[philippe]

I think that the OSX version is important too.
BTW, OSX Snow Leopard has full RAM address, so whatever you put in your MacPro, it will be addressed and could speed up processing.
But, when post processing pictures, in the RAM devouring LightRoom3 for instance, it is wise to restart the computer at least once a day AND to purge the caches regularly. Only the user's caches should be purged, you can find the here: menu —> go —> user file (home file) —> library —> caches —> open it, select the contains (or a part of it) and delete it, but be aware: ONLY PURGE THE CONTAINS OF THE CACHES FILE, NOT THE FILE IT SELF!
MacKeeper, for instance, is a very good app for cleaning up these junk files and it's done the safe way.
Caches, and junk files, are eating disc space, uses RAM and are slowing down processing (and the computer).
Once in a while, startup while holding down the OPTION and then restart normally, that way unneeded startup caches are purged too.

[Shoal]

Thanks for all your suggestions! Some of them, like special monitors and external cache drives, I would no doubt do if I were a little more "hardcore" about all this, but as it stands right now my photography is more casual, and all that really matters to me is speeding up a bit so working with 16MP RAW photos isn't painful anymore.

I'm going to go with the 8GB in an iMac desktop. (That will also solve in itself some monitor problems I presently have. And Apple does make some very good monitors from what I hear.) Maybe, if it's possible, I might pay for only 4GB from the factory and after getting the machine upgrade it to 16GB. Cheaper that way. But I don't know how to open a Mac! Gosh, I used to build my own PCs back when I was a gamer but with Macs everything is so different.

[boriscleto]

You won't have to worry about an IPS monitor if you get an iMac because every iMac has an IPS monitor.

Upgrading RAM on an iMac couldn't be simpler. It's the only user replaceable part on an iMac. Replacing the RAM requires the removal on 1 screw. Just make sure when you install the RAM that it clicks firmly into place. Using the eraser at the end of a pencil might help to get it seated properly.

iMac: How to remove or install memory

[Chex]

, I used to build my own PCs back when I was a gamer but with Macs everything is so different.

iMac's are basically a laptop (but all laptop's are a pain ) and most only have 2 ports to plug RAM into.. Now day's desktop's have between 4-6 memory slots on average... making a 6 slot motherboard cheap to get upto 24GB of RAM!. 204pin SODIMM's are cheap, I would just check newegg.com for iMac compatible ram of the correct speed (PC8500 I would guess.. that's 1066Mhz, a standard for modern systems). 4GB SODIMM's should run you around $45-55 depending on brand.. just make sure they say Mac compatible and you will be fine, lots of good user reviews there too. 8GB sticks are pretty pricey and that's a downfall for iMac's and laptops compared to say a normal desktop system

Mac's are now PC's with one extra chip on the motherboard telling the computer it's a Mac.. after the Mac G4 processor, Apple couldn't solve their CPU's overheating problems and finally caved into using intel's x86 and now x64 architecture hardware.

[paulh]

One thing to keep in mind is the older 32-bit OS's (XP, Vista, not sure about MacOS) can only access up to 4 gb of ram. Adding more ram to these systems won't help, afaik.

[hcarvalhoalves]

Aperture, for instance, requires a minimum of 4GB of RAM. If you are using OS X Snow Leopard or Lion, you can benefit from installing 8GB as theses OSes are 64 bit. But given your Mac has only 2GB, I believe it's too old already, so you won't find 2x4GB modules of the correct speed to install on it.

I have a late 2009 MacBook which had originally 2x1GB and I replaced with 2x2GB, it sped things up considerably on Aperture.

[boriscleto]

iMac's are basically a laptop (but all laptop's are a pain ) and most only have 2 ports to plug RAM into.. Now day's desktop's have between 4-6 memory slots on average... making a 6 slot motherboard cheap to get upto 24GB of RAM!. 204pin SODIMM's are cheap, I would just check newegg.com for iMac compatible ram of the correct speed (PC8500 I would guess.. that's 1066Mhz, a standard for modern systems). 4GB SODIMM's should run you around $45-55 depending on brand.. just make sure they say Mac compatible and you will be fine, lots of good user reviews there too. 8GB sticks are pretty pricey and that's a downfall for iMac's and laptops compared to say a normal desktop system

Mac's are now PC's with one extra chip on the motherboard telling the computer it's a Mac.. after the Mac G4 processor, Apple couldn't solve their CPU's overheating problems and finally caved into using intel's x86 and now x64 architecture hardware.

