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32 bit ? 64 bit ? 4 GB ? 8 GB ? #1
bob william's picture
by bob william
October 12, 2011 - 8:41am

I realize my post title is a bit cryptic, however I've read some reviews on the interaction between Aperture 3 and Lion, or lack thereof. Since that's a purchase I'm contemplating, I've not yet come across the problem myself as it's been described in those posts but I sure would like to avoid my own having that problem. Problem is………..

……….I don't know enough about the workings of these things to understand what 32 bit or 64 bit means or the ramifications of having/using one or the other.

From those who've encountered and overcome these issues before me - will I be offered a choice of 32 or 64 bit and 4GB RAM or 8 GB RAM when I buy my new MBP 15” ? If I am offered that choice what configuration of those two variables should I choose for best Aperture 3 performance ?

If I should opt to keep using my current Aperture 2 for a while (my brain can only absorb so much newness at a time) I guess I should still choose a laptop configuration which will work well with Ap 3 when I do buy it. Question is : will that Ap 3-friendly configuration cause me any operational difficulties when I migrate the contents of my current laptop over to the new Lion-enabled one which I will have bought and configured to work with my eventual ownership of Ap 3 ?

Thank you very much

Bob

Bob S.

David Edge's picture
by David Edge
October 12, 2011 - 3:41pm

Bob

If you’re buying a new MBP it will eat Aperture - at least my son’t done although it is the top 17” model with 16GB RAM. Running Aperture in 32-bit is a fudge for people like me with old machines.

I’d never buy a machine for processing images with the minimum RAM. When i bought my 24-inch iMac I doubled the 2GB offered to 4GB and when Lion had to double it again to 8GB. At this stage I bought third-party RAM from Crucial for GBP30 rather than the GBP300 Apple would have wanted.

I suggest when you get your MBP you pay Apple for the minimum RAM and if possible stuff it with as much third-party RAM as will go in. Crucial’s website will provide instructions and how much you can put in there.

David

d.

PhotoJoseph's picture
by PhotoJoseph
October 18, 2011 - 8:59am

Bob,

You don’t have to choose between 32-bit and 64-bit when choosing. All this means is that the modern operating system (Lion) can run in 64-bit mode, which allows it to access more RAM at one time, and apps that are 64-bit savvy can also use more RAM, and this overall translates to a faster Mac. It also means you really want to have a lot of RAM in your system :)

David’s advice is sound; compare prices of buying a Mac with lots of RAM in it already vs. buying minimum RAM and upgrading yourself. Crucial.com is one site to look at; another is RamJet.com. You will find instructions on upgrading the RAM and you’ll be able to see if this is something you can do yourself or would be better off leaving to an expert.

I’d definitely make the move to Aperture 3 when you upgrade your Mac. You’ll have the power for it and it really is a massively better piece of software.

-Joseph @ApertureExpert

@PhotoJoseph
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