Catalina VS Mojave Compatibility. There’s no big difference, really. So if your device runs on Mojave, it will run on Catalina as well. That being said, there’s one exception you should be aware of: macOS 10.14 had a support for some of the older MacPro models with Metal-cable GPU — these are no longer available in Catalina. 2020 I did some searching but most threads I found are from 2019, with the Chief complaint that Catalina is still buggy. It’s been some months now, and I’m considering updating, but with the recent rise in “my USB port just died”, I’m having second thoughts. If you’re not ready to make the leap to macOS Catalina, then Mojave or High Sierra could be the right choice. The winner of High Sierra vs Mojave depends on what features you want to see in your. Accordingly, if you stay on MacOS Mojave or High Sierra, be sure to install those security updates as they become available. If you do plan on skipping macOS Catalina, you can learn how to hide MacOS Catalina software update from System Preferences here so that it stops showing up as an available update. If you’re running macOS Mojave or High Sierra, you may have seen a pop-up box like this appear recently: Apple On the newer macOS Catalina, you’ll see a similar pop-up box stating your app.
BIG NOTE: This article has been updated and replaced by – Video Compression Speed Test. This new article has updated numbers for Apple Compressor and now includes Adobe Media Encoder.
One of the new features in macOS Catalina is a revised graphics engine called Metal 2. Both Final Cut Pro X and Compressor were recently upgraded to support it.
So, this week, I decided to revisit my Compressor speed test from October, 2019, to see what changed. This is just a first look, as I haven’t had time to check the speed of Adobe Media Encoder with Catalina.
NOTE: Here’s my original article.
First, though, I want to report that a bug in Compressor that prevented it from compressing ProRes 4444 files into 10-bit HEVC has been fixed in Catalina. While Compressor still takes about twice as long as Adobe Media Encoder to compress the same file into 10-bit HEVC, at least, now, Compressor is able to complete the job.
TESTING PROTOCOL
I ran these theses on the same computer (an i5) using the same data files and same compression settings using Apple Compressor.
The Mojave tests used Compressor 4.4.5. The Catalina tests used Compressor 4.4.6.
RESULTS
The short answer is that the latest version of Apple Compressor running on Catalina is slightly slower across all tests than Compressor running on Mojave.
H.264 compressed file sizes are the same, while HEVC compressed file sizes are slightly smaller in Catalina.
This chart illustrates the results. Catalina is represented by green bars, shorter bars are faster.
Here are the numeric results for speed. Also, based on the results published in my earlier article, Adobe Media Encoder remains significantly faster than Compressor, especially given these new numbers.
NOTE: These speeds only represent files that were able to be compressed. As the Mojave version of Compressor failed to compress ProRes 4444 files into HEVC 10-bit, I excluded those results from this table. That bug was fixed in Catalina with the 4.4.6 update to Compressor.
Here are the numeric results for file size. No change in compressed file sizes for H.264, slightly smaller files with the latest version of Compressor running on Catalina.
SUMMARY
This is just a first look, I want to re-run my tests to make sure I’m getting consistent results. As well, future tests will show what performance impact Catalina has, if any, on Adobe Media Encoder compression speeds.
So far, though, there’s no big performance improvement in Compressor’s compression speed when updating to Catalina and running Metal 2.
Bookmark the permalink.The release of a new version of macOS is always exciting and macOS Catalina is not an exception. However, no matter how excited you are, there’s always a nagging question: what’s the difference in Catalina compared to its predecessor? Is it really worth upgrading? Well, read on to find out.
MacOS Catalina vs macOS Mojave
The easiest way to compare macOS Catalina with macOS Mojave is to break the comparison down into several categories, like performance, features, user interface, and so on, so that’s what we’re going to do. By the time we’re done you’ll have a clear idea of whether Catalina is enough of a change for you to want to upgrade. Let’s get started.
If, after you’ve read the article below, you decide to upgrade to macOS Catalina, you should clear out the junk on your Mac first. Installing a new OS on a Mac full of system junk is like building a house on shaky foundations, not a good idea! I don’t often recommend software, but I make an exception in this case. My favorite way to get rid of junk is to use the System Junk tool in CleanMyMac X. It makes it easy to see what’s taking up all my disk space, and it’s easy to use, fast, and can free up tens of gigabytes of space. Download it for free and try it for yourself.
Productivity
Apple has said very little about performance improvements in macOS Catalina, which suggests it hasn’t been a major focus. But it’s likely there will be some gains when the final version ships in September.
However, in terms of productivity there are some big differences compared with macOS Mojave. You will be able to use and iPad as a second display, and as a graphics tablet with an Apple Pencil. When you use it as a second monitor, you will be able to either add extra screen space or mirror your Mac’s display.
