Next laptop - Mac/Win dilemma

[NigelC]

Not sure if this is right forum but my dilemma is as follows. Last year I got a Vista 64 box to replace win laptop with external ACD 23". I still use the laptop but it is quite old and running out of steam. Quite difficult to get win laptop with decent screen. I will be upgrading from CS2 to CS5 soonish.  

a) If I got 15" MacBook Pro, could I use PS in windows on the Macbook, i.e. don't need to get another copy of PS.

 If I got a high enough spec of MacBook (8GB?), I could revert to using laptop with ACD as external monitor and sell Vista box?

Thoughts

[Jack Flesher]

a) You can contact Adobe, fill out some paperwork and exchange your PC version of CS for a Mac version.  

 Depends on what and how much you do, and then how fast you want it all done.  My latest 2.66 i7 MacBook Pro with 8G ram is about 30% faster than its core-duo predecessor while running C1 and CS, but it's still a quantum level behind my 2008 Mac Pro desktop for those same programs.  But yes, it will drive even a full 30" dual-DVI display and the regular display together without sweating.

[fredjeang]

The thing that really drives me mad now with the laptop Mac is their glossy dictature.
Last time I went to the Macs stores here in Madrid, there was no other option than these bloody glossy screens.
I've been a Mac convinced for ages but now since the latest Mac politics and Windows 7, I'm running PCs. (yes I'm aware of the FW limitations).
Curiously, I don't notice that huge gap now between both platforms that I used to find a few years ago.

Cheers.

Edit: My dream, photo applications that would run under UNIX platform.

[Steve Weldon]

Not sure if this is right forum but my dilemma is as follows. Last year I got a Vista 64 box to replace win laptop with external ACD 23". I still use the laptop but it is quite old and running out of steam. Quite difficult to get win laptop with decent screen. I will be upgrading from CS2 to CS5 soonish.  

a) If I got 15" MacBook Pro, could I use PS in windows on the Macbook, i.e. don't need to get another copy of PS.

 If I got a high enough spec of MacBook (8GB?), I could revert to using laptop with ACD as external monitor and sell Vista box?

Thoughts

Current i7 notebooks are quite capable.. though no match for i7 desktops.  Matched with Win7 I think you'd be fine.

I run a i7 desktop with 12g's of RAM and Win7 as my main workstation and it's great.   I have several laptops I run for training purposes and then my own laptop for road use.  My training laptops (Dell Precision Mobile Workstations) are Core 2 Duo's running at 2.5g and both have 4g's of RAM and Win7 x64.  They run all the popular software such as C1 Pro, Lightroom, CS5, etc with no issues.  

Recently I added a Lenovo x201s.  Its a low power i7 with 4g's of RAM and I loaded a x64 Win7 OS on it.. With 4g's of RAM I was very surprised that this 2.5 pound laptop was getting better Windows Index scores than my 17" Precision Mobile Workstations.  I was also pleased it's standards graphics card enabled OpenGL in CS5 and it's 12.1" 1440x900 LED backlit matte screen profiled very well.  And it runs for 5-6 hours at 100% (no power saving features) on its 6 cell battery.  I was so impressed I went ahead and added a Crucial C300 256g SSD and made it even better.  I'm now glued to this laptop.. it's the best execution of a ultra-portable I've ever seen or used.. and rivals the big mobile workstations in most ways.. awesome unit.

I suppose the moral of this digression is that any i7 quality laptop, Win or Mac.. is going to serve you well.  It just won't equal a like desktop workstation.   Btw -  I think Win7 has finally bridged whatever gap there was between Windows and OSx..

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

Your options for UNIX are mainly Linux or Mac OS X. It may be possible to use Linux for serious photo work, but I don't think it is really useful for professional work, partly because of weak support for color management.

That said, I was using Linux a long time and it has some advantages over Mac OS/X. I feel it handles memory better, for instance.

Regarding screens I think that they have matte screens again. Also, TN screens are pretty useless for editing weather matte or glossy. It is possible to run Windows on a Mac using "Boot camp" or VMWare or Parallells. You still need a Windows license to do that.

BTW, yes, I know about Open Solaris, AIX and Open BSD but I guess that Linux and Mac OS/X is where the action is.

Best regards
Erik

The thing that really drives me mad now with the laptop Mac is their glossy dictature.
Last time I went to the Macs stores here in Madrid, there was no other option than these bloody glossy screens.
I've been a Mac convinced for ages but now since the latest Mac politics and Windows 7, I'm running PCs. (yes I'm aware of the FW limitations).
Curiously, I don't notice that huge gap now between both platforms that I used to find a few years ago.

Cheers.

Edit: My dream, photo applications that would run under UNIX platform.

[fredjeang]

Hi,

Your options for UNIX are mainly Linux or Mac OS X. It may be possible to use Linux for serious photo work, but I don't think it is really useful for professional work, partly because of weak support for color management.

That said, I was using Linux a long time and it has some advantages over Mac OS/X. I feel it handles memory better, for instance.Regarding screens I think that they have matte screens again. Also, TN screens are pretty useless for editing weather matte or glossy. It is possible to run Windows on a Mac using "Boot camp" or VMWare or Parallells. You still need a Windows license to do that.

BTW, yes, I know about Open Solaris, AIX and Open BSD but I guess that Linux and Mac OS/X is where the action is.

Best regards
Erik

Yes Erik,
That is exactly what I found too. It is slower to warm up in my case, but then it is a real missile.
I'm curious how it could be in tethering task...sure it'll beat the Macs.

Thanks for your interesting informations.

Cheers.

[Jack Flesher]

The thing that really drives me mad now with the laptop Mac is their glossy dictature.
Last time I went to the Macs stores here in Madrid, there was no other option than these bloody glossy screens.

They offer a mat in the high-rez screens; my latest one has a mat screen.  Most of the higher end MacBooks are build-to-order, so you won't usually see them in stores, however in the States most of the stores have at least one 15 or 17 with a mat screen for direct comparison.

[John.Murray]

I've been increasingly conflicted between windows / mac os, I ordered and received a 13" macbook pro.  I had the opportunity to compare the "mat" and glass screens on 15's; the mat screen option is nothing like what a typical laptop display is.

So far i'm pretty happy with it, I immediately upgraded it 8 GB and have Win7/64 Pro and SL running on it.  Adobe's PS licensing is really frustrating - forcing me into deciding whether to upgrade my current Windows PS-CS4 license, or move it to Mac......

[digitaldog]

They offer a mat in the high-rez screens; my latest one has a mat screen.

Got one too on the MacBook Pro I just purchased and its very nice indeed, despite the price to get one.