I have an old iMac with over 100,000 photos. The computer takes forever to load anything. I want to buy a new computer and am thinking of a Mac mini. I don't know what I should look for as far as storage and RAM so the photos app doesn't slow the computer down. Any suggestions?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iMac 27″, macOS 10.15
FWIW here's my 2¢ on what to get:
I plan on getting a Mac M2 Mini with 16 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD. I have an intel iMac with several bare SSDs attached via drive docks and SATA-USB adaptors. With the drive dock I can open a 54,700 photo and 900 videos in 2-3 seconds with the library on one of the drive docks with this speed:
Similar SSDs with their own external case and chip and the most current connection can increase that speed by ~5-7 times. Just ask Customer Support at OWC (MacSales.com).
I plan to pare that with a 32" LG monitor w/speakers.
Just some food for thought.
FWIW here's my 2¢ on what to get:
I plan on getting a Mac M2 Mini with 16 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD. I have an intel iMac with several bare SSDs attached via drive docks and SATA-USB adaptors. With the drive dock I can open a 54,700 photo and 900 videos in 2-3 seconds with the library on one of the drive docks with this speed:
Similar SSDs with their own external case and chip and the most current connection can increase that speed by ~5-7 times. Just ask Customer Support at OWC (MacSales.com).
I plan to pare that with a 32" LG monitor w/speakers.
Just some food for thought.
RAM: the rules of thumb is "get as much as you can afford" but I'd aim for a minimum of 16GB.
Storage: Not so much a problem as you can put your photo library on an external drive.
Yer_Man wrote: Storage: Not so much a problem as you can put your photo library on an external drive.
On the other hand, I've never once gotten a new computer and thought, "Darn, my hard drive is too large!" I always seem to be shuffling files around to gain more room. Keep in mind that at least 10% of the drive must remain free.
But I always get a laptop, so external drives are not always convenient, but for the Mac Mini, external drives are easy-- and way cheaper, so Yer_Man's advice may well be best . But they're slower than internal drives, and with a very large Library, that may need to be considered.
How can I optimise storage and RAM on a Mac mini for photo app
