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Upgraded to 16GB RAM rMBP from base model

A

AlvinNguyen

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 23, 2010
820
3
Figured some of you guys might be interested in this. A little background on my usage as a pro fashion photographer - I'm editing 2-3 images in CS6 at any given time from my D800 (36 mp files). I spent 2 weeks with the base model. Utilizing Bridge, CS6 (2 36MP images with 2-3 layers), Chrome (5 tabs), and Mail, Itunes. It's not unusable or slow by any means but there is a good amount of lag in CS6 - I had to turn off everything except the essentials (Bridge and CS6) in order to make it easier to use.

I was impatient (didn't like the 4 weeks wait) and I figured since I upgrade yearly, I'll pick up next year's Haswell model and save my $200. However, I found a local deal for $2225 on a two days old unit with 16gb RAM so I returned my base model - I'm definitely glad I did. The new machine flies through CS6 like no other (we all know photoshop loves to eat RAM for snacks) and with everything I listed above, I opened 10 images and worked on them simultaneously - flawless. No hiccups, nada.

We all know that video editors will want the 16gb but I'm pretty sure if you're doing photo work with large RAWs, you're going to need 16gb as well - the 8GB just wasn't really "smooth" on multitasking. So if you guys are looking to make this a primary photo editing machine, go custom and that $200 will save you the aggravation. If you're not a pro or just wanting something for on-the-go editing, save your $200 and put it towards next year's upgrade.
 
Yes of course if you're doing heavy photoshop work you want ram.

In contrast, if you're only making website layouts, it isn't as needed and you should generally be fine with 8gb for a long time.

People have to take note that when someone mentions they're gonna use photoshop it could mean a lot of different things.
 
Alvin, glad to hear you are happy with your 16GB RAM upgrade and you were able to notice a difference. I was in the same bubble, I just returned my base RMBP and have to wait 10 more days for my base+16GB RAM to get here. Till then, I'm stuck with a 2009 13'' base MBP because I left my Air at work. Going from my Retina to this is night and day. The retina is definitely a fantastic machine.

I couldn't decide between 8 and 16GB RAM, but with every post of people being satisfied with their 16GB, it makes me feel like I made the right decision.

Enjoy your new machine!
 
dilgit said:
So is it absolutely impossible to upgrade from 8GB to 16GB on a RMBP?
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Unfortunately...the RAM modules are soldered, so unless you have good soldering skills or there is some miraculous third party option (very unlikely), you are stuck with the initial amount of RAM you order.
 
I'm glad to read these posts as well. I found a deal on CL where someone was selling 8gb $400 cheaper than the 16gb version MSRP price. I turned it down because of nagging feelings that it'd have issued when I'm doing PS/PR/AE work. Thanks for the confirming my doubts.
 
Every time one of these threads comes up, I say to cram in as much ram as possible for photoshop or after effects, and someone inevitably complains that they're resource hogs. Given that the 32 bit limits went away a while ago, it's much faster using ram than scratch disks.
 
Trey M said:
Unfortunately...the RAM modules are soldered, so unless you have good soldering skills or there is some miraculous third party option (very unlikely), you are stuck with the initial amount of RAM you order.
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This is clearly the direction Apple is going in with their manufacturing in order to achieve the designs they want. I'm sure a third party option will develop in the next few years. Between the Airs, the retina 15" and the eventual 13" retina, someone out there will see an opportunity for profit. Swapping out SSDs and soldering RAM seems like it would be in high demand. That battery is the major obstacle, iirc. Of course, the price for such a service needs to be right, or else it would just make more sense to upgrade to the next generation.
 
gokart mozart said:
This is clearly the direction Apple is going in with their manufacturing in order to achieve the designs they want. I'm sure a third party option will develop in the next few years. Between the Airs, the retina 15" and the eventual 13" retina, someone out there will see an opportunity for profit. Swapping out SSDs and soldering RAM seems like it would be in high demand. That battery is the major obstacle, iirc. Of course, the price for such a service needs to be right, or else it would just make more sense to upgrade to the next generation.
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I 100% agree this is the direction Apple is taking, and I'm definitely okay with it. Apple is definitely losing some customers because the newer laptops aren't tinker-friendly, but I think this is a small market of consumers and if Apple loses a few customers in the short term in order to make a better designed machine, so be it.

Although the SSD upgrade is almost inevitable with the rMBP, I really don't see RAM being upgraded. When you think about it, not a ton of people are going to even want to upgrade their RAM, and the "operation" would require risk and other factors. You can always buy a new logic board with more RAM if it was that important to you, but unlike storage, I think 8GB RAM will suffice for 99% of people's needs for quite a long time.

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zerotiu said:
Woah! Lucky you!:D
My 16GB hasn't shipped yet.
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Just returned my base Retina today that I was sort of using to my advantage (Best Buy's 30 day return policy) and am stuck for 10 days until my Retina w/16GB Ram arrives. Using this 2009 13'' screen is killing me.
 
