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Any professionals who are intel mac early adopters?

radiantm3

radiantm3

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 16, 2005
1,022
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San Jose, CA
I have a decision-making dilemma. I have a 1.67ghz powerbook g4 and a dual 1.8ghz powermac g5. The powerbook is dog slow, no doubt about it, but it's useable with the exception of the low resolution and horrible backlight. I use my powerbook more than my desktop machine because I'm always working remotely. I'd really love to sell my powerbook and powermac, and get a 17" macbook pro.

95% of my applications are universal binary, but 2 very important apps, Photoshop and Illustrator, are not. If those apps can run in rosetta as fast (or faster) than my g4 powerbook, I'll make the jump. Otherwise I'll have to keep my desktop machine, which I'd rather not have to do. It would be nice to have 1 computer that can do everything so I don't have to deal with syncing all my data all the time.

Keep in mind I don't do much print work (mainly identity stuff), so most of the time my photoshop files, although large, are 72dpi files.

Anyone have any personal experience running photoshop and illustrator on an intel mac under rosetta compared to a recent powerbook? I'd love to hear about it.
 
Koodauw

Koodauw

macrumors 68040
Nov 17, 2003
3,951
190
Madison
I think you'll find that an MBP can run most Photoshop/ illustrator applications just as well, if not faster than your PB. I would bet on faster. From my limited use though, and input from others, the debate over whether is beats G5 is up in the air though. ( I would say native photoshop on the G5 will be faster.) Anyways, in your case, I think a 17'' MBP would work well, and youd be all set for CS3 when it comes out.
 
radiantm3

radiantm3

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 16, 2005
1,022
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San Jose, CA
yellow said:
Dog slow?

My 1.25GHz PowerBook is still pretty darned fast. Maybe you need more RAM?
Click to expand...
I have 1.5gigs of ram. Comparing a single processor g4 to a dual processor g5 is a huge difference. :)
 
L

Lebowski

macrumors 6502
Oct 10, 2005
342
0
Phoenix, AZ
my 1.33 is pretty quick. I dont do huge projects and render off it, but from in the field its great.

no pros that i know will go to intel for quite awhile. Dont buy into the hype. Sure, the MBP is cool ( i guess), but dont forget it will be quite some time before all the pro apps are UB. No sense buying something that wont have much support for a long time, not to mention, if you already have alot of software, you are gonna spend alot of cash to migrate to UB versions when they become available....

not to mention, the FEW people that have Intel macs here at work, HATE THEM. They are constantly running into issues. Mind you, these are hardcore mac people, not your average clueless computer user.

I just picked up a quad a few weeks ago. I know it will be outdated soon, but i dont care .Its blazing fast, and has EVERY app available for it that i need to use.

If you are always running to buy the latest and greatest (usually because apple makes you think you have to have it) you will find out that its a vicious cycle of updating all the time, and trust me, it will get very expensive.

To me, being productive and getting jobs done is more important than having the latest mac.
 
radiantm3

radiantm3

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 16, 2005
1,022
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San Jose, CA
Lebowski said:
and what kind of files and work are you dealing with that is so processor intensive that its difficult to do on a powerbook?
Click to expand...

Like I said, it's not so much the speed (that's just part of it). It's the horrible backlight and low resolution. I could get one of the newer G4's, but those only have the 128meg GPU (which I already have) and it's just not enough power to run my 30" display smoothly.

I'm also primarily a web designer so being able to run windows without emulating the processor would be really great.

Besides work related stuff, I do a lot of video conversions and that would take years on my g4. I'm used to working with my dual processor G5 and having a laptop that is just as fast or faster would give me the option of only owning a portable.

I don't need people to analyze why I do or don't need anything faster than a powerbook g4 for what I do. Everyone works differently and if that 1.33ghz g4 does what you need then more power to you. If I wanted the fastest and latest & greatest, I'd be using a Quad G5 right now. I just want a portable that's comparable to my current desktop. It's not too much to ask.

