New computer

Have questions about the equipment used for macro- or micro- photography? Post those questions in this forum.

Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau

Big Pete
Posts: 62
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2021 7:40 am
Location: Ulricehamn Sweden

New computer

Post by Big Pete »

Hi, my old iMac 27" late 2013 is starting to give up and I've been looking at a new Mac Mini M1 with 16GB RAM and 256 in SSD. From what I understand there is no way to upgrade this new machine in the future. Also considering a 32 " screen in 2K or 4K. It's easy to create large image files with Zerene stacks. What is your opinion on this?

J_Rogers
Posts: 87
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:29 pm
Location: North Carolina, USA

Re: New computer

Post by J_Rogers »

Id advise against any Apple computer just due to the fact you cannot upgrade anything on it.

At similar prices to the mini M1:
- If you want small form factor the Lenovo Thinkcentre is ideal. You can usually find a used enterprise one with even better specs than a new one for sub $800.
- If size was not an issue; given the new 4000 series GPU's have just been released, you can likely build / buy a desktop pc with a 12th Gen intel or Ryzen 5 cpu & a 3060 gpu for $1000.

chris_ma
Posts: 570
Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2019 2:23 pm
Location: Germany

Re: New computer

Post by chris_ma »

personally I find the question with mac vs pc more connected with which ecosystem and software somebody feels comfortable with rather then perfomance, which tend to be less of an issue in everyday life (there are some exceptions, gaming and 3D rendering definitely has much better performance with PC atm).

that said, the apple silicon computers are hard to beat with performance per dollar and pretty much impossible if in performance per watt on a lot of tasks. and the battery life and performance of the laptops is simply incredible.

since the developer of Zerene is very active here it's probably best to ask him directly, but if I remember well he has written about initial benchmarks in the past and the software worked out pretty well even on early builds.

most likely more RAM will speed things up for deep high resolution stack and a bit larger SSD certainly wont hurt either.

what camera are you using and how many images per stack are you planning to process?
chris

cbphoto
Posts: 20
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2022 3:04 pm
Location: Möbius Strip
Contact:

Re: New computer

Post by cbphoto »

I went from a 2012 Mac Pro that was speedy for its time to a Mac Studio with the Ultra chip & 128GB RAM. Zerene stacker runs much faster on the Studio than the Mac Pro. Sorry, no time comparisons, but the Geekbench data seems accurate:
https://browser.geekbench.com/macs/mac- ... e-m1-ultra

I produce 16-bit TIFF files from my Fuji GFX 100s (about 500MB each) and have stacked as much as 150 images in the program. ZS runs very solid, no glitches. However, because the files are large it take a moment to display a specific layer (when retouching within ZS).
Edit: ZS allows the user to specify the amount of RAM used for the program. I set it to its preferred amount, and close all other programs when using ZS.

Another perk I am enjoying is the very fast read times off the SD card slot. A few hundred RAF files can be 50GB or more and it’s nice how zippy the data transfer is.

Hardware updates are not possible. The computer is basically a solid mass of silicon & conductor. No moving parts. Time will tell if I regret my decision, but for now: no regrets.
~ CB

colohank
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat Jul 24, 2021 6:07 pm
Location: Fruita, Colorado, USA

Re: New computer

Post by colohank »

My five-year-old desktop HP computer now runs on Windows 11. As originally ordered, with Windows 10, it came with only 12GB of RAM installed, and it struggled mightily with memory-demanding tasks like processing focus stacks (Affinity) and auto-backups of files (Acronis). Ofttimes, it would abort in the middle of a task with an indication that programs had stopped responding. Finally, while processing a largish focus-stack one day, the computer froze up completely and a warning popped up on the screen telling me I had only 2MB of available RAM left. It was so jammed up that it took me quite a time just to shut it down and reboot. Consequently, I ordered and installed 32GB RAM, and it's worked flawlessly ever since. Moral of the story? Unless Apple computers somehow utilize RAM far more efficiently than Windows machines, 16GB isn't enough for many of today's more complex processing tasks.

chris_ma
Posts: 570
Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2019 2:23 pm
Location: Germany

