New 'puter

[situgrrl]

My G4 533 is just too slow to bare any longer!  I need a new computer and want a laptop for all of the obvious reasons.

With Apple moving to intel chips, I figure that my best bet would be a MacBook Pro, whilst PS hasn't yet been ported, even running under rosetta, it's going to be quicker than what I've got!  Alternatively, there's boot camp!

I'm worried about the lonevity of these first gen computers though, especially as the next OS is reported to be partially 64 bit... whilst G5s are 64 bit, I'm not sure these core duo things are....what affect will the move to 64 bit have on photographers?

I also don't know which model to plump for, the 2 ghz comes with a gig of RAM, will I need to expand this to 2 gigs immediately?  Also, what will the advantage of the 7200 rpm discs over the 5400 ones considering that there is a very significant financial penalty?  The difference between a 1.8 and a 2.0 isn't going to be massive though, the real difference is the graphics card...what advantages will 256 yield over 128 for photoshop?  I've been getting into final cut as well, is this where it will get noticed?

What is the best way to organise the disc?  Do partitions work as effective scratch discs or will I need to run a FW disc for this?

Thanks people!

Charlee

[John77]

Also, what will the advantage of the 7200 rpm discs over the 5400 ones considering that there is a very significant financial penalty? 
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

[a href=\"http://www.barefeats.com/5472.html]http://www.barefeats.com/5472.html[/url]

This link may give you some benchmarking and a little analysis. It compares FW800 PowerBook, FW400 MacBook, Internal 7200, Internal 5400.

[med007]

Dup post deleted, Asher

[med007]

My G4 533 is just too slow to bare any longer!  I need a new computer and want a laptop for all of the obvious reasons................

What is the best way to organise the disc?  Do partitions work as effective scratch discs or will I need to run a FW disc for this?

Thanks people!

Charlee
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=62917\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Hi Charlee,

Same questions we all have! We merely chase technology and part of the business modeel is how to get us to upgrade so they can all meet their next quarter projections and keep the "street" happy.

1. You need to eat today, so upgrade if your work and/or earning potential/time value merits it.
There is no end to this! However, as long as you are not working in O.S. 8 and P.S. 6.0 you can do almost anything anyway to get your work done efficiently.

2. 64 BIT, TTBOMK is not used in applications. Sop it doesn't matter.

3. Yes 2GB is better than 1GB. Howeever, with a fast external SATA drive through the a card, you can beat the speed of scratch disk on a G5 tower.

4. 7200 rpm for internal drive IS better and not so expensive, but an internal drive that is mostly empty will make up for that.

5. Phase One C1 Pro will be faster on an Intel Mac.

6.I think partitions are over praised. more important is an almost empty drive. Tiger knows how to find things fast. It is write speed and transfer speed that slows you down, IMHO.

7. I would think that one would have a Tower too and that the Powerbook would be used for tethered shooting and for a booth or travel. Edits would be simple and one might just show JPG. Everyone has a different need and workflow.

8. If you earn a living from photography then I would keep the laptop pretty clean and have a little portable drive for other applicaqtions. Final Cut Pro and Logic again should be on a fast external SATA through a card, The external SATA drives are S.M.A.R.T. monitored for impending failure, something you might consider.

9. The internal drive should, IMHO, be used for the operating system and editing software for photograph files being edited and almost nothing else.

Good luck,

Asher

P.S. You shouldn "bare" your computer. She might be embarassed!

[situgrrl]

Rechecked the prices, £70 seems a lot for the extra 1800rpm but in the scheme of things...I'm certainly not upgrading the RAM from Apple though - £210 for a 1gb module, £105 from Crucial!

Sadly Asher, you overestimate me, I do a little freelance work at the moment and whilst I intend to make my career in photography, I can't truly say I do at the moment.  I've not the money or space for a power mac (or even an iMac) - the Macbook Pro would be my main computer - though I would keep this old thing because I'm sure I'll find a use for it.  Actually, I think Sarah will find a use for it initially, but that is another story...

Initially, I'll take out 2 of the 3 discs and put them in FW enclosures for hooking up to the MBP, I can't afford the MBP, let alone a stack of SATA discs.

I'll also be able to play Sims 2

[med007]

Rechecked the prices, £70 seems a lot for the extra 1800rpm but in the scheme of things...I'm certainly not upgrading the RAM from Apple though - £210 for a 1gb module, £105 from Crucial!

