Yet another newbie looking for purchase advice

C

claudia

Registered
Hey there,

I'm a soon-to-be-convert from PC to Mac, and I'm looking for advice on which to get!

I've never had one before, and I don't know many mac users, so I'm hoping I can get some help.

The decision to go to Mac is based on needing a good, stable platform for graphics and print design. I might possibly burn a few dvds, which makes the superdrive a nice option. I'll be running a lot of heavy software (photoshop, freehand, quark xpress), so it needs lots of power and great graphics are a must.

The models I'm looking at are:

1) The powerbook G4 with Combo Drive mid range ($3199)
or
2) The Power G4 mid range ($2999)

The iMac with superdrive is nice, but I don't think it's really an option for what I want.

My leanings right now are towards the powerbook G4, because I like the idea of portability, and it just looks so darned nifty. The second choice would be the Power G4, but then i'd have to go spend more on a moniter (which I'll end up doing with the powerbook eventually anyway, but this way I could wait a few months between major purchases).

Anyway, does anyone have any advice? Should I just go with the powerbook and say to hell with the higher cost? Has anyone used the powerbook as their primary print design machine? The small screen size is my main concern, but as I said, the purchase of a regular crt later is definately a possibility.

Any help would be appreciated!

claudia
 
Yes, if you want a portable studio, head for the PowerBook. Preferably the 800 MHz one, it would last longer. It's expensive, though.
If you want a more powerful and expandable system, I'd go for a PowerMac. I'd definitly wait for MacWorld this summer if you're considering a desktop, though, much more powerful machines will probably be released then, maybe even the G5. So, get a PowerBook now or wait ;)
 
I'm a newbie too (join the club ;-)), but what I do know is that in most laptops (same for the PowerBook I guess) is that they put in 2.5" hard discs, which are severely slower than the normal 3.5" HDD's in normal desktop machines. This is because a 2.5" spins at 4500 rpm (rounds per minute), and a 3.5" desktop HDD at 5400 or even 7200 rpm.

A faster spinning drive (rpm's) means the heads will reach your data faster (think about the old hifi LP players). So your data throughput will be a lot faster on a desktop. If you plan to do disk-intensive things, like video-editing, I assume a PowerMac will be faster than a PowerBook.

Also, a PowerMac is extendable. You van open the case and plugin extra PCI cards, memory etcetera, whithout much hassle. No way opening your PowerBook :).

I must admit the PowerBook looks horny :p
 
No video editing.. this will strictly be for magazine layout and graphics design (heavy tif files & freehand files).
 
Dammit! submitted by accident!

To continue:

Expensive is ok... i'm willing to live with the extra cost if the performance is there. Unfortunately I can't wait, I need a new machine now. I've been abusing my old PC to its limits and beyond with desktop work.

The longest I could possibly put it off is a month... it's gotten dire!

Would the slower disk access make a big difference with graphics design too? I'm thinking I should also bump up the RAM a bit...
 
I recommend the G4 tower... Get the fastest and biggest you can afford.... I recommend buying from apples site... you can configure with just the stuff you want.... I had a good experience buying directly from apple online. ;)

get the single processor..... the dual processor is nice, but few apps take advantage of it yet.... according to the last info I read..
 
as for slower hard drive speeds, i DO notice a difference... i have a 300 mHz blue & white g3 (ol' faithful) and recently got a 500 mhz ibook, and for print design, i definitely notice the 300 doing certain things faster, just because of hard drive RPM and seek time speeds... the mHz boost is important for a lot of processing, but for graphics, i reccomend the tower... plus, i think the video card in the tower will be able to handle bigger, better, higher res monitors in a more decent fashion than the mobility radeon (that comes on the titanium...)

anywho, i do print work as well, and if i were in your situation right now, i'd go with the desktop... the laptop is nice, but i prefer to get a high-end desktop and a 'consumer' portable...
 
The Admin's Recommendation...

I myself am due for an upgrade this coming summer. I am getting in the "Powerbook" or "Desktop" debate myself, with myself of course. It is a hard decision, sleek sexy portability, or pure grinding power in a desktop.

In the past I have went the "portable" route, but always find that a desktop machines has the power and stability I need. However, when I am on the go, a crave a newer powerbook, my G3/400 1999 Powerbook is getting old and wrinkled.

My suggestion to you...

If you have a single place you work, home or the office, and you spend 90% or more of your time in that place while working, go with the desktop model. If you think you are going to be spending your time working in different places, different locations and think working on the kitchen table, or working in the library is what you will want, then the laptop is the way to go.

You are not sacrificing much when it comes to the Powerbooks, as someone pointed out, the drive speed will be where you will notice it, but the wide screen will make up for it. :)

Admin
 
Well, I think that helps me with what i'm going to do.
i've gotten pricing on the Powerbook 800 mhz with 1 gig of ram (ouch) i'm gonna bite the bullet and get it.

I often find myself wanting a portable, and this way I can supplement it with a keyboard, mouse, and spare monitor if i want to... and maybe later I'll get a tower too!

thanks,

claudia
 
that's something i hadn't considered.

I've read that PC ram can be used in Macs, but that it can often cause problems. Am i better off shelling out the extra cash for the 1 gig ram upgrade straight off the top?

If I can use cheaper PC ram, and it works well, I'd rather just pay for the single stick upgrade, and go for another 512 meg dimm later... it's an extra $100 for the single 512 MB DIMM upgrade, and $400 for the two DIMMs...

Any input?

Claudia
 
I'd suggest Coast-to-Coast for the best price/support for memory purchase... they will make sure that your memory is compliant with newer firmware, or Crucial Memory for better (ie. CL2 = more expensive than CL3, but is slightly faster) memory.

PriceWatch is good if you know exactly what you're looking for.

Hope this helps.
 
also, if you DO end up getting something that doesn't work, (which you can ask by phone ahead of time) you can always send it back and try another... but most should work...
 
Keep in mind that OS X is touchy about the RAM it uses. I have a friend who had problems with her iMac crashing and having all sorts of problems due to bad RAM.

I'd suggest buying the highest quality RAM, not the cheapest.
 
Well, to be honest, the iMac G4 really has no problem handling graphics design. I was doing some damn big 76mb tifs a couple of days ago in Photoshop 6 under classic and it wasn't having a problem at all.

With the PBook, i think it could be worth buying the ram from the beginning, cause then you don't have the extra fuss, and you know it will work, and that it's backed by Apple.
 
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