getting a mac!

[My Buttons are Magic!]

ok! ive always (for like 2 years) wanted a mac computer =) but due to not having money this hasnt been possible

 

however now it is!

 

tho i dont have a clue what type of mac i would need (like what size of screen / the ram of it / what kinda graphics card)

if anyone would help that would be great!

 

im a production student so i would be using photoshop / final cut n stuff

and im fed up of internet explorer crashing every 5 seconds (rarrrrr)

[Shorty]

OK for starters, you should've been using Firefox, not Internet Explorer. Even when you get a mac, you should use Firefox.

 

Secondly, to get it out of the way before someone else says it: be aware that what you're paying for in terms of hardware is a PC, plus apple tax for the fancy shell and brand name. You get the same specs on a PC for about £3-500 less.

 

That said, it's your choice and if you like the Mac Operating System, there are certainly many pros to the mac, especially if you want to use software like Final Cut Pro. Well actually, since that's mac only software, that's a bit more than a pro.

 

Before you decide what RAM and Graphics card you like, you could help by narrowing it down a little. Do you want a macbook or an imac? Do you care if you've got a small (21") or huge (27") screen? What's your budget (there's quite a difference in price between those two screen sizes on the latest mac).

 

After you've provided that info, I'll hand it over to the mac population of the forums, since I don't actually own one... they can help better....

 

But I'm pretty sure the quad core on this page is the best Mac money can buy. It's nearly as good as my £600 PC.

 

(Just saying).

[Nolan]

I agree with everything Shorty said, except you should use Opera

 

Also, This is the best Mac one could buy (the one with 8 cores).

[Cube]

I agree with leetpants, except that you should use Chrome.

[Caris]

ok! ive always (for like 2 years) wanted a mac computer =) but due to not having money this hasnt been possible

 

however now it is!

 

tho i dont have a clue what type of mac i would need (like what size of screen / the ram of it / what kinda graphics card)

if anyone would help that would be great!

 

im a production student so i would be using photoshop / final cut n stuff

and im fed up of internet explorer crashing every 5 seconds (rarrrrr)

 

Ignore everything that has been posted, if you want a desktop buy this.

 

Get higher end 21.5" model, not the base.

 

Then use Safari, it's the best on a Mac by miles.

[Ashley]

I agree with everything Shorty said, except you should use Opera

 

Also, This is the best Mac one could buy (the one with 8 cores).

 

I agree with using Opera. Firefox for me runs SO DAMN SLOW.

 

Anyway, browsers aside. I use my now 3-year old Macbook for Maya and its only when I'm doing something complex that it has problems. I also use photoshop and again unless I have a lot open (lots of large images in photoshop say and other programs) then its fine. So I'd say go for whatever is in your budget really. The simplest Mac should still be sufficient I'd say...personally.

[Ten10]

I believe that Shorty was !00% correct in his assessment. Spoken like a true professional.

[darksnowman]

OK for starters, you should've been using Firefox, not Internet Explorer. Even when you get a mac, you should use Firefox.

 

Yeah, Firefox > Internet Explorer.

 

I agree with everything Shorty said, except you should use Opera

 

And yeah, Opera > Firefox.

 

I agree with leetpants, except that you should use Chrome.

 

... hmm. Tried Chrome out yonks ago but wasn't really feeling it.

 

 

To be honest, on a whim I went back from Opera to just plain old Safari a good few months ago and it does the job nicely. For some reason it loads new tabs slowly from time to time (since updating to Snow Leopard would you believe) but aside from that its incredibly solid.

[Emasher]

If you're looking at a desktop, go for one of the iMacs, depending on your budget. If you want a laptop, either look at the low end MacBook Pros, or the standard MacBook. Again, the choice will probably depend on your budget.

 

You can get final cut pre-installed on any Mac, so that wouldn't be a problem. Even if you have a license for the windows version of Photoshop, you will need to purchase the Mac version, as the serial numbers are different. Photoshop will probably run fine on a standard MacBook (I can run Photoshop CS4 at a decent speed on my nearly 6 year old PowerBook G4). I've never used final cut really, so I don't know what you'll need to run it at a decent speed, but like any other application, that depends partially on what you're going to be doing with it. But there should be system requirements listed on the Apple website.

