New Computer For Uni

[chrishayton]

ok well i want a mac as im doing photography and they appear to run photoshop better and everything is so much nicer to use etc.

however Im not sure if i should get a macbook (13inch screen) or the imac with 17 inch screen) The specs are similar but the imac has a better graphics card (128imac 64 on book) and a bigger screen, however macbooks are pretty.

on the other hand i could get a good pc. just looked at a dell. 22inch moniter. 2.4 duo core. 2 gb ram, 320gb hd. 256graphics.

oh the macs both cost 800 (700 with discount) and the dell is 720.

whats peoples opinions.

(has anyone used bootcamp or paralels with a pc game?)

[JonMack]

Go for a Mac.

I've got a feeling new iMacs will be announced on August 7th, according to a few rumour websites so it might be worth holding out, also they will be dropping the 17" so personally I wouldnt go for one.

To be honest Photoshop isnt that graphics card intensive, so you should be ok with the MacBook, it all depends if you want to be portable or not. I think one of the best thing's I've ever done was to buy my MacBook Pro, I've got an iMac too, but my MBP is so powerful I can use it as a desktop by plugging in a keyboard and mouse and external monitor if I want (like Nick Carter) or I can have it on my lap and still work just as well.

Like you said, there isn't much difference between the machines technically, the MacBook has slightly slower RAM, smaller hard drive, a CD writer (not DVD like the iMac) and a less powerful graphics card, but my sister has never had any problems with hers.

At the end of the day it's up to you, but I'd say currently go for a MacBook, or if you want the iMac, wait until mid-august.

[Dai the Socket]

Haha Jon said all I wanted to to be honest.

My MacBook Pro powers my external 20" monitor, so I've got dual screens now, and it's absolutely awesome. It does depend on whether you want portability I guess, I've got a Laptop for Uni just so that if I want to, I can take it to lectures or the library or whatever really, not be confinded to my room.

Photoshop runs really well on Os X anyway, and like Jon said it's not graphics card intensive so you should be fine. Upgrading the ram would see a Mac go a little quicker, and it's not that expensive if you know where to look, or order it with your computer from Apple so you get discount from them keeping your old ram.

Plus you already have CS3 for mac

[Charlie Jennings]

I would go for a PowerPC an older Mac (non-intel)

This is purely because in my opinion photoshop runs a lot smoother on PowerPC's rather than Intels.

The thing about iMac's is they tend to have too small parts and brake quite easily. I have had a new screen and a DVD drive in mine.

Still. Mac OSX is amazing. Much much better than windows.

If I was in your shoes. I would get a tower. for example a Powermac G5. Try eBay. you can get some awesome deals. I understand that you want it to be portable. although the iMac's are very heavy.

Edited July 20, 2007 by cjskate

[chrishayton]

Go for a Mac.

I've got a feeling new iMacs will be announced on August 7th, according to a few rumour websites so it might be worth holding out, also they will be dropping the 17" so personally I wouldnt go for one.

To be honest Photoshop isnt that graphics card intensive, so you should be ok with the MacBook, it all depends if you want to be portable or not. I think one of the best thing's I've ever done was to buy my MacBook Pro, I've got an iMac too, but my MBP is so powerful I can use it as a desktop by plugging in a keyboard and mouse and external monitor if I want (like Nick Carter) or I can have it on my lap and still work just as well.

Like you said, there isn't much difference between the machines technically, the MacBook has slightly slower RAM, smaller hard drive, a CD writer (not DVD like the iMac) and a less powerful graphics card, but my sister has never had any problems with hers.

At the end of the day it's up to you, but I'd say currently go for a MacBook, or if you want the iMac, wait until mid-august.

the differences are. the macbooks has 120gb hdvs 160 on the imac, both have 1gb ram, they have the same dvd drive, and the macbook processer is .16gb faster lol

[Janson]

I would go for a PowerPC an older Mac (non-intel)

This is purely because in my opinion photoshop runs a lot smoother on PowerPC's rather than Intels.