My only question is if Photoshop and Illustrator run at least as fast as they do on my powerbook because I can deal with that until CS3 or whatever it's called comes out.
 
jsw

jsw

Moderator emeritus
Mar 16, 2004
22,910
44
Andover, MA
I have a 1.5 GHz 12" PB, a Rev. A dual-2.0 PM, and a 2.0 GHz MacBook Pro, among others, so perhaps I can provide some insight (although not exactly what you are looking for).

I do not have Photoshop/Illustrator, but I do have Photoshop Elements 3.0 and use lots of development tools which are CPU intensive.

I suspect that Photoshop/Illustrator would be fine for smaller files, but you need to be aware that Rosetta uses a fair amount of RAM, and I've found that it is very, very easy to use up my 2GB and start swapping on my MBP. Not only will the Adobe products eat up RAM, but lots of other things that use minimal RAM on your G4/G5 systems will eat up more on your MBP.

So, while the MBP would be generally faster, I suspect that you'd end up using up your RAM and swapping.

If it were me, I'd stick with your current combo until the faster Intel chips come out in the fall, along with 160GB drives, and then jump if it feels right.
 
eXan

eXan

macrumors 601
Jan 10, 2005
4,731
63
Russia
I'd suggest that you should wait till rev. B then buy.

Right now intel Macs are pretty buggy and unstable, so when rev. B will come out, not only most of these issues will be resolved, but a lot more UB software will be out :)
 
nospleen

nospleen

macrumors 68030
Dec 8, 2002
2,719
1,560
Texas
eXan said:
I'd suggest that you should wait till rev. B then buy.

Right now intel Macs are pretty buggy and unstable, so when rev. B will come out, not only most of these issues will be resolved, but a lot more UB software will be out :)
Click to expand...

Really? I have not had one issue at all with mine. Two months and only rebooted for software updates and to.... boot windows. :eek:
 
radiantm3

radiantm3

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 16, 2005
1,022
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San Jose, CA
BakedBeans said:
I was an early adopter with a maxed out 20 inch intel imac....

I am now actively looking to buy a powermac.


Says it all really
Click to expand...
Why is that? Because of the Adobe Apps?
 
S

SamJ

macrumors member
Mar 10, 2006
61
0
same here...

my intel imac runs like a dream. none of the early problem people have got like USB failures in the mouse and sleep problems. I guess you just have to be unlucky.

Though the macbook pro problems do seem to be more widespread...
 
D

digitalrebelxt

macrumors member
Jan 4, 2006
35
0
radiantm3 said:
Anyone have any personal experience running photoshop and illustrator on an intel mac under rosetta compared to a recent powerbook? I'd love to hear about it.
Click to expand...


Pro Graphic designer and just switched to an intel imac 20inch , upgraded ram to 2GB. First about the imac screen, its so much brighter than the PB screen and the real estate is nice! Speed during mac applications it runs GREAT! in PSP and Illustrator, it runs well enough, take a little longer to start up, seconds maybe. and opening files and saving files is a little slow, but after you get the programs running can't tell a difference, and what I do is just keep both open all day, no matter if I need them or not. Hope that helps, I am glad I switched!
 
E

electronboy

macrumors 6502
Sep 27, 2005
274
0
You would probably be better served by buying more memory to hold you over. I have heard about and witnessed strange things happening on Intel Macs. Wait for Leaopard before you make the jump. I'm assuming that you use your PowerBook G4 to MAKE MONEY. What's wrong with staying with what works for the moment? Upgrade your PowerBook to 1GB of RAM and you will notice a substantial difference.

If you already have 1GB of RAM then you might need to reformat your drive and reload. We don't see any performance issues with the 1.67GB PowerBooks in the design environment.
 
YS2003

YS2003

macrumors 68020
Dec 24, 2004
2,138
0
Finally I have arrived.....
I read an article (I forgot where; it could be MacWorld) which compared the performance of the most recent 17" PB with 2 Ghz MBP. I recall its conclusion was MBP took 1.7 times longer (don't quote me on this, as this is based on my memory) to do some PS jobs than the 17" PB. Whatever the # on this, the PB was faster in dealing with PS CS2 than the MBP.

I am interested in getting a Intel Mac in the future; but, I will wait till Adobe comes out with a UB-version of CS3. By that time, MBPs will be the rev B, I think.
 
