Apple Macbook Suggestions Please

[Orguy]

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I currently have a Q2 and have been using it with my Macbook Pro. My Macbook  just died so I need a new computer. After researching it a bit, it seems that a Macbook Air with an M1 or M2 chip would be fine. I used up all the solid state memory on my Pro model (it is 512GB). For the larger file size of the Q3, which I have on order, should this new Macbook Air have 1 or 2TB of storage? Thoughts on 8GB vs 16GB of ram? My Apple store said the Pro model would be overkill and 8GB was probably fine. Do you agree? Unless advised otherwise,  I’m leaning to MacBook Air with 8GB ram, 1 or 2 TB storage., M? Chip.

Thoughts?

[F. Edant]

What photo editing software do you use?
With only 8GB of ram in my MacMini, I regularly overwhelm Photoshop, especially when using the new haze removal.
I used to edit photos on a MacBook Pro as well, but now I work mostly on 27-inch screens, which allow better control of details.

[GFW2-SCUSA]

I just bought this MacBook Pro 16"  with M2, 16gig  and 1TB storage. Thus far it can handle whoever I throw at it and does so nicely. One reason I went with this rather than the Air is this has a card slot so I don't need dongles. It's a bit heavy but I don't take it anywhere.  I use external drives for storage of photos so I didn't need any more than 1 TB. 

 

[liggy]

Love my MBP 14" M2 Max 32 GB.  It happily runs PS/LR and my most recent favorite - Topaz PhotoAI.  

Storage - more is always better but external SSDs are cheap and fast so I guess it depends upon how you intend to use the computer.  I have a dock with a hub and a bunch of drives and a 32" monitor so storage is not an issue.  

If you're going to use it standalone I suppose it would be easier and neater and cleaner to run the laptop without drives hanging off of it wherever you go so go big if you need to. 

Pretty much any moderately specced M1/M2 MBP will be fine for anything but hard core use.  If you're that kind of user you probably know what you want already.  

[Miltz]

I would get at least 16GB of ram. 8GB isn’t enough. Additionally I would get the best model you can reasonably afford as it will perform better and last longer. I would avoid the base M1 at this point and go at least with a M1 Pro CPU. 

[Darrell]

My Mac Studio has the M1 Max and 32GB of memory. It’s a lot faster than my old intel PC and Photoshop and Lightroom run absolutely smooth. I wouldn’t run anything less than 16GB and 32GB is really sweet.

[Voxen]

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MacBook Air M2 with 16 gb of ram will be more than enough to process your images.

Just get a SSD with 512gb or more because the base 256gb is much slower.

For the record, I process 4K videos with the older MacBook Air M1 and it works perfectly fine.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Voxen

[Simone_DF]

Splurge on a M2 model. Apart from the more powerful chip, it has a heap of small but nice to have life improvements on the hardware side, including a better screen. 

For the ram, it depends on how deep into Photoshop you go. 8 might be fine, 16 better if you work with bigger files. 32gb is overkill for most applications, unless you regularly do heavy video editing. With the way the ram is handled by the new Mx architecture, I'd rather invest in a more powerful chip (ie M2 Ultra on a MBP) than extra ram.

For internal storage, I went on a 1TB on my MPB 13" but I use an external 2TB SSD hard drive to store my Lightroom catalog and all photos. They are cheap and fast. This way I can unplug the hard drive and launch it from any Mac with Lightroom installed. 

[LocalHero1953]

I have a Macbook Pro 14" with M1 Pro chip and 32Gb RAM, 1Tb storage. My wife has a Macbook Air, and there isn't a significant size difference IMO. The main reason I got the Pro over the Air  was the SD card reader, so I don't have to carry a separate card reader while travelling.

Most of my photo and video editing (Adobe LR, PS, Topaz PhotoAI, Davinci Resolve) is done on a desktop PC and Eizo monitor. I've never tried Davinci on my Macbook, but all the other software runs well for occasional use while travelling. I often connect my laptop to the Eizo monitor for office type stuff, because I can then read two A4 docs side by side. 

Edited September 6, 2023 by LocalHero1953

[Mikep996]

IMO, the Macbook Pro!  I've had the Air and liked it's size/weight but the  pro is far superior for any sort of processing AND the added slots are really handy - I've needed them all at the same time for certain tasks. 1TB minimum.

[LocalHero1953]

3 minutes ago, Mikep996 said:

IMO, the Macbook Pro!  I've had the Air and liked it's size/weight but the  pro is far superior for any sort of processing AND the added slots are really handy - I've needed them all at the same time for certain tasks. 1TB minimum.

Agreed: on top of the SD card reader, the three USB-C ports and HDMI port are worth having over the Air's limited connections.

[thighslapper]

As you are in Apple and Leica land I assume spending the odd extra 1000 is feasible even if you don’t want to 

Get the fastest processor, most RAM and most onboard storage that you can bear to spend money on.

You won’t regret it and it will extend the usable life of the laptop.

To be honest  an iPad Pro will do everything you want in a more convenient package …… I gave up laptops years ago and have never regretted it. The only downside is the implementation of PS ….. but these days LR can do most of what I would have dipped into PS to do anyway …. Plus you can always sync your on the hoof processing to the cloud and do more when back at home. 

