p.1 #1 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
Today Apple released the new Studio Machines. Some of the nomenclature is confusing but basically it seems there are two chips, the M4 MAX and the M3 ULTRA. They can each be configured with different levels of CPU and GPU, RAM and storage. I suspect any of them will be pretty impressive.
I use a Sony A7RV. I process my files in Lightroom Classic and Photoshop with an Intel 2020 iMac with an i9, 64GB RAM, and 4 TB of storage. I have a RAID 5 array in an OWC Thunderbay (Thunderbolt 3) for my archive. I've figured out I likely do not need 4TB of internal storage, 2TB is plenty with the current external options. My final files after all my manipulations are in the 1-2GB range. I do straight photography, and use AI only for things like removal and masking, not generating things that do not exist in the original.
I'm excited by these new computers and would love to hear from those more knowledgeable than me which configuration is likely to give the best performance for my use situation.
p.1 #2 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
I've got the A7RV and use a MacStudio with the M1 Max 32gbs of ram and a 2tb hard drive. My machine handles photoshop, Lightroom Classic and a few other editing apps very well. I have zero complaints with my set up.
The M4 Max will obviously be even better but there's one thing to consider. The advantage of the M4 Max vs the M4 Pro chip is that it exports video about twice as fast but it sounds like you aren't doing any video. If you aren't you might want to price out the M4Pro Mac mini and see if that makes more sense for your use case. Sure there's some advantages of the studio over the mini (more ports better cooling) but just throwing some food for thought out there. If you get the Studio you will be happy for a long time with that machine.
p.1 #6 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
There is no need for an Ultra chip for basic post processing. I have an M2 Max and it handles everything up to 100mp GFX files and 4k video editing just fine.
I'd make sure to get at least a 1tb SSD and 64gb of memory. The rest (extra cores, etc) is up to how much you are comfortable spending, get the most you can since they are not upgradable. All of my photo editing work is done against USB SSD drives, not the internal drives.
p.1 #7 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
RoamingScott wrote:
There is no need for an Ultra chip for basic post processing. I have an M2 Max and it handles everything up to 100mp GFX files and 4k video editing just fine.
I'd make sure to get at least a 1tb SSD and 64gb of memory. The rest (extra cores, etc) is up to how much you are comfortable spending, get the most you can since they are not upgradable. All of my photo editing work is done against USB SSD drives, not the internal drives.
I love my Studio and haven't regretted it once.
DITTO! It is fast with 100mp MF files and works well with processing-intensive AI denoising/sharpening programs. I tend to run a lot of concurrent programs, and while I have not had any problems to date, if I were ordering, today, I would go for 96GB of memory just for more headroom (and future-proofing).
p.1 #8 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
You might not see that much benefit from the Studio for what you are doing.
Until recently I was also using a well-equipped i9 iMac with a second 27” monitor and a variety of external storage media — perhaps very similar to your setup. It was actually still working quite well, though a few operations were slowing enough that I noticed. (In particular I was having some slowdowns related to file system processes, including Time Machine backups and Spotlight.)
After looking into things pretty carefully, and a bit to my surprise, I decided on the 12-core Mac mini M4 Pro with 48GB and 2TB SSD. It works beautifully with Photoshop and Bridge/ACR. (I’m not a heavy Lightroom user since my workflow is Photoshop-based.)
You could get 64GB memory, but I don’t think that you’d see any improvement over 48GB for what you are doing, and 48GB should be enough for the likely life of the computer. If you are storing your files on external media, the 1TB SSD could be enough, though in my case I could foresee pushing against that limit over the course of a few years so I went with 2TB. There’s no need for more than that unless you plan to store a lot of files on the SSD instead of externally.
I also don’t think it is worth bothering to pay extra for the 14-core upgrade to the Pro.
There is no question that you could spend a lot more and get a Studio with faster specs, but those specs arent’ going to translate to a real-world noticeable improvement in your workflow commensurate with the added costs.
