The Official Mac Chat Thread

[FunkPnut]

Has anyone tried out the Firefox 3 Beta 5 yet?

Its works so much better now!

[darna]

i thought macbook is cool... i was at apple store today getting some crystal film for iphone when this thing got my attention. i played, surf, messed with it for a bit then after a while i thought i want it...





i have no clue why i felt the urgency of getting it. i still have my beloved dell at home. i probably just use the dell for gaming then this for work. best of both world, i think.

[Anubis]

I already got some great advice from a few people on this site, but maybe some others could give me their opinions.

I am in the market to replace my wife's G4 (i think) with a new MAC laptop. She is an art director at a graphic design firm, and will likely use this laptop for small projects etc...

My problem is this is going to be a surprise , and I don't know much about mac's. I know she likes the macbook air, but I wonder if it will be powerful enough to run her rather large programs. I like the look of the regular macbook, but wonder if the Pro would be better. I do think the Pro is somewhat overkill based on her needs. Since I work for the government I do get a rather nice discount from apple on all their products, and am leaning towards a regular macbook since i can get them dirt cheap.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

[spook4thecia]

I'd say get the MacBook definitely. I mean the real boost in the MBP would be the graphics card, but I wouldn't think you'd need that really. The Air is no sloucher, but with no op drive and the price, I don't know if it would be practical for her needs.

[Anubis]

^ Thanks

[brdhouse]

I think there is a rumor that's saying the MB's will adopt the MBP's aluminum case (and the MBP's will get a redesign). The way I heard it, they will be out in 2 months... but, like all rumors, take that with a grain of salt. Granted, the case style doesn't have anything to do with performance/specs between the 3 lines, just sayin'.

[Anubis]

Originally Posted by brdhouse

I think there is a rumor that's saying the MB's will adopt the MBP's aluminum case (and the MBP's will get a redesign). The way I heard it, they will be out in 2 months... but, like all rumors, take that with a grain of salt. Granted, the case style doesn't have anything to do with performance/specs between the 3 lines, just sayin'.

That is good to know, and you are the second person I have heard that from so perhaps it's true. That would be nice I like the look of the MBP more.....hopefully she does.

[atruhondagrl]

If you get her a Macbook, max out on memory. I want a pro next but that's because that specific machines bells and whistles suit my deployment lifestyle better. I think large projects = large memory and large storage space. I like the air but it seems a bit of a novelty item right now.

[darna]

tons of info here Mac-Forums.com - Powered by vBulletin.

if you end up getting the macbook, just get the 1gb ram then upgrade to a 4gb aftermarket (it's cheaper that way instead of letting the apple store upgrade it for you, it will cost you $400 to get their 4 gb ram). there are tons of reputable aftermarket memory out there like OCW, Corsair, crucial.com, kingston, etc. and it will cost you somewhere between $80-130 for the 4gb. install is a piece of cake. i got the 4gb OCW and it took me 5 minutes to install it.

[atruhondagrl]

Originally Posted by darna

tons of info here Mac-Forums.com - Powered by vBulletin.

if you end up getting the macbook, just get the 1gb ram then upgrade to a 4gb aftermarket (it's cheaper that way instead of letting the apple store upgrade it for you, it will cost you $400 to get their 4 gb ram). there are tons of reputable aftermarket memory out there like OCW, Corsair, crucial.com, kingston, etc. and it will cost you somewhere between $80-130 for the 4gb. install is a piece of cake. i got the 4gb OCW and it took me 5 minutes to install it.

No sh*t! Where did you get them? Just curious because if I can upgrade my ram that much, I won't need pro.

[Anubis]

Originally Posted by atruhondagrl

If you get her a Macbook, max out on memory. I want a pro next but that's because that specific machines bells and whistles suit my deployment lifestyle better. I think large projects = large memory and large storage space. I like the air but it seems a bit of a novelty item right now.

Thanks

Originally Posted by darna

tons of info here Mac-Forums.com - Powered by vBulletin.

if you end up getting the macbook, just get the 1gb ram then upgrade to a 4gb aftermarket (it's cheaper that way instead of letting the apple store upgrade it for you, it will cost you $400 to get their 4 gb ram). there are tons of reputable aftermarket memory out there like OCW, Corsair, crucial.com, kingston, etc. and it will cost you somewhere between $80-130 for the 4gb. install is a piece of cake. i got the 4gb OCW and it took me 5 minutes to install it.

good idea thanks

[darna]

Originally Posted by atruhondagrl

No sh*t! Where did you get them? Just curious because if I can upgrade my ram that much, I won't need pro.

pro is nice, i would like to have them next.

i got mine here Find the latest Performance Upgrades, Firewire and USB Hard Drives, SATA, Memory, Laptop Battery, and more at OWC. they are specializing on all macs.

this site is popular too on macforums Memory upgrades, flash media, and usb storage at Crucial.com

[darna]

sorry it's OWC not OCW. trust me, the difference going from 1 gb to 4gb is like heaven and earth. the upgrade is like driving an Si to f430.