Photoshop CS3 is universal though. CS2 was kinda slow on my macbook, cs3 is really snappy..

[Dai the Socket]

I would go for a PowerPC an older Mac (non-intel)

This is purely because in my opinion photoshop runs a lot smoother on PowerPC's rather than Intels.

The thing about iMac's is they tend to have too small parts and brake quite easily. I have had a new screen and a DVD drive in mine.

Still. Mac OSX is amazing. Much much better than windows.

If I was in your shoes. I would get a tower. for example a Powermac G5. Try eBay. you can get some awesome deals. I understand that you want it to be portable. although the iMac's are very heavy.

Charlie,

I'd disagree about how CS is better run on the non intel macs, the Intel comptuers are proven to be faster, and from my personal experience, the Adobe CS is much much faster, as Janson said.

Of course iMac's aren't portable, they're desktop computers, not a Laptop.

[poopipe]

Photoshop runs well on fast machines that have a lot of fast memory and fast disks. On a laptop these days that means core 2 duo, SATAII disks and a 667mhz FSB which I don't think you'll get in a Mac.

new bootcamp "should" work with games - it works with the stuff we make here so 3d hardware support is definitely present. It's a bit academic given that you can't get a decent graphics card in any of the Macs (including the big expensive desktops unless you opt for a £1000+ workstation card ) so they'll run like shit.

I'm going to have to advise you to get a PC - for a start you won't have to f**k about transferring files from the uni or getting applications you need (and associated cracks) and you'll also spend less money on a better machine.

[James Quigley]

Listen to the pipe he's knows his stuff.

As a student it's all about Cash and basically spending the same money you'll get a better PC than a Mac

Bring on the slating

Edited July 20, 2007 by ReverendJQ

[Krisboats]

Seems all the usual mac fanboys have jumped in here so i'm gonna go out and say why i reckon you should get a pc.

The PC will give you more hardware for your money, which in turn will lead to things like photoshop running better than the lower spec'd mac. Also the thing to note with the pc is that you can just buy a pc with an e6300 core 2 duo that runs at 1.86ghz and overclock it like most people do and have it running at between 2.8 and 3.5ghz. Already this is faster than the fancy mac. The general range of stuff is more widely available for pc's and the uni p2p sharing programs don't have a lot of mac software on them, which is unfortunate because as a student you soon find paying for software isn't such a good option when you can download it for free.

Bear in mind so long as its a core 2 duo you can have it running at almost twice the speed (based on the 1.86 C2D OC'ing) with a couple of tweaks here and there (plenty of guides to help).

[Fishy]

Yo kris, tried to ring you yesterday. I was in Leicester with my bike and jonny and my mate. It wasn't my number mind.

[Bionic Balls]

i got a pretty averageish packard bell laptop for uni...

to be honest..i don't really need a laptop- a desktop would have done fine..

but it is handy since it uses waaaay less space and i definitely lack space when at college...

[Krisboats]

Yo kris, tried to ring you yesterday. I was in Leicester with my bike and jonny and my mate. It wasn't my number mind.

Damn, that sucks. I was working all day yesterday... did you ring my mobile? I can't remember where i put it yesterday so can't check. Sorry dude

EDIT: Got a canvas on order for you dude, should be arriving either this evening or tomorrow morning. They didn't have any ones around A2 size that weren't completely square or some weird proprtion rectangle shape.

Edited July 20, 2007 by Krisboats

[Tomm]

I would go for a PowerPC an older Mac (non-intel)

This is purely because in my opinion photoshop runs a lot smoother on PowerPC's rather than Intels.

This is a load of rubbish. Photoshop on old macs is rubbish. Even on my Powerbook 1.5GHz (PowerPC) which is only 18 months old, CS2 is really, really slow. Conversely, my 3 year old PC (Athlon 64 3200+) runs CS2 very nicely indeed.

