# Refurb Macbook Pro Specs



## brian09223 (Nov 7, 2016)

I am looking at a Macbook Pro refurbished from Apple and was wondering what I need to run Lightroom effectively? The one they have right now has 128gb Flash Memory, 8gb RAM. I would definitely increase the RAM but is the 128gb memory enough. I would keep my catalog on a portable hard drive so I wouldn't eat up memory. I would be using this Mac Book for Lightroom almost exclusively.  I would love the new Mac Book Pro but pricing out the new one is over $2000.00.


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## Johan Elzenga (Nov 7, 2016)

A hard disk of 128 GB is very limited, but if you are really using this computer for Lightroom only and keep your catalog and images on an external disk, it should be enough.


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## brian09223 (Nov 7, 2016)

I thought the hard drive was to small. I might wait and see if they get any more with bigger hard drives. What would you say is a good size to have?


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## Johan Elzenga (Nov 7, 2016)

brian09223 said:


> I thought the hard drive was to small. I might wait and see if they get any more with bigger hard drives. What would you say is a good size to have?



I have a 512 GB drive in my MacBook Air (and ordered a new MacBook Pro with the same size drive). I use it for quite a bit more than just Lightroom, and more than half the drive is still free. So for only Lightroom I would say that 256 GB is probably quite good.


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## brian09223 (Nov 7, 2016)

I found one with 512 gb drive but the processor is only 1.3GHZ. I would like a processor over 2GHZ, what do you think?


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## clee01l (Nov 8, 2016)

I have a late 2012 rMBP with a 500GB SSD and 8GB of RAM. It has MacOS, LRCC & PSCC and the apps that ship with MacOS and little else.  This takes up 90 GB.  AND I don't have a LR catalog on the disk.  You need probably close to 100GB of free space for working storage.  LR uses lots of working storage. My dual core processor is 2.9GHz.  It runs LR reasonably well but could really benefit from more RAM.


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## Johan Elzenga (Nov 8, 2016)

Agreed. Lightroom *can* run in very limited specs. It's pretty amazing that it not only runs on my MacBook Air with 4 GB RAM, it is even able to create a panorama of four or five 36 MP Sony A7R raw images, or an HDR of three of those images. I can also send an image from Lightroom to Photoshop (so running both in that 4 GB RAM) without locking up the computer. It is very slow doing such things, however. That's the reason why I'm eagerly waiting for the new 13" MacBook Pro I ordered with 16 GB RAM and a 3.3 GHz Core i7 processor. Expected delivery in one or two weeks...


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## brian09223 (Nov 8, 2016)

Thank you for the info Cletus and Johan. I do all of my Lightroom work on my iMac 27". It's has 3.1 GHz and 32GB of RAM. I will be using the MBP for classroom and presentations with Lightroom. I would love to get what you ordered Johan but I think I can spend less money and get what I want. I think I need a 2.7 GHz or more processor and 16GB of RAM and 512 GB of memory to get buy. They have one with  2.9GHz and 512gb Hard Drive but the RAM is 8GB which I would have to increase to 16GB. The price is $1439.00 compared to $2499.00 for the one I priced out on the Apple WEB site(of course I maxed out everything).


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## clee01l (Nov 8, 2016)

brian09223 said:


> They have one with 2.9GHz and 512gb Hard Drive but the RAM is 8GB which I would have to increase to 16GB.


This is the max RAM that can be installed on older 13" MBPs.    It is what I use for my travel laptop.  I too have a 27"iMac w/32GB.  A world of difference between the two machines, but as Johan says, "Lightroom *can* run in very limited specs. It's pretty amazing..."


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## Jknights (Nov 8, 2016)

Yes I am amazed that LR v6.7 runs on my old MacBook Air 2010 with only 4GB RAM.


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## Johan Elzenga (Nov 8, 2016)

brian09223 said:


> Thank you for the info Cletus and Johan. I do all of my Lightroom work on my iMac 27". It's has 3.1 GHz and 32GB of RAM. I will be using the MBP for classroom and presentations with Lightroom. I would love to get what you ordered Johan but I think I can spend less money and get what I want. I think I need a 2.7 GHz or more processor and 16GB of RAM and 512 GB of memory to get buy. They have one with  2.9GHz and 512gb Hard Drive but the RAM is 8GB which I would have to increase to 16GB. The price is $1439.00 compared to $2499.00 for the one I priced out on the Apple WEB site(of course I maxed out everything).



I think you'll be fine with these specs. So far I have been teaching Lightroom using that very limited MacBook Air. I do have to warn people that some operations may be a little slow, and sometimes I only show the preview of a panorama and then cancel out rather than let Lightroom actually make the panorama, but apart from that I never had complaints that I was using such a limited computer that it affects my classes. The reason I'm buying that new one is because I want more power when I use it on the road.


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## brian09223 (Nov 30, 2016)

Because of my naivete on MacBook's, I didn't realize that the RAM was not up gradable on 2013 Macs and beyond. Is 8GB of Ram sufficient to run Lightroom if you use an external hard drive for your catalog?


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## Johan Elzenga (Nov 30, 2016)

brian09223 said:


> Because of my naivete on MacBook's, I didn't realize that the RAM was not up gradable on 2013 Macs and beyond. Is 8GB of Ram sufficient to run Lightroom if you use an external hard drive for your catalog?



Yes, it should be. And the location of the catalog has nothing to do with it as far as I know.


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## clee01l (Nov 30, 2016)

brian09223 said:


> Because of my naivete on MacBook's, I didn't realize that the RAM was not up gradable on 2013 Macs and beyond. Is 8GB of Ram sufficient to run Lightroom if you use an external hard drive for your catalog?


I have a 32GB iMac 5K for my master catalog.  I have a 13" 2012 rMBP w 8GB of RAM to use as my travel LR computer.  It works sufficiently well that I am comfortable traveling with it, shooting 36mp images and doing preliminary work in LR.  I don't need to store my images on an EHD if the trip is short (2 weeks or less).  I do carry an EHD to use for TimeMachine backups of all of my critical data on the rMBP.


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## Fred Crown (Feb 9, 2017)

I was told that clock speed was the deciding factor in LR performance on a MacBook.  Is that true?  I have a 1008 Macbook pro and I can make and eat a sandwich before it resolves images from my D810 when tethering, I need to upgrade on the cheap if that is possible.  I am not adverse to a referb.  Thanks


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## clee01l (Feb 9, 2017)

Fred Crown said:


> I was told that clock speed was the deciding factor in LR performance on a MacBook.  Is that true?  I have a 1008 Macbook pro and I can make and eat a sandwich before it resolves images from my D810 when tethering, I need to upgrade on the cheap if that is possible.  I am not adverse to a referb.  Thanks


To some extent, yes.  However, most MackBook, Mackbook Pro are spec'd with a dual Core CPU.  LR is most efficient with 4-6 cores and 16GB or better RAM.   You can drain the swamp with 4 hoses faster than you can with two.


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## Fred Crown (Feb 9, 2017)

Thanks Cletus, I need it mostly for tethering so I am stuck with a laptop.


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