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Which system and display to buy

M

mynameismatt89

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 19, 2005
276
0
Hey,

I will be attending the University of Waterloo for Architecture in September and currently own an iBook G4. I'm interested in purchasing a new mac for certain reasons. I was hoping to get an external display to use for perhaps a mac mini, as well as for my iBook so that i can get a hack like (bootcamp?) so i can run AutoCAD (i feel more comfortable using bootcamp on my ibook rather than my new mac). I also feel most comfortable using AutoCAD for windows because i dont really want to use any mac CAD program unless i can find one almost EXACTLY like AutoCAD, or if AutoCAD comes out with a version for apple.

What is the best products for me to buy... mac mini? what kind of display (hook up to iBook and for mac mini or other type of computer)? any other advice?

Thanks alot,
Matt
 
For AutoCAD, you really want a dedicated graphics processor. That means a MBP, iMac or Mac Pro. Any one of these would be great for your needs, though given that you want to keep the costs down (as you are looking at a Mini), go for the biggest iMac that you can afford. It will more than suit your needs. After an iBook, this beast will just blow you away. Enjoy!
 
Alright, thanks guys.

Im just worried about running bootcamp or any other program on a new imac (since it wont work on my iBook) because its possible that it could somehow screw up my computer?
 
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=1955613

mynameismatt89 said:
Alright, thanks guys.

Im just worried about running bootcamp or any other program on a new imac (since it wont work on my iBook) because its possible that it could somehow screw up my computer?
Click to expand...
holland_plant.jpg


You'll be fine. You don't know how hard I hit my iMac in Windows without it blinking.​
 
I run AutoCAD 2006 on my black Macbook (specs below) under parallels w/WinXP. It runs okay, but it is a little on the slow side. It's def usable (I'm an aerospace engineering student).
 
What about bootcamp? will it work better than parallels? Also, is there anyway to allow for it to work faster such as a faster computer (although yours is already pretty fast it seems) or even an desktop (imac), instead of a laptop (macbook)
 
mynameismatt89 said:
What about bootcamp? will it work better than parallels? Also, is there anyway to allow for it to work faster such as a faster computer (although yours is already pretty fast it seems) or even an desktop (imac), instead of a laptop (macbook)
Click to expand...
You'll be able to use all of your hardware in Boot Camp instead of in via Parallels. Expect it to be 20-30% faster.
 
sorry im gettin cut off from macrumors every few minutes atm so am trying to type as quick as possible before it goes down again!

i meant:
yar parrallels isnt tht gr8 once youve tried bootcamp, yeh its more convenient, but £30% more speed is better than convenience
 
mynameismatt89 said:
What about bootcamp? will it work better than parallels? Also, is there anyway to allow for it to work faster such as a faster computer (although yours is already pretty fast it seems) or even an desktop (imac), instead of a laptop (macbook)
Click to expand...

I haven't personally tried AutoCAD in bootcamp. I gave bootcamp a try, but removed it after a couple of weeks and decided to go with Parallels. Sure, it's a little slower than bootcamp, but I hated wasting time restarting. I usually just need to do quick things in windows, so a restart isn't warranted. Anyway, back to the subject at hand. In bootcamp, AutoCAD will run as fast on any mac as it will on a comparable speced PC running XP or Vista. I'm sure you'll see a speed boost in a desktop over a laptop. If nothing else, it will have a faster HD. However, I would guess that a mac laptop would be fine for AutoCAD if you use bootcamp.
 
yagran said:
sorry im gettin cut off from macrumors every few minutes atm so am trying to type as quick as possible before it goes down again!

i meant:
yar parrallels isnt tht gr8 once youve tried bootcamp, yeh its more convenient, but £30% more speed is better than convenience
Click to expand...
It's nice that you don't have to reboot but you'll get more graphical performance.
 
mynameismatt89 said:
Alright, thanks guys.

Im just worried about running bootcamp or any other program on a new imac (since it wont work on my iBook) because its possible that it could somehow screw up my computer?
Click to expand...

Its not going to break your computer. Worst that can happen is that you have to format the drive and reinstall the OS.
 
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