Re: New computer

Post by chris_ma »

colohank wrote:
Wed Nov 02, 2022 7:28 am
Moral of the story? Unless Apple computers somehow utilize RAM far more efficiently than Windows machines, 16GB isn't enough for many of today's more complex processing tasks.
actually this is exactly the point: the architecture of the apple silicon makes memory much faster and more efficient, and if you run out of RAM swapping to the SSD is faster too.
I did some tests on typical workloads for me (memory intense after effects renders) on a 3000euro i7 intel macbook from 2019 with 32GB RAM vs a 1200euro M1 macmini with 16GB RAM, and the M1 was 20-50% faster in pretty much everything I could throw at it.
that isn't to say that it's not a good idea to start with more if you can afford it, but an M1/M2 chip with 16GB will run way faster and efficient then a traditional PC or intel Mac with 16GB RAM.

as for upgrading:
Apple computers typically hold their resale value quite well. so if I have different needs in 2 years time and want to upgrade, I simply sell the old one and buy what fits my current needs. total cost is not much more then the traditional upgrade, with the benefit that the new computer has components that match each other extremely well, and also avoids the compatibility hassles that can occur when swapping out components (I also have a PC tower where I recently upgraded the RAM from 32GB to 64GB, and it took me the better part of the day despite knowing my way around computers).

But as mentioned in my first reply:
I find that feeling comfortable with a system is far more important since performance is quite similar for systems in a similar price range, but enjoying working with the gear or being frustrated is a huge deal to me.
chris

Big Pete
Posts: 62
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2021 7:40 am
Location: Ulricehamn Sweden

Re: New computer

Post by Big Pete »

Thank you all for your comments and tips! I bought a Mac mini M1 with 16MB of RAM and an internal SSD of 256GB. A new BenQ SW 270C 27" screen was also purchased. The idea is that I will put my photos and videos on an external SSD memory so not to over load the internal SSD memory.

Yes, I know it is not possible to upgrade my new Mac mini M1 but who knows in the future there may be a solution. I am 72 years old and do not need to go over the hill as age takes its toll.
I have now connected the new Mini Mac and am already enjoying it as it is fast and easy to work with on the Ventura 13.

I work with the Sony A7R II for macro but have recently acquired a Sony A7 IV mostly for video. The lenses are everything from Voigtländer 65mm macro to Canon MP 35mm and 20mm, old lenses, with Raynox as tube lens. Two flashes, Godox AD-600BM with beauty-dish works well with Stackshot and Zeren. My objects are mini micro orchids where many flowers measure only a few millimeters in width to larger flowers of 50mm or more.

cbphoto
Posts: 20
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2022 3:04 pm
Location: Möbius Strip
Contact:

Re: New computer

Post by cbphoto »

Big Pete wrote:
Sat Nov 05, 2022 3:43 am
Thank you all for your comments and tips! I bought a Mac mini M1 with 16MB of RAM and an internal SSD of 256GB. A new BenQ SW 270C 27" screen was also purchased. The idea is that I will put my photos and videos on an external SSD memory so not to over load the internal SSD memory.

Yes, I know it is not possible to upgrade my new Mac mini M1 but who knows in the future there may be a solution. I am 72 years old and do not need to go over the hill as age takes its toll.
I have now connected the new Mini Mac and am already enjoying it as it is fast and easy to work with on the Ventura 13.

I work with the Sony A7R II for macro but have recently acquired a Sony A7 IV mostly for video. The lenses are everything from Voigtländer 65mm macro to Canon MP 35mm and 20mm, old lenses, with Raynox as tube lens. Two flashes, Godox AD-600BM with beauty-dish works well with Stackshot and Zeren. My objects are mini micro orchids where many flowers measure only a few millimeters in width to larger flowers of 50mm or more.
Good to read you’re happy & satisfied with your purchase. =D>
~ CB

Chris S.
Site Admin
Posts: 4042
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:55 pm
Location: Ohio, USA

Re: New computer

Post by Chris S. »

Big Pete wrote:
Sat Nov 05, 2022 3:43 am
A new BenQ SW 270C 27" screen was also purchased.
I predict you will be very happy with this monitor--I use two of them.

--Chris S.

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic