Computer choice?

[33hooligan]

I'm going to buy a new computer soon and I know the pro's like to use Mac for creating graphics but, I would like to use a PC instead. I currently use a dell and have ran into not enough Ram to handle all the programs and graphics I currently have.

If anyone could make a suggestion and reason why you would make that choice, please do.

Thanks,

H

[scottysprings]

I'm a recent Mac convert and really advocate for it but if you're dead set on a PC, a few of my friends own Dell XPS laptops and hold them in high regard. I'm pretty sure the desktop XPS models are very expandable as far as adding additional RAM and have multiple hard drive bays for storage purposes.

[MEANS]

you know you can run windows on a mac, right?

[pagan696]

lots and lots of RAM, no less than 2 mb, look toward 4mb. maybe extra harddrive space. otherwise they're all similar.

[You Got Zung]

you know you can run windows on a mac, right?

Why would you buy a Ferrari and put a Volkswagen engine in it?

(Or something like that.)

I have owned both Macs (5) and PCs (6).

Unless you are doing video editing, you don't need much power to run a combo of Illustrator, Photoshop and Dreamweaver.

I always look for Dell deals and spend about $800. Just make sure it has an extra expansion slot so you can add extra RAM in a year or two.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Because RAM is so cheap, if I were looking for a professional desktop, I'd opt for a PC with lots of expansion slots. I'd also make friends with a college student who would be able to use his or her student discount to purchase the Adobe suite for real cheap. I'm pretty sure I can get the whole thing (Photoshop, Illustrator, and whatever else) for $250. Something like that.

I'm actually pricing PCs, but in a different way. What I want is something with about 1TB of space, HDMI-out, and wireless. I'd be happy with Linux too, if only to save money. I want a media server to connect to my TV that I could also use to check Internet, and play MAME. I currently use my laptop for most of those uses, but I'd much rather have something dedicated and that cost less than $500. It's my post-graduate purchasing goal.

[andrewharrington]

My old iBook G4 w/ 512 MB of RAM handles graphic applications much better and much faster than the Dell XPS desktop in the library that has over 1.5 GB of RAM and faster processor. If you're ever looking to enter the design industry, you're going to have to eventually switch. Just sayin' is all, but either way, get as much RAM as possible for running programs, and get as much hard disk space as you can if you're using your comp. for music and such.

[oddball]

My old iBook G4 w/ 512 MB of RAM handles graphic applications much better and much faster than the Dell XPS desktop in the library that has over 1.5 GB of RAM and faster processor. If you're ever looking to enter the design industry, you're going to have to eventually switch. Just sayin' is all, but either way, get as much RAM as possible for running programs, and get as much hard disk space as you can if you're using your comp. for music and such.

Why will you have to switch? If Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc. all run on pcs why do you need a mac? The only reason you need a mac is if you are running mac only programs such as Final Cut Pro. And can you really max out a computer using Illustrator? Oh yeah, try using a gradient map. I do agree on the ram and the hard drive, but just get an external hard drive. I'm not against macs, I have a pc and love it just need an upgrade and went looking at the mac pro and the imac because I want to do a bit of video editing. I know a lot of people love macs, but to me it's a Ford vs. Chevy issue, which ever one you love, you hate the other and only see the bad things about it and when you talk about yours you only tell people the good things and gloss over those bad things. The funny thing about this argument is people fail to realize the real truth about mac vs. pc, it's just a computer and when you take them apart and lay the pieces out very few would know the difference. It's all about packaging and marketing. Find something that works for you and your needs and always question people's opinions otherwise you'll end up buying something you don't want or need. Always ask "why" because you'll find out people who just have opinions to have opinions and people who are smart, reasonable, and intelligent.

[quantum]

My old iBook G4 w/ 512 MB of RAM handles graphic applications much better and much faster than the Dell XPS desktop in the library that has over 1.5 GB of RAM and faster processor. If you're ever looking to enter the design industry, you're going to have to eventually switch. Just sayin' is all, but either way, get as much RAM as possible for running programs, and get as much hard disk space as you can if you're using your comp. for music and such.

Why will you have to switch? If Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc. all run on pcs why do you need a mac? The only reason you need a mac is if you are running mac only programs such as Final Cut Pro. And can you really max out a computer using Illustrator? Oh yeah, try using a gradient map. I do agree on the ram and the hard drive, but just get an external hard drive. I'm not against macs, I have a pc and love it just need an upgrade and went looking at the mac pro and the imac because I want to do a bit of video editing. I know a lot of people love macs, but to me it's a Ford vs. Chevy issue, which ever one you love, you hate the other and only see the bad things about it and when you talk about yours you only tell people the good things and gloss over those bad things. The funny thing about this argument is people fail to realize the real truth about mac vs. pc, it's just a computer and when you take them apart and lay the pieces out very few would know the difference. It's all about packaging and marketing. Find something that works for you and your needs and always question people's opinions otherwise you'll end up buying something you don't want or need. Always ask "why" because you'll find out people who just have opinions to have opinions and people who are smart, reasonable, and intelligent.

You've made things a bit too simplistic. Apple controls the environment for better performance, but that limits its expandability compared to a Windows PC. The experience for either machine is more than just the hardware. The real difference is internet use, or more to the point, vulnerability to viruses and exploits. And no, I'm not referring to email or warez infecting your machine, even though they are problems . The web has many sites that take advantage of browser weaknesses on a Windows PC.

As for running graphics programs, run them on a Windows PC if you want. Outside of what makes the individual operator's experience comfortable, the performance differences are negligible. For many, the price for a Mac is justified for what the product provides and it is more than just marketing.

Good luck in researching your new machine.

[33hooligan]

Thanks for all the great advice guys. I've been reading all your comments and still haven't made up my mind yet.

