I'm going to college for Graphic design and I was wondering because many of my classes are on Macs anyways in labs or in art classrooms, should I get a notebook or a more powerful imac to keep in my dorm?
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Going to college, Macbook or new imac?
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depends on how intense the classes are...
i vote iMac and get an external HDD so you can go back and forth.
i vote iMac and get an external HDD so you can go back and forth.
To be honest...I'm a business major, and got a MacBook before I went to school.
I use it a lot, I bring it to classes, etc.
My roommate, who is a graphic design major, has both an iMac and a MacBook--and his MB never gets any use at all. When he goes to (graphics) classes, they are almost always held in Mac Labs, so there is no need to bring an additional computer... and when he's back in the room, he enjoys having a large display like on the iMac.
Assuming that your graphics design program is similar (and they should be), I'd strongly consider just getting an iMac with a nice big (4-8GB?) USB thumb drive to move things from your labs to your iMac.
I use it a lot, I bring it to classes, etc.
My roommate, who is a graphic design major, has both an iMac and a MacBook--and his MB never gets any use at all. When he goes to (graphics) classes, they are almost always held in Mac Labs, so there is no need to bring an additional computer... and when he's back in the room, he enjoys having a large display like on the iMac.
Assuming that your graphics design program is similar (and they should be), I'd strongly consider just getting an iMac with a nice big (4-8GB?) USB thumb drive to move things from your labs to your iMac.
my brother bought a desktop for college, before the end of his freshman year he gave us the desktop and laptop. My step sister bought a desktop and regrets it completly. From my experience, laptops are the best decision for college. I would consider a macbook pro though.
I'm doing Architecture, and I have a MacBook (although i should've gotten the MacBook Pro like my mate did).
If your college uses macs, I'd get the iMac for home unless the labs are likely to be full when you need to use them.
My advise to any graphic student is to get a MacBook Pro, atm they are so awesome that they justify any amount of money spent on them.
If your college uses macs, I'd get the iMac for home unless the labs are likely to be full when you need to use them.
My advise to any graphic student is to get a MacBook Pro, atm they are so awesome that they justify any amount of money spent on them.
You're not going to NEED the portability of a macbook, but it sure is nice. I'd definitely recommend a laptop.
consider that with a macbook you can work your assignments anywhere you want or need eg. cafes, your friends place, your parents place, etc
and if youre freelancing you can present and do your work on the spot
i had the same dillema, ended up with an mbp,
though a macbook by my experience is perfectly adequate for graphic work, although you might hit a wall when it comes to editing HUGE files eg. 300dpi oversized posters, complex vector illustrations, hundred page publication and such... but i imagine youre unlikely to do that kinda work in college,
get a mb and save the money for your next workhorse
i have a friend who went thru graphic design college with an iBook
and if youre freelancing you can present and do your work on the spot
i had the same dillema, ended up with an mbp,
though a macbook by my experience is perfectly adequate for graphic work, although you might hit a wall when it comes to editing HUGE files eg. 300dpi oversized posters, complex vector illustrations, hundred page publication and such... but i imagine youre unlikely to do that kinda work in college,
get a mb and save the money for your next workhorse
i have a friend who went thru graphic design college with an iBook
depends what your university setting is like. do you see yourself spending a lot of time not at your place? do you want to work with a friend in their room? is there a library or lounge you will want to work in that isn't mac enabled with your design software (probably)? I'm guessing that at least one of these is true. i'd get a macbook pro, so that you have portability and the power to run design programs without a hitch.
I would get a MacBook. I'm in high school now and I plan on going to college in a few years and I would had loved to get an iMac, but I knew going into college that would be a bad idea. Once I'm done with school I'm getting an iMac unless whatever job I get needs portability.
I Assume you mean a 24" iMac therefore I would find out how much more the other one would cost because if go the MacBook route you are going to need an external display the Internal is not very good.
Thanks guys, I was really loving the 24 inch extreme imac, but after what's been said about portability it seems the macbook pro's the preferred option. I dunno how well does it handle the colors and sizes of typical projects and stuff compared to the imac?
Components for both machines are based on the same laptop hardware. The iMac can run a little hotter because there is more power and space for cooling. Otherwise, same family of processors, RAM, and chipsets.
When I did graphic design course a few years back I got myself a ibook. Most people had a ibook or powermac (I couldnt really afford one of those)
Found you need the portability for presenting work and quickly showing what you had been working on and the main work was done on the college computers which were either power macs or eMacs.
Found you need the portability for presenting work and quickly showing what you had been working on and the main work was done on the college computers which were either power macs or eMacs.
Alrighty then, well it looks like portability wins out, another quick question about screens for the macbook pro, 15 or 17inch, matte or gloss?
15" Matte for accuracy and Portability or if you don't mind carrying a bigger one 17" High Res Matte.
I was looking on some of the other topics in the forum and a few posters said that the macbook pros were sluggish using illustrator, which is one of the primary programs i use and they are more expensive than the imacs, is it worth it for the portability?