S

steebu

macrumors member
Jul 28, 2005
65
0
Boot Camp

I'm an in-house graphic designer in the marketing department of a small corporation. My main computer at work is an Acer with a 3.2GHz P4 and 1GB RAM. I have Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop open 7 hours a day. I also run a second display with an Excel spreadsheet and Outlook open at the same time. Everything runs quite well except when I handle and save large PSD's.

The same week Boot Camp was released I bought a 2.0Ghz Macbook Pro with 2GB RAM and gave the Acer back to our IT guys. I still use all my apps in Windows because it's faster, but now I can finish up my work at home or when I'm on the road. Also, I can boot into OS X whenever I'm in an insecure network.

Ideally, I would have Outlook and Excel in XP using my MBP screen running alongside Adobe CS apps on an external display in OS X. It shouldn't be too long until that happens.
 
radiantm3

radiantm3

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 16, 2005
1,022
0
San Jose, CA
electronboy said:
You would probably be better served by buying more memory to hold you over. I have heard about and witnessed strange things happening on Intel Macs. Wait for Leaopard before you make the jump. I'm assuming that you use your PowerBook G4 to MAKE MONEY. What's wrong with staying with what works for the moment? Upgrade your PowerBook to 1GB of RAM and you will notice a substantial difference.

If you already have 1GB of RAM then you might need to reformat your drive and reload. We don't see any performance issues with the 1.67GB PowerBooks in the design environment.
Click to expand...

I have 1.5 gigs of ram already. As I said, speed is relative. I'm not saying I can't get work done on my powerbook. I do all the time. But I can't use my powerbook the same way I use my G5. Not even close. I'd like to be able to with a laptop. I'd also like to run windows at near native speeds via virtualization, not emulation.

When I get the chance, I'm definitely going to get rid of the powerbook and pick up a 17" macbook pro. But I guess I'll still need my desktop machine for the occasional heavy duty work.
 
N

NoNameBrand

macrumors 6502
Nov 17, 2005
434
1
Halifax, Canada
Just waiting on a PO to be approved at work, and I'll be getting a dual core Mac Mini (with 2GB of RAM). I currently have to work on my Mac at home for graphic stuff- the Mini will replace a Linux workstation (I wear many hats).

Well let you know how fast it is with Photoshop and Illustrator.

Most of the stuff I work on is either of trivial size (web graphics) or absolutely massive (billboards, vinyl banners), and the bottlenecks with that tends to be IO related on my G5. No other Mac was in budget for my work, as much as I'd like a 7200 RPM (or faster) drive for this stuff.
 
radiantm3

radiantm3

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 16, 2005
1,022
0
San Jose, CA
NoNameBrand said:
Just waiting on a PO to be approved at work, and I'll be getting a dual core Mac Mini (with 2GB of RAM). I currently have to work on my Mac at home for graphic stuff- the Mini will replace a Linux workstation (I wear many hats).

Well let you know how fast it is with Photoshop and Illustrator.

Most of the stuff I work on is either of trivial size (web graphics) or absolutely massive (billboards, vinyl banners), and the bottlenecks with that tends to be IO related on my G5. No other Mac was in budget for my work, as much as I'd like a 7200 RPM (or faster) drive for this stuff.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Can't wait to hear about your personal experience. :)
 
gman71882

gman71882

macrumors 6502
Jan 12, 2005
404
0
Houston, Tx
Im in a similar boat... Im waiting on either the QUAD INTEL POWERMACS or a 64 bit processor in the Macbook. maybe both :D :D

By then 64 bit processor in the Macbook with Kick my current TiBook out of town. And anything in a Quad Intel Powermac should be pretty screeming.
 
gman71882

gman71882

macrumors 6502
Jan 12, 2005
404
0
Houston, Tx
NoNameBrand said:
What do you need 64 bits for?
Click to expand...

Well the purported advantage will be to have a 20-40% speed increase over the current 32 bit-Dual Core proccessors. We shall see.
As well as Running vista :eek: Mabye... ill really have to think about that last one though...
 
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