Classic Mac vs PC question

SSS

This week I took the family to Breckenridge, CO. While there I shot pics and loaded them to my work laptop (PC), which I am tethered to. The laptop grew short on space and while clearing space I created a big mess (deleted my profile) and gave my wife a heart attack that I would be fired for crashing my laptop. Truth is I didn't *crash* my laptop and, so far, I didn't get fired. But I did realize that my personal uses have grown too intense for my work laptop. So now I must decide where to spend my money. Last Xmas I bought my 18yo son a MacBook Pro 13", he loves it and I think it is pretty cool. I've been running PCs since the GW-Basic days. If were to switch to a Mac will a 13" Mac Book Pro, 2.53Ghz w/4MB ram run Photoshop CS3 well? Should I move to Aperture?

Thanks in advance for any practical PC to Mac swap advice/stories you have to share.

Thanks,

Steve

Pupator

Full disclosure: I am, generally, a PC guy.

To answer your question - yes, the 13" MBP will run Photoshop well. The screen isn't great for photo editing but it can get the job done while on the road. I had that laptop for several months and it performed admirably. I did upgrade to 4GB Ram and I also upgraded to a faster RPM hard drive (I still have those upgrades for sale, by the way, ). I'm not a big fan of OSX but I (generally) love Mac hardware.

The Aperture question is more tricky. I think a lot of Mac folks are excited about the newest version and it does have some really cool features. However, with Lightroom 3 on the horizon it might make sense to wait and see. If I were in your shoes I'd go Lightroom rather than Aperture. It interacts really well with Photoshop (though I never use Photoshop anymore) and I think the learning curve will be slightly less - plus it's cross-platform.

SSS

Thanks Pupator, and a follow on question. Does any one know if the CS3 license allows running a desktop and laptop copy, one Mac, one PC?

Thanks,

Steve

aquaticvideographer

We're a Mac&PC household. (I'm the Mac half.)

I don't think switching is such a big deal, but you can read more for yourself here:

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=154706

See my response at #11 for my suggestions.

Pretty much any MBP you can buy these days will run CS3 fine (or CS4 for that matter). However, like Pupator, I would recommend getting at least 4GB to start and the faster hard drive. Check the entire thread above for suggestions about where to get RAM, etc. etc. One other hint is that I recently upgraded to a small SSD drive, and man, is it fast! I loaded mine with Aperture 3 and OS X and it's a screamer.

http://www.macworld.com/article/145185-2/2009/12/mbpssdcard.html

I use Aperture 3 and really, really like it. I hear good things about LR too, though I haven't tried it. Aperture works pretty well with CS3, although I'm sure LR has better integration. However, Aperture 3 has brushes and the like, so you may not need CS3 too much.

I use my computer primarily for photo, video and audio editing, so I don't really need things like Office, although if that's what you're wondering about, I hear that the Mac and PC versions interoperate pretty well these days. I use Google Docs for all of that stuff and don't have to worry about Mac/PC versions diverging.

I believe that CS3 does allow you to run a desktop and laptop version from the same license.

gecko0

SSS wrote:

Thanks Pupator, and a follow on question. Does any one know if the CS3 license allows running a desktop and laptop copy, one Mac, one PC?

Thanks,

Steve

I'll stay out of the Mac vs PC topic but can answer the licensing question...

per the Adobe EULA:

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/eula/photoshopcs3.html

2.4 Portable or Home Computer Use. Subject to the important restrictions set forth in Section 2.5 below, the primary user of the Computer on which the Software is installed (“Primary User”) may install a second copy of the Software for his or her exclusive use on either a portable Computer or a Computer located at his or her home, provided that the Software on the portable or home Computer is not used at the same time as the Software on the primary Computer. You may be required to contact Adobe in order to make a second copy.

chrisjohnson

You could take any of the Macbooks, also the iconic white entry model which is perhaps the best value for money. I got one for my daughter.

