Need advice on new Mac system

[Jen213]

Hi guys! I'm new here (see my thread on "Introduce Yourself" board: http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28986) & just wondering if any of you had any advice on what kind of computer I should buy. My current Mac is ancient (still running system 9) & looks like it will be cheaper to buy new instead of upgrading. Also will have to purchase all new software since mine are old as the hills!

Right now, I just design print materials, but plan to learn web design soon. Most of my work consists of brochures, invitations, print ads, signage, logo design/letterhead, etc.

Anyway - here's the software that I plan to get (my brother is a teacher & can get it all at a discount):
- Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium
- Quark Express 7

Should I go with the iMac, Mac Mini or Mac Pro? How large of a hard drive, how much ram & how many GHz do you think I'll need?

Any other advice? Or applications you think I should definitely get?

Thanks in advance!!!!

Also - is there another board on which this question would be better posted?

[Kool]

It's six in one hand half a dozen in the other as to go with PC or Mac. Since you already use Mac that would probably be the best choice and OS ten will be quite the improvement. I really wouldn't bother getting Quark unless you have a special need for it. InDesign in CS3 will handle anything you mentioned above and you save $700.

[Jen213]

It's six in one hand half a dozen in the other as to go with PC or Mac. Since you already use Mac that would probably be the best choice and OS ten will be quite the improvement. I really wouldn't bother getting Quark unless you have a special need for it. InDesign in CS3 will handle anything you mentioned above and you save $700.

Thanks for your input! I'm definitely going with a Mac. We have a PC laptop as well. But for my design work, I prefer to use Mac. I guess I'm just a Mac snob! :o As far as Quark vs. InDesign - I've been using Quark for years. I want to be able to open up old jobs to edit them when I need to. I do want to learn InDesign, as I hear it's the "wave of the future" but still want to use Quark when needed. With my brother's discount, I can get CS3 for a little under $600 & can get Quark7 for a little under $200.

I'm leaning toward getting the 20" iMac (2.16GHz, 1GB memory, 250GB hard drive). I've been reading some reviews & it looks like I may want to upgrade the memory to 2GB. Not sure! :confused:

Thanks again!

[doubting_thomas]

It's tough to say what the best system will be as far as hardware. I need a lot
of horsepower, so I got the MacPro 3.0 Ghz option with 4 gig's of RAM.
Actually the company bought it for me, as I do prepress. It's an incredible
machine. It runs the CS3 suite quite nicely indeed. I can't say how it runs
Quark 7 though. Definately get the extra RAM. You can never have too much
good looks, or RAM.

[Virgo Nightingale]

Keep in mind that with the education version of the Adobe suite, you won't get all the cool fonts that come with it. I'm not sure if the cost of buying the fonts separately will make the cost greater in the end, but it is something to consider. However, if you have all the fonts you need on the old computer and can transfer them to the new one, then it wouldn't matter now, would it? ;)

[Silence04]

i would go with the Mac Pro if you plan on keeping it for 5+ years, that way you can upgrade parts if you need to. Otherwise an Imac should do you good.

i would have at least 2gigs of ram, maybe even 4gigs if you work on big files or have a lot open at once. however, ram from apple is pricey so you might want to buy your ram from a different place, macsales.com is good, so is crucial.com... just don't mix and match your ram sizes in the slots of your computer, only use the same sized sticks (i.e. 4x512mb, 2x1gig, 1x2gig)

[Jen213]

Keep in mind that with the education version of the Adobe suite, you won't get all the cool fonts that come with it. I'm not sure if the cost of buying the fonts separately will make the cost greater in the end, but it is something to consider. However, if you have all the fonts you need on the old computer and can transfer them to the new one, then it wouldn't matter now, would it? ;)

I was wondering what the difference in the regual & academic versions were! I have a ton of fonts on my old system - so I hope to be able to tranfer them to the new Mac.

Thanks for your reply!

