What to buy and the power of laptops

[MOTHERBORED]

I'm new, so forgive me if I don't understand all the protocol. I hope that I'm in the right place to ask this question.

My husband has been in advertising for 20 years and has always used a MAC (I'm a PC person myself...don't hate me). Unfortunately he's been out of the scene for over a year and has now just landed a great job where he's going to have to MAC-up with POWER. The company has asked him to put together a list of equipment he needs purchased and he's not sure of what's the latest and greatest for his needs.

He must use the ADOBE suite to create brochures and he'll probably be creating video too. Secondly, he will be working out of town and be coming home on the weekends so...is it possible to purchase one of the laptops with the power and graphic capabilities he's going to need? I know in the PC world we're largely mobile with docking stations at work. Is there such a set up in the MAC world that can handle the extreme memory, graphics quality and speed he will need? Obviously he'll need an additional high quality monitor to use at work with design but I guess my question is....can he do his job with a notebook (along with the other bells and whistles) or not.

If not...what's your suggestion for a good quality setup that isn't mobile.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

MOTHERBORED

 

[batman123]

Well, he will want a notebook eh?

Well i suggest a 15" or more preferably the 17" MacbookPro if he intends to edit/watch movies and brochures. The extra screen size would help
As for power, the 2.16 15 and 17 MacPros are very powerful and both come with 256mb vram and can be upgraded to 2GB RAM.

My final suggestion for his work is a 17" Macbook Pro, 256mb vram, 2GB RAM and 100GB 7200 HD.

Batman.

 

[iSaint]

Great suggestions batman123!

You may also want look around these forums along with your husband. You'll see plenty of examples of good setups for what he will need. And probably see some good examples of people's work on their Macs.

Did his company give him a limit? Go with the MacBook Pro for travel and an accompanying G5 Desktop with 30" screen for when he's home. Be greedy!

While you're at it, make the switch yourself! I did so two years ago and haven't looked back. Macs (not MAC if you don't mind ) are wonderful, consistent, easy to use, and reliable as well. Let us know what y'all decide!

 

[seany916]

17" Macbook Pro

17" MBP
Agree with Batman on the specs.

For home, a 30" Cinema would really help with his work, pricey... but screen real estate speeds up workflow tremendously. The 30" hooks up fine to his MBP, no need for a G5 unless he's doing serious Photoshop stuff... even then... not necessary. (No offense, iSaint)

With a wireless internet card (T-Mobile/Verizon) paid for by his work ($40-$60/month), he would have constant internet access in almost any metropolitan district. (*Note- if his work pays for it, they can access his internet records at any time... he needs to be careful what websites he visits and what he downloads... also, they can *possibly track when he's using his internet connection for personal use DURING hours he's supposed to be working) try to get the company to comp him for it, but order and use it under HIS name.

I would also recommend a G-Tech external HD with which to back up his work because it isn't fair to bill clients or the company 2x for work done twice because it was lost somehow. Firewire 800 please. Don't be afraid to burn completed projects onto DVD & other media that is reliable and not subject to failure. Hard drives both internal & external fail (not regularly for Apple), don't mean to lecture, I know you know this. I've watched grown men cry because their personal backup "systems" were unreliable and not well thought out.

Good luck.

 

[Shadow]

If you want raw POWER get 10 PowerMac G5 Quads, then hook 'em up with XGrid. Pure Power

 

[supremedesigner]

I think MOTHERBORED is kind of hoax. IMO, he should KNOW what computers to get if he's been a mac guy all of his life.

 

[m-dogg]

I think MOTHERBORED is kind of hoax. IMO, he should KNOW what computers to get if he's been a mac guy all of his life.

I was thinking that too. Though I do think MOTHERBORED is a funny name!

 

[MOTHERBORED]

You should read more carefully

I think MOTHERBORED is kind of hoax. IMO, he should KNOW what computers to get if he's been a mac guy all of his life.

If you go back and read my message you'll note that I'm a female and the wife of the man with the problem. I was just trying to help him out while he's trying to pack to leave for a new job on Monday. As I said in my thread, he's been out of the arena for over a year and isn't sure what the latest and greatest is today. He has also never worked with a notebook and has concerns about their capabilities when it comes to designing literature and making videos.

 

[Abstract]

I think MOTHERBORED is kind of hoax. IMO, he should KNOW what computers to get if he's been a mac guy all of his life.

Yes, she was talking about her husband being a Mac user. And just because her husband is a Mac user, doesn't mean he's nerdy enough to follow all the latest and greatest news.

I'd suggest the 17" MacBook as well, although if he's going to hook up to an external LCD (a Dell 24" is a much better deal than anything Apple offers in terms of price), then I don't see why he can't buy a 15" and be just as happy. He'll have greater portability and an external LCD that he's going to use at work.

 

[rot@ti.org]

MacBook Pro questionable

Motherbored's husband wants a computer that can run Adobe applications. Adobe applications won't be available in universal format for 18 months or more. A MacBook Pro would run them much slower than a PowerBook.

I would recommend a G5 desktop system with the fastest processor and a large screen. Combine that with a white 2.0 Ghz Macbook for taking work home. Plan to upgrade when Adobe comes out with universal, but don't get saddled with something that is slow today.

 

[zap2]

I'll say go with a G5 as it will run Adobe much faster then any intel Mac, but plan to upgrade to MacBook Pro(either Rev B or C)

Try this set
Apple Display 23''
PowerMac G5 2Ghz with upgrade RAM to 2Gb(3rd party), and when Adobe goes Unviersal Apps, replace you PowerMac with a MacBook Pro 15'' with 2GB of RAM, and a 7200RPM harddrive if you can

 

[gregio]

Video editing and Adobe-ing. I agree with the posts so far, probably the 17 inch. Definitely would go with an external display, hard drive (especially if he's doing a substantial amount of video editing, cause those files get huge), and mouse. It can be annoying trying to edit with the trackpad. Mighty Mouse is a good idea cause it has a right click, which you use a lot of in editing.

As far as the issue with Adobe not being universal, that is correct, and that's a judgement call you have to make. I personally don't know when Adobe plans to release their universal, so I'd rely on these guys for that. The thing is, if you get a PowerBook now, you'll have slower performance with universal applications, and your investment won't last you as long. Personally, I'd go with the MBP--it'll be slower now, but it'll last you longer in the long run. I've read that Final Cut Pro (which is an amazing video editing application if he doesn't already use another) runs much speedier on the new MacBook Pro than it did on the PowerBook.

Last thing, like you see posted all over this forum, the longer you can wait, the better. Newer and better is just around the corner.

I wish your husband the best of luck with his new Mac and advertising endeavors!