Apple Mac Mini - 2GB enough ?

[davidb]

Is 2GB enough to run photoshop and/or light room 2 ?

[Lachlan 717]

All depends on a) file size you're working with, b) what else you're running at the time.

I run PS CS3 with 2GB RAM, and it works well enough. Some of the big files (300Mb+) slow it right down, as does HDR on 5+ images.

I try not to have anything else running...

Mind you, if you can spring to 4GB RAM, future-proof yourself a bit!!!

Lachlan.

[davidb]

The mini maxes out at 2gb

[Eric James]

I work with 600MB files in PS CS3 on a laptop with a little over 1GB RAM using the Guide File approach outlined here:

http://www.westcoastimaging.com/wci/...guidefile.html

[bernal]

2GB of RAM is very limited. You need to take into consideration that the OS uses part of that memory, too. Another problem with the Mac Mini is that you can't install a separate hard drive to use as Photoshop scratch disk. Once you start working with big enough layered files, you run out of memory pretty quick.

bernal

[Greg Lockrey]

I work with 600MB files in PS CS3 on a laptop with a little over 1GB RAM using the Guide File approach outlined here:

http://www.westcoastimaging.com/wci/...guidefile.html

Slick! Thanks for the info.

[Lachlan 717]

Another problem with the Mac Mini is that you can't install a separate hard drive to use as Photoshop scratch disk. Once you start working with big enough layered files, you run out of memory pretty quick.

bernal

Do you know if you can use the "Time Capsule" instead?

[bernal]

Do you know if you can use the "Time Capsule" instead?

You cannot use Time Capsule as a Photoshop scratch disk. Time Capsule is a wireless hard drive that was designed to work with Time Machine as a backup solution. To effectively use a separate hard drive as a scratch disk, it must be directly connected to the logic board.

bernal

[Lenny Eiger]

Is 2GB enough to run photoshop and/or light room 2 ?

It depends on what you are doing. If you are shooting with a digital camera and the file sizes are less than 100 megs, sure. I like the other side of the spectrum where file sizes are quite large. Even so, if you want to power up to a PhotoShop machine (and if you want to use it for anything else) I recommend about 8 Gigs of RAM.

Lenny

[John Whitley]

Another problem with the Mac Mini is that you can't install a separate hard drive to use as Photoshop scratch disk.

You can't add an internal drive, but on a Mac Mini why would you want to? For a Mini or a laptop, setup an external Firewire hard drive as the Photoshop scratch disk. There are even external drive enclosures that smartly match the Mini's styling, if you care about such things.