Brian

I'd increase the RAM to 32GB and install a traditional 4TB 7200 RPM HD. So look to purchase two 16GB kits (which will take it to 40GB) from Crucial. The 4TB drive is for the Ps Scratch Disk and your files and photos. You install the programs on the C Drive, which is probably a SSD.

What version of Windows are you running?

You really REALLY want to get a eSata card to and use that eSata port on the ProRaid. I know USB 3.0 is rated to 5Gbps, but from what I've experienced in person, that's a lab test result. I'd start with a eSATA to PCI Express card. They retail for about $25-$30. In addition, RAID0 will be the fastest, but there is no redundancy going that route. You mentioned LR. Just to let you know, the more photos you have in a catalog, the slower it runs. This is especially true if you have 30,000+ photos in a single catalog. I know Adobe touts LR being this awesome photo management thing, but the catalog file way of doing things sucks. Once it gets bloated, things slow down to a crawl. As for why things haven't changed when using a SSD, I'd create a new catalog and put that on the SSD and not the RAID EHD. (Just as a test.) See if running 100% off the SSD drives helps things. If not, it could be a BIOS setting that needs to be tweaked.

"...plugged in via Firewire to USB 3.0..." There is your problem. That's the bottleneck.

Good to know!! Thanks!

It's the model line that I recommend. I believe Damien has a Asus ROG, and a buddy of mine (in real life) has one, has a GORGEOUS display. I would have no problems buying that laptop and would purchase it myself.

I'd get the 3rd one in that list. The one with the two extra slots. That laptop goes up to 64GB, so it's a tad more "future proof." Entry Level Cameras are starting at 24MP these days. So that will require more horsepower going forward. Having the ability to upgrade to 64GB is a good thing. Even though it's not needed now, in 3-5 years, who knows?

Links? Also, you want a IPS based screen. Most laptops do not have them. In addition to e-mail, don't forget about PS Actions and Brushes.

What needs to be done at the moment is to get your data backed up onto a EHD. Not just photos and documents, but things like favorites and e-mail. Organized chaos.

You answered your own question. Thank you for taking the time to read and poke around. Personally, I have NEVER experienced a 3rd party replacement battery working in a laptop. It seems that the only ones that work the best and longest, are the OEM batteries, and they are expensive. Combine that with the fact of they are impossible to find after 3-6 months after you purchase the laptop. 5 Years for a laptop is a good run. My usual thinking is around 36-40 months, on the average/across-the-board, before a laptop starts locking up or running "slow."

The long version of my above comment, is your laptop is meant for portability, not running PS efficiently. Sure it will run, but it's a laptop that has "Average" horsepower and nothing Earth-Shattering. It's fine for wasting time on Facebook, answering e-mail, writing contracts,, buying stuff on Amazon and running PS & Quickbooks to a certain degree, but like I said, it's not Earth-Shattering. If you are looking for speed, I would not invest a dime into this laptop and would look for something that has higher specs. (You are maxed out at 8GB of RAM and take the money you'd spend on a SSD Drive and put it towards a new laptop.) If you search the threads here in Ask Brian, I've answered the "What Laptop to buy..." question a bunch of times. Personally, I do not recommend laptops for photo-editing. It's so easy to back yourself into a corner technology-wise with a laptop. A person spends all that money, only to have to fork out even more money on a completely different laptop because you can't upgrade the damn thing. It's like buying a stock Honda Civic and then wanting to off-road race in the "Baja 1000." Or go "Muddin' in a Prius. LOL!!

You are maxed out at 8GB. Your free HD space is fine for the moment. Save up your money and buy a new laptop, or better yet...buy a desktop!!

I'm out of ideas. Sorry.

Correct. Give this video a watch. Even though the iMac is from 2012 on the video, Apple hasn't changed the design for the current iMacs. It goes in the same way.

I think we really need to get to the bottom of why your images are "Bombing Out" and coming back as "recovered." Once we figure that part out, things will be clearer. Other than resetting Bridge, I'm kinda out of ideas. You might have to call Adobe. One more important thing... What version of the Mac OS are you running and have you updated it recently?

Something is wrong with Bridge. I also don't like the 8GB of RAM and 148GB free out of 250GB. This is one of the problems with a Mac laptop. You can't really upgrade it. But before getting into that, have you reset Bridge? I gave instructions in this thread:

With today's Photoshop, you'll want to have at least 16GB of RAM, preferably more. (32GB is a good target.) That said, Adobe is relying on the GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) to help aid with performance. So if you have video that is built onto the motherboard, which doesn't have it's own dedicated GPU and Video Memory, then you have a performance hit there. In which case, you will probably need to upgrade your power supply and purchase a fancy video card with its own VIDEO MEMORY and GPU. Depending on the model of your computer, it might not be worth going this route. If you are looking for speed, it's better to invest in a low-end gaming system and not your typical $500 off-the-shelf-special from a Big Box store. (Not implying anything, just giving an example.) I'd start by heading to Crucial.com and run their scanning tool. It should take you to a page with your options. You can post screenshots in this thread and I should be able to translate them. RAM is fairly cheap these days, so now is a good time to buy.

HARD DRIVE. 243.24GB free out of 999.35GB is not good. You want that "free" number closer to 500GB.

One more thing, the screws on the access panel do not come off. They have little retainers, so when you unscrew each screw, it will stay on the access panel.

Here is a video demonstrating the process. You will want to REMOVE the existing RAM so that all the banks are empty. When you go to install the RAM, it only goes in one way, so if it doesn't fit, flip it over and try again. You will need a little "Umph" to insert the RAM fully in each slot. I had a friend try to do it and she said it wouldn't work. It turns out that she "Had to make her fingers hurt a little..." in order to get the RAM fully seated.

The reason why I'm suggesting you purchase the 4GB sticks is that in 2011, Apple started changing things. Some systems would support 8GB sticks, others didn't. Some computers would only go up to 16GB Max, others would go up to 32GB. Apple never really made an official statement, but in my experience, if the iMac as a built-in DVD SuperDrive, I can almost guarantee you that your Mac goes up to 16GB and takes 4GB DIMMs in each socket. The 8GB DIMMs started in the 2012-era with iMacs that didn't have a DVD Drive built in. That said, there were models that took the 8GB sticks. The Crucial Scanning Tool will help determining this.

I wouldn't bother upgrading the internal HD on your iMac. SSD or otherwise, since it's from 2011. Yes, it will speed things up, but it's more of a hassle than anything. I would increase the RAM to 16GB. That will require a quantity of four 4GB DIMMs. Since you have 4GB now, that is a quantity of two 2GB DIMMs. You will need to remove those two existing modules and install TWO 8GB kits. Your machine takes 4GB sticks, not 8GBs So if you are buying a 16GB kit, chances are that's two 8GB DIMMs, which is NOT what you want. I would purchase this External Thunderbolt Drive. It's cheaper than buying a 1TB SSD Drive, and will give you 4TB of storage. I would transfer all your data files over to it. Get the internal HD cleaned off. Once you hit more than 75% full on a HD when it comes to Macs, performance takes a huge hit. Combine that with 4GB (My God Woman, you need more RAM!!) and if your Mac Desktop has all sorts of files and folders, performance takes another hit. Now for the RAM. Chances are you will need TWO OF THESE KITS, but I still want you to run the Crucial System Scanner before buying anything.

One more question, what version of Windows?

What camera body? How much RAM? How much HD space is free?

It's possible that a PS CC update went through and it's not your fault. You might be calling Adove on this one.