[idusidusi]

11 hours ago, Orguy said:

I currently have a Q2 and have been using it with my Macbook Pro. My Macbook  just died so I need a new computer. After researching it a bit, it seems that a Macbook Air with an M1 or M2 chip would be fine. I used up all the solid state memory on my Pro model (it is 512GB). For the larger file size of the Q3, which I have on order, should this new Macbook Air have 1 or 2TB of storage? Thoughts on 8GB vs 16GB of ram? My Apple store said the Pro model would be overkill and 8GB was probably fine. Do you agree? Unless advised otherwise,  I’m leaning to MacBook Air with 8GB ram, 1 or 2 TB storage., M? Chip.

Thoughts?

M chip yes. 2TB yes. As much RAM as possible. I disagree with the Apple Store a Mac Pro model - or as <thighslapper> above says iPad Pro can be just as useful as a laptop. I also gave up laptops and have an iPad Pro with Apple Keyboard - works for me just as the laptop in times past did.

Edited September 6, 2023 by idusidusi
Extra thoughts

[dpitt]

Macbook Pro rather than Macbook Air, not just for the ports and slots. The architecture is better under heavy loads and it will be more future proof.

Buy more RAM rather than internal storage (if you can not afford both). 16GB seems to be a minimum, also for the future.

Internal storage of 512GB seems enough and pretty future proof. I am using external drives to store my old projects (C1P sessions) and I only have to store my current session (about  50GB)  on my internal drive. External drives provide cheap and abundant storage. I have 2 drives of 5TB each in use now with my Macbook Pro (still an older Intel model with only 256GB of internal drive) and plan on moving to a M2 model soon.

[idusidusi]

18 minutes ago, dpitt said:

Macbook Pro rather than Macbook Air, not just for the ports and slots. The architecture is better under heavy loads and it will be more future proof.

Buy more RAM rather than internal storage (if you can not afford both). 16GB seems to be a minimum, also for the future.

Internal storage of 512GB seems enough and pretty future proof. I am using external drives to store my old projects (C1P sessions) and I only have to store my current session (about  50GB)  on my internal drive. External drives provide cheap and abundant storage. I have 2 drives of 5TB each in use now with my Macbook Pro (still an older Intel model with only 256GB of internal drive) and plan on moving to a M2 model soon.

Great advice! On my Mac I have internal 2TB only using 250GB for apps, system and the rest. Everything else is external, (all of my data I care about and photos, music). So I could have done with 1TB internal drive. I have 64 GB RAM, which with ever increasing image files etc is the minimum I would install. Also everything SSD for speed. 

[marchyman]

Consider an external SSD for photo storage.   A Thunderbolt or USB 3.2 SSD is plenty fast. I used to recommend the SanDisk Extreme Pro but there are too many issues reported with the current version. 

Edited September 6, 2023 by marchyman

[idusidusi]

3 minutes ago, marchyman said:

Consider an external SSD for photo storage.   A Thunderbolt or USB 3.2 SSD is plenty fast. I used to recommend the SanDisk Extreme Pro but there are too many issues reported with the current version.  This unit ==> https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Professional-4TB-PRO-G40-SDPS31H-004T-GBCND/dp/B0BW6715SV?th=1 is well reviewed.

I use Wise SSD 1TB and 2TB, never skipped a beat with video or stills storage - should I say temporary storage, before all contents are backed up to my backup solution, then the SSD's are wiped and start collecting images again.

[charlesphoto99]

Depends on what you want to do with it, and moving into the future. I have a 16" M1 with 64GB of RAM, and for me, after abysmal performance with a Mac mini M1 and 16GB RAM, 64 is the least amount of RAM I would go with (I often use PS, LR and Bridge, plus Pages, browser, Acrobat etc open at once). 512GB or 1TB SSD is plenty. Spend your $ on RAM. 

[Orguy]

Thanks everyone for all this valuable advice. Quite a great, useful forum this is!

You’ve convinced me: Macbook Pro with M2 chip. 16GB, maybe 32 RAM??

Now as to internal storage - do you think 4TB is overkill vs. 2TB? As I said, I plan on storing all my Q3 photos onboard (as well as backed up externally, of course). I kept my previous Macbook Pro for 10 years so I appreciate the concept of overkill initially, to avoid regrets later. I blew through 512GB pretty easily on my old Macbook.

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[hansvons]

3 hours ago, Orguy said:

You’ve convinced me: Macbook Pro with M2 chip. 16GB, maybe 32 RAM??

16" MB M1 heavy user (C1, Adobe, Flame, Resolve, Office, AI-stuff, you name it - everything)  of the first hour here. Get as much RAM as you can afford. 16GB is the bare minimum. 32 GB is ok. 64 GB is only necessary for video applications such as Resolve in 4K. The M1 RAM drives also the graphics. The 8 GB option is a ridiculous offer by Apple, especially for the "pro" line. 

3 hours ago, Orguy said:

do you think 4TB is overkill vs. 2TB?

I learned that 1 TB is a too-tight fit. I wish I had opted for the 2TB. 

 

3 hours ago, Orguy said:

I kept my previous Macbook Pro for 10 years so I appreciate the concept of overkill initially, to avoid regrets later.

That's precisely my sentiment. The new M1 MB are brilliant machines. Worth every penny.