what computer should I use?

[Rhapsody]

Hi everyone. I will soon be buying an Apple computer. I will use it for manipulating my digital photos with Elements 7. I've been a PC user up till now and I don't know what to look for in a new Apple. What sort of hard drive, memory, plugins or cards should I look for in my new computer? I may eventually get the full blown Photoshop program but not right away. I could sure use some advice.

[dcclark]

Do you want a dedicated desktop machine, or a laptop? I do all of my editing on an old PowerBook and, while it's not very fast, it works just fine.

But if you want a good graphics workhorse, get a Mac Pro and an Apple Cinema Display. Get a lot of RAM (at least 4 GB). Whatever hard drive comes with it will probably be fine, unless you decide you want more space than it supplies. You may, if you are really hardcore, decide that you want a faster hard drive, that is, a higher number of RPMs -- but 7200 RPM should be pretty dang good.

I'm not sure what else you may want to look for. I do recommend buying AppleCare (the extended warranty) -- somewhat expensive, but absolutely worth it -- essentially ANYTHING that goes wrong will be taken care of, no charge -- not even shipping.

[david335]

Because you are only using photoshop elements you would be fine with any of the macs. An Imac would do well for you I would get at least 2gb of ram. for photos the 24 inch version would help you but it is more of a luxury than a necessity. On the notebook side a basic macbook should do fine. You should make sure that you get a 7,200 rpm hard drive of at least 160GB if the machine is just for photos or 250gb+ if it will be photos and everyday use.

Also you should invest in an external hard drive so you can use time machine to back-up your photos so you don't lose any work. I would be wary of the apple care warrenty though. In my experience apple can be very picky about what they fix and blame many issues on the user.

[dcclark]

As a quick counterpoint: I've never had trouble with AppleCare -- they've taken care of my problems with no complaints at all, including a power adapter which I obviously broke by myself (as opposed to a manufacturing flaw).

[sdphil]

I have a Mac Book Pro and I LOVE it
It is a bit more than the mac book but I liked the larger screen and the touch pad options
Once you use a Mac you'll never go back

[Dayton-G]

I hear that the new IMac has a touch screen feature like the Ipod Touch, in my opinion thats wicked!

Its up to you. I am currently looking for a new computer and will only settle for a macbook even though I have o leave my photoshop behind
Not an Idea situation for me, however they do have Appature1 and 2.
Something to think about.


Heres a quick low down to help you out.
more pictures you have the more hard drive you want.
it goes up by number in GB. the more GBs the more you can store. then it drops however the speed increases. There are also EXTERNAL harddrives (correct me if I am wrong for a Mac, I don't knowif they will be compatable as well).

Ram is how big your work bench is in your garage.
if you want to make a paddle boat or raft that's 10 feet by 10 feet long, you will have to have a huge area to work with...correct?
so when you have upwards of 4GB of ram you can have an entirely different photoshop cs(what ever the biggest one is, 4 im guessing) multiple times, safair as well, and all thes big programs open AT ONCE and it will still run fast.
However you only have 2 feet to build a 10 foot raft, its harder and a LOT slower. whic would be the 2gb of ram

It depends on what you have moeny for. if you want IMAC over MACBOOK.
I thnk they both look AMAZING!

The Macbook and Macbook Pro Im thinking are the same thing, however the Pro is more for the highend producers or people who have more money.

if you ever think about it...do not get an Air. it's a waste of time for what you are doing



Dayton

[OsmosisStudios]

I just got my macbook pro.

If you go to the apple store, look at the new MBPs, and select the lowest-end 15" one, add the RAM upgrade (to 4GB) and the faster HD (250GB, 5400RPM vs 250GB, 7200RPM) and youre golden. Thats the setup ive got, and i dont ever feel the need for more.

As a windows user, its taken some time to get used to OSX, but its well worth it. The screen on the new MBPs is also amazing.

[teilhet]

Just an add on the the mac warranty - Best Customer Service I've ever dealt with period. I once ordered 11 copies of an Aperture photo book in stead of a single copy ending up with $1000 charge that I could not afford. Obviously, it was user error and absent mindedness - in the end they charged me for one copy and told me to keep all 11. Not really a broken computer story, but they do take care of their customers.