What Mac Pro specs are best for Photoshop and Lightroom?

I'm about to cross over from PC to Mac. I've got up to 4 grand to blow on it and would like to spend it as wisely as possible. I've decided to take the Mac Pro route, but am unsure what configuration I should go for to keep Photoshop and Lightroom working smoothly. My image file sizes are usually around the 300 Mb mark but they often rise to 700 Mb or more when layers are involved. My so-called powerful Dell PC struggled with these sizes.
Should I do the obvious and go for bucket loads of RAM and as powerful a processor as possible, or are there more effective moves? For example, would 8 core be a worthy improvement over quad core?
My image library is stored on separate drives so I could hold back on hard disc space. If any wiser head can advise I would be grateful. Just don't make the answers too techy. I'm no computer boffin.
Thanks in advance.

1. Don't buy a MAC PRO now. New ones are to be released in the next weeks (maybe already today as today is Apples WWDC Opening)
2. Lightroom and Photoshop can use all processor cores you have. So I would go with the cheapest two CPU Model. As an upgrade by example from 2.26 to 2.66 Ghz (current Model) will cost you more then 1400$ for only 15% more processor power which results in maybe 7--10% faster application perfromance.
3. Don't buy extras at the Apple store.
4. For the saved 1400$:
4a. get from a third party provider a total of 10-16 GB of RAM (10 are normally sufficient)
4b. Additionally I would suggest to get 2 fast SSD Disks with 128 GB (or if you can afford it) 256 GB . Put them in a RAID 0 Array. Put your OSX Files and Lightroom Catalog, Caches and current work files on it.
4c. Get two 2 Terabyte Drives and run them as RAID 1 for your pictures.  And an additional 2 GB Extra External Firewire 800 or Better eSata Drive for Backup purposes.
Have fun with a very fast machine.
Additional question: How are your current storage devices connected to you computer: USB, eSATA , Ethernet or Firewire?
If you don't know what some things mean, go to a good 3rd Party Apple Seller who gives you fair prices for upgrades.
Frank

Similar Messages

  • Mac Pro technical specifications optimized for Photoshop and Premier Pro, yet affordable

    I will replace my old desktop Mac Pro with a new one.  I am looking for advice for the appropriate configuration choices for the new Mac Pro for use with the most current versions of Photoshop and Premier Pro.  This has to be balanced with a budget between $4000 to $6500.  I will use multiple hard drive storage for my files, but I am not asking for any advice for this,  My Photoshop use is for photo editing, with multiple images of at least 25MB files for panoramas and high dynamic range, and composites (have used Photoshop for 10 years).  I have not begun to use Premier Pro for video editing, but will primarily use it over the next 18 months to edit family home movies.
    The primary technical questions are which GPU D300 or D500,  CPU speed and number of cores 4 or 6 or 8, and memory DDR3 ECC 12GB or 16GB or 32 GB or 64GB.
    I have read various Internet articles and reviews of the Mac Pro, but find that I am unable to come up with a final choice.  One article stated that Adobe has designed its software to effectively use the new Mac Pro GPUs and CPU cores.
    Thank you,
    MIKE

    I would suggest atleast 16GB of ram with 32GB really what you want because of the dual GPU''s. If you don't have enough ram to feed both video cards then both those cards will have limited performance. The D300 cards are really a waste. I wouldn't bother with anything less than the D500 cards especially if you plan to use Premiere. AMD cards already have half the performance that Nvidia cards do with Adobe GPU acceleration in Premiere. I wouldn't make it worse with the D300 cards. I would also suggest the 6 core CPU over the 4 Core. Otherwise just get the new Imac instead of you want a Mac.
    Eric
    ADK

  • What compressor settings settings are best for 1080i  to output to DVD using DVD Studio pro?

    What compressor settings settings are best for 1080i  to output to DVD using DVD Studio pro? I used FCP 6, exported using Quick Time.

    DVDs are only SD. There was at one time HD-DVDs, which DVD SP and Compressor can make, but HD-DVDs will only play in Macs and, now obsolete HD-DVD players. HD-DVDs will not play back in standard DVD players or Blu-Ray players. If you want to make a "DVD will be played on DVD player for TV" disc, your only choice is SD.
    If you want HD video on a disc, then you want Blu-Ray. You will need a Blu-Ray burner (Apple does not make a Blu-Ray burner so you will have to buy a third-party Blu-Ray burner), Blu-Ray discs and software that will make a Blu-Ray disc. That could be the latest version of Compressor, or FCPX, or Toast, or Encore.