[Jen213]

It's tough to say what the best system will be as far as hardware. I need a lot
of horsepower, so I got the MacPro 3.0 Ghz option with 4 gig's of RAM.
Actually the company bought it for me, as I do prepress. It's an incredible
machine. It runs the CS3 suite quite nicely indeed. I can't say how it runs
Quark 7 though. Definately get the extra RAM. You can never have too much
good looks, or RAM.

That sounds like a pretty sweet machine! You are lucky! I remember when I talked my old company (PC based) into getting me the top of the line Mac system when I first started working there!

[Jen213]

i would go with the Mac Pro if you plan on keeping it for 5+ years, that way you can upgrade parts if you need to. Otherwise an Imac should do you good.

i would have at least 2gigs of ram, maybe even 4gigs if you work on big files or have a lot open at once. however, ram from apple is pricey so you might want to buy your ram from a different place, macsales.com is good, so is crucial.com... just don't mix and match your ram sizes in the slots of your computer, only use the same sized sticks (i.e. 4x512mb, 2x1gig, 1x2gig)

I will definitely be using it 5+ years. I just don't know if I can afford to get a MacPro. But it may save me $$ in the long run.

I think I read somewhere that iMacs can only has room for 3gigs of ram. Depending on the price of ram, maybe I should go ahead & max it out.

Thanks for your opinion!!!

[CkretAjint]

Trust me, if your planning on having the computer 5+ years, go ahead and buy the best you can. Or else in 3 years youll be kicking yourself, possibly even buying nother new computer just to keep up with the times...

[budafist]

I've had my imac for 5 and a half years. It was the best I could afford at the time and people still look at it and think it looks futuristic. But I'm pining for a new imac now days. I think I'll get one this year for sure.

[Fantômas]

get a PC :eek::D

[budafist]

My bf got a pc built for him less than 3 years ago and needs a new one one now. I know it's to do with compatibility issues with all the different bits. Which is why I'd think a Mac is better. You don't have to worry about this bit failing in 6 months time because of that bit.

[drawingguy]

I don't know exactly what you should buy, but I agree with those telling you to go a little bit higher end. You don't have to get the best but something better may do you well. Then again you could just buy a mini and replace it in a few years.

I bought my dual 500 G4 in August of 2000 and I'm still using it. I have to say that I paid too much for it but it's still running.

[Tea]

I have a 20" iMac that I bought last fall. I love it. I still love it.

Edited to add: I have a Dual G4 at school bought 5 years ago, I believe and that thing still seriously kicks butt. If I would have had the money, I would have gotten the MacPro.

[steve2112]

I love my mac at work but at home freelance stuff i use pc because its more multifunctionable(is that a word). Any way if you spend like 1500 and get a something with a new motherboard chipset you can start with a dual core 6600 like i have with 2 gigs rams and a good graphics card, you dont need a super expensive one for 99% of the crap we do. Then in 2-3 years you can upgrade to a newer quad core and that wouldnt set you back much in that time. Besides by then maybe all adobe apps will be full 64 bit and you can use a 64 bit os at its full power. I can't imagine that you would be lost in five years but then again it is a computer

steve

["Technical" Terry]

I am quite surprised that no one has yet mentioned this. Maybe I missed something, but it seems to be that you intend to use this hardware and software for business purposes. The educational versions are specifically licensed for educational purposes. By using it in any other way is breaking the agreement and the law.

[Virgo Nightingale]

That's not the case with the Adobe software.

http://www.adobe.com/education/purchasing/faq.html

As well as for Quark.

http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/07/17/quark/index.php

["Technical" Terry]

Yes I would totally agree, IF you were CURRENTLY a student. But by having such important Quark files from long ago with as much experience that was implied, I don't see this being a current student. Class projects developed in Quark wouldn't NEED to be edited...a pdf could be made and simply shown to potential employers or clients. So to spend extra money on somthing that isn't necessary is just a waste.

