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Best MacBook Pro for photoshop
- Thread starter j.burris
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It depends tremendously on the images you'll be working on. Simple edits to high res cell phone images that will be downsampled and posted on the web don't require more than 16Gb. Image like I produce (30"x20" to 8'x12' wall display artwork) demand 32Gb and an M1pro processor at the very minimum, with 64Gb/M1max being a better option. Also, using small screens for extensive Ps work is less than optimal. Personally, I would vote for 16" being a minimum screen size if you plan on doing much Ps work. My personal setup uses a 32Gb/16" notebook with two external 27" monitors, which works well.
I think 16GB RAM is fine for most people. If you are a power user of PS (which you would know), then get more.
For reference I have a base 14" M1 Pro MBP with 16GB RAM, but mostly do PS on my 2020 27" iMac with 32GB RAM (but I also do PS on my MBP).
btw, PS uses more RAM on Apple Silicon than on Intel. This is because it uses some of the shared ("unified memory") RAM for graphical acceleration, whereas on Intel this is done by the GPU's separate VRAM. You will probably use some swap memory, but this is OK as it is very fast on the M1 Pro MBPs.
Agree with @dwig that a large monitor is of great benefit. Even a 16" screen is still a tiny screen, once you make room for all the palettes and panels, etc.
btw, do not bother getting extra GPU cores. They will be of no benefit for PS, IMO.
For reference I have a base 14" M1 Pro MBP with 16GB RAM, but mostly do PS on my 2020 27" iMac with 32GB RAM (but I also do PS on my MBP).
btw, PS uses more RAM on Apple Silicon than on Intel. This is because it uses some of the shared ("unified memory") RAM for graphical acceleration, whereas on Intel this is done by the GPU's separate VRAM. You will probably use some swap memory, but this is OK as it is very fast on the M1 Pro MBPs.
Agree with @dwig that a large monitor is of great benefit. Even a 16" screen is still a tiny screen, once you make room for all the palettes and panels, etc.
btw, do not bother getting extra GPU cores. They will be of no benefit for PS, IMO.
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I back what @dwig said, and I'll add that if you're a Photoshop user at a professional level, you probably know how much RAM you need to comfortably edit the files you work on. If you're even considering 16GB of RAM, it tells me you're at the low end of professional use. But there are so many variables to consider...
Like @dwig, I work on massive PSD files (500MB to 1.5GB in size with dozens to hundreds of layers) where 32GB of RAM is what I would consider the minimum. But a photographer who is simply color correcting and running a few filters on a large JPG image doesn't have the same RAM requirements as someone like us... that doesn't mean they're not "pro" users, they just have different use-cases than designers and production artists.
Like @dwig, I work on massive PSD files (500MB to 1.5GB in size with dozens to hundreds of layers) where 32GB of RAM is what I would consider the minimum. But a photographer who is simply color correcting and running a few filters on a large JPG image doesn't have the same RAM requirements as someone like us... that doesn't mean they're not "pro" users, they just have different use-cases than designers and production artists.
Out of curiosity, what is your current rig, and how does that work for you?
Agreed with others. If you are a "pro" you will know.
IMHO, ram is the only option you should alter with Apple. Again, everyone's needs are different, but I would bump to 32 if you are even thinking about large prints or "print" type work. If its all web based with very few layers or edits, then pffft, even a MBA will be fine. Alhgouth the hundreds of $$ off deals on base 14" MBPs have been awesome, I don't think I would pass it up. for extra storage, just go external. PLENTY of great external SSDs with 10 /GBs speeds that will fly thru files. Ive seen 4TB for $250sih.
As a magazine print designer, running multiple multipage InDesign files, dozens of high res RAW real estate photos and everything else, my 2020 iMac can hit swap even with 128 GBs of ram. Rare, but Im always near 90-110 GB used.
Agreed with others. If you are a "pro" you will know.
IMHO, ram is the only option you should alter with Apple. Again, everyone's needs are different, but I would bump to 32 if you are even thinking about large prints or "print" type work. If its all web based with very few layers or edits, then pffft, even a MBA will be fine. Alhgouth the hundreds of $$ off deals on base 14" MBPs have been awesome, I don't think I would pass it up. for extra storage, just go external. PLENTY of great external SSDs with 10 /GBs speeds that will fly thru files. Ive seen 4TB for $250sih.
As a magazine print designer, running multiple multipage InDesign files, dozens of high res RAW real estate photos and everything else, my 2020 iMac can hit swap even with 128 GBs of ram. Rare, but Im always near 90-110 GB used.