 

In terms of browsers, it really depends on if you want speed or customization. Safari and Chrome, are both really fast, but don't have that many options, add-ons, ect. Firefox and Opera will run slower, but you get a bit more flexibility.

[Shorty]

... hmm. Tried Chrome out yonks ago but wasn't really feeling it.

Chrome is nice if you're using a netbook or need something that runs smoothly without many features to hamper its ability. With that in mind, it's not really a great choice on a brand new fancy mac.

Ignore everything that has been posted, if you want a desktop buy this.

You say "ignore everything that's been posted", then point to the same link as me?

[Jon]

I've only just skimmed the thread, but ignore everyone but Caris on browser choice. Use Safari, nothing else.

[Caris]

Chrome is nice if you're using a netbook or need something that runs smoothly without many features to hamper its ability. With that in mind, it's not really a great choice on a brand new fancy mac.You say "ignore everything that's been posted", then point to the same link as me?

 

Oh my bad I didn't see that, but yeah a new iMac is your best bet. If your doing heavy graphics work getting the higher end model.

[Nolan]

You say "ignore everything that's been posted", then point to the same link as me?

 

He obviously takes his own advice.

[Ashley]

Oh my bad I didn't see that, but yeah a new iMac is your best bet. If your doing heavy graphics work getting the higher end model.

 

See I can understand that but to me its just student work (nothing disparaging meant by that of course, but its not as intense a context as work) and I presume money is an object.

[RoadKill]

I still think Firefox is best. Safari is a good Mac citizen, and thus uses shit like alt+r for refresh instead of F5 like any sane person would prefer

 

Also, the addons for Firefox for me personally make it better than any other browser by default

 

Also, just so you know, Photoshop is faster on Windows currently than on a Mac of the same spec, because only Windows currently has a 64 bit version of Photoshop, but hey, lets go round banging that drum that Macs are so far and away the best for [iNSERT TASK HERE]

[Nintendohnut]

Well I just recently bought the lowest end 21.5" iMac which people have mentioned above. It's normally £950 but as I'm a Uni student I got it for £834, which was great for me. I haven't tried any heavy duty stuff on it, and I don't use photoshop so I'm afraid I can't say much about that specifically but what I can say is that this computer is lightning fast. It does everything I want it to, and everything I expect, plus more. I would recommend this one if your money is tight, or if you have a little more money and a desire for a little more power get either the higher end 15" MacBook Pro (the 2.66GHz version) with the two graphics cards, or the higher end 21.5" iMac.

 

If you get student discount use it, it also gets you three years warranty (not Applecare, just a warranty, although applecare is also much cheaper when you get it with a new computer) along with the discount, which is a bonus.

[Jon]

I still think Firefox is best. Safari is a good Mac citizen, and thus uses shit like alt+r for refresh instead of F5 like any sane person would prefer

 

Also, the addons for Firefox for me personally make it better than any other browser by default

 

Also, just so you know, Photoshop is faster on Windows currently than on a Mac of the same spec, because only Windows currently has a 64 bit version of Photoshop, but hey, lets go round banging that drum that Macs are so far and away the best for [iNSERT TASK HERE]

 

 

Bollocks. As long as you've got one functioning hand you can press alt+R just as quickly as F5.

[Emasher]

Being raised on a Mac, I'm much more used to COMMAND + R.

[Nolan]

Hmm I just click the little refresh button in the browser.

[Jon]

Being raised on a Mac, I'm much more used to COMMAND + R.

 

 

No one likes a smart arse, you know want we meant.

[Raining_again]

For the love of god, not another bitchfest.

 

Kudos to shorty, that's pretty sound advice.

 

in terms of browser, use what you are familiar with, and if its crap try a new one. I think they all tend to behave differently on every computer! I know i've had problems with FF on one machine and opera was shit on another. Trial and error I guess.

[Nintendohnut]

Seriously guys, on topic here. Advice for Buttons, who is getting a Mac and needs some advice of which one to get! Not a decision about which browser is better, everyone has a preference anyway so we're never going to agree.

 

I hope at least a few of the posts in this thread have been useful Buttons!