Brian

January - April 2024 Edition I've been getting more requests recently for the update to the Buying a Mac in 2023 article, with good reason. As more-and-more folks update their computers to the latest version of Photoshop CC, which is currently Version 25.4, and the new macOS Sonoma, Version 14.3...their older Intel Based iMacs are really starting to show their age. As I have mentioned in this article, you can no longer blindly upgrade your macOS and Photoshop CC without taking a hard look at your current hardware specifications FIRST! If you do, there is a very good possibility that your 5+ year old Mac will not perform well after upgrading; downgrading to "fix" things? That's easier said than done, especially when it comes to the macOS. Apple has removed the ability to downgrade without Nuking your HD and starting all over from scratch. So let's not go there. So, what to buy? Well, there is good news and bad news. Well, maybe not "Bad" news as one would think. Honestly, the Buying a Mac in 2023 article still applies, with a few minor changes that I've discovered. So that I would consider "Good" news. The Bad news? Apple is planning on updating a few models on their Desktop Line to the M3 chips, but I'm not sure when that will happen. Various news sources tend to state that Apple will announce the Mac Studio refreshes along with the very-expensive Mac Pro line sometime this Spring. (Well, Spring in the Northern Hemisphere.) So call it "Early 2024." Now for more bad news... If anyone was holding their breath waiting for a 27" iMac, you are going to turn-blue-and-die before that happens. Apple has ABANDONED the 27" iMac. Period! Yes, read that again if you need to. There will NOT be an update to the 27" iMac and any speculation of a larger model/screen, like a 32" iMac is just that...rumors and speculation. You have to remember, Steve Jobs is no longer alive...and Jony Ive, the Main Designer who came up with the design of iMac line, along with other products, no longer directly works for Apple. So the two driving forces that would drive something like an all-in-one 27" iMac are no longer a part of the equation. We are now back to having a separate Display and a Computer of some sort, just as it was in the early 1990's when Steve Jobs was no longer part of Apple. Not a huge deal, except when you start to price things out. Which leads me to my next statement... Apple still wants you to "Go Big or Go Home." In fact, just as in years prior, you are penalized for trying to go with a lower-cost option. Whether it's charging you more for the same exact upgrade in a lower-cost Apple product as opposed to going with the more expensive option to begin with, or not giving you the "Full Macintosh Experience" if you went with a 3rd Party Display. (Scaling and Text just not looking right.) That's right, Apple wants you to stay within their Ecosystem Borders now more than ever. If you do decided to opt for a 3rd party Display to save some money, your results will vary and you won't have that "Apple Experience" as you are used to. This is done intentionally. The reason is Apple decided to change the way the Video Signal comes out of the HDMI Port with the M1 line of Macs. Fast forward a few years and the M2 and M3 models also have this issue. So for the hecklers who will go out of their way to tell me that I'm wrong, and their 2017 Mac Mini (or whatever) "...works just fine," and blah-blah-blah and I will completely agree with them. That was with the Intel-based CPU Macintosh Computers, not the current Apple Silicon which started with the M1 System-on-a-Chip models. What was true in the past no longer applies to ANY current models. Now, can you use a 3rd Party Display? Absolutely! Will it look like garbage? Absolutely!! (But in Italics.) Yes, Apple does this on purpose. Remember: "Go Big or Go Home." Now, before crying out in frustration, Apple has ALWAYS been this way. The Apple Macintosh has always been expensive! In fact, the original Macintosh Computer, which was released in 1984, retailed for $2499.99. That was for a 128K computer. Not Megabytes, Kilobytes...and that didn't include a Internal HD, those came later. It ran off of 3.5" floppy disks! Adjusted for inflation, $2500 in 1984 is a little over $7,525.66 in December 2023. So call it $7499.99 after Marketing gets a-hold of things, if it were sold today. Keep this in mind as we configure a new Macintosh; you get A LOT more for your money in 2024 than you did in 1984, and it costs less. Yes, even though your budget should be around $4600 for a new Mac. Speaking of which, onto the part that everyone is wanting... ...oh, be sure to read all the way to the end. I give my final thoughts on what you should buy out of the two configurations.

