a display only on the new one. I thought there was a way to set them up
 
LongLensPhotography said:
Actually no to both in this case (ps. they were given away earlier in the year with one of their new laptops).
The actual price is very keen but I still wouldn't spend that unless in emergency because of that edge issue, unless you are just happy to confine yourself to LR image working part for actual colour sensitive work

P.S. Can't you use that 5K imac as a display only on the new one. I thought there was a way to set them up
Click to expand...

Converting iMac 5K - Apple say it's not possible to use an iMac as a Monitor - but there is a way to convert an iMac to a display - it involves stripping out all the innards and fixing a Chinese £175 +(import taxes if it is spotted) Drive Board Monitor kit - obviously may work very well or may not work - the question would be is it worth the risk unless you are an "expert" or at least know what you are doing?
 
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psybear said:
What GPU are you using? I've submitted a query to Scan computers for a suggested PC build.
Click to expand...
It would be interesting to see the price of a Mac with high enough spec to be future proof (for a good few years at least), and then see what PC you could get for that price, along with the ease of upgrading the PC.

It may make the Mac seem less exorbitant.
 
What I see today for users like me is the current iMac is no longer as attractive as it was

the current model is 24" and not 27" with an M1 chip, (the slowest of the current gen), and the maximum memory that you can have is 16Gbte with a max 2TB storage and it costs £2,500

Apple seems to have moved their focus to the MBP as the highest speed MBP is 16" M1 max, (a lot faster than the M1), 64Gbte and 2TB = £4099 - (and I believe you can spec it to 8TB)

I realise that laptops are probably more popular than desktops - but I use my iMac at lot with LR and PS and I want a 27" iMac with a memory and internal storage that will last me almost 10 years as my present iMac has - but what do Apple care!
 
Sangoma said:
It would be interesting to see the price of a Mac with high enough spec to be future proof (for a good few years at least), and then see what PC you could get for that price, along with the ease of upgrading the PC.

It may make the Mac seem less exorbitant.
Click to expand...
I don't think a single new Mac can equal Nvidia 3060 ti GPU performance, let alone 4090 so that is tgat
 
Last year I switched from an ageing iMac to a 14" MBP with M1Pro and 16GB RAM - a significant increase in performance, for both Lightroom and software development. Often with VMs and Lightroom running at the same time. I have never heard the fans kicking in. I got a Philips 27" 4K monitor, which is good, but it runs at the retina version of my old iMac, so it would be a step down from a 27" 5K iMac.

However, a few months after buying it I got a MacBook Air for work, it is the M1 16GB model, and I have not noticed a difference in performance between the two, and the MacBook Air gets pushed much harder. One thing to consider with the Mx macs is that they are a SoC, so the RAM and SSD storage are built into the chip, meaning that swapping is a lot faster.
 
BillN_33 said:
Converting iMac 5K - Apple say it's not possible to use an iMac as a Monitor - but there is a way to convert an iMac to a display - it involves stripping out all the innards and fixing a Chinese £175 +(import taxes if it is spotted) Drive Board Monitor kit - obviously may work very well or may not work - the question would be is it worth the risk unless you are an "expert" or at least know what you are doing?
Click to expand...
That's an interesting situation. The panel minus the glossy coating is top of the line and was essentially given away considering what the current 5k or 6k dci-p3 alternatives are. If you find one with failing computer part and still perfect panel it could be worth a DIY project, unless we can find a simpler hack
I would rather do that than buy my crappy Acer 32 again
 
LongLensPhotography said:
That's an interesting situation. The panel minus the glossy coating is top of the line and was essentially given away considering what the current 5k or 6k dci-p3 alternatives are. If you find one with failing computer part and still perfect panel it could be worth a DIY project, unless we can find a simpler hack
I would rather do that than buy my crappy Acer 32 again
Click to expand...

Apparently it's important to get, (or find?) the correct Board for the iMac year model and to be sure you have to cut the screen off as the number is on the inside - I also have the earlier iMac the 24" from early 2009 and the LCD display is still good but no comparison with the 5K and I believe that can be converted with the correct board - it's a pity that you have to search Chinese sellers to get what is needed.

I think if I do up grade - to a MBP - I will definitely get the Apple 27" 5K display, I know that it is expensive but I have been very pleased with my current iMac and the display will be useful for years as it is just a display and not an iMac
 
I had forgotten just how good this forum could be for photographer-specific advice.

Many thanks for all the input to date.

A few comments on some of the responses:

LongLensPhotography said:
I moved to pc due to crazy expense with apple. I have 32gb for now and find it barely adequate for heavier Photoshop tasked involving 50mp files. I'm going 64gb and not looking back.
A decent recent GPU is now pretty much a requirement too for serious media work
Click to expand...

I reckon I'd go to 64GB too if taking the PC route, but I'd be comfortable with 32GB with an Apple Mx chip.


Musicman said:
There might be another option

M2 MacBook Air 24GB/512GB Refurb: £1659

Refurbished 13-inch MacBook Air Apple M2 Chip with 8‑Core CPU and 8‑Core GPU - Starlight - Apple (UK)

Originally released July 2022|13.6-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology1|24GB unified memory|512GB SSD 2|1080p FaceTime HD camera|Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports
www.apple.com

And then you could offload the M1 MBA and get some money back from it to help pay for a new screen
Click to expand...

If I go the MBPro route then yes, the MBA should raise £600 towards a new monitor.


Musicman said:
I would second this point about storage, especially if it is a desktop machine. I would regard 512GB as a practical minimum, but put the money into external storage, which you can augment and upgrade later as needed.

I only went with 1TB on my MBP14 because I wanted to keep a year or two's work onboard to carry about with me and still leave plenty of free space for swap if it was ever necessary.

