This configuration is still going to run Lightroom and Photoshop very well for the next 3+ years. Maybe 15% less performance if you consider the situations where 16GB of memory may not be enough (compositing, panorama, HDR). Less Expensive, Good Performance ($2,400)Ī small step down in performance for your photo editing to be sure, but if your account or significant other says $3,600 just isn’t in the budget, you could save about 33% of your hard-earned money while only giving up about 10% in performance. If you can’t quite swing $3,600 you can save $400 by going down to 512GB of storage and still have this be a very solid investment. Has your camera body made it that long? It should by the way, don’t give in to Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS). Probably more like 5 to 7 years if you need it.

No doubt $3,600 is a lot of money for a computer, but this configuration is going to serve you well for at least the 3 years it will take your tax accountant to depreciate the investment. This is my top recommendation for full-time photographers. 1TB storage (not worth the $800 to $3,200 more to get larger amounts, read more in Decision 7).

If the budget or the risk of being an early adopter is not you, choose another configuration.

Photographers should buy this configuration of the MacBook Pro when there is nearly $4,000 in the budget AND they are willing to be an early adopter on technology (first time Apple has put the Core i9 processor in a MacBook Pro). Significant Budget, Early Adopter ($3,900) I have a few budget categories to choose from and each list is in the order you encounter the decisions over at. If you don’t want to wade through the detailed information in this post and just want the straight up advice from a seasoned IT professional and passionate photographer, then this is how to make your decision on what to choose when buying a mid-2018 MacBook Pro. If you are a Windows user (I use both platforms about 50/50) then the concepts on what hardware is worth paying for is still applicable, but you would be better served checking out my Lightroom Computer 2018 post and podcast episode. It is a large investment but it will last beyond the 3 years you need to write off the expense and I will explain other good options. The best configuration of a 2018 MacBook Pro for most photographers is the 2.6GHz 6-Core Processor 15″ model with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. I thought I would create this photographer’s MacBook Pro buying guide so that I can point everyone here instead of writing the same Facebook, Twitter, or email response to countless listener and reader questions. Every time Apple refreshes a computer lineup I am asked what configuration photographers should choose in buying a new model.

Upgrade ram macbook pro 2018