Out of all the people here that I would have expected to tell me that they received the RAM before install, it would have been you. But you just went ahead and did it. Guess what? This is how I learned things. You fuck it up and now you need to figure out how to un-fuck things. LOL!! Welcome to computer repair!! So no video at all? Did you plug your display into the wrong port? Can you post a photo of the back of your computer? Did you physically unplug the computer before you attempted installing the RAM? Are you sure the RAM is seated all the way? This isn't a Monitor issue. Your computer is hung up and the monitor isn't getting a video signal. You might have to take it into a local "I Fix Stuff" Computer Repair Shop.

Mirrorless is fine. It's just the "Recent Darling" of the industry; the one who has "IT." Whatever "IT" is... Anyway, like I said...Mirrorless is fine. It is just highly recommended that you use the Mirrorless Z Lenses to go with that Z8. Since I have personally have invested THOUSANDS into gear, like at least $16,000 worth of thousands, I am in no mood to replace my kit anytime soon. (Yes, even though Marketing will convince you that the FTZ Adapter is all you need. I call Bullshit. You really need to use Mirrorless Lenses with a Mirrorless Body for the best results.) Anyway, back to your problem. I have to ask one thing...what version of firmware are you running on your Z8? You should be running 1.01. To check follow these instructions: Turn the camera on. Press the camera MENU button and select [Firmware version] in the [SETUP MENU] to display the camera firmware version. Check the camera firmware version. Turn the camera off. Like I said, Z 8 “C” Firmware Version 1.01 is the latest version. If you are at version 1.00, you will want to stay current.

Since you have a new M2 Mac, and everything is working fine, go ahead and upgrade Sonoma to the current version, then upgrade Photoshop; especially if you want all of the AI tool improvements. Report back if you have any issues, I'm curious.

Found this: https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-bugs/photoshop-problems-with-sonoma/idi-p/14138192 Found this: https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-bugs/issue-photoshop-2024-with-mac-os-sonoma/idi-p/14134585 and found this: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/photoshop-for-apple-silicon.html From what I can tell, there isn't that much incompatibility, but I'm not going to lie to you and say you won't have goofy problems. Try it and find out. If something happens and there aren't any work-arounds / fixes, you might have to upgrade or downgrade. Basically, if you have sessions to edit and photos to deliver to clients, please get those out the door & delivered first!!! DO NOT BE A MORON. Performing an OS Upgrade AND Photoshop Upgrade at the same time is risky. Sometimes nothing happens, other times a person is back in here begging for help because their computer went wonky and they need to deliver 23 Mini Sessions within a few days.

If you update your Mac OS to the latest version of Sonoma, you will need to at least be on Photoshop Version 24.7.1, or better yet 24.7.2...which is Photoshop CC 2023. Check what version of PS that you have before upgrading anything. If you are on 24.7.2, you should be fine, but there still could be incompatibility issues forcing you to upgrade PS. I don't have money for a new Mac right now, and refuse to upgrade since everything I have is working, so you are kinda on your own. I still on Big Sur, a 2017 iMac and PS CC 2023.

HP Laptops are JUNK and their Trackpads are terrible. A long time ago they used to be "Good," now...I just don't like them. Expect problems. While all the specs look good, there is no mention of the Display Panel Type. I needs to be a IPS screen. Trust me, IPS screens are more expensive, and the manufacture WILL point it out if it has one. "Dreamcolor" doesn't equal IPS. Which one would I purchase? I like Lenovo's stuff, and they have A LOT of models that have IPS Displays. Here is one: Lenovo 16" Legion Pro 7i 16IRX8H Gaming Laptop (Onyx Gray). Now, that's the most expensive model in that class and you could save a little money and I'd get this one. A NVIDIA 4090 is a bit overkill for PS. A 4070 or 4080 is "fine."

Yep. You will need the latest version of PS to go with your new OS. Or just wait until Adobe releases another round of updates.

As for the difference between the two models, the Black Model is Thunderbolt 3 only, and the Silver Model is Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2. If you have a Windows Computer and no Thunderbolt Ports, it’s kinda silly to get the new Model. Get last year’s Silver Version. If you don’t have TB3 on your computer and it’s a Desktop, consider installing a TB3 card; it makes an External HD perform like an Internal Drive. TB3 is 40Mbps Throughput vs 5Mbps with USB 3.0.