I bought a 17 inch version myself but it is a bit heavy to lug around. It is basically the same display and video set-up as the others, but the 17" is even better for photos.

Switching from PC is very easy for you, I predict.

I love Aperture - still using version 2. Perhaps a 13 inch screen would get a bit crowded but in V3 there are better full screen facilities and easy switching of HUDs. Welcome to the wonderful world of Apple.

PS: CS3 runs fine on a 2MB platform. However, if you want to upgrade in the next few years then you ideally need more. I think the entry model is 2MB, and the 13" pro is 4 MB, but best to check the Apple site. They can all be upgraded with extra memory later should you ever need it.

Richard

gecko0 wrote:

I'll stay out of the Mac vs PC topic but can answer the licensing question...

per the Adobe EULA:

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/eula/photoshopcs3.html

I would contact Adobe first. In the past, they have not been willing to cross-license unless you are on the current version of the product. You might be forced to buy a CS4 upgrade.

Kyle D

Have you given Windows 7 a spin? If not, I highly recommend you give it a go before you decide on making the switch to a mac.

I myself was planning on making the switch to a Mac when I was replacing my desktop last fall. Before shelling out the money on a mac I decided to give Windows 7 a spin and just fell in love with it. Finally Microsoft actually got something right! I loved Windows 7 so much on my desktop that I installed it on a 4.5 year old laptop that I bought before Vista came out. It was running Windows XP Home and is now running Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit. That laptop is like an entirely new computer, it is so much quicker, much more responsive, and boots in 45 seconds or so (compared to 5-8 minutes with XP, and that was on a fresh install). So, when it did come time to replace my desktop I built another pc and put Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit on it.

Also, I have a number of friends who have Mac's and have installed Windows 7 on them via boot camp and just love it. Also, some of them have even gone as far as using Windows 7 exclusively on their Macs and have stated that their next computers will be PCs with Windows 7.

SSS

Thanks for the input guys. After looking and even test driving CS4 on my sons mbp 13" I've decided I can buy an absolutely screaming PC with a docking station for less than the 2.5Ghz 13" mbp and still have enough money left to upgrade from cs3 to 4, buy an new laptop bag and then some. So I'm just gonna sit tight until Dell has a sale I can't refuse.

While I was researching all of this I was also trying to figure out when CS5 would happen so I didn't upgrade too soon. I haven't seen anything credible, Has anyone heard anything?

Thanks

Steve

Andy

Pupator wrote:

Full disclosure: I am, generally, a PC guy.

To answer your question - yes, the 13" MBP will run Photoshop well. The screen isn't great for photo editing but it can get the job done while on the road.

I use a 13" Macbook Pro with 8Gb Ram (4Gb would be plenty but I'm a ram hog) - and do Photoshop, Lightroom, all of that when on the road- it works great and it's a super tote-able machine. Very happy with the size (I've owned and used 17", 15" and MB Air as well).

dlplumer

A3 with your new Mac -

Pupator

SSS wrote:

Thanks for the input guys. After looking and even test driving CS4 on my sons mbp 13" I've decided I can buy an absolutely screaming PC with a docking station for less than the 2.5Ghz 13" mbp and still have enough money left to upgrade from cs3 to 4, buy an new laptop bag and then some. So I'm just gonna sit tight until Dell has a sale I can't refuse.


Steve

Try the Dell Outlet. I've had great success with finding deals there and they often (check the twitter feed) give out 10-15% off coupons as well. All the outlet computers come with the standard warranty.

Seamus

Andy wrote:

I use a 13" Macbook Pro with 8Gb Ram (4Gb would be plenty but I'm a ram hog) - and do Photoshop, Lightroom, all of that when on the road- it works great and it's a super tote-able machine. Very happy with the size (I've owned and used 17", 15" and MB Air as well).

8gb ram in a laptop!! My first computer was this:



48k memory and a tape recorder to load and save programs