I need a new mac in the next couple of weeks that's well suited to work with FCS2 and CS3. Now before you all start telling me that I should get a Clovertown Mac Pro with a 30" ACD, I've set my spending limit to $2500 - $2800. The main thing I'm looking for is the best possible processor/graphics card setup out of the box. I'm likely not going to expand on the machine beyond RAM, and I've already got a rack full of Lacie D2's with my 20" aluminum iMac. The scenarios are:
-Top-end 24" iMac. Honestly, this is the way I'm leaning the strongest towards, as it's got the 2.8ghz core 2 extreme and wireless. However, the poor color accuracy and viewing angle on my 20" aluminum imac, and the fact that I haven't heard much about the HD2600 running/rendering Motion 3 are keeping me on the fence. On my student discount, I could likely buy an ACD along with it to compensate for a poor display, but I'd rather not.
-17" or the good 15" Macbook Pro. 2.4ghz and an 8600GTM are tempting, but the screen real-estate and display quality are making me think long and hard about this one.
-2ghz Mac Pro w/20" ACD. This one is a stretch on my wallet, and the 7300GT isn't really a card I'd starve myself for. On top of that, I'd have to cough up some extra dough for an Airport module, or reconfigure my entire network setup to allow a wired internet connection.
Any thoughts?
-Top-end 24" iMac. Honestly, this is the way I'm leaning the strongest towards, as it's got the 2.8ghz core 2 extreme and wireless. However, the poor color accuracy and viewing angle on my 20" aluminum imac, and the fact that I haven't heard much about the HD2600 running/rendering Motion 3 are keeping me on the fence. On my student discount, I could likely buy an ACD along with it to compensate for a poor display, but I'd rather not.
-17" or the good 15" Macbook Pro. 2.4ghz and an 8600GTM are tempting, but the screen real-estate and display quality are making me think long and hard about this one.
-2ghz Mac Pro w/20" ACD. This one is a stretch on my wallet, and the 7300GT isn't really a card I'd starve myself for. On top of that, I'd have to cough up some extra dough for an Airport module, or reconfigure my entire network setup to allow a wired internet connection.
Any thoughts?