If you were doing heavy video work or possibly applying complex processing to very large groups of files the Studio might make more sense. But the reality is that the well-equipped mini should handle the tasks you are doing with aplomb.
p.1 #9 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
The above has a basic misunderstanding about how the new unified memory pool works. More is going to always be better here, especially as apps mature and find new ways to leverage GPU against tasks (which pulls from this unified pool instead of having discrete GPU memory).
p.1 #10 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
I have a 16" M1 Max Macbook Pro with 32GB RAM. I have had no issues editing pictures out of my A7CR so you will be perfectly fine with any newer models.
p.1 #11 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
When the tests are in, it will be interesting to see what the performance margin is over the M4 Mac Mini various configurations. One obvious advantage is more ports.
p.1 #12 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
Which “above?” My post or something else?
One important thing that many don’t consider is the fact that “better” isn’t always “better” in a meaningful or cost effective way.
While you don’t want to under-spec a system you also want to be careful to avoid paying a ton of money for specifications that won’t actually make a real world difference. (Ideally, the target is to go for specs that are just a little better than what you logically need — if you are going to err, better to do it a bit in that direction.)
Some end up chasing The Very Best Specs, often from concern that they will end up with an underperforming machine, when the reality is that they end up paying for specifications that make no meaningful difference in actual performance.
After using these sorts machines for photography and other media-related purposes for a LONG time (and for many years as part of a team developing tech specifications for a large institution) I learned that it makes a lot of sense to match intended use to real world benefits instead of throwing money at the highest spec’ed system.
There are situations in which paying more makes sense — as I mentioned — but it also makes a ton of sense to ask whether, say, LR users will see a $200 difference in performance from the 14-core M4 Pro versus the 12-core version. (I’m using that shorthand to refer to the upgrade option, though there’s more to it than that.) Similarly, in the case of the mini Pro, most photography users will notice literally no difference in performance from paying an extra $200 for 64GB instead of 48GB. (Given the lifespan of these things, I think the $400 for 48GB over the 24BG mini Pro base configuration is probably good insurance, at least if you plan to hold onto the machine for 5 years or so.) Likewise, the high premiums for super-large-capacity internal SSDs won’t make much sense for many users — it is more effective to stick to 1TB or 2TB and invest in good external storage.
I don’t think it is the case with our OP, but quite a few folks who are doing relatively basic LR work (which is probably most photographic users these days) would actually be very happy with a less expensive mini that doesn’t use the M4 Pro. Spend the savings on an extra monitor or two… ;-)
Bottom line: Be thoughtful about succumbing to the urge to always by the highest specification thing. Instead look at tests, consider your own experience, and target the sweet spot where you get excellent performance and avoid paying for differences that don’t make a difference.
rob_ww wrote:
When the tests are in, it will be interesting to see what the performance margin is over the M4 Mac Mini various configurations. One obvious advantage is more ports.
You do get more ports on the Studio. The mini has 5 USB-C ports, three of which are Thunderbolt, IIRC. I had some concerns about this until I started adding things up and I realized that with the extra ports on my monitors and external enclosures I had more than I would actually use.
If you need the added capabilities of the Studio (which is a very nice system) the extra ports are a bonus. Or you could add a hub…
p.1 #13 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
For years I was processing a7RIV files with intel MacBooks with 16 gb ram without any issues whatsoever.
Got a work-issued M1 MacBook Air with 8gb ram a couple years ago - also no issues. This was also used to edit video from Canon R5 and worked well for that.
I’m now using an M2 15 inch Air with 16gb ram for stills and video editing (Resolve).
All of the above have worked with no issues or hiccups with a7rV/IV ARW files.
I would not spend thousands more to rig up a computer just to edit Sony raw files.
doc4x5 wrote:
Today Apple released the new Studio Machines. Some of the nomenclature is confusing but basically it seems there are two chips, the M4 MAX and the M3 ULTRA. They can each be configured with different levels of CPU and GPU, RAM and storage. I suspect any of them will be pretty impressive.
I use a Sony A7RV. I process my files in Lightroom Classic and Photoshop with an Intel 2020 iMac with an i9, 64GB RAM, and 4 TB of storage. I have a RAID 5 array in an OWC Thunderbay (Thunderbolt 3) for my archive. I've figured out I likely do not need 4TB of internal storage, 2TB is plenty with the current external options. My final files after all my manipulations are in the 1-2GB range. I do straight photography, and use AI only for things like removal and masking, not generating things that do not exist in the original.
