What version to use with M4 & HDD v SSD

[Sturman]

Hi, I have just upgraded from 2018 Mac mini to 2024 M4 (24/512). I have used PM from version 5 up to my current V6+. My question is should I upgrade to the latest version as I believe it supports the M4 chip? I would go back to the standard version as I do not use the catalogues in the plus version.

Also as I use an external HDD to keep all my data, including photos, what is the advantage/disadvantage of going to a SSD? The HDD just sits beside the mini, so ability to use it in other locations is not an issue.

Best regards,
Malcolm
Sydney, Australia

[ahoward]

My question is should I upgrade to the latest version as I believe it supports the M4 chip?

Photo Mechanic 6 runs on Apple silicon computers. It will run with a compatibility layer called Rosetta that is part of the operating system. Photo Mechanic 6 works and will continue to work on any currently available operating system, and may continue to work on future operating systems, but we won't know that until they come out.

If you upgrade, you'll get the version that is written to run natively on Apple Silicon machines.

Also as I use an external HDD to keep all my data, including photos, what is the advantage/disadvantage of going to a SSD? The HDD just sits beside the mini, so ability to use it in other locations is not an issue.

SSDs are orders of magnitude faster. They're also lighter and don't suffer from mechanical failure like a spinning disk can. The disadvantage is that they tend to be more expensive per GB than spinning disk drives are.