[brdhouse]

Originally Posted by Anubis

That would be nice I like the look of the MBP more.....hopefully she does.

She's a designer, she will.

[shadedream]

Originally Posted by atruhondagrl

No sh*t! Where did you get them? Just curious because if I can upgrade my ram that much, I won't need pro.

Macseek.com :) been using it forever now, just make sure you get the lifetime warranty stuff. My iMac's running 3GB (didnt bother replacing the 1GB board it came with). I don't do any high end graphic design, but I do a fair share of web interface design etc.

That site also lists OWC and Crucials prices along with others.

The one thing to watch out for buying any laptop or iMac for heavy design though is the TN LCDs they're using in them these days.

Basically each subpixel is only capable of 6bit color (instead of the usual 8bit), but compensates for it by using its faster pixel response to flicker the pixel between two colors to give your eye the effect of the desired color.

What this basically means for a designer is that monochromatic gradients tend to band in photoshop and other design apps (though it's much less apparent in exported images on the web in my case and should be noted this is just a display limitation and wouldnt effect a print). The only way to avoid these display types is to buy the Mac Pro and an external LCD (not sure of the types in the Apple ones but they're definately NOT TN), or a 24" iMac (uses a true 8bit subpixel type display, but still a cheaper type that supposedly has fading across the displays.

Honestly I think most people blow it too far out of proportion, but the TN display in my iMac doesnt bother me other than the gradient banding in photoshop (which isnt really THAT big a deal). But yeah.

[Anubis]

Originally Posted by shadedream

The one thing to watch out for buying any laptop or iMac for heavy design though is the TN LCDs they're using in them these days.

Basically each subpixel is only capable of 6bit color (instead of the usual 8bit), but compensates for it by using its faster pixel response to flicker the pixel between two colors to give your eye the effect of the desired color.

What this basically means for a designer is that monochromatic gradients tend to band in photoshop and other design apps (though it's much less apparent in exported images on the web in my case and should be noted this is just a display limitation and wouldnt effect a print). The only way to avoid these display types is to buy the Mac Pro and an external LCD (not sure of the types in the Apple ones but they're definately NOT TN), or a 24" iMac (uses a true 8bit subpixel type display, but still a cheaper type that supposedly has fading across the displays.

Honestly I think most people blow it too far out of proportion, but the TN display in my iMac doesnt bother me other than the gradient banding in photoshop (which isnt really THAT big a deal). But yeah.

Holy crap! Can i get that in english???

Seriously great info especially for my question, but I am so confused I am not sure where to start. I guess that is why I am an Accoutant for the Government and she is the designer.

[darna]

macmall has some crazy closeouts.

mac pro 15" 2.4 ghz/2gb ram was 2,494, now 1,685. lol, thats $800 savings.

MacMall – #1 Mac Store, iPod nano, Mac Intel, Mac Computers & LCD TVs

[Anubis]

^nice

I just wish the macbook's had bigger screens

[brdhouse]

Originally Posted by shadedream

Macseek.com :) been using it forever now, just make sure you get the lifetime warranty stuff. My iMac's running 3GB (didnt bother replacing the 1GB board it came with). I don't do any high end graphic design, but I do a fair share of web interface design etc.

That site also lists OWC and Crucials prices along with others.

The one thing to watch out for buying any laptop or iMac for heavy design though is the TN LCDs they're using in them these days.

Basically each subpixel is only capable of 6bit color (instead of the usual 8bit), but compensates for it by using its faster pixel response to flicker the pixel between two colors to give your eye the effect of the desired color.

What this basically means for a designer is that monochromatic gradients tend to band in photoshop and other design apps (though it's much less apparent in exported images on the web in my case and should be noted this is just a display limitation and wouldnt effect a print). The only way to avoid these display types is to buy the Mac Pro and an external LCD (not sure of the types in the Apple ones but they're definately NOT TN), or a 24" iMac (uses a true 8bit subpixel type display, but still a cheaper type that supposedly has fading across the displays.

Honestly I think most people blow it too far out of proportion, but the TN display in my iMac doesnt bother me other than the gradient banding in photoshop (which isnt really THAT big a deal). But yeah.

I didn't bother to check (yet), but do you know if the 17" MBP (HD screen upgrade) is TN or not?

[shadedream]

Originally Posted by brdhouse

I didn't bother to check (yet), but do you know if the 17" MBP (HD screen upgrade) is TN or not?

I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure it's still a TN. Honestly I don't find the screens to be that bad. And there's always the option of an external display on any of Apple's machines...