[HawaiianOnline]

This is a question about the minimum hardware requirements that a Macbook Pro should have to run CS5 well in your own experience. I know what Adobe has published as far as minimum requirements, but I an asking for your opinions on them rather than the manufacturer's. For instance, Adobe says 1GB minimum memory, but how much should you have for it to be running "well" in your opinion. Does 1GB really cut it, or should it be 2GB or even 4? Core 2 Duo , i5, or i7 at XXXGHz?

For a little bit of history, my current PC laptop decided to commit suicide today (I hate that damn bag I should get a new one). It's sitting on the desk next to me in 2 large pieces plus whatever other bits I could find scattered across the parking garage floor. I have a PowerMac G5 that's running CS3 acceptably so I want to get a Macbook Pro. I want to get a refurb from Apple so I can get more "oomph" for my money. My question is how much "oomph" do I need if I were to get the CS5 upgrade for it? Thanks for looking and any responses!


EDIT: If pretty much any of the 15.4" refurbs at the Apple store will do it, then just let me know, please.

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Last edited by HawaiianOnline; 01-26-2011 at 09:54 PM. Reason: Did not want to double post

[Miguel]

I believe all the new models come with 4 GB of RAM at a minimum; 8 GB is the maximum and if you can afford it go for it.
I'd recommend the latest and greatest models. My wife has the 15-inch; my daughter the 13-inch. For serious post processing, I'd recommend the 15-in with the 17-in preferred.
Also make sure the hard drive on the refurb is large enough for your requirements. I've purchased plenty of refurbed Macs with zero problems, but that's no guarantee of anything.

M

[Kai]

They are updating the MacBook Pro soon so the price may be better then.

[tybeck]

My primary computer is a 13" Macbook Pro Unibody with a Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz. It came with 2 GB of RAM and CS4 ran find with no other apps running on one or 2 10-MP files. I wanted to run several more programs at once so I saved up and maxed out to 8 GM and put in a larger hard drive. It's not too expensive if you buy from a third party and do the install yourself. Apple charges a lot for extra RAM.

The comments about going with a larger screen are also correct. A 13" screen is workable for photo editing and fine for sorting and tagging, but using an external monitor when I'm at home is a much better option. Screen size is a trade off. For me I find the weight of a 15" or 17" laptop to defeat the purpose of having a portable computer. For the money I'd probably get a 27" iMac and an iPad rather than one 17" Macbook Pro. Depends on your own needs.

[Ahab]

I have a 13" Macbook 1.8Ghz, Core2/2GB which ran CS5 just fine. Recently the keyboard became erratic and the DVD died. I travel a lot and I don't want anything larger than a 13" screen so I ordered the 13" Macbook Pro with 2.4Ghz Core2/4GB which is the same configuration as my IMac except has a higher buss speed. You should have no problem. By the way, all my Macs have been refurbished and all arrived looking like new.

[normhead]

I have also been a fan of refurbished Macs, but, I usually double the supplied ram, just as a rule of thumb. If you keep your machines for 4 years like I do, you'll be using it before the end of it's life.

[boriscleto]

They are updating the MacBook Pro soon so the price may be better then.

I don't see the update happening before March. The last update was in April of 2010. The update before that was in June of 2009. While the supply of MBPs is becoming constrained in some places, Amazon is quoting 2-3 months for delivery, Apple still has ample supply. When Apple starts running out then the upgrade is imminent.

[normhead]

Doesn't Apple run on about a 2 day inventory? When ever I've ordered new Apple stuff it's come straight from the plant. in Shanghai or wherever. I always assumed that they supplied themselves first and sold extra capacity to third party suppliers. If Amazon is saying three months, I'm guessing Apple is selling everything they can make from their own stores right now, and expects to continue that for the next three months. I have no idea why resellers put up with Apple, it's one of the mysteries of the universe.

[boriscleto]

Doesn't Apple run on about a 2 day inventory? When ever I've ordered new Apple stuff it's come straight from the plant. in Shanghai or wherever. I always assumed that they supplied themselves first and sold extra capacity to third party suppliers. If Amazon is saying three months, I'm guessing Apple is selling everything they can make from their own stores right now, and expects to continue that for the next three months. I have no idea why resellers put up with Apple, it's one of the mysteries of the universe.

IMNSHO Apple is just screwing with Amazon for not following Apple pricing. Apple put ClubMac out of business for the same reason. This next MBP update isn't going to be one of Apple's nearly silent updates. The current Unibody design is three years old. The new design will have enough new features that it will warrant an Apple Media Event. I expect to see a lighter-thinner case, no optical drive on the 13", all SSD drives, and Light Peak for the first time on a Mac.

