CS6 on Mid-2009 Macbook Pro

[Norman Greenwood]

Here are the minimum requirements for Mac OS: https://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/tech-specs.html

[Alex Gerulaitis]

[Frazer Lockhart] “Will this be ok with CS6? If not, is there a way around this? I’d love to be able to use CS6 GPU acceleration, but unfortunately I’m not really in a position where I can upgrade my computer right now.”

Nvidia Geforce 9600m generally falls into the “not recommended” category but it may work.

Alex Gerulaitis
Systems Integrator
DV411 – Los Angeles, CA

[Rui Mendes]

Hi Frazer!
I have the same question. CS6 works well on this machine?
Thanks.

[Frazer Lockhart]

Hey Rui,
I can’t speak to how well it works compared to its optimum performance level, although with GPU acceleration I’m sure the program would be far faster than it is now. Still, CS6 works very well on this machine–I’d say equally as well if not better than FCP7 on the same setup.

Cheers,
Frazer

[Rui Mendes]

Cheers

[Jim Banister]

Frazer– so CS6 is working fine on your MacBook Pro? I have–

Mid-2009
Processor 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT 512MB (<– and can and do force to this card)
Software OS X 10.8.2 (12C60)

And mine crashes all the time for no consistent reason. Sometimes right after it opens up, sometimes when I’m trying to make an actual edit, sometimes when linking to a media file. I figure it has to be something “meta”. I thought it might be my internal disk being too slow (5400rpm) and just ordered a larger 7200rpm to which I need to upgrade anyway. All my video and audio files are on my internal disk.

Have you learned anything more about CS6 on a mid-2009 MBP that you’d care to share? Thanks!

Jim

[Frazer Lockhart]

Hi Jim,

CS6 is working perfectly now on my machine, and I have almost an identical setup. The only time it sometimes struggles is when it’s working with more complex codecs such as R3D or GoPro mp4, or using multiple layers of complex effects such as warp stabilizer. It rarely crashes, though. A few questions for you: are you using the software disk version or the creative cloud version? Is there anything consistent about your editing (like are you always using the same codec, and if so, what is it)? Did you experience any similar problems with your previous editing software, if you had any?

[Jim Banister]

I’m using the Creative Cloud version of the software. And I’m using almost exclusively GoPro Footage. A codec issue? Even when the files are local to my internal drive?

I was trying to work in 1080p and it was crashing consistently, but for no consistent reason. I could be editing, could be using the media browser, could be working with a transition effect, could have just opened the project… didn’t matter.

However, yesterday I changed my Sequence Settings to 720 (even though my GoPro footage is at 1080) and I haven’t had a crash since. At least for 18 hours or so. 😉

Mean anything to you? In what format do you typically work?

Thanks!

[Frazer Lockhart]

It sounds like a codec issue to me. The GoPro mp4 is a pretty demanding codec, so it sounds like your software is getting overwhelmed and your computer isn’t fast enough to keep up. This is further demonstrated by how much switching to 720 helped. I’d try transcoding to Prores 422 (LT) using MPEG Streamclip or something similar, as it doesn’t take up much more space an it’s way easier for any editing software to digest. It’s an extra step, but if you’re crashing that much it will probably save you time and frustration in the long run!

[Jim Banister]

I have MPEG Streamclip. I’ll try converting to ProRes 422 LT and see what happens.

Thanks!
Jim