Firstly, More Ram. Creative Suite is a ram hog. On top of Vista?

I second that. Even with XP and CS2, 1 Gig of Ram is a bit on the slow side. Vista and CS3? That's not even near enough.

To be honest, I wouldn't even worry about the processor or graphics card. Dual-core would be nice to have, but other than that, pretty much any modern processor or graphics card is plenty up to the task.

But you need more RAM.

I run 2 gigs of RAM at work and find it isn't enough sometimes....

I run a 2.8Ghz Intel Extreme Core 2 Quad-Core with 4GBs of RAM and an NVidia Quatro FX 3500. I'm running XP Pro and CS3. I can still choke the system when bouncing between apps.

I still can't figure out this sort of problem, working in better spec of pc is helpful, although sometimes it is still disappointment when having to work with thousands of points and nodes.

On the other hand I found my mouse unexpectedly move extremely fast, although both the double click and motion speed were set at their slowest.

Well, that's a RAM issue. And, unfortunately, you can't have any more, since XP Pro only supports 3.6 GB.

It depends what sort of design ur doing but ram is the most important ingredient allowing you to run more programs switch between files as needed. If you're doing a lot of image editing or rendering you'll need a faster cpu and processor. We run both mac and pcs here, the Macs have been upgraded to quad core xeon mac pros while the pcs range from 2.3ghz dual2cores up to a couple of dual core xeons.

Ram

I'm definately getting the RAM bumped up (like I stated earlier). For that I just have to research the maximum for Vista and the platform we are going to be using. I'm going to ask for the max allowed by my bosses and see what they give me. The PC is listed as being an IBM M57P Small Form Factor PC, so I'm sure it is also limited on space.

Like I said, we do web and print design (basic Flash and XML web work, printed pieces ranging from simple ads and letterfold brochures to POP style pieces and booths). We finally have our own dedicated server for our department, but this seems like the price we are going to have to pay. I imagine a dual core should be good at those specs, but I want something to last and not end up being a dog in 1-2 years.

My familiarity is with XP (both regular and Pro), but Vista I don't have much of a clue about except that it is a RAM hog. I'm thinking 6-8 Gigs of RAM might be OK with CS2, but like I said I don't know the limits of Vista or the platform.

Thanks for all of your help!

Ram

Double post, sorry!

i have vista on my pc at home and i'm not a fan of it (it came already installed.) i'm really thinking about going back to my old copy of xp pro. it is a 3 day weekend coming up =]

RAM, RAM, thank you Ma'am... as others have said.

The other thing would be monitor. How much colour calibration and real estate (two maybe?) do you need?

Get 'em to toss in a Wacom 3 Intuos as a consolation prize. If you don't have one yet, you won't regret it. Tell 'em it's an investment in your productivity in two ways: work faster in photo work, avoid RPS injury sick time.

The monitor issue is something I'm not going to crazy about. I want widescreens and want to ask for 24". I figure 22" is more reasonable tho', and even since I used to use and love dual monitors, I don't think the designers are all about it here.

But I'm sure they're all about colour and resolution. Some of the low-end 24's are not worth a higher quality 21 inch. Just be careful you spec resolution colour depth.

My experience has been that most PCs end up being a dog after 2-3 years. Unless you get a monster system. We bought some dual 3ghz Xeon Dells about 5 years ago and they are still running strong. They don't out perform out Macs but they are great for most applications.

My advices to you would be this... Tell them that if they are going to switch you to a PC environment that they are going to need to get you a pretty beefy system.

1. As everyone else has already mentioned, MAX OUT THE RAM. Don't just up it to 2GB, max it out. Most PCs can handle at least 4GB and probably more.

2. STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM VISTA! It's pure crap. Based on my experience it'll be more trouble than it's worth.

3. Get a 512MB video card. Get a good card. You'll be glad you did in the end. Try for something that will power dual monitors. If you don't already have them, use the reasoning that dual monitors will boost productivity. We've seen a large increase in productivity with dual monitors.

My question is... why would they want to move you away from Macs? They play very nicely with networks, have little virus issues, and you and your co-workers are already using them and would have an adjustment period switching to PCs.

As an example I'll throw our situation out. We are an in-house graphics department for a large company. Nearly 8000 employees and just and many computers all networked together over two states and 14 different facilities. The last time we updated our systems corporate wide, our department broke from the standard and bought Macs (16 total) which our IS department had a hissy over. They screamed that we were contaminating their network and there would be security issues. Now that they are in place, we've been able to show that there are no security issues, no virus issues, and no network issues. The new Intel Macs are rock solid in a PC network. Our IS department has come to us asking to use our new Mac server for some of their needs. They've actually looked into using Mac Minis as terminals for desktops around our company.

One argument you could make is that while the Macs are more expensive than PCs they tend to be more durable and last longer than the PC hardware. You probably won't need an replacement system for 4-6 years. Possibly more.

I'm not trying to start a Pc vs Mac debate here. I use both systems and like them equally well. I'm just telling you our story. Maybe it will help.