# Help me choose my new system -- new entry level 15 MBP or new entry level 24iMac



## stayathomedad (Sep 8, 2009)

Admin, this thread may need to be moved... I was a little confused as to where to post...


Set aside the screen and portability...

Both have C2D chips with less then a .2Ghz difference

Both have 54''RPM drives (upgradeable either way)

Both have the same Nvidia 94'' graphics

Both can support up to 8GB of memory

So basically for LR work I should expect the same performance results, right?


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## stayathomedad (Sep 8, 2009)

Someone else made this comment on another forum

_ In my experience, LR performance on the same 'generation' of Apple machines is about 6'% affected by Hard Drive capabilities, 2'% CPU capabilities, and 2'% RAM capabilities._

_In your case the nod goes to the iMAC, but in either case I would consider upgrading to a 72''rpm hard drive with 16MB of cache. Unless you have more then a few applications open at a time, any RAM over about 2-3GB will not provide any further speed improvement for LR.


_Is the poster correct?


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## Mark Sirota (Sep 8, 2009)

I think that response is too simplistic. You can't lump "LR performance" like that; there are several different actions each requiring different resources. Preview generation doesn't require the same resources as importing, or searching a large catalog.

I think your core question -- Macbook Pro or iMac -- is really a question about your need for portability.


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## Andrew Hayton (Sep 8, 2009)

As you have said in your initial post, the machines spec is identical so there won't be any differencein the speed of LR on both. As Mark said, it will come down to portability.


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## stayathomedad (Sep 8, 2009)

I did make a mistake... the iMac has 6mb of L2 cache while the MBP has only 3mb of L2 cache...


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## edgley (Sep 8, 2009)

I have just swapped out the 52''rpm disk in my MBP. The new 72''rpm one is running almost three times faster than the one that shipped with it. I am amazed that they skimped on something like this.

Cost me just £45 for a 32'GB replacement. Cannt wait to get an SSD and try that next.


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## sizzlingbadger (Sep 9, 2009)

*Re: Help me choose my new system -- new entry level 15 MBP or new entry level 24*

I think you'll find the iMac has a 72''rpm drive (all mine have)


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