laptop for designers, macs Options

[whomps]

So yea, I'm gonna be a freshman in College soon.. and I was wondering what would be the overall best type of laptop to get for my major.. Graphic Design.
Yea yea yea, I know everyone is going to say MAC HANDS DOWN. Macs excite me too, but they're also intimidating.

Basically I checked out the Macbook Pro on the Apple website and it looks pretty damn sick. But I've been using PCs all my life and I'm kinda scared to switch into Macs and get all jumbled and frustrated..

I was wondering if there would be any MAJOR differences switching into Macs, like.. would there be programs that I wouldn't be able to use on Macs that I've used on Windows before ?

ALSO. If I decide to get a Mac.. which one should I get ? Macbook or Macbook pro ?
If you're a designer but you're not looking for anything bulky, what screen size seems to be the best ?

Furthermore.. is there any possibility that getting a PC would be better than getting a Mac for design ?

Hmm.. My budget will probably be.. something under $3,000. I'm looking for something that will not break down on me in 3 years and will not lag or OWN THE SHIT out of me if I have a 20" by 20" 300 dpi psd opened up on the latest version of Photoshop. How much RAM should I buy ?

If you're a Mac user, what are some problems that you have encountered ?

Any help is appreciated. :}

[Tung]

hey yvonne ;]

i see you're a bay area person too. what college you going to next year? uc davis here. :)

[whomps]

Haha thanks.. but EWWW Davis. I just got my acceptance from them yesterday but I'm not gonna go there.. I'm going to SJSU. LOL.

[Tung]

Haha, yeah Davis sucks. I got accepted to UCSD, but parentals didn't let me go. Oh wells. I got a few friends who go to SJSU, at least you're still gonna be in the bay! Ey you go to Valleyfair or Oakridge Mall?

Anyways to stay on topic, if you're going to be a hardcore Design Major, yeah I recommend getting a Mac, even if you've been a PC person all you're life. Change is sometimes good. :]

Get macbook air!

i say 2gb ram

[whomps]

LOL thanks for the help. I know a lot of people that like Davis :O It' just that practically everyone in my family went there, so..

Of course I go to Valley Fair and Oakridge. But I go to Great Mall and Eastridge a lot more 'cause they're definitely closer.. but yea.

SJSU say da moneys... :]

MACBOOK AIR ! Isn't that new / first generation ? I don't like first gen stuff 'cause they have a bunch of problems.. but damn that's hot. Looks flimsy though.. but damn.

[pandora]

Hey Eve!

if you're going to be a design major, you will have to switch to mac at some point anyway, whether it's when you start designing professionally or whenever. A lot of firms and companies only allow you to use mac, so it's better to start now. I think most colleges teach with macs too.

Macs are actually a lot easier to use than PC's. Just give it two or three days and you'll already get used to it. There aren't any real differences, you just have to learn where all your applications are, and get used to using the apple key instead of pc's "ctrl" and also the right click is different too. You can set your laptop so that the "trackpad" can be used for right clicking by using two fingers and then clicking the regular clicker.

Moved to Designers Cafe

[Just_Dream]

omg a mac is so easy to learn to use, Yvonne. If you're going to do design, get a macbook pro. But I don't know if you should invest in one right now. Who knows -- they might come out with something by the time you graduate, or update something. Although, they did release new updated stuff for the macbook and macbook pro.

If you do decide to get a macbook instead of the pro, make sure you get 2 x 2 gb (total of 4 gb) dual channel RAM because it will definitely help if you're using photoshop. It doesn't come with stock, but just get it on newegg.com. It's much cheaper than getting it from apple.

As for macbook pro -- as Kevin says.. "illuminating keyboard" <33

Haha, yeah Davis sucks. I got accepted to UCSD, but parentals didn't let me go.

LMAOOOOOOO OMG YOU JUST SAID DAVIS SUCKS. That totally makes all your past arguments null/void when we first fought. Ahahah. Its okay though, you're still cool. But for me!

[weed]

i own 2 macs.
i am an un-official mac enthusiast.

i love mac's.
You should check out dave marra's website here and in his site he provides links to some of the best "Why mac's are better than windows" and all their benefit's to fit your lifestyle kind of articles and goodies.

I also suggest you check out Apple Macintosh Resources For Designers.

I grew up on windows, but you know i got sick of all the viruses and constant updates everyother day.

MAC > WINDOWS // Plain and simple.

[Insurmountable]

Macs are for idiots. You shouldn't be scared to get one. Just like it took you time to pick up windows and learn were things are, the same applies.

It's not hard to use a mac, their extremely simple, nice, sleek, and good overall computers. If you are going to college and plan to use the computer for a long time after, get a macbook pro. Their one of the best on the market right now.

[CapCaDancer]

You are my favorite person right now.

I am doing the EXACT same thing. This upcoming fall I will be a freshman majoring in Graphic Design.

I was ALSO wondering what to do about getting a mac. Parents are getting me one for a graduation present.

Thank you for making this topic!

I was a bit scared at first, but my computer teacher at school is going to bring her mac for me so I can play with it, and I'll have all summer to mess around with mine when I get it.

[Insurmountable]

Oh yea, remember if you get a mac, then you won't have to worry about as many viruses and such getting a hold of your lovable computer.

[lkajsfklajskds]

macs are cool beyond cool.
but ive had pc's all my life
ive only used a mac for a short period of time and managed to navigate it fairly problem-free. i dont think itll be too hard.

