Photoshop CS3 Speed Machine

[paulgl]

So, I've read and read, and read some more, and I just don't know.

I am a photographer first and foremost, and I don't enjoy reading the nitty, gritty detail about computers. But, I'm sick of this graduate school IBM laptop and working on 1 photo at a time for an hour. So, here are the choices I've come up with, but Please Offer Advice. Thanks tons in advance.

Please note: I love photoshop and that and photography stuff is all i ever do. I may have the following open at one time: CS3, CanonDPP software, and Adobe Bridge (and currently, when I do this, I have time to grow a beard).

1--( $1999) Mac Pro, 320 gb int hard drive, 2 512mb RAM, refurbished....I assume one could upgrade on their own, yes? Sorry for the dumb question. It comes with 2 512 mb RAM, which seems wimpy. Could I just add 2 2gb RAM from OWC. Also, the hard drive is only 320 gb. Should I just get a seagate external drive enclosed within an Icy Dock external case? Or, is it easy to install additional internal drives. If so, how? And would I just buy something like Seagate hard drives. My other concern is that I'd have to use my Dell 2407 WPF ultrasharp monitor, which has hardly been used and never calibrated, but is this a decent monitor?

2--($1949) iMac 24 2.8, 500 gb int hard drive, 2 gb Ram. refurbrished The nice thing about this one is that it seems like enough, meaning I don't need to do anything to it. Okay, maybe add 1 more gb of ram and an external hard drive (icy dock case + seagate drive) to serve as a scratch disk.

3--($2300-2400) iMac 24 2.4, 750 gb int hard drive, 4 gb Ram (via OWC 3rd party), this one is new....Again, I would be paying a LOT out of the box here and worry i'd have to add an external hard drive.


Thank you a BUNCH in advance.

 

[iMpathetic]

So, I've read and read, and read some more, and I just don't know.

I am a photographer first and foremost, and I don't enjoy reading the nitty, gritty detail about computers. But, I'm sick of this graduate school IBM laptop and working on 1 photo at a time for an hour. So, here are the choices I've come up with, but Please Offer Advice. Thanks tons in advance.

Please note: I love photoshop and that and photography stuff is all i ever do. I may have the following open at one time: CS3, CanonDPP software, and Adobe Bridge (and currently, when I do this, I have time to grow a beard).

1--( $1999) Mac Pro, 320 gb int hard drive, 2 512mb processors, refurbished....I assume one could upgrade on their own, yes? Sorry for the dumb question. It comes with 2 512 mb processors, which seems wimpy. Could I just add 2 2gb processors from OWC. Also, the hard drive is only 320 gb. Should I just get a seagate external drive enclosed within an Icy Dock external case? Or, is it easy to install additional internal drives. If so, how? And would I just buy something like Seagate hard drives. My other concern is that I'd have to use my Dell 2407 WPF ultrasharp monitor, which has hardly been used and never calibrated, but is this a decent monitor?

2--($1949) iMac 24 2.8, 500 gb int hard drive, 2 gb Ram. refurbrished The nice thing about this one is that it seems like enough, meaning I don't need to do anything to it. Okay, maybe add 1 more gb of ram and an external hard drive (icy dock case + seagate drive) to serve as a scratch disk.

3--($2300-2400) iMac 24 2.4, 750 gb int hard drive, 4 gb Ram (via OWC 3rd party), this one is new....Again, I would be paying a LOT out of the box here and worry i'd have to add an external hard drive.

Thank you a BUNCH in advance.

I think that #2 is your best bet. Then, you could use your Dell monitor as a second monitor for palettes and cool stuff like that.

I could add a bunch of random computer jargon here, but I won't, because I'm awesome.

 

[Blue Velvet]

I'd get the Mac Pro; it's upgradeable and doesn't come with a glossy monitor. That 2 x 512 is the RAM by the way, not the processors... you may need more RAM, but it's best to buy third-party RAM rather then from Apple. It's very easy to install as are hard-drives; we're talking 5-10 minutes, tops.

Mac Pros are just better value all-round, especially for professionals, in the long run if desk and room space isn't a limitation.

And glossy screens aren't the best for working with images, in my view. The Dell 2407 WPF is perfectly adequate, not the best monitor money can buy, but set-up in the right environment and calibrated, it would be perfectly usable.

But welcome to MR, we also have our very own Photography forum where you may find other discussions of interests, including this thread.

 

[Techguy172]

Yeah get the Mac Pro and slowly upgrade it over time it will last longer and will always be faster.