Sandisk bought Western Digital and G-Drive, so I’m a little biased to the G-Drive Model. (The silver one.) I own and use G-Drive for my data. RAID 1 is a good place to start, but keep in mind that a 12TB Model is two 6TB Drives that are mirrored. Keep in mind, you will lose a little space after formatting, so you don’t have a full 6TB to play with. When it comes to a RAID 1, but larger than what you think you’ll need and divide any advertised capacity by 1/2.

Before you ask, here is the download page: https://windirstat.net/download.html Look for this area: I typically use SourceForge to get the .exe file. It will probably go into your Downloads Folder, double-click on the windirstat1_1_2_setup.exe file and that should trigger the install routine.

Your guess is as good as mine, they are your files. That being said, I have used a free program called "WinDirStat." After you install and run this program, it will analyze what is on the drive and create "Color Blobs" of similar files types. So a folder that contains 1000's of images will be a bigger color blob than one that has some Documents. Hover over the Color Blob / Area and it will give you the location / path of those files. Then you go hunting and see what is there. I personally can't tell you to delete "X,Y, and Z..." you are going to need to do it. Now going forward, your File Management needs to be better because it sounds like you have stuff all over the place. (Almost like a Basement, Garage or Attic full of Crap. ) Hard Drives can become Dumping Grounds very easily if you don't stay on top of things. I don't want to hear, "...but I don't know much about computers!!" Suck-it-up-Buttercup, LEARN. LOL!! The "Local" Dropbox folder C:\Users\Dropbox is one area to check again. If you have any other folders that are synced to Dropbox, those folder could be another source. Get WinDirStat installed, run it and look at the large Color Blobs. I'd start with those folders first. I've also seen C:\Windows\Temp folders have TONS of unnecessary files taking up room.

You have a M2 Mac. You are fine to upgrade. It's the Intel-based Macs, 2020 models and earlier, seem to have the most problems with the modern macOS.

If it’s online only, those folders should have files on Dropbox’s Servers only, and not stored locally. Basically, it’s the folders that are marked “Local” are the ones you need to worry about. I have never really used Dropbox that much, are you saying the files are taking up space on your HD even though the folder is “online only?”

If you want a more shallow DoF, you also might have to lower your flash power. Remember, Aperture Relates to Flash Power, Shutter Speed controls ambient light. So what lights are you using?

Try this again without the stupid Back Button Focusing Technique! I swear, BBF for cameras is like Frequency Separation in PS; it is not the “end-all-and-be-all” that it’s made out to be. If you move slightly at 1/160, especially with a High Megapixel camera, you will get shots like this. ”But I didn’t move!!” Each time your heart pumps blood, your hand moves slightly. Same thing goes if your breathing technique needs work Now, yes…if you have lights that don’t have a high enough flash duration, it won’t freeze the subject when your shoot slower SS. Especially lights like Alien Bees. Those suckers are slow. But before blaming your gear, try consistent focusing (whatever Canon called Continuous) and try things again. Finally, your lens may need to be sent to Canon to have it tweaked. At 1/160th, you should be using image stabilization as well. Especially hand-held. Yes, even if you BBF. Bah!! I hate that stupid technique, almost as much as Famien hates LR.

Because your motherboard only goes up to 16GB sticks in each slot, ‘ya Wally! So says Dell. If you want 64, you need four 16GB matching sticks. (Which is two 32GB kits, as in two 16GB sticks in each kit.) Yes, you will be pulling the existing RAM. Why? Because we are going with the faster RAM and I want things matching. Your Motherboard will behave better with matching sticks of RAM in terms of speed and other specs.