The new Intel macs are pretty decent, and as long as you get CS3 (which is made for Intel) and not an older version, it's actually pretty fast. Still, I agree with Poopipe and other people - if you want a computer to be as powerful (in photoshop) for as little money as possible, get a desktop PC. I mean, you could buy my PC for under £250 probably, and it's enough for photoshop. I like my Powerbook and I'll probably buy macs in future, but that's only because I really like using OS X.

If you want a decent laptop that will do a bit of everything, and still be decent in Photoshop, then a Macbook is probably a pretty good idea, especially with the educational discount. But if you really just need a good photoshop computer, get a PC (With a nice screen of course).

[chrishayton]

This is a load of rubbish. Photoshop on old macs is rubbish. Even on my Powerbook 1.5GHz (PowerPC) which is only 18 months old, CS2 is really, really slow. Conversely, my 3 year old PC (Athlon 64 3200+) runs CS2 very nicely indeed.

The new Intel macs are pretty decent, and as long as you get CS3 (which is made for Intel) and not an older version, it's actually pretty fast. Still, I agree with Poopipe and other people - if you want a computer to be as powerful (in photoshop) for as little money as possible, get a desktop PC. I mean, you could buy my PC for under £250 probably, and it's enough for photoshop. I like my Powerbook and I'll probably buy macs in future, but that's only because I really like using OS X.

If you want a decent laptop that will do a bit of everything, and still be decent in Photoshop, then a Macbook is probably a pretty good idea, especially with the educational discount. But if you really just need a good photoshop computer, get a PC (With a nice screen of course).

welll i spent ages in the apple store yesterday looking at different machines and a macbook screen is just too small, i cant afford a mac book pro.

the imac is nice but id prefer the 20 inch model which again i cant afford. the 17 one is nice but after looking at a dell with a wide 22inch moniter and over double the spec of the mac i think im going to go with the pc.

If i was just goin to be using p/s all day and not ever using it for games or stuff then a mac makes alot of sense, but a pc can do all that anyway and isnt crippled by mac software. and i get a huge screen to watch dvds

[Janson]

If i was just goin to be using p/s all day and not ever using it for games or stuff then a mac makes alot of sense, but a pc can do all that anyway and isnt crippled by mac software. and i get a huge screen to watch dvds

More like PCs are crippled with microsoft software.

mac os is great.

[chrishayton]

More like PCs are crippled with microsoft software.

mac os is great.

oh no i know that. i prefer using a mac, the os is so good. I just mean about the programs ( i know you can run pc stuff on a mac but cheap macs lack high ram and the processing power of a more powerful pc)

[Janson]

yeah i know, it is a bit shit like that.

my mac runs matlab and photoshop, as well as torrent/dc software, so i'm happy with it as far as apps goes, except that i'd like some decent cad software like pro/E or catia. but hey, can just nip over to uni if I really wanna get my cad on.

[Phatmike]

like 3 1/2 months ago I spent over £600 on an awesome PC tower, was using it with a 19" screen. PC ran at 3.3ghz, 2gb pc2 6400 ram, etc etc, was mint.

Decided to get a Mac book, and am now selling the pc. I got the basic one, with 2gb, and it's fantastic! Very glad I made the switch from Windows - Mac.

Chris, I'd definitely get a laptop, has made loads of difference to me just being able to be completely mobile, and can bring images and stuff to people so easily. The "small" screen isn't a problem at all, I do loads of photo editing on it, and can easily plug in my 19" screen when I want to.

I was looking at getting a vaio, but Macs were loads cheaper for the same spec, however you would probably get more for your money by getting something like a *ahem* dell...

[chrishayton]

like 3 1/2 months ago I spent over £600 on an awesome PC tower, was using it with a 19" screen. PC ran at 3.3ghz, 2gb pc2 6400 ram, etc etc, was mint.

Decided to get a Mac book, and am now selling the pc. I got the basic one, with 2gb, and it's fantastic! Very glad I made the switch from Windows - Mac.

