Re: OT- Buying new computer, which way to go?


"Hunt" <noone@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:e5qt2n0233a@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In article <127rceve2buuj06@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
stevered@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
says...

PC ?

P4 or Dual core?

Mac?

The clock speeds are always slower than Pc's, do top of the line
Macs(speed
wise) match up with TOTL PC's? The prices for Macs seem higher, too. Are
they worth it? I have limited experiance with Macs, but I'm looking at
them.


Thanks


Steve

Steve,

For processing images (kinda' what this NG is about), either a
well-equipped
PC, or a MAC will do what you need.

If you use Photoshop, then the three basic concerns are:
1.) RAM - I'd settle for 2GB, but more is always better up to what your OS
and
PS can use.
2.) Fast, large and separate HDDs. One physical drive for OS and programs,
plus Win Page File (if you go PC). Sorry I do not know what a MAC needs.
And
another physical HDD, again large and fast for PS Scratch Disk. I'd add at
least one more for image files. My recent workstation is 4-500GB SATAII's
with
2TB Gigabit LAN additonal storage. Overkill for most, but useful for me.
It
also seems that the trend is going away from RAID O striped HDD's, but
they
might still give a speed kick. SCSI 360M is still about as fast as you can
get, but SATAII's are getting very close.
3.) Fast processor. PS is dual-core and dual-processor aware. My recent
workstation offers both.

Next, I'd opt for a vid card with dual-head capability and 2 monitors.
Much
debate rages on monitor type, and I will admit that the high-end LCDs are
getting pretty good. I still have a brace of 21" Hitachi CRT's and my
"image"
monitor still holds 100% for color calibration to my print system. I do
not
worry about the other, as it just holds palettes in PS/Illy/Premier, etc.



How do I get two monitors hooked up. Is that aspecial graphics card? Can I
use a CRT and LCD together on the same card?



PS CS & CS2 now recommend 128MB VRAM for video. I still run an old Matrox
64MB
G-450 on one semi-retired workstation and it handles PS CS2 and the other
programs in CS2 Premium Suite just fine. New machine has nVidia Quadro
512MB
card and for PS, I do not see much difference in video performance. In
Premier, et. al. there is GREAT difference, but if you do only still
stuff,
128 will be fine. I'd go with nVidia or Matrox, as they both have stable
drivers that play well with PS. Others might as well, but there are some
horror stories out there.

Lastly, I'd get a Wacom tablet for the system. Once you work with one in
PS, I
doubt that you'll ever go back. If you are starting to run out of funds
about
now, look at Wacom's refurbished tablets. I like the large ones, but other
prefer the 6x9's.

I believe that most of these recommendations will hold for a MAC, as well.
I
have clients and peers on MAC and they all love them. I've really never
heard
of any of them having problems that are not common to the PC. I have never
used that system, so I cannot comment. Before MAC-tel, one consideration
would
have been what software you owned the license to. With Adobe, you can
upgrade
X-platform for the cost of the upgrade. Now, I doubt that it makes any
difference, though OS-specific Adobe might work best on a particular
platform.
If you own PC versions and want to go MAC, research that, and factor in
any
possible upgrades.

Last, I do not know anything about Dell. All of my workstations have been
custom-built from about 1985.

Hunt




.

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