  • I am a male, and am looking at buying an ipod touch 5, i do not know what color i should get, does anyone have any suggestions on what ipod touch colors are best for guys

    I am a guy and i am looking at buying an ipod touch 5, i do not know what color i should get, does anyone have any suggestions on what ipod touch colors are best for guys?

    The Product Red model

  • Hi, i'm paying every mont for photoshop and lightroom, I had to bring my Mac to apple to change the hard drive, and now i want reinstall my programs, anyone can help me?

    Hi, i'm paying every mont for photoshop and lightroom, I had to bring my Mac to apple to change the hard drive, and now i want reinstall my programs, anyone can help me?

    Download and install the trial version(s) from https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/catalog/desktop.html and activate them with your Adobe ID.

  • Cloud package for Photoshop and Lightroom

    If I purchase the cloud package for Photoshop and Lightroom . Will I be able to continue using my previous version of Lightroom on the same computer?  I would like to have access to both the my previous one and new cloud Lightroom on one computer.  What happen to my Lightroom installed on my computer?

    HI LIsa,
    Yes you will be able to use the previous version on your computer. You can run both versions on the same machine. The previous version should not be affected
    Thanks
    Scott

  • I can't buy a license for Photoshop and Lightroom!

    I live in Sweden and I were browsing the swedish Adobe page a few days ago when I saw that they had a great offer for Photoshop and Lightroom. I tried to sign up and buy it, but when I clicked "Confirm purchase" the page loaded for about ten seconds and then froze completely. I didn't know it had frozen since it was my first try and it said it could take a few minutes. After about 15 minutes though I started to sense that something was up. My computer got really hot and the fans were going at it at the highest speed. I eventually had to close the page to prevent my computer from overheating, but every time I've tried do buy the license since it has done the same thing.
    Does anyone know what to do?
    I appreciate the help, kind regards Anna Cajsa Holmström.

    Link for Download & Install & Setup & Activation problems may help
    -Chat http://www.adobe.com/support/download-install/supportinfo/

  • New offer for Photoshop and Lightroom

    I bought Photoshop CC last week for $19.99 per month and received an offer today for Photoshop and Lightroom for $9.99. Can I update my plan to take advantage of this new offer?

    Hi Mike,
    Welcome to Adobe Forum,
    You can buy a new photography CC & get this refunded, you can mail privately me the new Photography CC order number, I will get the order for CC for single App placed on March1st 2014, canceled & refunded for you.
    Regards,
    Rajshree

  • What anti-theft solutions are best for the ipad?

    Hello,
         I would like to know which anti-theft solutions are best for the IPad. I am ordering several for work and I would like to know. Thanks.

    It depends upon how far you are willing to go.  Keeping it locked in a bank vault comes to mind but I suppose you want more flexibility.  Are you talking about physical attachment or just something to discourage a thief, or something to protect data integrity in case of theft? Realize that in many situations somebody may steal something and only later check if it has any value.  If it doesn't they will toss it in the nearest river, but you've still lost it.  As for iPads, a thief can reset one and it's like new.
    Find My iPad - http://www.apple.com/ipad/icloud/#find - has to be enabled before device is lost.  It also requires the device be on and connected to registered WiFi network or data service, and not having been restored by the finder (if it was really stolen then the thief has probably restored it).  If you have activated the "Find My" feature, go to https://www.icloud.com or use the Find My iPhone app - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-my-iphone/id376101648?mt=8
    Setting up iCloud (requires iOS5) - http://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/ios.html - includes activating the 'Find My' feature.
    Kappy's missing idevice recommendations 09/2012 - https://discussions.apple.com/message/19569712

  • I need a third license for Photoshop and Lightroom

    I am a cc member and have the entire suite. My husband has a desktop that I want to put photoshop and Lightroom on. I've already used my two cc license on my desktop and laptop. What's the price to add these two?

    If all you need is PS+LR (known as the Creative Cloud Photography Plan) then an extra license (complete with two activations) will cost another $10/month.