Adding memory is a diminishing returns exercise unless you know you will often be running into swap.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure 1TB is the minimum SSD I'd want too, for similar reasons.

wornish said:
I updated my 2017 i7 27"1Mac with 16GB memory earlier this year. I now run a Mac Studio, with the M1-Max chip, 32GB memory, 1TB storage and the Studio Display. It can handle PS files with multiple layers without breaking a sweat. I would say to handle the very large files you talk about then you should look at the M1-Max as the minimum CPU requirement. To get an equivalent PC system today would require a top-end gaming system with a top-end graphics card to even come near and it won't be cheap. The rumour mill is forecasting that a new Mac Mini will be released very soon and I would wait a bit and see what it delivers, but only consider it if it had the M1 or M2 MAX chip.
Click to expand...

That's the spec of the Studio I was contemplating, I have to say I was fairly confident it would easily cope with the files I am talking about. Yeah an improved Mac Mini could be an option, just not sure I can afford to wait. How are you finding the Studio display, is really worth the money in your opinion?

Chipper said:
I just switched to a Mac Studio with BEnQ 27” screen. 32GB ram as my 2013 iMac even with 16GB was slow and I could not update. It’s excellent. My only issue now, after Adobe chat being terrible and wrong, is some issues with a Logitech webcam.
Click to expand...

I've used the BenQ SW240 as an external monitor for my MBA M1 and it works well. Would like a bigger screen though, something close to or bigger than the iMac. Which 27" model is this and how do you find it?

taxboy said:
Do you NEED a 4k monitor ? If not this will bring the price down and an Eizo CS2731 falls within your budget which is a highly rated monitor for photo processing.
Click to expand...

Probably not, as stated above my iMac is not the 5k Retina and it's been fine for my needs. Think I have also read elsewhere that 4k monitors can be a bad idea with Macs?

taxboy said:
I'm hanging on by my finger nails making an ageing PC work as I was intending to get a Mac Mini. The internet chatter suggested the new version should have been out this month but it looks like it's probably now March so hopefully no further delays
Click to expand...

As above, not sure I can wait that long....

wornish said:
If you are used to using a 27" iMac with its 5K display going back to any 4K display will be a big disappointment.
Click to expand...

As above, not used to 5k so not an issue for me.

LongLensPhotography said:
Actually no to both in this case (ps. they were given away earlier in the year with one of their new laptops).
The actual price is very keen but I still wouldn't spend that unless in emergency because of that edge issue, unless you are just happy to confine yourself to LR image working part for actual colour sensitive work

P.S. Can't you use that 5K imac as a display only on the new one. I thought there was a way to set them up
Click to expand...

Don't have a 5k and not easy to hook up iMac as an external monitor.

Sangoma said:
It would be interesting to see the price of a Mac with high enough spec to be future proof (for a good few years at least), and then see what PC you could get for that price, along with the ease of upgrading the PC.

It may make the Mac seem less exorbitant.
Click to expand...

Good point.

BillN_33 said:
What I see today for users like me is the current iMac is no longer as attractive as it was

the current model is 24" and not 27" with an M1 chip, (the slowest of the current gen), and the maximum memory that you can have is 16Gbte with a max 2TB storage and it costs £2,500

Apple seems to have moved their focus to the MBP as the highest speed MBP is 16" M1 max, (a lot faster than the M1), 64Gbte and 2TB = £4099 - (and I believe you can spec it to 8TB)

I realise that laptops are probably more popular than desktops - but I use my iMac at lot with LR and PS and I want a 27" iMac with a memory and internal storage that will last me almost 10 years as my present iMac has - but what do Apple care!
Click to expand...

Yep, goes back to my point in the OP, I feel they have dropped the ball here with a noticeable mid-range gap in their offer.
 
BillN_33 said:
I have about 850Gbte of used storage on my iMac - can you explain how this external storage would work with the LR Catalog - would I then need to plug another storage disk into the external storage that held my LR Catalogue
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My LR Catalog and previews live on the internal HD of my MacBook Pro (about 50 GB) plus the last two years of RAW files (about 450 GB) and any TIFFs from edits in PS, etc..

The remaining RAW/TIFF files are spread across a couple of external USB drives (a fast-ish 2 TB SSD for the more recent stuff and 6 TB spinning rust HD for anything older). Periodically, as they age, I cascade the RAWs onto the slower disks by moving them from within in Lightroom. I can manage this easily as I keep my files in Lightroom's default YYYY > MM > DD Hierarchy. There's about 5TB of storage in use in total across all three disks.

TBH, as long as the catalog and previews are on the (very) fast internal disk, then for Lightroom, at least, I have no complaints about speed. I'm not regularly editing multi-gigabyte files from an external drive or anything, but if I did, I might rebalance the RAWs to leave me more space on the fast internal SSD, and/or throw a Thunderbolt SSD into that mix.
 
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wornish said:
I updated my 2017 i7 27"1Mac with 16GB memory earlier this year. I now run a Mac Studio, with the M1-Max chip, 32GB memory, 1TB storage and the Studio Display. It can handle PS files with multiple layers without breaking a sweat. I would say to handle the very large files you talk about then you should look at the M1-Max as the minimum CPU requirement. To get an equivalent PC system today would require a top-end gaming system with a top-end graphics card to even come near and it won't be cheap. The rumour mill is forecasting that a new Mac Mini will be released very soon and I would wait a bit and see what it delivers, but only consider it if it had the M1 or M2 MAX chip.
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Which Studio Display did you go far? The £400 premium for a height adjustable stand is obscene.
 
I'll pop into apple and have nose around tomorrow as may treat myself to a laptop next year. I'm assuming following the thread I'd want something 32gb minimum and assume bigger screen and memory.

Second thoughts just looking online at the 16" MacBook with 32 GB it's like £3,000+ ouch.
 
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