DESIGNERS - Powerbook or Desktop?

[Kimberley]

I am deciding on getting a laptop or desktop. Either 15.2" 1.25Ghz Powerbook or dual G5 1.8GHz

Anybody using a powerbook or desktop for design work - What do you recommend would be suitable and why.

How much RAM do you recommend to get for programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark/In-Design, Dreamweaver etc.

If I were to go for the powerbook is there any cons that I might come across.

Is there any problems with the dual G4 1.25 0S9/0SX compatible, the value of them are good at the moment - considering I am a student.

Would appreciate some advice

Thanks

 

[virividox]

well it depends.

are you going to be designing on the move and taking your designes to presentations. if you are than the powerbook will fit ur needs.

if you dont move around that much, than a desktop is better. you can get a really nice monitor either an apple display, a 21 crt, or a formac. the pro of a desktop is the fact they have faster hard drives and future expandability, as well as teh dual proc which really rip through apps.

the powerbook is no slouch, but it will feel slow once you have edited on a dual. one thing to remember is powerbooks still are on the g4, it would be nice to adopt the new tech.

the sweet spot for ram is anywhere between 1-2 gigs. in teh g5 i dont think going over 2 would be needed, especially since ur a student you gotta watch cost and maximize ur money.

the cons with the pb, well there is teh white spot problem, but thats been resolved. you might want to get a powerbook with the faster hd, cuz that will help a lot with doing design based work.

dual 1.25 are good, but id rather get a powerbook than a dual 1.25 and rather get a g5 than a powerbook.

 

[rt_brained]

My preferred set up lies somewhere inbetween ---> PowerBook + 21" CRT. Load the PowerBook with RAM, pick up a Firewire external HD (eventually) and keep an iPod or USB flash drive handy to transfer work on the fly.

I stopped dwelling on the speed/power issue long ago, as the desire for portability far outweighs my craving for top speed. Most designers don't push their processors to the extent that film/video and animation/3D users would, so I just don't understand why so many people push for the fastest dual G5s on the market.

An ultra-fast processor isn't going to make you a better designer. Grey matter lag time will continue at the same rate as before, so don't get hung up on horsepower.

As a creative, sometimes you have the urge to pack up the machine and work in a different environment. A PowerBook will give you that freedom... but flip for a good large CRT (19"-22") to plug into at the office/dorm room/bedroom for added real estate and consistent color management.

 

[jrv3034]

Originally posted by rt_brained
My preferred set up lies somewhere inbetween ---> PowerBook + 21" CRT. Load the PowerBook with RAM, pick up a Firewire external HD (eventually) and keep an iPod or USB flash drive handy to transfer work on the fly.

I agree. Unless you're working on video editing or 3D animation, you're not going to need the dual processor as much as you'll need the portability. Plus, with the PowerBook, you get to take it to your classes whenever you need to, which might be a big plus.

The PowerMac G4 is good, if you're on a budget. I guess it depends on how much money you have. If you don't have enough for the Power Mac G5 or PowerBook, the G4 tower will do everything you need it to, for several years.

I'd vote for the PowerBook 15" and an additional 22" monitor.

 

[advres]

I use my 1.25 PB for everything. I do a lot of video editing and graphic design work and have had no problems. Right now I am interning doing QA for a effects software company and am doing a lot of video effect rendering. This is the one place where i would rather have the more powerful dualie or G5 but I can still manage. Make sure you get plenty of RAM though if you decide to go the PB route. DO NOT buy your RAM from Apple tho.

One thing I didn't do and am kicking myslef for it was upgrading to the 5400RPM hard drive. My external storage is adequate but the performance of my book would be better if I opted for the better HD.