[tuco]

Are you connecting to an external monitor? I may be spoiled but I don't see how you can edit photos well using a laptop's screen. The colors are not very accurate and the real estate is so small compared to a good external monitor. At least on my MBP that's the case for me.

[normhead]

IMNSHO Apple is just screwing with Amazon for not following Apple pricing. Apple put ClubMac out of business for the same reason. This next MBP update isn't going to be one of Apple's nearly silent updates. The current Unibody design is three years old. The new design will have enough new features that it will warrant an Apple Media Event. I expect to see a lighter-thinner case, no optical drive on the 13", all SSD drives, and Light Peak for the first time on a Mac.

Going on my experience as a sales rep for an independent Apple reseller years ago, I can tell you, it's in the contract. You have no right to undercut Apples or anyone who sells Apple computers, price. Amazon read the contract before they signed on. It might not seem fair, and to be honest I hated it, but that's the way it is. What Amazon (or any retailer) does have the right to do is throw in any non Apple product with the package. That isn't considered a price infringement. So if you want to throw in a free printer, or laptop case or whatever, that doesn't break your agreement with Apple, as long as it isn't their product. But when you're making $75 a computer gross, how much stuff can you give away? I've seen this happen piles of times. If you break your pricing agreement you signed on to when you signed your license to sell Apple product, they don't have to ship you another item, and they won't. Amazon is dreaming if they haven't pulled Apple from their on line store, they may think Apple will fold. They won't. They didn't when Jobs was gone and they were losing a billion, and they certainly won't now that they are making money.

[boriscleto]

Going on my experience as a sales rep for an independent Apple reseller years ago, I can tell you, it's in the contract. You have no right to undercut Apples or anyone who sells Apple computers, price. Amazon read the contract before they signed on. It might not seem fair, and to be honest I hated it, but that's the way it is. What Amazon (or any retailer) does have the right to do is throw in any non Apple product with the package. That isn't considered a price infringement. So if you want to throw in a free printer, or laptop case or whatever, that doesn't break your agreement with Apple, as long as it isn't their product. But when you're making $75 a computer gross, how much stuff can you give away? I've seen this happen piles of times. If you break your pricing agreement you signed on to when you signed your license to sell Apple product, they don't have to ship you another item, and they won't. Amazon is dreaming if they haven't pulled Apple from their on line store, they may think Apple will fold. They won't. They didn't when Jobs was gone and they were losing a billion, and they certainly won't now that they are making money.

When I got my first Mac if you wanted a Mac other than a Performa there was only one place in Syracuse where you could buy one. It wasn't an easy place to find either. They shared a building with a nail distributer and offices with a Satellite dish company. They didn't even have a showroom at first. When you went in to buy a computer they set it up in a conference room. He stuck it out for years, even competing directly with CompUSA's store-in-a-store and then an Apple Store. I don't know how he stayed in business for as long as he did. I think mainly by overcharging for service and parts. I remember going in to see about some RAM one time and he was charging like three times what it was selling for online. He's still around as an Apple Specialist but under a different name.

[normhead]

When I got my first Mac if you wanted a Mac other than a Performa there was only one place in Syracuse where you could buy one. It wasn't an easy place to find either.

Ya, that's similar to the place I worked. You make so little on a computer from Apple, that's not how you make your money. I recently got Apple to ship to my reseller from the on-line store, because they wouldn't ship to my house. He was happy to do it. He sold me the AppleCare package and 4 gig of ram, and he made three times as much as he would have made selling me the computer. I also bought Office and Aperture from him. The store I worked for made their money coaxing underpowered machines to do things they had no business doing for customers who thought it was cool to pay us, but not cool to just buy what they should have bought in the first place. And also getting sound cards etc. to work with their machines. My favourite guy in the business, sold out to a larger company, but he ran a similar shop. These days it's all about Futureshop and Best Buy. What people don't understand is. because of Apple pricing , they don't get a better deal from those guys, just cheaper hardware. My little one man shop in Hunstville gets me the same pricing as any Apple dealer anywhere. So why would I shop at Best Buy?

[HawaiianOnline]

Are you connecting to an external monitor? I may be spoiled but I don't see how you can edit photos well using a laptop's screen. The colors are not very accurate and the real estate is so small compared to a good external monitor. At least on my MBP that's the case for me.

That's a good question. My G5 is connected to a 30" ACD. I've heard that there are problems with the Dual link DVI adapter for the MBP. If this is the case, I might just get a smaller monitor (20-24") for home use with the MBP.

[twitch]

In my experience 4Gb is not enough for good perfromance using Aperture 3.x and processing RAW photos. 8Gb is enough, a joy in fact