  • What Mac Pro specs should I consider for photography?

    After years of putting up with various pc configurations, I've decided to take the plunge and go over to a Mac Pro system.
    I have up to £4000 to invest on a system to use primarily for my work as a photographer. But which areas should I concentrate on when configuring my set-up? Given that Photoshop seems happy to suck up as much memory and processing power as one can throw at it, a sizeable amount of RAM and a decent speed of processor appears obvious. But how much RAM and what size processor, bearing in mind that my image file sizes are usually around the 300Mb mark and often go as high as 700Mb when containing unflattened layers? These file sizes have rendered my supposed powerful Dell to performing at a snails pace. Also, what else should I consider in my configuration?
    My image library is stored on a separate drive, so I could probably live with a reduced hard drive capacity if necessary.
    Incidentally, I am far from being a computer boffin, so I'd appreciate advice which isn't overly technical.
    Thanks in advance.
    Message was edited by: halfwit iPod user

    I'm in the UK and I use my Mac Pro for Video and Photography and I've had a few Mac Pro's getting to my ideal solution. If you are only using it for Photography I think you would be fine with 8Gb of RAM but if you fill out all 8 slots with 2Gb modules from Crucial it's not too bad to go to 16Gb. My advice would be to run the Mac Pro on a large Western Digital Caviar Black (their quickest) such as the 2Tb model. Then, I'd invest in a Tempo SATA card so you can purchase either a Drobo or a Hive for your Vault for Aperture so you have total peace of mind with your data. Display wise, just buy an Apple 30" Cinema before they replace it with a glossy version. They are absolutely superb for Video and Photography but beware, if they go wrong and they are in the bin, so buy AppleCare immediately. I've listed my setup below with where to buy and costs in UK pounds. Good luck and enjoy.
    Mac Pro 8-core with the 8Gb upgrade from Apple as that will give you 4x2Gb allowing you to not have to bin the 6x1Gb's you would get as standard. Then also add the ATI Radeon HD 4870. Should come to £2798.00 inc. VAT.
    Western Digital 2Tb Caviar Black (eBuyer, http://www.ebuyer.com/product/173388) for £173.86
    Sonnet Tempo SATA E4P Serial ATA Host Adaper (Cancom, http://www.cancomuk.com/Brand/Sonnet/Product/59673?_Sonnet-Tempo-SATA-E4P-Serial-ATA-Host-Adapter-for-PCI-Express-(TSATAII-E4P)-TSATAII-E4P&ref=5681a404afd60a8d) for £232.00
    Apple Aperture 3 (Jigsaw, http://www.jigsaw24.com/product-details/mb957za/apple-aperture-3-web-updatable-t o-3.0.3) for £119.00
    Hive 4Tb Raid (Give's 2.8Tb of SAFE storage) (Cancom, http://www.cancomuk.com/Brand/Hive/Product/66109?_Hive-4TB-RAID-(4x1TB-drives)-5002) for £716.00
    Apple 30" Cinema Display (Jigsaw, http://www.jigsaw24.com/product-details/m9179ba/apple-30-cinema-display) for £1115.08
    All the prices are inclusive of the dreaded VAT so if you are VAT registered you can save. I would say that with Aperture 3 you need full Photoshop less than ever, I'd consider Elements to start with to save some cash. You could also look at a Drobo instead of the Hive but we bought both in our office and the Drobo is painfully slow in comparison to the Hive and the Hive uses a dedicated Hardware RAID where the Drobos use a software version and I've heard some horror stories from Drobo owners.

  • Which Mac Pro would be best for editing?

    I'm upgrading my editing system and I was wondering what type of computer would be best. Again, the system is used almost solely for editing film in regular def and high def. I'm wondering what processor speed would be best. Whether I should get a duel core or quad core and why? What are the bells and whistles that are not needed? Price is no obstacle, but I don't want to just buy the best if it isn't necessary.

