Brian Posted March 7 Posted March 7 Apple just announced the new M4 Mac Studio, which is what I alluded to when I created my Mac Mini WTB Article. For the money, the Mac Studio is a better fit for Photographers, IMHO...but the Mac Mini is also fine. I just have a 7-8 life-span in mind when it comes to my computers, and tend to upgrade things so I don't have to worry when Photoshop does a major update a few years from now. For the most part, the configurations that I have used in the past still apply, 1TB for a Main HD at the minimum, and at least 32GB...preferably 64GB, to get the most life out of your computer. Now do you have to go with my fancy & expensive configurations? No. At the end of the day, it's your money and this is my opinion on what you should buy. Just keep in mind, if you do go with a lower configuration (i.e. less expensive,) you will be purchasing a new computer sooner, rather than later. The reason is, Adobe Photoshop is becoming a REAL BEAST in terms of software, and the fancy AI Modules they keep adding are requiring even more resources from your computer. This isn't like Photoshop CS6, which was released back in May 2012 for the Macintosh, and you could run that program for YEARS without paying much to hardware specifications. Here we are, a little over a decade later, and that no longer applies. Today's "Modern Photoshop" is still the same at its core, but all of the extra features like Content Aware, Noise Reduction, and other fancy editing tools have increased the requirements. Combine that with Marketing convincing the masses that they "NEED" these sort of things doesn't help, but that sort of thing has been going on for thousands of years. For those in the United States, according to a recent Article from Mac Rumors, it seems that the recent Tariffs won’t affect Apple’s Products, From MacRumors.com: Quote “iPhones, Macs, iPads, Apple Watch, and other Apple devices will not be subject to the 125 percent tariffs that have been put in place on imported Chinese goods, nor will Apple have to pay the 10 percent reciprocal tariffs that are in place for goods from other countries.” Which is a good thing, since we won’t have to worry about prices increasing. Anyway, before I really go off topic, here is the current "Early 2025" Edition of the "What Macintosh do you recommend for Photo Editing." There are primarily two configurations, for when it comes to the Mac Studio. Be sure to read the ENTIRE Article:
Brian Posted March 7 Author Posted March 7 Mac Studio - "Less Expensive" Version This is probably the easiest one to purchase. It's the same price-point as the 2023 M3 version and you get a better CPU and GPU for the same amount of money. This is the configuration you will likely be able to "buy off the shelf" if you choose to, or better yet...just head to Apple's Website, Apple.com - Mac. From there, select the Mac Studio at the top of the menu bar: Click the Blue "BUY" Button at the top: Start by selecting the M4 Mac Studio on the left for $1999: Keep everything the same except UPGRADE THE INTERNAL HD TO 1TB! That's it. As far as the Computer is concerned, this is all you "need" to run the current versions of Photoshop and you should get about 4-5 years of lifespan. Keep in mind that you will be locked into you 36GB of RAM, and a 1TB HD. There is no upgrading ANYTHING after the fact. Be sure to add AppleCare to everything, a new Mouse & Keyboard if you desire, and most importantly, a Apple Studio Display, especially if you are upgrading from a iMac!! This computer will run Photoshop CC well for the foreseeable future. Speaking of which, we will add the Apple Studio Display next. If you are upgrading from a 2020 or earlier iMac, you will need to ADD THE APPLE STUDIO DISPLAY. Select the "Standard Glass Model," DO NOT CHOOSE the "Nano-texture Glass" version. The Standard Glass Version is FINE and the one I'm buying. What's the difference? The Nano-texture helps cut down on reflections, but in reality if your head an inch or two, will lead to reduced contrast, making blacks appear less inky and colors look washed out, and also increases the difficulty of cleaning. We are editing Photos here, life is too short to deal with this sort of thing. Again, choose the :Apple Studio Display - Standard Glass" version. As for the stand, the default Tilt-adjustable stand is perfectly fine. If you want to spend the money and choose the model that allows you to go up-and-down, that's up to you. Personally, I'd rather buy a VESA Monitor Desk Arm in that case. For now, we will leave it at the default: At this point, your subtotal will be $3798 and a question if you would like to add AppleCare+ for the Mac Studio Display. Short Answer: YES!! So click the little blue "Add" button on the right. Next, you will be given a choice of coverage options. Personally, I find that "Three years of coverage" option is fine for the majority. If you are the type of person that is prone to hardware issues, you can opt for the annual coverage until cancelled...it's completely up to you. For this example, we are going with 3 years: Click "Add to Bag" at the bottom. From there we are given choices of adding AppleCare+ to the Mac Studio, and the choice of a new Magic Keyboard & Mouse. When it comes Mac Studio Display, we want at least Three years of AppleCare+ coverage, and if you need a new Mouse & Keyboard, add those. If you want the new Black / Silver Colors to make everything "Matchy-Matchy," you will pay a $20 up-charge for each. Personally, I'm saving $40 by going with the White / Sliver versions. Yes, before you ask...your existing Magic Mouse & Magic Keyboard will work, you will just have to set things up in the Bluetooth settings or during the initial setup, which will save you some cash. Click "Add to bag" below each column, especially for the AppleCare+! You should see "Item added to bag" below each choice when finished. Now it's time for the fun part, click the Big Blue Review Bag Button at the top. Review your choices and make sure AppleCare+ is added. The Grand Total should be $4374 plus any applicable local taxes & fees.
