Could you folks help with this configuration for a 15" MBP 2.5ghz

[thetoness]

I was about to purchase a Mac Pro, upgraded to 16mb of ram and 4 750gb drives. I presently own a 23" ACD (acrylic model) which I was going to use until a new 30" ACD comes out, whenever that is.
However, after reading the posts on here I am realizing it might not be the way to go. I was thinking that maybe I should get a 15" MBP 2.5ghz,upgrade the ram to 4gb,run it in clamshell mode and attach the 23" ACD. Having portability seems like something worthwhile
I will be using it for Photoediting with CS3 and lightroom. Also, possibly light gaming and of course email, internet, and ms word.
My questions are:
1. With the small hard drive in the MBP, will LR and CS3 run efficiently? They will obviously need a scratch disk since I will only be able to upgrade to 4mb ram.
2. What do I do about storing my photos, wont the smallish hard drive get filled up very quickly with LR's catalogues?
3. What would you suggest for backing up my files?
4. Finally, is the strategy of MBP over a Mac Pro the right one for me?
Thanks for all your help

 

[taylorwilsdon]

I was about to purchase a Mac Pro, upgraded to 16mb of ram and 4 750gb drives. I presently own a 23" ACD (acrylic model) which I was going to use until a new 30" ACD comes out, whenever that is.
However, after reading the posts on here I am realizing it might not be the way to go. I was thinking that maybe I should get a 15" MBP 2.5ghz,upgrade the ram to 4gb,run it in clamshell mode and attach the 23" ACD. Having portability seems like something worthwhile
I will be using it for Photoediting with CS3 and lightroom. Also, possibly light gaming and of course email, internet, and ms word.
My questions are:
1. With the small hard drive in the MBP, will LR and CS3 run efficiently? They will obviously need a scratch disk since I will only be able to upgrade to 4mb ram.
2. What do I do about storing my photos, wont the smallish hard drive get filled up very quickly with LR's catalogues?
3. What would you suggest for backing up my files?
4. Finally, is the strategy of MBP over a Mac Pro the right one for me?
Thanks for all your help

#1: You shouldn't be using the internal drive anyways. Pick up an esata external hard drive and an expresscard with esata ports, then it will be just as fast as if you were running it as an internal drive in a mac pro.
#2: Read #1. If you have the cash for that mac pro, you can afford a couple of fast high storage external drives.
#3: Numbers 1 and 2. Have one of the drives set to mirror the rest of them.
If you're just going to run it clamshell, theres no point. Buy an iMac and hook up the external monitor. If you feel that potability might be nice, then go for it.

 

[aaronw1986]

It really depends on your need for portability. All of your concerns would not be a problem in a mac pro. You would not need to worry about space, performance, etc. The mac pro is the way to go if you really want performance and expandability. However, the mbp is a great machine. I love mine. I take it with me everyday, so portability is important to me. I just got a mac pro yesterday, and in terms of performance it kills my mbp. How much space of photo's do you currently have?

 

[thetoness]

not too much at the present time, but I expect that to grow rapidly. It will certainly outgrow the measley 200gb hard drive.

 

[aaronw1986]

How important is portability?

 

[jb60606]

as a previous owner of a MBP, I'd say my only dislikes were the heat (which affected performance on the road, but easily remedied at home with a good notebook cooler), and RAM limits (though I think 4GB is the max on a majority of all notebooks). I ended up selling the MBP, for just a couple hundred off retail value, and going with a MBP that looks like it may need to be returned.

 

[drummerlondonw3]

Hi,

Although I can't comment on the power of the system I would just have to ask how it could be possible that you would be considering a 3TB !!! system done to a 300gb system???

Surely you have spec'd the Mac Pro to your needs, which do seem very high end to me.

What system are you using now, this might be a good benchmark to start with

Finally, i think that apple's policy of sticking with the MBP's design as it is still desirable means we may be seeing the displays stay for longer than first anticipated.

PS if I had the cash I would go for the Mac Pro and get a MacBook Air for some on the fly surfing etc, even round the home

 

[dgdosen]

as a previous owner of a MBP, I'd say my only dislikes were the heat (which affected performance on the road, but easily remedied at home with a good notebook cooler), and RAM limits (though I think 4GB is the max on a majority of all notebooks). I ended up selling the MBP, for just a couple hundred off retail value, and going with a MBP that looks like it may need to be returned.

Get both...

Get a MBP now. You can't beat portability. Get a Mac Pro in a couple of years when you can justify blowing the cash. That's what I did. In that way, Apple gets money from you more like an annuity than some one time purchase

 

[tjespo22]

im basically in the same situation. i thought i was deff oging to get a mac pro but then decided that it wont be worth it since i already bring my ibook g4 everywhere. i need something i can bring on the road.
you can always pick up a external hard drive to store older pics on to save room on your hard drive. thats what i do.. i have a ibook g4 with 1gb of ram and 40gb hard drive. i run lightroom okay, photoshop fine and aperture really good. so if this p.o.s can do it, the mbp can deff do it!
hope that helped
espo

 

[Awimoway]

Obviously you'll want external storage

I am in a similar situation, looking to replace a 5-year-old PowerMac. Mostly I work at my desk, but there are occasions every week when it would help to be able to take my computer into the field. So I plan to hook it up to my 4-year-old 20" cinema display (also acrylic) and use it like a desktop most of the time. Running dual displays will come in handy when I need it, but most of the time I can keep my baby folded up and away from beverages, which I spill often. Wireless keyboard and mouse will minimize the amount of wires I have to deal with.

My storage needs aren't as intense as yours, and I don't use lightroom, so I can't speak to some of your specifics, but it sounds like the Mac Pro is ideally suited to your needs. If 3 TB of storage and 16 GB is more your speed, the MBP will really cramp your style won't it? Obviously external storage can mitigate some of the problem — I'm going to assume excursions away from your desk will be brief enough that you can survive without the extra storage space in the interim.

But memory? I don't know man. I'll be interested to see what more expert readers have to say about how much (if any) trouble you'll have with just 4 GB of RAM.