Right what do people reckon (please no windows argument i use both) I did use a 2006 macbook, decent enough. I now have a samsung nc10 for clumsiness, and am looking to get a mac for my design stuff.

I'll use the mac OS for basic creative suite work, and windows for SketchUp, autoCAD work with the view on learning solidworks. I'll also do a bit of word processing, perhaps some music and photos on the computer.

I had been sold on the macmini, but am now thinking that a macbook aluminium used as a desk top type machine might be the better option. I can't afford the macpro and I'm not completely sold on the iMac (all the problems of a laptop with none of the pros)

So any opinions, especially interested in those who have used heavy programs?

cheers.

Not sure what you mean by the imac having 'all the problems of a laptop'

I've got an oooooold powerbook as my portable workstation / lap warmer, and a 24" imac that I use for anything more graphicsy, but I'm struggling to figure out what the cons are (over, say a mac mini)

What laptop style problems do iMac have?

I've got a MacBook and an iMac (the latter older than the former). The iMac out performs the laptop by a mile.

what i mean by my sweeping statement is, if your laptop screens breaks or plays up your computer-less, this same problem applies to the imac. the pros of a laptop are obviously its ability to be moved if you need to.

Big 17 inch macbook pro is spectacularly fast and it uses a high spec graphics card. I have a 13 inch macbook pro with 4gb ram (discrete graphics though) but it's particularly rapid (esp with snow lepoard)love it!

Someone on another thread said the macmini has shared graphics whereas the imac does not share its graphics. Although i feel this would only affect solidworks.

that 17inch macbook is ££££, have they gone up in price?

not that i'm aware of.

to run intensive packages you need either a an iMac or a (new) macbook or mac book pro.

i've been using an original macbook which has shared ram with video memory and its terrible when working on large photoshop/CAd files and especially rendering out. Mac mini works on this same principle.

If i was buying now, which i inevitably will be ASAP, i would get a mac book pro.

my 06 ibook g4 is almost a completely different animal to my macbook pro. the pro is amazing, heaven knows what the 17 inch is like!

thanks pinches i find no trouble with running CAD, i'm not doing super technical engineering just furniture design. Although i imagine solidworks is quite heavy.

stop this 17 inch talk!! 😈 park cable cutters check, john lewis location of electricals to door check 😈 don't want a criminal record check 👿

ok, how about the 15" 😉 nearly as fast…

Ahhh, see what you mean re the all-in-one-box imac thing

Well I've owned and used macs exclusively for nearly 20 years, thats a grand total of 5 macs, 3 of which I still own and use. I've had to replace a hard drive in the laptop…… and thats the only breakdown I've ever had. So a screen breaking down, or similar has never beens a concern.

Compare the benchmarks between the various machines for processes that actually matter to you. If you can't justify a pro then the iMac should give you a lot more oomph than the mini, and that oomph should pay off in a longer servicable life keeping ahead of the dreaded obsolecence.

macbookpro is not a bad bit of kit. plus it can take 8gb ram, which would probably mean that you'd need to tie it down.

what are you using currently? I only do basic product/furniture design at the moment also, i have just had some compatablity issues with the graphics card in my series one Macbook with some software

I would buy the basic Imac, max out the memory and put an external drive on to provide back up. Then just forget about the hardware and get on with being creative!!

MacBook with a display screen for the graphic visual.
As far as CAD goes, try using Vectorworks on the Mac save having to run Windows

Yeah I've had two hard drives go on my macbook one was my fault though. Nice to know the screens are good, I'll have a quick look at the imac. yeah i saw that 8gb RAM that's alot of power.

Hackintosh the nc10 – simples!

what are you using currently?

Well at the mo not doing any private work so just netbook, but at my new job 'started today' i have an imac. Seemed good enough, although I had only used the program they had me on in windows before so it was all a bit upside down although luckily i took my fancy new logitech mouse so avoided that shiteymouse.

As far as CAD goes, try using Vectorworks on the Mac save having to run Windows

I keep meaning to have a play on vectorworks, but I'm up to speed on AutoCAD so never bother. Is it relatively easy?

Hackintosh the nc10 – simples!

😆

whats wrong with the mighty mouse? its just a normal 3 button mouse :S

From what I've read, the new QuadCore iMac uses desktop processors rather than the laptop ones previously used, and a reviewer on a forum did a price comparison with a high-spec Dell monitor that cost the same. Reckoned that with the Mac you're paying for the screen and getting a computer free…

I have always found that once you've got your head around CAD you can soon pick up new packages easliy enough.

whats wrong with the mighty mouse?

that little small grey ball the size of those sweets called millions. Although i see mac have got a new mouse out.

interesting xipe, i always thought dell were one of the better mainstrem brands.

i really need to start typing properly on forums, i never use capital letters properly. 😳

Thanks for all the advice people.