Brian Posted March 7 Author Posted March 7 Mac Studio - "This Goes to 11" Version Yes...this is a Spinal Tap reference Let's say you aren't normal (like me) and want a little more "Umph" for your Mac Studio, but don't want to fork out $10,000 for a new computer? Here is what I would purchase for myself. In reality...this is the configuration you should be buying. In the end, it's about only about $700 more, but it saves you from having to buy another computer for about 7-8 years. Same deal, start by selecting the M4 Mac Studio on the left for $1999: Upgrade the Processor to the Apple M4 Max chip with 16‑core CPU, 40‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine Upgrade the RAM to 64GB Upgrade the Internal HD to 1TB Storage Should you upgrade to a 2TB storage? For $400 more, "Meh." I'd honestly take that $400 and put it towards a much larger External Hard Drive, so we will stick with 1TB SSD Storage for now. At this point, your subtotal will be around $2899.00 (US Dollars.) Click the Blue "Continue" Button. If you are upgrading from a 2020 or earlier iMac, you will need to ADD THE APPLE STUDIO DISPLAY. Select the "Standard Glass Model," DO NOT CHOOSE the "Nano-texture Glass" version. The Standard Glass Version is FINE and the one I'm buying. What's the difference? The Nano-texture helps cut down on reflections, but in reality if you move your head an inch or two, your screen will look different. The Google AI-Bot agrees with me, the downsides to a Nano-textured display "...will lead to reduced contrast, making blacks appear less inky and colors look washed out, and also increases the difficulty of cleaning." We are editing Photos here, life is too short to deal with this sort of thing. Again, choose the "Apple Studio Display - Standard Glass" version. As for the stand, the default Tilt-adjustable stand is perfectly fine. If you want to spend the money and choose the model that allows you to go up-and-down, that's up to you. Personally, I'd rather buy a VESA Monitor Desk Arm in that case. For now, we will leave it at the default: At this point, you should see the new subtotal of $4498.00 (US Dollars) and a question of, "Would you like to add AppleCare+ coverage?" Short answer is "YES!!!" so click the blue "Add." From there, you will be given a few options: For me personally, I'd likely choose the "Three years of coverage" option, since my Mac Studio Setup isn't being moved around. If you are the type of person that suffers from chronic computer and electronic problems, you know who you are, it might be better to get the Annual Coverage instead. For this tutorial, we will go with "Three years of coverage for $149" followed by clicking the "Add" Button. Keep in mind, this AppleCare+ is for the Apple Studio Display ONLY!! We will add AppleCare+ for the Mac Studio Computer in the next step: On this screen, we are given the AppleCare+ Option for the Mac Studio Computer, along with the choices of a new Keyboard and Mouse. Personally, I'm going with the Three years coverage of AppleCare+, and choosing the "White / Silver" version of the Magic Keyboard and Mouse. If your current Mac Keyboard & Mouse is working for you, you can save a little money by not buying them. If you want the Black / Silver versions to make things "Matchy-Matchy," there is $20 up-charge for each. I'm saving the $40, White/Silver it is! Yes, before you ask...your existing Magic Mouse & Magic Keyboard will work, you will just have to set things up in the Bluetooth settings or during the initial setup, which will save you some cash. Make sure you click "Add to bag" for the AppleCare+ and add the Magic Keyboard / Mouse if you need to. Especially for the AppleCare+, which is for the Mac Studio Computer! Once you have made your choices, you should see "Item added to bag" below each option: If you scroll down, there are a few other up-sells that Apple would like for you to add, such as Microsoft Office and a few other odd-and-ends, but we will skip those at this time. Click the Big Blue "Review Bag" Button at the top.
Brian Posted April 6 Author Posted April 6 From there we will see your Bag, aka "Shopping Cart." Here is what we have chosen: Mac Studio Computer: Mac Studio Display: Magic Keyboard & Magic Mouse: FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF $5400, DEPENDING ON YOUR LOCATION. Of course, you will need to adjust this amount based on your local taxes, exchange rates and such. It's only money, right?
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