There’s your problem. It’s the files on Dropbox. Not only are they stored in the Cloud on Dropbox’s Servers, those files are also stored locally on your computer. So you will have to open “Computer,” then open Drive C and then find the Users Folder. There should be a alist folder (probably your profile name,) and then a Dropbox folder. Open the Dropbox folder and go hunting. Now if you delete things, and don’t turn off syncing with Dropbox, it will copy those files all over again. If you don’t have the files locally, chances are those files will be deleted within 30 days from Dropbox’s Servers, unless you signed up for a paying plan that doesn’t do this sort of things. Keep in mind, ALL files on ALL YOUR DEVICES, like your phone, might be syncing to Dropbox on the Cloud, THEN are pushed down to your computer. So if you took 75 photos of your lunch with your phone, those 75 photos that will never see the light of day might have worked your way to the computer. So start in that folder and learn how to use Dropbox.

I use CleanMyMac X from MacPaw. It’s an annual subscription now, but is totally worth it. Just make sure you keep the program up to date.

You are correct, you didn’t buy “enough” in the first place. While buying something more “affordable” initially sounds like a good thing, it ultimately puts you back in the market sooner rather than later. in fact, your graphics card is very underpowered for the current versions of Photoshop which will cause things to slow down, AND your 16GB RAM is killing you! You want 32GB at a MINIMUM these days with 64GB being preferred. HD Space is fine, CPU is also fine-ish. For now. In reality, start saving for a new computer. Adobe is adding so much bloat and AI crap to Photoshop now, you can no longer blindly upgrade to the latest versions of Photoshop CC. Even though it’s so tempting. So what can you do. I’d upgrade to 64GB and that will be accomplished by removing the existing RAM and installing four 16GB sticks of matching RAM. Your system takes DDR4 RAM at 2666Mhz, and that’s getting a little harder to find in 2024. You can install 3200MHz RAM, but it will run at the max speed your motherboard supports; in this case 2666MHz, and there won’t be stability problems. You will need TWO of these 32GB kits.

Because a copy of that data is on your iCloud account, but is also stored locally on your HD. I’d turn off iCloud Syncing on your old laptop and go hunting for files that are occupying space. Then delete the local files and that should free up some space. Also, if you use the same iCloud account on your new laptop, I will bet the files from your new laptop are being stored / uploaded to the iCloud Account, THEN are being pushed down to your old laptop.

Yep! You are missing one thing important, neither of those models you linked to have IPS Displays! So unless you are planning on editing with an external IPS display, I’d skip those two. They have everything else though, so I can see why you picked both of them.

I haven't messed with software such as this in a very long time. That said, it looks to be recently updated so I'd give it a try. You can always remove it.

I just saw an Article on Mac Rumors that the Mac Studio and Mac Pro will be the next one to get an update to the M3 chip. They are saying it will be late 2024 for them to hit the shelves, but who knows…Apple may surprise us. I do think the Mac Mini will stay with the M2 chip for now. In which case it’s fine as there isn’t THAT much of a performance boost with a M3 over a M2 Mac. That’s why Apple keeps marketing on how much faster a M3 is over a M1. LOL!!

That’s because you have a Mac that has a Graphics Radeon Pro 580X 8GB and a modern copy of Photoshop. (2023 or 2024.) My 2017 Mac’s fan kicks on all the time with PS 2023, that’s why I won’t dare to upgrade to 2024. It never did this with PS 2022. This is why I jump up and down so much about the video cards and the current versions of Photoshop. The choice of GPU (Video Card) and dedicated Video Memory are more important than the choice of CPU! “Eh.” Yes and no. Reseating RAM will fix more than swapping things around, it really depends on the motherboard. Personally, I’d have the Crucial RAM (or whatever) in the primary slots on my Mac and move the Apple RAM to the second bank, but you could also run things the other way around. I’ve had motherboards flat out not work with larger sticks in the primary slots and the computer would only POST with them in the secondary bank. It makes no sense, but it is something you just work with. Use whatever configuration that makes your motherboard happy. As long as they are the same speed and such, it’s not a huge difference. It’s is very possible that the Apple RAM is what is giving you problems. I guess the next test is to leave the Apple RAM out and to hook up the External Drives next and see what happens. Leave the Card Reader out of the mix. I’ve had a faulty card reader screw things up out of all things, so we need to isolate one thing at a time. Pick 1 EHD and run with it. Then add the 2nd EHD if you have one, rinse and repeat. Make notes on what you did last each time. We may find out your Reader is what’s causing the issue! Or it could have been the Apple RAM this whole time.