Trey M said:
I 100% agree this is the direction Apple is taking, and I'm definitely okay with it. Apple is definitely losing some customers because the newer laptops aren't tinker-friendly, but I think this is a small market of consumers and if Apple loses a few customers in the short term in order to make a better designed machine, so be it.
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Agreed. A lot of people are up in arms on here about the anti-tinker design, but the people on these boards are hardly representative of the mainstream demographic that Apple has obviously been gunning for since the Air's release. Hell, one could probably even argue since the iMac's release, although the Air and more so the retina have taken it to new extremes that make the iMac look really easy to mod.
 
gokart mozart said:
Agreed. A lot of people are up in arms on here about the anti-tinker design, but the people on these boards are hardly representative of the mainstream demographic that Apple has obviously been gunning for since the Air's release. Hell, one could probably even argue since the iMac's release, although the Air and more so the retina have taken it to new extremes that make the iMac look really easy to mod.
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i dunno about that. the retina display macbook is clearly not the low-end, mainstream machine at its current price point. even its initial intro video was people doing photo editing, video editing etc etc which is definitely not the mainstream.
 
If you don't do photoshop on 20MP+ RAWs with multi layer compositions, it's VERY fine.

I have a D7000 and did a panorama with 8 RAWs making a .TIFF of 1.2GB
Put some HDR in it, some sharpen and it was more than fine, still had about 2gigs of ram left.


16Gb = Professional use
 
guuguus said:
If you don't do photoshop on 20MP+ RAWs with multi layer compositions, it's VERY fine.

I have a D7000 and did a panorama with 8 RAWs making a .TIFF of 1.2GB
Put some HDR in it, some sharpen and it was more than fine, still had about 2gigs of ram left.


16Gb = Professional use
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Let's not call it 'professional use' :D. I'm a photography hobbyist, when I edit a 12MP RAW portrait photo (from olympus EP3) then I convert to PSD file, using my 8gb 3Ghz AMD Phenom to open it takes forrrrreeverrrrr :D.

Let alone my MBP early 08 with 2GB :D:D, I can take a bath while waiting it to be opened.
 
The wife and I use LR4 plus Nik plugins for most of our raw file processing. For our rMBPs, you can bet I am ordering 16GB memory. It is relatively inexpensive....compared to the SSD size increases.
 
Alvin,

I concur with your findings. I'm no pro, but still appreciate the lack of lag in LR4/PS6 with large D7000/D800 RAW images. My previous 8GB PC Laptop just got bogged down under the load.

RMBP is just a joy to use.

So, 16GB = Professional & Enthusiast :)

Additionally, I work daily with with very large databases. 16GB is a welcome addition there too!
 
markp99 said:
Alvin,

I concur with your findings. I'm no pro, but still appreciate the lack of lag in LR4/PS6 with large D7000/D800 RAW images. My previous 8GB PC Laptop just got bogged down under the load.

RMBP is just a joy to use.

So, 16GB = Professional & Enthusiast :)

Additionally, I work daily with with very large databases. 16GB is a welcome addition there too!
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No worries, when I said professional I meant people who makes money doing this stuff which means it's part of the gear expenses :) but I know plenty of hobbyists that are more professional than a lot of "pros" I know :D
 
Just curious... I'm not a hardware guy, and I'm about to prove it, LOL. Would it be possible/practical to add RAM through Thunderbolt? I know people have said graphics cards could be added that way.
 
NewbieCanada said:
Just curious... I'm not a hardware guy, and I'm about to prove it, LOL. Would it be possible/practical to add RAM through Thunderbolt? I know people have said graphics cards could be added that way.
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I don't even think/know if that's possible but even if it was it would be so clumsy to bring it around everywhere :/
 
AlvinNguyen said:
I don't even think/know if that's possible but even if it was it would be so clumsy to bring it around everywhere :/
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Definitely it would be clumsy. But might be of some use to a limited market, or for machines that don't go anywhere, or for people wanting to go above the 16GB limit.

(None of these people would be me. Purely idle curiosity)
 
Alvin, tell us what size ssd you have and your feelings about the D800 file sizes and which hard drive is appropriate for photography.
 
Stout Jackson said:
Alvin, tell us what size ssd you have and your feelings about the D800 file sizes and which hard drive is appropriate for photography.
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I'm using the 256gb SSD due to the fact that it's the most cost effective. I load all my software on the drive and still have 200 gb left. I don't leave any music or permanent files on there. Those are on a 1tb USB 3 Lacie. I transfer images that I need to work on to the SSD and then delete them when I'm done.
 
AlvinNguyen said:
I'm using the 256gb SSD due to the fact that it's the most cost effective. I load all my software on the drive and still have 200 gb left. I don't leave any music or permanent files on there. Those are on a 1tb USB 3 Lacie. I transfer images that I need to work on to the SSD and then delete them when I'm done.
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Good to know. Do you use Bridge or Lightroom? Don't you keep any photos in Iphoto?
 
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