Which 15" for graphic designer using Adobe CS4 or CS5

[dcellere]

I have taken the plunge as a freelance graphic designer and need to purchase a new laptop. I am planning on buying a 15" MacBookPro, along with an inexpensive larger monitor for my office.

Is there a big difference in the Intel Core i5 and i7 that would be necessary for me?

Also - with regard to the grpahics card, is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 256MB ok for my use, or would the 512MB be necessary? I am thinking that 256 is fine for my purposes, but I am not sure.

Should I increase the memory to 8GB rather than 4GB? I would likely be running Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign simultaneously.

Thank you!

 

[andalusia]

Yes increase the RAM, yes get a better Graphics card, no I think you'll be fine with the i5. It's a standup processor, should be able to perform well enough for PS, ID and IL. More RAM is always useful, especially if you're dragging and dropping things between applications/documents. The dedicated graphics card is always a plus.

 

[Rithem]

I have the i7 and it works great for me.

 

[andalusia]

I have the i7 and it works great for me.

Ha, I'll bet it works great. But what applications do you use?

 

[Eddyisgreat]

moar ram

photoshop illustrator and indesign gobble up ram as if they had the munchies after enjoying some illicit drugs and/or herb.