MBP Performance for Aperture 3, Photoshop CS4

[MattSepeta]

Thinking of selling off the 24" iMac (2.8GHz c2d, 6GB, SSD) and replacing it with one of the new MBPs.

My main motivations are wanting better Aperture 3/Photoshop/FCP7 performance and the ability to work on the road, at girlfriends place, coffee shops, etc.

Now I don't know a single thing about processor speeds or anything, so I have some questions:

Are the newer processors that much faster than my C2D? I am thinking of either a (13" dual core 2.7GHz i7) OR (15" quad core 2GHz i7).

Are the quadcores THAT much better than the dualcores? Can Aperture even capitalize on this?

(I am pretty dead set on making the switch to Laptop. Not interested in waiting for new iMacs or anything. I really need the flexibility of a laptop these days. Screen size is a non issue as well. When working at home doing the serious work I plan on dual monitors.)

 

[VirtualRain]

Hi, clock for clock, the new Sandy Bridge CPU's from Intel are reported to be about 15% faster than previous Nehalem generation CPU's which in turn were reportedly about 15% faster than Core2Duo.

The newer CPU's have turbo boost, which can increase the clock speed of 1, 2, or 3 cores to as high as 3.4GHz (see below) while shutting down unused cores... So don't assume that if you're buying a 2.2GHz CPU MacBook that you will be computing at that speed all the time. Your actual speed will depend on the task and will shift between 2.2GHz and much higher.

Here are the Quad mobile processors base speeds and their speeds with Turbo for tasks utilizing just 1C/2C/3C

Quad 2.3 GHz 3.4/3.3/3.1 GHz
Quad 2.2 GHz 3.3/3.2/3.0 GHz
Quad 2.0 GHz 2.9/2.8/2.6 GHz

In my experience, Aperture can definitely benefit from more than 2 cores. I have a Nehalem quad core with hyperthreading in my Mac Pro, and it will occasionally utilize 3 cores. In addition, those added cores can come in handy if you do any level of multi-tasking at all.

A GPU is also important for Aperture, so the upgraded GPU's offered in the 15" and 17" models are a better choice than the base Intel GPU available in the 13" model.

8GB of RAM is probably the sweet spot as well.

The new MacBook Pros are incredible machines! I think the base model 15" with 8GB of RAM would be a killer Aperture workstation.

 

[carlgo]

My old 2007 runs App 3 pretty well since I updated to a 7200 rpm HD and upped the ram to 4.

Now, if you are shooting hundreds of Hasselblad digital photos and are under a serious time budget, then you have to go to a Pro. Anything else and the MBP is pretty darn good, not slow at all. And mine is half the speed of the new ones...

 

[MattSepeta]

8GB of RAM is probably the sweet spot as well.

The new MacBook Pros are incredible machines! I think the base model 15" with 8GB of RAM would be a killer Aperture workstation.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking.

-I upgraded one of the 2GB sticks in my iMac to a 4GB stick. Would I be able to put that same one in the new MBP and upgrade the other to an identical 4GB then to get the 8?

- I would also swap the HD for a SSD. Its so pleasant to get near-instant startup. Then I could turn the laptop off all the time rather than just putting it to sleep.

 

[VirtualRain]

Thanks, that's what I was thinking.

-I upgraded one of the 2GB sticks in my iMac to a 4GB stick. Would I be able to put that same one in the new MBP and upgrade the other to an identical 4GB then to get the 8?

- I would also swap the HD for a SSD. Its so pleasant to get near-instant startup. Then I could turn the laptop off all the time rather than just putting it to sleep.

I'm not sure about that RAM strategy... you will need to check what RAM you currently have. I think the new MacBooks use 1333 DDR3. Compare that to what's in your current MBP - it's unlikely the same.

Agreed on the SSD... One of the best upgrades you can make to any computer in my opinion.

 

[MattSepeta]

Actually, I'm not sure about that RAM strategy... you will need to check what RAM you currently have. I think the new MacBooks use 1066 DDR3. Compare that to what's in your current MBP.

Agreed on the SSD... One of the best upgrades you can make to any computer in my opinion.

Awesome, thanks. Posted my iMac on CL for $1100 and have had like 5 responses already!

Is that a fair price? 24" Aluminum, 4GB, 90GB SSD upgrade, perfect condition with no mouse or keyboard.

 

[pna]

Did you ever pick up the MBP? Can you report on how well Aperture 3 works with it relative to your older iMac? My original core duo mbp just decided to die on me (the GPU, apparently), so I'm now being forced to think of picking up a new macbook pro instead of an iMac.

 

[munkees]

I just did a time lapse tilt shift on my iMac 2.8 extreme which has 4GB ram.

I noticed that my CPU never got fully used by Aperture 3, my project include 3959 3.7MP images, which were first render with presets, then a tilt shift plugin. next computer I want faster memory than my 800 Mhz bus, and quicker drives.

for the most part my computer is OK at running Aperture 3, it is fast but definitely not snappy, better than iPhoto in the way of performance.