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Question

Best Mac for heavy InDesign work

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
August 23, 2023
4 replies
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Hi –

I have an M1 Mac Mini with 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD.

I'm finding large InDesign files can be very sluggish and wondered if my machine sounds like it's underpowered. My InDesign files can be large brochures of around 100 pages with lots of photography and Illustrator imported graphics. Or they could be presentations which include large PSD files, graphics produced in InDesign etc. Or they may be brand guidelines which will include all of the above – photography, lots of text, imported graphic files etc.

I think what I'm most unclear about is whether RAM, M1/M2/Pro/Max chips, CPU cores or GPU cores are most important. Or are they all just as important? I need a desktop not a laptop so any advice on making my current machine better or looking to the future what I should invest in next would be a great help.

Thanks

Performance

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Randy Hagan

Community Expert

I've got both Macs and Windows systems in my studio — a laptop and a desktop system for each platform. Everybody has their own thoughts on this, so please take this as just another one, to accept or reject as you see fit.

Since you're on the Mac platform and looking for a new system, a SSD drive is a given. Unlike some who have said buy a big drive, I'd suggest if speed is your goal you should buy a small one. Small is fast. 256GB of SSD space is enough to hold your MacOS, all of Creative Cloud, a full MSOffice install, plenty of utilities and fonts, and in my case a lot of music on iTunes for personal enjoyment.

It's not enough to store a lot of work, though. So I'd recommend a Thunderbolt 4 case using an NVMe "blade" SSD board for your external SSD. Your Thunderbolt 4 drive will have a max throughput speed of 40GBps, which beats M2/M2 Pro benchmarks for throughput speed on your native Silicon SoC, at a price considerably less than buying more storage space on/in your Mac. Onboard storage I/O for the Max and Ultra versions are up to 50% faster, at truly obscene prices, for measurable but diminishing terms.

Take those savings and buy as much processing RAM for your new Mac as you can afford, as it is not upgradeable and is absolutely vital to your real-world speed using Adobe apps. 64GB, or if you can spring for it, 128GB is solid future-proofing insurance for your investment. Processing memory reduces the need for accessing storage, since larger working files can be processed within RAM. Like the adage goes, you can't be too rich, too thin, or have too much RAM.

I'd suggest not getting lost in the number of CPUs/GPUs. Just recognize the hierarchy of Mx/Mx Pro/Mx Max and Mx Ultra. Prices go up dramatically as you climb that hierarchy, but as the expression says "Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?"

But if you're looking for a new, faster Mac I'd suggest maybe waiting a month or two before you make your investment. While Apple's September event is rumored to feature Apple Phone/Watch upgrades, there are running changes/upgrades to many Apple products in the runup to the Christmas shopping season. You may see a new M3something to covet, or a helpful price drop for the M2something sysytem you've had your eye on for some time. Jus' Sayin'.

Hope this helps,

Randy

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

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Randy Hagan

Community Expert

I didn't say anything about buying an SSD bigger than necessary either. I said it's cheaper to buy adequate storage with an external SSD, with Thunderbolt 4 connections, which easily rivals the speed of Apple's expensive SoC internal storage options sold for far more money. And that a smaller SSD on the Mac SoC platform is faster. Don't let your anger overcome your understanding.

Randy

[remarks removed by moderator]

Peter Spier

Community Expert

Other sources of sluggishness are large numbers of cross-refences and large numbers of GREP styles. GREP stykles are ALWAYS slower than other methods of applying formatting if other methods can be used. A full hard drive can be a problem, as well.

If you don't need the portability of a laptop, then yes, a desktop is a better buy, but I've switched from having a primary desktop and a laptop for the road to just having one really powerful laptop which I use on my desk with a 30" external monitor, USB keyboard and a mouse. Like Robert I'm a PC guy, so it's a bit easier to spec a high-end laptop (gamer machines are really graphics workstations in disguise). For about $2k I was able to buy a top-of-the-line gaming machine from the previous season with a fast 6-core processor, 32 gb ram, two 1tb ssd drives, and an nVidia video card with 6gb onboard ram. Every bit as fast as my old desktop which I built from parts but probably about $500 more costly. On the other hand, I've saved the cost of a second computer...

leo.r

Community Expert

My view:

RAM is way more important than the difference between various Mx processors.

For example, if you have budget contraints and have to choose between an M1 Max Mac with 32 GB and M1 Ultra with 16 GB, then choose the first one.

16 GB is just a bare minimum sufficient to somehow survive. In my view, at least 32 GB is a must - but yet more RAM is much better.

Once again, that's just my take on it from my experience.

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

Exactly, RAM 1st, then CPU, then ssd drive.

G

Geordie1234Author

Participant

This is a reply for all that have responded – a big thanks for all the info.

My old iMac had 32GB RAM but as I said, I was forced into buying something out of necessity and a maxed out Mini with 16GB was my only choice at the time.

I'd like 64GB, ideally 128GB RAM but will have to see what I can afford first at the time. Thanks for the help, it's good to hear from others who've been using ID for as long as I have that it's RAM, CPU/GPU then SSD which was what I was guessing but wasn't sure of.

I still feel that even if I get a high spec machine that ID isn't going to fly in the way I'm imagining. I just have a niggling feeling it isn't optimised fully yet...

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

First of all - how often are you doing SAVE AS with a new name?

If not at all - then that could be the main reason for sluggishness.

InDesign, when you click just "Save" is saving info about Undo history, that history is "lost" for access after you close your file - but still part of the INDD file making it big and slow.

So you HAVE to do Save As with a NEW NAME at least once a day. As an extra bonus - you will have a backup copy of your file.

Of course, once a week or depends how many of those backups you have - you should delete most of them - leaving maybe one for each day - just in case.

The next problem - maybe your files are too big in terms of amount of information, number of pages - too many linked files - try to split your document into Chapters - then use Book option.

Then maybe your files are just to large to begin with - what is the destination of your files - are they printed - where and how - or just for web? What is the color space, resolution, pixel size? If PSD/TIFF - do you use a lot of layers?

Same for AI / PDF vector files. Are they complicated?

If your files are complicated - maybe try to export "lighter" version to be placed in the InDesign.