Need to Upgrade to a better used MBP, suggestions?

[dgerch]

Hi, I have a mid 2012 15" MBP

2.6 GHz Intel Core 7
16 GB of Ram

I'm running Logic Pro, Photoshop and Lightroom. The projects I'm working on are fairly intensive and my computer is struggling with them. Lots of lag, system overloads etc.

My question is:

I can't afford a new MBP, so which used model after my 2012 one will have appreciable differences in terms of processing power and working with these applications?

Thanks

 

[Sanpete]

Those are CPU apps, and the CPU has only improved maybe 25% since 2012 to 2016. The SSDs are a lot faster, though. What's your price range?

 

[Naimfan]

Perhaps a Mid-2014 2.8 GHz 15".

 

[dgerch]

Those are CPU apps, and the CPU has only improved maybe 25% since 2012 to 2016. The SSDs are a lot faster, though. What's your price range?

I'm uncertain about price range, it sort of depends on what I'd be able to sell my current computer.

I'd be happy to put an SSD drive into my machine if I felt confident that it would improve the situation. I know that on Logic Pro, when my projects start overloading the CPU Bar and the HD Bar are maxed out.

What do you think, SSD Drive or new computer?

 

[Sanpete]

New SSD is a lot cheaper, of course. You could try that first and if it isn't enough, it should improve your selling price. If you're running Sierra, people say it runs better with an SSD anyway.

Do you have a retina screen? Those are nice for photo editing.

 

[dgerch]

New SSD is a lot cheaper, of course. You could try that first and if it isn't enough, it should improve your selling price. If you're running Sierra, people say it runs better with an SSD anyway.

Do you have a retina screen? Those are nice for photo editing.

I don't have a Retina screen, and yes it would probably improve my photo editing a lot. What model would you suggest?

 

[keysofanxiety]

I'm uncertain about price range, it sort of depends on what I'd be able to sell my current computer.

I'd be happy to put an SSD drive into my machine if I felt confident that it would improve the situation. I know that on Logic Pro, when my projects start overloading the CPU Bar and the HD Bar are maxed out.

What do you think, SSD Drive or new computer?

SSD, definitely. A producer I know used to run projects externally via USB 3, the HDD is so slow. Then he upgraded to an SSD and it made a world of difference. Coincidentally had a Mid-2012 15" cMBP too.

So do I, come to think of it. And my brother does! She'll fly with an SSD. I haven't had any issues, even when running 25+ plugins/AUs. And not smaller ones either; East West QL orchestral plugins and stuff, where each instrument is easily a few 100 MBs.

Furthermore if you haven't changed the HDD since you got it, it's likely failing anyway due to time/wear and tear. So that'll compound the performance issues.

Strange it's hitting the CPU bottleneck though. I suspect the I/O of the HDD is also causing that. Are you using LP9 or LPX? LPX is much nicer on resources if you haven't yet jumped ship.

 

[dgerch]

SSD, definitely. A producer I know used to run projects externally via USB 3, the HDD is so slow. Then he upgraded to an SSD and it made a world of difference. Coincidentally had a Mid-2012 15" cMBP too.

So do I, come to think of it. And my brother does! She'll fly with an SSD. I haven't had any issues, even when running 25+ plugins/AUs. And not smaller ones either; East West QL orchestral plugins and stuff, where each instrument is easily a few 100 MBs.

Furthermore if you haven't changed the HDD since you got it, it's likely failing anyway due to time/wear and tear. So that'll compound the performance issues.

Strange it's hitting the CPU bottleneck though. I suspect the I/O of the HDD is also causing that. Are you using LP9 or LPX? LPX is much nicer on resources if you haven't yet jumped ship.

Thanks for the info! That was so helpful. I'm running LPX. Like I said, my concern is that my projects are causing the CPU power to overload too, but if you think that's because of the hard drives inputs then I'd be keen on getting an SSD drive. Does it make more sense for me to get an external SSD drive or an internal one? Which one do you recommend?

 

[Sanpete]

If you want the retina screen, as I understand it they're pretty much the same until 2016, when they got an upgrade in contrast, brightness and color space. Since you're not looking for a 2016, any retina 15" would probably do.

Definitely get an internal SSD for the best results.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Thanks for the info! That was so helpful. I'm running LPX. Like I said, my concern is that my projects are causing the CPU power to overload too, but if you think that's because of the hard drives inputs then I'd be keen on getting an SSD drive. Does it make more sense for me to get an external SSD drive or an internal one? Which one do you recommend?

Internal, definitely. Any decent model – Crucial or Samsung. The 850 EVO is always a good shout if you're unsure, even if it's a little more expensive.

The CPU is still very capable so I doubt it's hitting that bottleneck. I've struggled to max out the CPU with intensive use. She'll run better than new with an SSD.