An overhaul of Reminders and improvements to Notes will make those apps much more useful. And minor enhancements to Safari and Mail should boost productivity. And the ability to share folders, rather than just files, in iCloud Drive is another improvement in this category.
Built-in apps
This is the big focus for the new version of macOS. iTunes is no more. So if you really love it, you’d best stick to Mojave. For the rest of us, the ancient media monolith gets replaced by three new apps: TV, Music, and Podcasts. All three work in much the same way as on iOS, and the TV app is designed to work with Apple’s forthcoming TV+ subscription service.
Photos gets new machine-learning features to improve the way it curates and displays your photographs. It will highlight shots it thinks are important to you based on what it learns.
Should I Upgrade To Macos Catalina
There’s a new Find My app that replaces Find My iPhone, Find My Mac, and Find My Friends. And it will work even if the Mac you’re trying to find is asleep and offline.
Accessibility
This is another big area for macOS Catalina and sees major improvements to Voice Control. You will be able to navigate and control your Mac using just your voice to select items, click on them, and drag them. Grids overlaid on the screen will allow you to tell your Mac exactly where you want to drag something from and to.
macOS Catalina will also allow you to zoom in one one screen while keeping another at 100% and to hover a section of text to display a larger high-resolution version.
Privacy and security
macOS Catalina brings a number of privacy improvements. Activation Lock means that only you will be able to erase and reactivate your Mac. And Catalina runs in its own read-only volume on your startup disk, so nothing can accidentally overwrite system files. Finally, in macOS Catalina, apps will need your permission before directly accessing files in your Desktop and Documents folders, as well as iCloud Drive and external disks. You’ll also be asked before any app captures keyboard activity or a photo or video of your screen.
Health
Yet another focus for Apple in recent years has been reducing the amount of time we spend in front of screens and in Catalina, Screen Time comes to the Mac. You’ll be able to set limits on how long you spend in front of a screen, and refine those limits for different types of activity. You’ll also be able to use Family Sharing to set limits for other members of your family.
Other Apple devices
In Mojave, Apple introduced Marzipan, technology that made it easier to port iPad apps to the Mac. It used it for some of its own apps, like News. Now, with macOS Catalina, Apple has introduced Project Catalyst, a concerted effort to persuade developers to port iPad apps to the new OS.
As we mentioned above, in macOS Catalina you’ll be able to use your iPad as a second screen or graphics tablet, as well as for Continuity Markup, a method of marking up PDFs on an iPad and transferring it to your Mac. As well as using an Apple Watch to unlock your Mac, you’ll now be able to authenticate on your Mac for processes like unlocking a locked note, approve app installations, and view passwords in Safari preferences.
Can you upgrade?
If after reading about the benefits of Catalina over Mojave, you’ve decided you want to upgrade, the next step is to check that you can upgrade. Apple does a great job of making sure that new upgrades work on as many Macs as possible, going as far back as possible. But, inevitably, there are some Macs that work with Mojave that won’t run Catalina. Here’s the full list of those that are supported for macOS Catalina:
MacBook 2015 and later
MacBook Air 2012 and later
MacBook Pro 2012 and later
IMac 2012 and later Heart&slash 1 0 – indie action & adventure game.
IMac Pro 2017 and later
Mac Pro 2013 and later
How to prepare your Mac for macOS Catalina
A fresh macOS requires a fresh Mac. It is recommended to install new macOS on a drive that’s clean from junk. Outdated system files from the old operating system may interfere with the installation. It’s like wiping away dust from all corners before you start to redesign your house.
You need to get rid of a few things:
— application and user caches
— old and broken applications
— extensions and launch agents
You can do it on your own, without any app or technician. But if I would pick an app to effectively clean your Mac, it would be CleanMyMac X by MacPaw. It’s so easy and beautiful you’ll almost get addicted to it. It deletes 9-15 GB of junk on average and is notarized by Apple. Download its free edition here.
After you’ve cleaned your Mac and prepared it for macOS Catalina, back your Mac using Time Machine.
After you’ve cleaned your Mac and prepared it for macOS Catalina, back your Mac using Time Machine.
MacOS Catalina promises to be a great upgrade. And when you compare it with Mojave, it’s clear that there are lots of improvements and new features. Just remember to use CleanMyMac to clear out junk files before you upgrade.
Is Catalina Faster Than Mojave
- macOS Catalina guide
- macOS Catalina compatibility
- How to use Screen Time on Mac
- How to use iPad as a second screen
- How to use “Find My” app
- How to use Project Catalyst on Catalina
- How to create a bootable installer for macOS Catalina
- macOS Catalina can not be installed
- How to use Gatekeeper on Mac
- What happened to iTunes?