Sadly Asher, you overestimate me, I do a little freelance work at the moment and whilst I intend to make my career in photography, I can't truly say I do at the moment.  I've not the money or space for a power mac (or even an iMac) - the Macbook Pro would be my main computer - though I would keep this old thing because I'm sure I'll find a use for it.  Actually, I think Sarah will find a use for it initially, but that is another story...

Initially, I'll take out 2 of the 3 discs and put them in FW enclosures for hooking up to the MBP, I can't afford the MBP, let alone a stack of SATA discs.

I'll also be able to play Sims 2
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=62989\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Buy the RAM from OWC (Macsales.com) here in the USA!

Enjoy the new PB! Still believe you should to keep stuff in the PB as lean as possible, otherwise, your upgrade gets choked back!

Who knows, with this new PB, your freelance jobs might be more easily to get done.

Good luck,

Asher

[kyle]

Hi Charlee - If you are looking for SPEED a Laptop won't do it for you. Laptops have other constraints - portability being the most obvious one.

The new portables which really are portable such as the excellent Philips X51 with a 12.5 in screen are designed for long battery life (in the case of the X51 3 1/2 hrs)  and extreme portability so they really are  LIGHT and SMALL.

The old Brutes with the 17 inch screens, and  2.8 / 3 KHZ processors might look awesome but battery life and sheer weight and size make these really impractical for a lot of On the Road /  In the Hotel assignments.

If you regularly do Freelance work out in the field then really you'll have to get 2 Computers. A small laptop and a Desktop for use back home / studio etc.

I recommend a Laptop like the Philips X51 (GBP 750 at Dixon's) so you should be able to find a cheaper one)  or Sony equivalent  or a new Intel powerbook.

Decent Fast desktops are EASY to get these days really cheaply - especially if you already have a decent Monitor.

Ensure though the motherboard has SATA for disks or get external controller cards. Don't connect Hard Disks any more to the IDE0 / IDE1 on the main board.

As a Freelancer you ccan reclaim Computer Costs as capital equipment for the business - and in the UK at least you can get the VAT back as well (reducing the price by 17.5%).

Believe me about laptops - I often do assignments on the road and  I've had one of those brilliant Sony VAIO one's with the 17.5 X-Brite screen etc - but it's the little Philips X51 that goes out with me now.

Out in the field I'm not processing 100's of pics so I use something like Breezebrowser to delete the obvious No Hopers.

A lapttop is fine for processing a few pics but for your main work you'll need a decent desktop and monitor. You can't really use a Laptop as your main processing computer.

Cheers

-K

[situgrrl]

Kyle, you've not clearly not read what I've had to say about windows  

Michael uses a 17" Powerbook as his main computer according to another thread; he's processing p45 files, I've got an E1 - there's not much comparisson!

In an ideal world you are quite right but I'm going to be doing a lot of moving in the near future and I doubt I'll have the space for it, I certainly don't have the money for 2 computers.

I agree though that 2k is a lot of money for a machine such as a MBP but I daren't attempt at running OSX on a Dell, I'm told it can be done but I'm not the person to run such a machine.

Does anyone have suggestions as to the best way of buying; I can get student discount until the end of June....and refurbs are going to be the best deals if I can find one....but I want to cherry pick my screen because I'm going to be deeply unhappy to get one with dead pixels!

C

[Giedo]

Kyle,
I'm looking for a portable laptop myself and was triggered by your mail. Only, I cannot find a philips X51 on the internet. Frankly, I cannot find any philips laptop at all... do they make them at all?  Where can I find product info on the laptop you're describing?
Thx, Giedo

[situgrrl]

Giedo - http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/product/se...ENTS+X51/558706

I'm awaiting a 17" MacBook Pro   Why does delivery take soooooo long!

[Giedo]

Thanks. Funny that Philips doesn't show this model on their home market (Netherlands).
I wish I could order a mac. But for my work I need windows, so I'm looking for a good (and cool) pc alternative. This Philips just doesn't do it for me. I'm considering Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook and a Sony Vaio. But there are soooo many models!
I want a small (but not tiny), portable (meaning light and not bigger than about A4 size), capable (no need for the fastest puter ever) laptop with a nice screen.
Any suggestions?

[sergio]

dell has nice stuff if you want a pc