School Computer Recommendation!

[Zmgclt]

Hey guys, I'm going into first year college. I'm taking Graphic Design and I'm stumped on what I should buy computer wise.

First of all, my college has Mac's so that's what I'll be learning on, so I'm leaning towards buying a Mac to keep everything streamlined, probably a laptop.


What I'm looking for from you guys:

First of all, I don't really know what the real difference between Mac's and PC's are relating to graphic design. ( know most of you won't be able to answer this)

Secondly, I need a computer that will serve me well without any hindrance but I'm not looking to take out a second mortgage for my computer.

Finally, I still love gaming, and although I wont have as much time to game as I use to because of schooling, I still want a computer that will handle most games out there without a problem.

Right now, I'm looking at the 2011 MacBook Pro 15' let me know what you guys think of that choice!

Well, that's it everyone! You know my situation and I'd appreciate any feedback I get!

Cheers!

[ArchType]

It's either spend 3k dollars on a mac that can sorta play games, or just buy a Mac for design. Can't have both unless you are rich; Mac=Product design,PC= Games

[OmnitronDefenseSystem]

If you're really set on a mac, and want a laptop, gaming might not be a possibility. People swear they run games really well, but I'm a skeptic, seeing as the 2011 versions don't have dedicated graphics. I'm sure it'll run wow on the lowest settings, but I doubt anything else would run all that well.

[Team Frosty]

If you're really set on a mac, and want a laptop, gaming might not be a possibility. People swear they run games really well, but I'm a skeptic, seeing as the 2011 versions don't have dedicated graphics. I'm sure it'll run wow on the lowest settings, but I doubt anything else would run all that well.

The 15" has the option of 6750M gfx card, and you can dual boot Windows on a Mac.

[InfernalKatana]

Well in years past the hardware for Macs were slightly more powerful than the hardware you could get for a PC, so the top-end graphics software developers would design their programs to work on Macs and not PCs. Since that was where the top-end software was, it was where the top-end graphics artists went to create their graphics.

Since the Mac has started to use Intel chips in their software, the gap between Mac hardware and PC hardware has closed. Assuming you're spending the exact same amount of money, you should get pretty much the exact same PC or Mac in terms of power. This has lead to the development of PC graphics software that, while not necessarily better, at least is comparative to what you could find on a Mac. However, since the top-end graphics designers got very used to using a Mac to do all their design, many schools and artists still use a Mac.

If I were in your shoes, what I personally would do is get the best Mac I could get my hands on, and use bootcamp to dual boot Windows. Macs, if I've heard correctly, actually make good Windows machines.

[Deleted]

What you could do it get a Windows PC and run Mac on it with a program. Or the other way around like Dilbert said.

[OmnitronDefenseSystem]

The 15" has the option of 6750M gfx card, and you can dual boot Windows on a Mac.

I was unaware that it could upgrade to an actual card, thanks

[Arslay]

That 15" MBP is not worth the $1800/ $2100 at all. Maybe $1000?

2.0 gHZ version- Con:
Quite weak graphics chip (aka gaming will suck).
Slow HDD. (5400 RPM)

Pro:
Powerful CPU.
Good Battery
Looks Shiny

2.2 gHZ version- Con:
Meh GPU.
Just as slow HDD.

Pro:
Even better CPU
Good Battery
Looks shiny


Basically, neither one is worth your money. Is there any way you can use a non- Mac machine?




Also Dilbert, you do not get the same hardware for the same price in Mac vs PC.

Quick Newegg search, this <$1000 machine has much more powerful hardware than that $2000 Mac
(Also same screen size)

Still for less than that Mac you can get a super powerful PC laptop.

[Asera]

Hey guys, I'm going into first year college. I'm taking Graphic Design and I'm stumped on what I should buy computer wise.

First of all, my college has Mac's so that's what I'll be learning on, so I'm leaning towards buying a Mac to keep everything streamlined, probably a laptop.


What I'm looking for from you guys:

First of all, I don't really know what the real difference between Mac's and PC's are relating to graphic design. ( know most of you won't be able to answer this)

Secondly, I need a computer that will serve me well without any hindrance but I'm not looking to take out a second mortgage for my computer.

Finally, I still love gaming, and although I wont have as much time to game as I use to because of schooling, I still want a computer that will handle most games out there without a problem.

Right now, I'm looking at the 2011 MacBook Pro 15' let me know what you guys think of that choice!

Well, that's it everyone! You know my situation and I'd appreciate any feedback I get!

Cheers!

I work as a graphic designer, and I can tell you that there are absolutely no differences between a Macintosh and a Windows box in terms of performance or feature benefits. I receive artwork and production files from 3rd party advertising companies asking us to print stuff, they are almost always Mac based, and I have next to no issues with their stuff, unless it is human error (aka independent of the platform entirely) like forgetting to include fonts, exporting files improperly for printing, etc.

The only pro I can give to the Macintosh is with the Mac Pro at stock being a fairly well priced single unit for the hardware you get (namely the Xeon CPU(s) and the ECC memory). Macbooks not so much, they are viciously overpriced since Apple's mobile products are the bulk of their profit.

[Zmgclt]

Thanks a lot for the quality responses guys! Upon making this thread I was really leaning towards a Macbook Pro, however I feel my opinion has swayed. I knew that the Macbook Pro was quite overpriced, and trust me when I say I don't have the money to throw around senselessly.

I may decide to upgrade my current computer since it still needs a bit of work, but that will most defiantly save me a lot of money compared to buying a Macbook Pro.