Lastly, if it didn't matter if you were a student or not, why do they sell separate versions?? Is the "full" version just for the stupid people who like to throw away money?

[drawingguy]

Yes I would totally agree, IF you were CURRENTLY a student. But by having such important Quark files from long ago with as much experience that was implied, I don't see this being a current student. Class projects developed in Quark wouldn't NEED to be edited...a pdf could be made and simply shown to potential employers or clients. So to spend extra money on somthing that isn't necessary is just a waste.

Lastly, if it didn't matter if you were a student or not, why do they sell separate versions?? Is the "full" version just for the stupid people who like to throw away money?

If you have the education version of adobe software and adobe says it's ok, then I don't see why you can't use it for commercial purposes. I was allowed to buy education versions of software when working at a college and I wasn't a student.

["Technical" Terry]

Yes, sorry I didn't list all of the entitled people who qualify for educational discounts. My wife, who is a high school teacher, qualifies. But as the janitor, I do not. You should read the EULA if you want all of the specifics.

The general rule still stands. If you need to have someone else purchase the software for you in order to get a discount, you are probably breaking the law.

[drawingguy]

Yes, sorry I didn't list all of the entitled people who qualify for educational discounts. My wife, who is a high school teacher, qualifies. But as the janitor, I do not. You should read the EULA if you want all of the specifics.

The general rule still stands. If you need to have someone else purchase the software for you in order to get a discount, you are probably breaking the law.

"Probably" is such a vague term your honor... :D

[Jen213]

Darn - I hadn't really thought about the ethical issue of purchasing academic software for commercial purposes. I guess it was back there in the back of my mind. Thanks for bringing it to the forefront! That ups my budget significantly!!! LOL!!!

[stinkyboy]

I recommend this one:

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/6114/37871698550b2f6f62axi1.jpg

[Jen213]

I wish!!!!!

[budafist]

Yes, sorry I didn't list all of the entitled people who qualify for educational discounts. My wife, who is a high school teacher, qualifies. But as the janitor, I do not. You should read the EULA if you want all of the specifics.

The general rule still stands. If you need to have someone else purchase the software for you in order to get a discount, you are probably breaking the law.

But if your wife buys it, surely you are allowed to use the software she buys? Software is for individual computers isn't it? Not individual people.

[Navian]

But if your wife buys it, surely you are allowed to use the software she buys? Software is for individual computers isn't it? Not individual people.

Depends on how selfish those individuals are.

[MD]

If you are looking to upgrade your computer in 5+ years I would suggest getting a mac pro. It will cost you a few extra dollars up front but the expandability and extra power will help you keep your system longer. I have had my tower since late 2003. In under 4 years I have added a second hard drive, more RAM, and a USB 2.o card. It will run CS3 but I will just be meeting the minimum requirements to run it, But I would have to replace the graphics card to keep it current.

Anyways - check out what they said during their earnings report last night.
Nevertheless, Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer told investors to expect earnings to come in at only 65 cents a share for its current quarter, well below expectations of 82 cents a share. After Apple's blowout quarter, at least one analyst wasn't buying it.

Oppenheimer gave three reasons for the shift, two prosaic, and one very tantalizing. Apple's back-to-school product promotions will cost the company. Prices are rising for key parts, such as the flash memory that powers the iPhone and many of Apple's music players. Finally, Oppenheimer said, there will be a "product transition I can't get into."

Sounds like something big is in the pipeline and the ipod, imac, and mac pros are overdue for a revamp.

[PrintDriver]

"product transition" usually means one is being phased out. Oh my aching non-intel Mac... It's only a matter of time...

As for educational software, if your name isn't on the order, it isn't yours. And buying this software requires a form of ID from the person buying it, usually a picture college ID and/or a driver's license. Sucks to go for an upgrade with your own credit card later... Not to mention it's against the EULA to use it for business purposes unless the business is teaching (or being a graduating student).