[Gigi]

If you can use a PC, you'll encounter no problems with a Mac. It'll take a few days to get used to, but honestly, it's not a problem at all. I know how to use a Mac like the back of my hand, yet I don't even own one. It helps that I practically live at school to make shit for the yearbook on Macs. I eat sleep and breathe making layouts on InDesign and editing pictures on Photoshop.

Like Trish said, probably my biggest problem (although, a VERY minor one) with a Mac is the command key. Not so much the key itself, but the difference from a PC (CTRL). It's a pain in the ass when I spend 5 hours after school on a Mac using the command key all over the place, and coming home to my PC and pressing the freaking Alt key instead and vice versa.

[michellerrific]

I'd change my PC for a Mac any day.
Macs are for the artsy, talented people. They make all the programs for graphic designers musicians or movie makers, whatever it may be. Like what everyone else said. I would definitely not put adaptation as your reason NOT to buy a Mac. Get it, you'll find it worthwhile.

[whomps]

Ohh thank you all I'm really leaning towards a Macbook pro now.. I have another question though, I'm not really familiar with laptops (this will be my first one) and I have a question about the LCD size. If I don't want a tiny ass screen, but I don't want one of those fat looking laptops either.. what's better, 15" or 17" ?
Or rather, if you have a Macbook in either size, what do you like/dislike about the size ?

[Tung]

Depends. Are you going to be carrying your laptop around alot? Bigger LCD size = heavier and larger to carry around, but I would recommend getting 17. 15 is too small.

[freeridefight]

Honestly, I took journalism last year in high school and I had no clue exactly was a mac was (yeah I just confessed it) It took me a maximum of four days to get the hang of it. After that it was simple and clean.

good luck

[libertie]

I've been a mac-only user for the last two years or so. I can honestly say that I love my laptop more than any computer I've ever owned and will only buy from apple from now on unless they do something stupid (aka Macbook Air).

One piece of advice to add to what everyone else has said - when they try to sell you AppleCare in the store, it's not a load of crap, BUY it. You'll wish you did later. It's a great warranty package which covers almost any damage that can (and will) eventually happen. Your laptop is automatically covered for phone support for 90 days, and hardware support for a year, but after a year when something totally not your fault happens, you'll definitely be glad that you don't have to worry about it. They're great with shipping if you don't live near an apple store, and they're fast with their service.

[TheOn3LeftBehind]

They own. I have an iBook G4. You can always use Boot Camp and install Windows XP or Vista on it too ya know?

[RoyalSwagger]

yea you should start using a mac a.s.a.p. all design firms or at least 95% of them use macs. There isn't a whole lot to get used to. For me I was a little afraid to switch from PC. But I can say that I'm pretty damn happy I switched and that I will never buy a PC again in my life. I've used a PC my whole life. With a mac the only problems I ran into where keyboard shortcuts, I always get confused on my software which keys do what. So I had to relearn the keyboard which wasn't so bad. Everything looks nicer, smoother, and cleaner on mac screens. There a lot faster then PC's to. But yea, switch to a mac as soon as possible because in the real world it's what your gonna be using. and when you trying to get a job or internship it will look good if you know both PC and mac. But trust me, you will be happy with you decision (if you get a mac). oh and yea the keyboard does look a little different. and of course the whole operating system itself. BUT its WAY nicer, faster, and yea. Just read user reviews. OH and if your wondering what screen size get the 17" because for you (a graphic designer) everything will be more proportioned and when designing on illustrator it will make it a whole lot easier, you'll be be able to see things allot closer and easier.

[Gigi]

^ I agree with a lot of what you said, but one major downfall for Macs are that a LOT of shit just doesn't work with it. It's so annoying. I can't use the same programs on the Mac that I love on the PC, and I can't find good substitutes for them either. Big pain.

[whomps]

^ I agree with a lot of what you said, but one major downfall for Macs are that a LOT of shit just doesn't work with it. It's so annoying. I can't use the same programs on the Mac that I love on the PC, and I can't find good substitutes for them either. Big pain.

Really ? Ahh crap. What programs ?

[pandora]

i've found subsitutes for everything i need pretty easily...

[rnicron]

My iMac is kick ass. We used Macs in my graphic design class last semester, and after that, I had to buy one. It's the coolest thing.

It doesnt' take a lot of getting used to. If anything, it is far easier to navigate through than a Windows based PC.

[SolisDeSoul]

I'd go wit Mac, especially for designing. I mean, I love my Windows and all that but when it comes down to it Mac is the shizznit, and the majority of grpahic design companies/firms use Mac.
And I've been where you are now, coming from a predominantly 100% Windows based life-style then jumping into the world of Mac. I was confused for about two minutes(mostly because I wanted to right-click with the mouse) But once you get over that you'll get into the swing of things, just like you did when you first used Windows. We're the new generation, we always gotta learn new tricks.
As far as RAM I'd go with this-->>>>

If you do decide to get a macbook instead of the pro, make sure you get 2 x 2 gb (total of 4 gb) dual channel RAM because it will definitely help if you're using photoshop. It doesn't come with stock, but just get it on newegg.com. It's much cheaper than getting it from apple.

Especially for Photoshop, Paintshop. . .any type of graphic application is going to require some hard core memory, especially if that's your major and not just a hobby. Best of luck to you.

[illriginal]

Flybook FTW!