Which would run Lightroom/PS faster?

[whistler222]

I have a desktop - mac pro - 2008 quad core, 8 gb of ram. (can't upgrade ram now). 2.8GHz Quad-Core, standard 500GB HD

Another is a macbook pro - 2012 non-retina. the base version. 4gb of ram but can upgrade to 16gb. same standard 500 GB HD

Shooting a Canon 5D mark 2 - about 20 mb RAW image size.

Which would run Lightroom faster? LR used to be seamless on my desktop but as cameras have gotten better, and image files getting bigger, i find lags while switching between photos on my desktop. I wonder if this goes away with the laptop with more ram?

 

[MCAsan]

For my rMBP I got 2.7 CPU and 16GB of memory. Those plus SSD lets me import and edit the raw files from my 5DIII into LR without any lag or beach balls. I think I would always get 16GB of memory in any new computer these days. And I would always have an SSD for boot/OS/apps.

Memory for MBP should be fairly inexpensive. And a 256GB SSD would make a nice entry on the holiday wish list.

 

[Orlandoech]

The MBP due to its newer CPU/Chipset, then add 16GB RAM ($99ish) and a nice SSD ($200ish) and it will be much faster.

If you want a scratch disk for LR, I would recommend a HYBRID 7200RPM Drive or a Fusion drive via external adapter.

You can always change the performance settings in PS to use any allocation of memory you specify to adjust performance as needed.

 

[jvpython]

Definitely MacBook Pro. More powerful hardware (even the GPU) plus it is portable and will have better future software support