I want to use Adobe CS3 suite so, I understand about having the most ram and hard drive space as possible.

I would like to here more suggestions on specific makes and models of PCs or Macs, there +s and -s would be nice too.

Thanks,

H

[gingerbreadmann]

Get an HP. They're really nice from experience,and I highly agree with your choice of PC. I don't think Dell is good though because they have ****ty support and sell proprietary hardware, which is a pain in the ass.

Anyway, here are some models you might like(and they're highly customizable/upgradable) and relatively cheap:

Very high-end:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping...e=d4999t_series

A little less, but cheaper.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping...e=m9100z_series

Just look around their sit, there's tons more. My HP is from 2006 so it's not good for you but still works great. And make sure you get a dual-core(or quad-core!) processor.

[andrewharrington]

My old iBook G4 w/ 512 MB of RAM handles graphic applications much better and much faster than the Dell XPS desktop in the library that has over 1.5 GB of RAM and faster processor. If you're ever looking to enter the design industry, you're going to have to eventually switch. Just sayin' is all, but either way, get as much RAM as possible for running programs, and get as much hard disk space as you can if you're using your comp. for music and such.

Why will you have to switch? If Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc. all run on pcs why do you need a mac? The only reason you need a mac is if you are running mac only programs such as Final Cut Pro. And can you really max out a computer using Illustrator? Oh yeah, try using a gradient map. I do agree on the ram and the hard drive, but just get an external hard drive. I'm not against macs, I have a pc and love it just need an upgrade and went looking at the mac pro and the imac because I want to do a bit of video editing. I know a lot of people love macs, but to me it's a Ford vs. Chevy issue, which ever one you love, you hate the other and only see the bad things about it and when you talk about yours you only tell people the good things and gloss over those bad things. The funny thing about this argument is people fail to realize the real truth about mac vs. pc, it's just a computer and when you take them apart and lay the pieces out very few would know the difference. It's all about packaging and marketing. Find something that works for you and your needs and always question people's opinions otherwise you'll end up buying something you don't want or need. Always ask "why" because you'll find out people who just have opinions to have opinions and people who are smart, reasonable, and intelligent.

If you're working for an accredited, relevant design firm, you're going to be using Apple hardware and Mac OS. That's just the way it is. If you go to school and enroll in a graphic design program, your computer lab is more than likely going to be filled with iMacs. If you have a company-provided desktop in your office at said design firm, it's almost certainly going to be a Mac simply because it's the industry standard and has been for so long, regardless of the fact that the hardware is similar or identical to a Windows PC. The Apple workspace and computing environment are geared toward the visual rather than the technical. It's not better or worse, it's just a fact, and my preference is an opinion that I feel is supported by those facts. Nothing more, nothing less.

If you are looking for an Apple product, I can tell you what I know and feel from experience. I got a laptop about 2.5 years ago and settled to get the minimum system for $1100 because I thought it would be beneficial having the ability to tote my work around with me wherever I went. In actuality, I found that I don't really like doing work away from home all that much because I have trouble concentrating away from the peace of my living room/office/hotel. In retrospect, I would have gotten an Apple desktop because I simply don't need a traveling computer s much as I thought I would. An iMac is the best bang for your buck in the whole Apple lineup; you can get a really nice piece of hardware for a little bit more than an inferior laptop and for far less than a Mac Pro desktop model. And if you decide you don't like Mac OS, you can always run Windows on the thing. Just make your decision before you buy the Adobe CS3, because you can only get it for Mac or Windows, not both.

[oddball]

Something I just thought about, and correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think that you can back save in CS3, and that may be something to think about if you get it.

[KP14]

Something I just thought about, and correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think that you can back save in CS3, and that may be something to think about if you get it.

If by back save you mean save in previous versions of Illustrator etc, you can do that in CS3. Even back to pre-CS versions.

[andrewharrington]

Yeah, you can in CS3 at least with Illustrator, but I've never found a way to back-save InDesign files. Is this possible at any level? For the topic, I just upgraded to CS3 and I love it. The cohesiveness of the workspaces and the simpler, more open design of everything is great. I love the color coded blocks for the dock so much more than the feathers, flowers and butterflies of CS2.

[oddball]

Yes, In Design was the program that a few people at school found out that you couldn't back save to cs2. It's nice to hear that you can still do that in illustrator. Little things like that, is what drives people mad. What is the purpose of not being able to back save? Okay sure, sell more products, but when you have cs3 and you work for a company that has cs2 as far as in design, you can't take work home! Arrrrrrrrrrgh!

[andrewharrington]

Could you back save with InDesign CS2? I don't remember doing it because I never really had to, I guess.

[KP14]

No, you couldn't with CS2 either when it came to InDesign. It seems that program changes radically enough to prompt new formats. It's understandable to a degree, but it certainly would have been nice to just be able to open a basic text layout with new versions....alas it will still convert PageMaker documents...

[pcgd]

Yeah, you can in CS3 at least with Illustrator, but I've never found a way to back-save InDesign files. Is this possible at any level? For the topic, I just upgraded to CS3 and I love it. The cohesiveness of the workspaces and the simpler, more open design of everything is great. I love the color coded blocks for the dock so much more than the feathers, flowers and butterflies of CS2.

The best feature in Photoshop so far to me?

Non-distructive filters.

check it out. Enable Smart Filters, blur (or anything) like crazy and you can always go back.

I too love all the CS3 products. And now that I'm learning Applescript its going to be even more powerful for me.

[andrewharrington]

I too love all the CS3 products. And now that I'm learning Applescript its going to be even more powerful for me.

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if you're able to fire government cruise missiles from your home computer when all is said and done. The filters are great, too, I just don't use Photoshop thaaaat much, I guess.