Macbook pro 13inch and A3

Question

Level 1

24 points

Macbook pro 13inch and A3

Hi, I Use Aperture 3 and it's proving to be a pig regarding speed etc. I was thinking to upgrade to a newer MBP (13inch) for the better ram, firewire (and maybe screen). I really want a small laptop (I have a 24inch screen to plug in to at office), but a lot of forums seem to indicate these upgrades are pretty lame and in fact Mac laptops are pretty poor value compared to PCs these days (i am not thinking to switch).

I might consider a 15 inch but really want the most portable possible, so in short is it worth upgrading, can i perhaps make my machine take more ram, or is there some other magic bullet to get the best from A3 (which I would love if it was not so bloody slow!)

2.4GHZ MacBook 13.3, Mac OS X (10.6.3), 4gb ram

Posted on Apr 14, 2010 7:51 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Apr 14, 2010 12:53 PM in response to leex

Aperture depends on both the CPU and the GPU.

The CPU on the new 13" is not much faster than the CPU on the previous generation model. It's just a faster clock speed.

The Core i5 and Core i7 processors on the new 15" are quite a bit faster. And the NVIDIA 330 graphics on the 15" are maybe 50% faster than the 320 on the new 13" (which, in turn, are quite a bit faster than the NVIDIA 9400M on the previous models).

Only way to really know how Aperture 3 performs on the new machines for you on your photos is to try them.

Reply

Answer 2

leex Author

Level 1

24 points

Apr 14, 2010 3:58 PM in response to William Lloyd

Thanks for that. I am thinking to go to the US and buy it there (maybe). I somehow doubt I can really do much testing on something I have not bought, I have heard of the possibility of putting more ram in my MB (currently 4gb), but also heard it won't work.

I think it is crazy that a machine maybe 14 months old at full spec cannot handle A3, $200 dollars for the disc and another $2300+ on a machine if you seriously want to use it .

Lightroom is quicker and the footprint it takes up somewhat smaller I hear.

I guess I need to also check just how much extra bulk cost there is with the 15inch MBP, though my last 3 machine were 17inch MBP and I found them a pain to lug around, It's a shame Apple ham strung the 13inch, The MBPs are definitely not such 'big bang for bucks' as they should be compared to the competition.

Reply

Answer 3

Apr 14, 2010 5:41 PM in response to leex

Well, Aperture 3 should run OK on that 13" MacBook Pro. What camera are you using? How big are the RAW files?

The GPU in the new 13" MacBook Pro (320M) is about 80% faster than the GPU in the most recent model (9400M). The discrete GPU in the new 15" MacBook Pro (330M) is roughly double the speed of the 320M. So there's more speed to be had.

But, again, I've found performance with Aperture on my 15" MacBook Pro, even when using the integrated graphics (9400M) to be fine. If I have 47 dust spots on an image and heal them all, then do curves, shadows and highlights and curves, and then sharpen, stuff is most certainly not realtime, but do understand how much work has to be done.

Also: My testing with Lightroom hasn't shown it to be appreciably faster. And the modal interface grates on me to an amount which cannot be overstated.

Reply

Answer 4

Apr 14, 2010 7:18 PM in response to leex

I run A3 on a nearly 1-year old 13" MBP w. 4 GB RAM and a fast 500 GB HD with plenty of free space. I have more than 10,000 14 MB raw files. Since the most recent Ap3 upgrade, Aperture has been usable and stable. What is "usable"? I wish it were faster (who doesn't), but I rarely wait more than a beat or two for Aperture to process any changes to a single image. Importing 500 images or doing batch adjustments can slow things down -- but that is expected.

I trialed LR3b at the same time as Ap3. The "real-world" performance was indistinguishable.

Fwiw, I upgraded from a 12" Powerbook, which remains my favorite laptop. The 13" MBP is more than serviceable.

Reply

Answer 5

leex Author

Level 1

24 points

Apr 15, 2010 2:16 AM in response to Kirby Krieger

Ok, firstly I would like to say thanks for the replies. I did not intend this to just be about A3 but then again it is the reason I am thinking I might need to update my lap top after about 14 months; usually I wait 3 years before an upgrade.

I agree A3, with latest upgrades, is now stable, the issue really is when using brushes etc, I will go to NY and see if I can trial A3 on both 13&15 inch MBPs, (my RAW are 10 mp), and hopefully feel placated and not too miffed if I decide I have to to buy a new laptop, I just pray it will last me 3 years this time!

Reply

Answer 6

roderz

Level 1

4 points

Apr 15, 2010 3:51 AM in response to leex

If you've only got 2GB of ram, its possible (& easy) to upgrade to 4GB of ram, which will ease your problems somewhat, I would try this before buying a new Mac.
You could maybe invest in a larger 7200rpm Laptop HD, but for top performance, AP3 does like a good video card & CPU, the 13" MBP have always had the same graphics as the consumer MacBook's which I think is a travesty, they need a discreet chip like the 15" & 17" MBP's, maybe the latest Gfx chip goes "some" of the way to rectify this.

Reply

Answer 7

leex Author

Level 1

24 points

Apr 15, 2010 7:54 AM in response to roderz

I have 4gb of ram, I would never try and do serious work in Aperture or Photoshop etc these days with 2gb.

The new 13 inch MBP don't allow for Apple upgrade to faster disks but I guess a 3rd party option is worth considering.

I agree they are short changing the MBP 13, Mr Jobs excuse about battery life etc does not ring true.

Reply

Answer 8

leex Author

Level 1

24 points

Apr 16, 2010 6:42 AM in response to Kirby Krieger

Hi to everyone and thanks for all the responses. I think I will probably go with the new MBP 13, but when in NY will take another look at the 15inch, i may also consider swapping out the drive for something faster and using original drive as an external HD.

One thing that does nag at me is the perceived value for money issue, I have done some investigating and when you come across sites such as this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/macbook-pro-macbooks-core-7,10191.html

You have to wonder if Apple is being complacent or even arrogant charging the prices they do. I find myself giving a sigh of relief that I have to say I have to use a Mac because my preferred program is Aperture, but in truth it appears on paper that we Mac users are being screwed on price/performance, and as a Mac user of 15+ years I suspect that too many new users are buying into the hype more than any tangible benefits; I get queasy when I see the queues every time Apple release some shiny new 'appliance'.

I have always evangelised Macs and made a lot of converts, but I find myself less inclined to do so these days, especially if all they want is to surf and write the odd email etc.

Anyway this is perhaps off topic but it's on my mind today.

Reply

Answer 9

Apr 15, 2010 6:14 PM in response to leex

I immediately upgraded my 13" MBP's HD when I bought it. Purchased on-line (along with more memory), installed it myself. No problems. Highly recommended.

Reply