Chris, I'd definitely get a laptop, has made loads of difference to me just being able to be completely mobile, and can bring images and stuff to people so easily. The "small" screen isn't a problem at all, I do loads of photo editing on it, and can easily plug in my 19" screen when I want to.

I was looking at getting a vaio, but Macs were loads cheaper for the same spec, however you would probably get more for your money by getting something like a *ahem* dell...

ive got a crappy laptop that runs cs2 ok, so i still can use it for photoshoots etc. but its under powered for full time use. i cant afford a seperate monitor atm otherwise a mac book is very appealing, im full stretching my budget at 800.

[Tomm]

Chris, I'd definitely get a laptop, has made loads of difference to me just being able to be completely mobile, and can bring images and stuff to people so easily. The "small" screen isn't a problem at all, I do loads of photo editing on it, and can easily plug in my 19" screen when I want to.

I was gonna suggest using an external screen. You can get decent CRTs for next to nothing these days (second hand) so it might be worth getting a 19" or so (1280 res or higher) CRT for when you're at home, to use with the Macbook.

I was looking at getting a vaio, but Macs were loads cheaper for the same spec, however you would probably get more for your money by getting something like a *ahem* dell...

That's the thing, you pay a premium for a mac in exactly the same way you pay more for a Thinkpad - They tend to be higher quality (Vaios are just expensive because they're Sony ). You can't compare my Powerbook to a random chunky PC laptop (E.g. Dell etc), it's a MUCH nicer machine, from the near-silent hum it makes to the way the lid closes really nicely. It sounds pretty gay but it's true.

[Krisboats]

I was looking at getting a vaio, but Macs were loads cheaper for the same spec, however you would probably get more for your money by getting something like a *ahem* dell...

Sony are one of apples biggest competitors and like apple, they charge a lot for their products, be it music players, computer hardware etc.

In comparison, my mum just recently bought a laptop made by Gateway, and for £450 she has a 120gb hard drive, core2duo processor, a gig of ram, huge crystal clear screen, built in wireless and all sorts of other gizmo's... as well as a full 3years sameday technician callout warranty.

Reviews of gateways customer service are generally fantastic.

Gateway support

Review of Gateway (Shop) by Mikew79

Advantages: No quibble support desk

Disadvantages: None

...I bought a Gateway EV700 in March this year and have been hugely impressed with the support desk back up. After about 6 weeks I had problems with the modem and after trying to fix the problem over the telephone Gateway arranged for my modem to be replaced within 48 hours. Then I had a problem with the mouse and again Gateway came up trumps and sent over a replacement. Of course it would have been better if these things had not gone wrong... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

helpful

24.12.2000

Gateway's The Best

Review of Gateway (Shop) by Amarah

Advantages: Friendly staff and helpful in finding what you need. Also they are quick to tell if somtething will not work for you or your situation

Disadvantages: n/a

...I feel that gateway is the one of the best computer companies that i have ever dealt with. I have never want to buy any other kind of computer from anywhere else. I have had the most friendly and helpful people that have been so helpful to me and i hope that when it is time to buy a new computer i will still have the choice of Gateway. I was first introduced to a Gateway in grade school and from there i learned all i could about them. i learned... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

19.03.2001

gateway to computing satisfaction

Review of Gateway (Shop) by r1

Advantages: well built PCs, great technical support

Disadvantages: none known

...Gateway, then Gateway 2000 back in 1997 when i was bought one, has gone from strengh to strengh as a company, and it's not supprising really because they are such and all-round quality company. My Gateway 233 MMX PC was subject to Gateways 'Build your own' idea, and has been near faultless since the day i got it. I've crammed loads of new hardware into it's well designed shell and it still maintains it's brilliance. Gateways succeeds..

I'd highly recommend a gateway laptop over a vaio one. My cousins old vaio died after 18 months and they charged him £230 to fix it. Which was just under a third of the original price. I'd never buy from someone like sony, when companies such as gateway and sharp have been so fantastic and much cheaper in the past.