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Sep 12, 03
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Design - Computers
I'm needing to buy a new comp, and I figured that since I will be going into design, I might as well buy one that will be good for that (basically meaning a MAC). Anybody have any suggestions/words of advice? I know next to nothing about computers, so anything will help. I'm hoping for it to be a laptop as well, just for the sake of convenience of my lifestyle.
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Sep 12, 03
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Like CAD/CAM or Photoshop/Illustator stuff?
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Sep 12, 03
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Well first off i dont know what kind of price range your looking for. Second of all Mac computers are not a piece of shit. They are indeed awesome computers. Lastly i dont know what kind of design your doing or how good a computer you need for your designing but i took a few seconds out of my time and did a search for you. here take a look
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/sub...11&catid=12450
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Sep 12, 03
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You first have to define the purpose before you can spec a custom box.
You can't just pick the newest stuff as the software might not even have a driver to max out the speed. You might not need processing power and need more memory or a more powerful video card. Look at what applications you plan to use then look for the hardware that would allow you to use it to full potential. Macs are fantastic for multimedia and graphics. That is why they are still the standard in the industry for that stuff... PC's are catching up but they still take second place to a Mac in this area. Just choose carfully Erica... and laptops are nice but they depreciate in value VERY quickly, so buy a used one that does the job than a new one.
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Sep 12, 03
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Quote:
Those applications are more stable and integrates better for some reason on a Mac. Better written I guess. I had both a Mac and PC when I worked at Creo and the Mac always kicked the PC's ass when it came down to those apps. If you are looking for a Mac laptop the Powerbook unit with the 17" display is perfect for your needs, but costs mega $$$$ Or check out the 12" screen version as it is smaller and VERY portible... my brother-in-law's brother uses one with his pro digicam to do off site work.
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Sep 12, 03
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Well so far i've compiled this:
Asus P4P800 Motherbard = $169 Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 160G 8M SATA150 OEM = $289 Intel Pentium 4 2.8C GHz 512K 800FSB Retail = $379 Kingston Hyper X PC3200(DDR400) 512MB DDR RAM(KHX3200/512) = $219 (if you like upgrade to 1GB but more money) ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB AGP8X Retail = $260 Computer Case = $30 - $150 Hope this helps!!!
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Sep 12, 03
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Ok taking in to account that u are probably a student... money is probably the biggest factor for u in purchasing a new computer.... although LCD flat screens and laptops sound very appealing... they are more money for less power... a big fat CRT monitor are cheaper and have higher refresh rates and better crispness in quality... laptops are way way more expensive then normal PC's and that goes same for macs over pc's... macs are good in all but u pay a higher price for the power u get compared to a PC... also if u are going to a school that has all the computers there for u, then u have no need for a laptop... just some sorta storage device to carry ur work from school to home computer....check out dell.ca 2.0-2.4 ghz PCs are around 1000-1500 right now... they had a free shipping deal on but its ending today and u had to buy online... but they have the free shipping deal all the time so check back... a 2.4 ghz p4, with dual channel DDR ram (1 GB), a 10,000 RPM should do u very nicely for graphics....also go with an ATI graphics card for sure... they are leading the pack right now in graphic cards...at least a 64mb or 128mb would be better for the graphics...they even have 256mb cards :) i think they are out now... anyways good luck... look around
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Sep 12, 03
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^^^ If you wanted to spec out a graphics workstation you should use a SCSI hard drive and controller to increase the amount of data you can blast back and forth to the HD.
1Gb of memory is a good idea too.
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Sep 12, 03
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Quote:
Until they have a new parallel transmission method, SCSI is still the way to go for moving mass amounts of data on and off a drive.
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Sep 12, 03
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The best place to go grab a Mac is at an auction.
The last one I went to they had a bunch of pretty new G4's for decent prices... about 60% of what they are new. Check out www.ableauctions.com or www.marvelauctions.ca and go scope them out and see if you get lucky. With the money you save you can buy a skookum monitor or all the other parts you only dreamed of.
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Sep 12, 03
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Well do keep in mind that Macs don't come around too often so if you need one now then you might be stuck.
Also check out eBay.ca as I have bought computer equipment there for a hell of a lot less than retail and at times it is new.
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Sep 13, 03
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a few system building/choosing notes:
Macs have Quark, and that's it. if you really, really need to have production quality print layouts that can't be done in Illustrator then by all means, go Mac. if you aren't going to be using print as your primary delivery method, consider the fact that Adobe's entire product line now comes out on PC first. industry standard my sparkling white ass. also, stay away from SATA drives that spin faster than 7200, they'll hiccup. like hammered said, SCSI is still the best way to haul huge amounts of data around. also, don't trust any drive over 80GB. like the SATA hiccup, gremlins abound. also, keep in mind that as a student you may want to use your comp for other things, things a Mac either can't do, or can't do well.
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Sep 13, 03
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I was checking out Macs a few months ago when it was time for a new computer. Their standard included software (OSX, iMovie, iTunes etc) is great, probably better designed than the hodge-podge of graphics and music software that most Windows users deal with.
I really liked the iMac for design, that's the one with the 15 or 17" flat LCD on a stalk and a spherical CPU case. Very compact and almost portable but more powerful than a notebook. BUT if the monitor needs repair you must take the entire computer to the shop. Also not easily expanded with a 2nd hard drive. The eMac is similar to the iMac, but uses a CRT, most people who own eMacs are very happy with them. My friend has a 12" Mac Powerbook that he likes a lot. Expensive at $2500 but extremely portable and fast enough for most work. He got a student discount from UBC bookstore (or maybe Apple). I wanted to get a Mac, but it looked like I would be paying about double the price of equivalent Windows/Intel systems. Maybe 10 years ago Macs were better than Windows PCs for graphics, but not any more.
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