iMacs have 4 RAM slots. They come from the factory with 4 GB (2 x 2GB). Going to 8 GB costs about $35 if you do it yourself. 16 GB (4 x 4 GB) is about $135. It only gets pricey if you want to go to 24 or 32 GB ($950 to $1800!). They use PC10600 RAM (1333MHz)

There is a huge difference in performance between the iMac and the 13" MacBook Pro for one simple reason. The iMac has a Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB of GDDR5 memory. The MacBook Pro has Intel HD Graphics 3000 with shared memory. The iMac also has a Quad Core processor compared to the MacBook's Dual Core processor.

[kyteflyer]

I have a mid 2007 iMac which I have been running PS5 and Lightroom 3 on (4G but now 6, and TBH the extra 2 hasnt made a huge difference). Its fine. I've just bought a macbook pro (feb 2011) and it came with 4G and they are running fine in that, too, but being newer, will benefit from a RAM boost when I am ready to buy a screen. I bought from the refurb store and got a really good deal, I thought. You might consider a refurb model, instead of brand new.

[boriscleto]

I have a mid 2007 iMac which I have been running PS5 and Lightroom 3 on (4G but now 6, and TBH the extra 2 hasnt made a huge difference). Its fine. I've just bought a macbook pro (feb 2011) and it came with 4G and they are running fine in that, too, but being newer, will benefit from a RAM boost when I am ready to buy a screen. I bought from the refurb store and got a really good deal, I thought. You might consider a refurb model, instead of brand new.

The 21" iMac in the referb store is an i3 Dual Core and is only $100 less than the new i5 Quad Core.

[kyteflyer]

The 21" iMac in the referb store is an i3 Dual Core and is only $100 less than the new i5 Quad Core.

Yes, if I was buying desktop now, I would buy quadcore. Much more useful. That may yet happen for me, my iMac is still OK, but needs updating... and not sure if I will just get a screen to go with the MBP or just spring for a new desktop.

Just looked at the Aus refurb store, and the cost difference between the 27" Thunderbolt or ACD screen and a refurb 21.5" iMac quadcore is nothing at all. Same price, and for the item its a $500 saving on new (its the May 2011 model). I think I have just this minute decided to get a replacement iMac instead of the big screen I don't need 27"

[steve1307]

I found the rule with computers is that "more and faster is better" and that pretty soon it wont be enough.

8GB quadcore works nicely for me, but it's not the most important thing.
For the final result a decent IPS panel is where the money should go.

[boriscleto]

I found the rule with computers is that "more and faster is better" and that pretty soon it wont be enough.

8GB quadcore works nicely for me, but it's not the most important thing.
For the final result a decent IPS panel is where the money should go.

You don't have to worry about an IPS display with an iMac because all iMacs have an IPS display. The MacBooks are a different story.

For the record, I do all my post processing on a 3 year old 2GHz Core2Duo mini and I don't see any reason to upgrade in the near future.

[Adam]

6 or more if you're using a 64 bit os, 4 if you're still on 32 bit.

[Kai]

Buy the most you can effort but 4gb min.

[rtpguy]

You don't have to worry about an IPS display with an iMac because all iMacs have an IPS display. The MacBooks are a different story.

For the record, I do all my post processing on a 3 year old 2GHz Core2Duo mini and I don't see any reason to upgrade in the near future.

+1.
I was amazed to both see comments over '2gb is fine' as well as someone trying to convince an OSX user to buy a Windows lenovo laptop.

If money is tight, consider 4GB on OSX to be the bare minimum. Your current laptop will go to 6GB, and will cost nearly nothing to get there, $50-$75 depending on your current RAM configuration. You'll still be penalized due to the Intel GMA graphics on that system, but the memory will help overall performance. Sadly, a recent mac with only 2GB of RAM isn't of much use for running real apps without slowing down and swapping to disk - Mail and a browser is about it, things improve significantly in going to 4GB of RAM or more.

If you'll be upgrading, consider a model with a discrete GPU, whether a Macbook Pro, iMac, etc., and consider 4GB the minimum, 8GB ideal for most tasks. Don't buy the memory from Apple, they charge anywhere from 2-4x over current retail pricing. It's quite simple to add RAM, and you can find videos online if you need to whether it's for your current MB, a new MB or iMac, etc.