I'm excited by these new computers and would love to hear from those more knowledgeable than me which configuration is likely to give the best performance for my use situation.
p.1 #14 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
I recently went through all this owning the M2 Mac Studio and wound up with a Mac Pro M4 Mini and from a heavy Raw processing guy it's working out just fine . This article is long but might be worth a read as it may explain the need versus the want better . I agree you need to find a fit for you not a blanket per say
p.1 #15 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
It's mostly about volume. If you're doing final processing on hundreds of photos a week and taking advantage of a lot of AI denoising, masking, etc, the time saved may well be worth it to move up the ladder to a higher spec. I don't even mean culling, I mean keepers. If you're doing less volume then almost anything will do. I've edited GFX 100 files in Capture One/LrC/Photoshop on an M1 8GB Air and it was fine. Slow but fine. Now I'm using an M3 Air with 16GB 15". I also have an M1 Pro Studio that is worth it for me when I'm doing a massive job delivering 75+ photos that require a fair amount of editing or a large video job with lots of editing. Otherwise I just use whatever is handy. I think at some point I'll just consolidate everything down to a 16" MacBook Pro, but I'm probably going to wait a couple more generations for that.
p.1 #17 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
If you ever get into Astrophotography then the ability to stack hundreds of images will be important. I’m just starting out and my 8Gb Ram MacBook is struggling a little.
Affinity Photo runs in around 3Gb so not much is left for OS and hundreds of 100MB 14-bit RAW files.
p.1 #18 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
LiveShots wrote:
If you ever get into Astrophotography then the ability to stack hundreds of images will be important. I’m just starting out and my 8Gb Ram MacBook is struggling a little.
Affinity Photo runs in around 3Gb so not much is left for OS and hundreds of 100MB 14-bit RAW files.
Apps like this don't use a set amount of RAM, they'll typically gobble what's available. It's not unusual for LR to have 12-15gb consumed just idling in the background on my machine that has 64gb. It's not necessary that it have that much allocated, but it'll certainly grab more if it's just sitting there.
p.1 #19 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
I've not seen anyone discuss the time they plan to keep and use the machine. That's pretty crucial. If you are keeping it, like I am my macbook pro with an m1 max for 4 or 5 years or longer (I've got a 2015 macbook pro that's great for general home use), it probably make more sense to over buy and buy to the maximum your budget will allow. If you upgrade every couple of years, then it probably doesn't matter as much. I only got 2TB of internal storage on mine. I've got plenty of fast external storage, but many times I wished I had gotten the 4tb flavor, especially since my laptop is my home and travel computer and it's brilliant to have all of the files I'm working on with me and not have to carry extra stuff. Saving a $1000 now may seem like a great idea until your packing extra drives, cables etc. and keeping up with all of that. Especially if you are keeping it for a long time. I realize studio machines are little different but I think the time you plan to keep is an important consideration.
p.1 #20 · New Apple Studio Machines-Which one for LR/Photoshop with Sony A7RV?
I shoot an A7RV, and I’ve also spent my career in the tech industry as an engineer at various chipmakers. I can give you my recommendation, based on the machine I’ll be buying (also to replace my i9 Mac… are you me? )
When I get around to spec’ ing a new Mac Studio, I’m going with the M4 Max chip with 16CPU/40GPUs (mostly to get the 48GB of RAM option), and 2TB of SSD. For photography, the M4 chips all perform fantastically, but the larger RAM gives the machine headroom for future Apple Intelligence, and makes for extremely snappy photo editing.
I currently have a 2024 M4 Pro MacBook Pro as my mobile machine (and it also runs my home recording setup). It is a 14 core with 48GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. I’ve been doing some test editing on that machine since I got it with files from the A7RV and the Leica M11P, and I can safely say that just about any Mac Studio will be overkill, but I highly recommend going with at least 48GB of RAM for longevity’s sake. Skip the Ultra altogether, unless you’re editing video and running LLMs
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