Mac Mini for graphic design during school.

[SnackeyG]

I'm going to school this fall for graphic design and I can't afford an iMac.

Anyway. Will the cheapest Mac Mini work well for use with mostly just Photoshop?

I don't want to waste the money if it won't. Also would a 720p 42" plasma tv be any good as a monitor? I know it sounds ridiculous, but I don't have a lot of money to work with and it's what I have right now.

Thanks for any help. Also since I'm starting in August I might be able to wait for a refresh.

 

[blevins321]

Yeah, the base will do great. You'll want to upgrade the RAM though..4GB at least, but 8GB is $40 or less these days from Newegg or Amazon. The TV will do alright as a monitor..you might find it a bit hard to read for long periods of time though.

 

[imaketouchtheme]

No, that TV will be absolutely horrendous for a monitor. First off, it's a plasma. Those can NOT be used as monitors due to burn in, and no, I don't care how much "burn-in protection" your TV has.

Secondly, it's 720P. Really? No, no, no. A 19" 1080P Sceptre monitor would be better than a 42" 720P Plasma.

 

[allisonv7]

I work as a graphic designer, you'll be fine, just upgrade the RAM.

I just got a mini last week to replace my iMac of 7 years. Also got a nice dell monitor for $127. I work out of an office and just do an occasional freelance job at home.

Not sure where you're going, but when I was in school half a dozen years ago I (and my classmates) did all of our work during class time and lab hours. You might check into that and wait to see if you're even going to need a computer for work at home.

Good luck!

Allison

 

[SnackeyG]

I work as a graphic designer, you'll be fine, just upgrade the RAM.

I just got a mini last week to replace my iMac of 7 years. Also got a nice dell monitor for $127. I work out of an office and just do an occasional freelance job at home.

Not sure where you're going, but when I was in school half a dozen years ago I (and my classmates) did all of our work during class time and lab hours. You might check into that and wait to see if you're even going to need a computer for work at home.

Good luck!

Allison

Thanks. And thanks to everyone else(especially the burn in reminder I didn't think of that).

I'll be sure to ask that tomorrow since I have my program orientation.

As for a monitor, I'll get that figured out when the time comes. I'm asking for the worst of financial situations over the best. I want to avoid having to drive to school for homework. An iPad is only maybe ok for papers.

 

[Lance-AR]

Check out their computer lab while you save. Especially since you'll be new, there will be some friendships made there.

 

[earwax69]

If your so short on cash, you might want to consider going with a pc. A simple i5 built with 8gb of ram will get you pretty far and save you enough money to buy a Dell monitor. You can post in the cgtalk.com technical section and people will help you build it from scratch, telling you wich parts are good.

http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=23