    The amount of RAM is of more influence than the difference between the processor speeds of the Mac Pro models. RAM is not that expensive, so always put as much in as you can, when using software that uses lots of memory. You're even better of using a slower processor with plenty of RAM than using on that is a little faster, but has few RAM.
    Then there is the speed of the hard disk memory that will be your next bottleneck, specially when using video or other large files. All Mac Pro 2008 models have 4(!) drivebays you can shove more SATA hd's right in. Then use the disk utility to configure them (2, 3 even 4!) as a RAID set, that is 2, 3 or 4 times as fast! Use the same type and size hd's for a set. Read up on RAID before you decide to use it. I use a striped RAID of 3 hd's and a 4th for a Time Machine backup of the RAID. They all fit nicely in the Mac Pro and hd's are not that expensive either.
    BTW Both RAM and HD's are cheaper when you buy them outside the Apple store, I'm sorry to say.

  • Mac Pro 4,1 SATA for OS and RAID SAS for data?

    Hello, Can I setup a new Mac Pro with two SATA drives for the OS and install a RAID Card and two SAS drives for data?
    Or do they all have to be SAS or SATA drives in the machine? Meaning I cannot mix SATA and SAS.
    Thanks,
    Dean

    Even MacWorld magazine liked the OWC drives.
    If you are serious about using an SSD drive, they are generally too small for, and do not give enough speed improvement to, extensive documents, movies, pictures, Tunes, and so on. You should consider moving the /Users directory to a traditional Hard Drive.
    Blocks on SDD drives can sustain a finite number of writes, thought to be in the neighborhood of 10,000. Some Cloning software is thought to do an abusive number of writes during cloning, so it may be better to install the System from scratch onto your new SSD.
    I am an advocate of occasionally consolidating free space on an SSD drive and Zeroing it. Since these drives tend to be organized internally as really big blocks, eliminating small "free" blocks (with leftover data in them) may allow some drives to do fewer slow Read-Modify-Write cycles. This practice is, at best, controversial.

  • Mac Pro with Second HD for Win and Mac

    Hello Everyone,
    I just purchased a new Mac Pro 3.2 Ghz. I have two 500 GB HDs. One is partitioned for Mac OS X and Windows Vista 64. The second HD I want to use as storage for both Mac OS X and Windows and be able to share files. Everyone I talked to says I should format to FAT 32, but there are file size limitations with that format. Is there any way to get the second HD to NTFS format and so that Mac OS X and Windows can read and write to it. Also it would be great if there is a way to unlock my Windows partition on the Mac side so I can write to it. Also are there any good solutions for backing up files using an external RAID with large file formats such as a 1TB or more. If there is anyone who has a similar set up I would welcome any suggestions.
    Thanks,
    jh3d

    I bought Paragon-Software NTFS 6.5 driver to write to NTFS from OS X.
    http://www.paragon-software.com/
    You can use the convert command in Vista, or just delete the FAT partition and create NTFS.
    RAID is a common, popular topic and mbean has lots and lots of great replies, or check out AMUG reviews and also Rob_Art's Barefeats.
    http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/reviews.html
    (down right now)
    http://www.barefeats.com/
    I use DataBackup PC from Prosoft Engineering in Vista (makers of Data Rescue II) along with Vista Ultimate's backup PC and files feature to FW and Sonnet Tempo E4P.
    http://www.prosoftengineering.com/index.php
    http://www.sonnettech.com/product/temposatae4p.html
    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/hitachi-western-digital-terabyte,2017-13.htm l
    http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Western%20Digital/WD1001FALS/
    Cheap, fast, little 640GB drive:
    http://www.barefeats.com/harper14.html
    http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Western%20Digital/WD6400AAKS/

  • Advice needed on monitor for Photoshop and Lightroom use

    Hi. I am aserious amature photographer wishing to move to the next level and sell some of my work.
    I just had a custom pc built to work with the new copies of Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3 I bought (lots or RAM and HD space, ssd, etc....)
    The last piece of my system is to purchase a monitor. I want to be somewhere in the better then Best Buy but less than NEC/Eizo range in price, or between $500 - $900. I have worked with cameras since the early 80's and moved to digital several years ago but the only post processing I have done is with Photoshop Elements.  I would be doing mostly prints to sell but also need to have a web site to do so. Will also use the pc for daily net surfing... but do not game or watch a lot of video on the pc.
    Being really new to this whole process I have a few questions.
    The first thing I need to decide is whether I need to look for a wide gamut display or not.
    I realize the whole chain must be 10 bit (Adobe -OS - graphics driver - graphics card - display port.
    I have Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3, Win7 64 bit, Zotac ZT 50701 10M video card (which uses GeForce GTX 560  fermi and an nvidia chipset. It does have displayport). I am having a hard time determining whether my video card actually supports wide gamut (10bit).
    Standard vs Wide Gamut? Is wide gamut important enough to deal with the issues it brings (calibration, viewing things other than PS and LR or color managed, which appear to be rare?) Is sRGB good enough for most prints (don't do fine art, mostly nature and portraits but starting to do some HRD things). If wide gamut is the way to go I have no problem with that and have the time to learn about calibration, color management, etc... But I also want to make sure the juice is worth the squeeze.
    24" vs 27"? Is there any advantage to one or the other when editing photos?
    IPS vs PLS? I realize they are similar but are there differences worth noting?
    Glossy vs Matte Anti-Glare? seems to be a lot of comments regarding the anti-glare coating, mostly poor. Yet I can see issues using a glossy screen in my study with a window to my back.
    One manufacturer vs another? I realize Eizo, NEC and LaCie are at the top of the heap. But with my budget, after upgrading my pc and camera equipment, I can't make that work now. So I need to choose from the next group down (Dell, HP, Samsung, Asus...)
    One or two monitors? It looks like many (mid-grade) wide gamut monitors do a lousy job of displaying anything but color managed sites. Is that necessarily true of all the mid-grades? Or can some be used for graphics but as well for routine net surfing, MS Office, etc...? Or am I better off getting two monitors, one for graphics and one for the rest? That would pretty much limit me to 24" or less given my budget (used to using a Dell 21" TN monitor that oddly crapped out just as my new pc was done).
    The more I read reviews the more confusing it gets. There seems to be a difference of opinion even among pros on whether to go wide gamut or stick with an easier sRGB. Realizing a standard gamut monitor would be cheaper, I do want to make the right decision up front, given my budget.
    The one thing I have found astounding is that there is nowhere to actually see many of the monitors I am considering. We live in Nashville TN but my wife is from Atlanta Ga so we drove there a few weeks ago to visit family and for me to visit monitor shops. Even the largest ones there (Fry's and Microcenter) had minimal IPS monitors, a few Dells and HP's. The knowledge of their sales folks was so poor I finally gave up. Felt bad about this until I posted this on another board and got a reply from a guy in LA (second largest city in the US) that he wanted to see a particular monitor and there was no place even there to do so.
    Anyhow, here is what I have considered:
    24" Wide Gamut: Dell U2410 and Asus PA246Q. Dells appear to be good IF you get a good one. The Asus appears to be a clone of the Dell that gets a lot of good press.
    27" Wide Gamut: Dell U2711 that also gets a ton of good reviews
    24: Standard Gamut: Dell U2412 and HP ZR2440.
    27" Standard Gamut: Samsung S27A850D and Apple Cinema- The Samsung uses PLS technology versus IPS while the Apple is a glossy screen that will work with a pc.
    Sorry for the long post. Any comments are greatly appreciated.

    dkg62 wrote:
    I realize the whole chain must be 10 bit
    Not trying to talk you out of setting up a 10 bit pipeline, but it's still not very mature, and it really isn't a necessity to get a good editing experience.
    Personally I find advantage in using two 4:3 ratio monitors for Photoshop work.  All my panels are on the right monitor, while pretty much the entire left one shows the Photoshop main window and the working canvas space.  My desktop is 3200 x 1200 pixels overall, and I find having the panels remain visible all the time is important.
    Regarding whether a wide gamut is important...  Will you be printing to devices that deliver a wide gamut?  What other things will you be doing with your system?
    It's not a no-brainer whether a wider gamut monitor is always "better" for everything, since it can accentuate the differences between the output from color-managed and non-color-managed applications, and it's definitely true that not everything is color-managed.  With a monitor that's close to sRGB, for example, you might find Internet Explorer output acceptable, while using a wide gamut monitor will result in garishly oversaturated IE displays.  On the other hand, FireFox (with a settings tweak) seems to get color management right, so there is an alternative.
    I think, as John has implied above, you should work to get your head completely around how color-management works, soup to nuts.  If you don't, there will always be things that are a mystery or which surprise you at the wrong times.  Being able to order a print and have it come back with the expected color can be very important, as you might imagine.
    -Noel

Maybe you are looking for