Best mac for webdesign?

[emma]

Hey all

I am looking to buy myself one of those oh-so delicious mac computers but my only issue is that they are so ridiculously expensive! I have been looking at just getting a regular MacBook, but is it really up to standards for producing good web design? Obviously more expensive ones will be better but I just want something that I can work on without being annoyed by flaws that I didn’t know about before I spent my precious £860. Does it live up to your expectations? Which one would you say is the best suitable?

Thanks

em

[TT_Mark]

I got the entry level MacBook and then upgraded the RAM because I didn’t find the standard 2GB enough to run anything from Adobe with 2-3 other programs.

However, don’t bother with the direct from Apple RAM as its horrifically expensive, you can get cheaper alternatives that work just as good.

Obviously I’d love a 27inch iMac…but have to be realistic!

[andrew_wilkerson]

If you are just coding, any mac should work. It really depends on how much graphic editing you are doing. The more intensive the graphics editing is the more power and ram you will need of course.

To give you a benchmark, I have a MacBook Pro 2.3GHz Core Duo, with 4GB’s of ram, and I do pretty heavy graphics editing. At certain points, I have Photoshop, Illustrator, and Firefox, and Google Sketch-up all open at once. At that point some of the filter effects in Photoshop and Illustrator produce a pin wheel of death, but it does pretty well.

So other money saving tips:
1. A CinemaView CV24A 24″ LCD display, is as great of a secondary mini display port monitor as Apples are. But they 80% there for 50% of the price.
2. Also if you drop in an SSD, it does more to speed things up than most CPU and RAM upgrades! I did it with a OWC conversion kit. Which turns the CD drive bay into a second hard drive bay.

[TheDoc]

I’d say a new iMac will get you the best bang for your buck.

Also, always remember to check out the Refurb section on Apple’s website. I highly recommend it! You get the same warranty and can also purchase the extended if you want. Everything is the same except it comes in a brown box. If you don’t mind knowing that somebody else has touched it, it’s a great way to save a couple hundred bucks.

[charlie]

I bought a refurb iMac from the apple.com a few years ago. It came with the same warranty as a new mac but it cost about 30-40% less.

I haven’t had any problems with it. Fingers crossed.

[davidlab.be]

And may I ask what is wrong with windows 7 on a good pc?

[mixxmac]

“Friends don’t let friends use Windows” [email protected] #quote

[TheDoc]

@springlab makes a fine point. Windows 7 is a great operating system, Microsoft has come a long way (ignoring the failure of Vista). While I prefer to work in OS X, I don’t mind firing up into W7 every now and then. If you are stretching your budget just to get an Apple computer, make sure you are going to enjoy the OS.

[davidlab.be]

I don’t understand the new age window haters. I agree that prior to W7 windows had some issues which is why a lot of people stayed with XP or made the jump over to Apple. However, W7 has changed the playing field for Microsoft and that is a point no one can argue and those people that do argue that point are arguing for the sake of arguing. Apple is a great product…overpriced? yes… but still just the same a great product. I was on the brink of jumping to Apple before W7 came along and once I started using W7 I realized Microsoft finally had a reliable user friendly product on there hand. W8 is around the corner and it will only get better from the reports that I am hearing. Like I said..I am not putting down Apple for the product…I am simply saying W7 is a great product and has changed windows for the years to come. At least Microsoft and W7 they were able to kill those “Hi…I’m a mac” “Hi…I’m a PC” commercials. Apple finally put down the gloves and Microsoft is healing rather well these days.

[TT_Mark]

Windows 7 isn’t bad, it’s startup time on my work PC is much faster than my MacBook (although my MacBook isn’t old), however it takes forever to shut-down and that ‘Force Shut-Down’ thing that comes up telling you there are programs still open but not showing you any actually open just annoys the hell out of me.

I also hate the way they’ve basically stolen the dock and made it worse and the stupid compatibility mode when you run older programs where the screen has to flash and the taskbar goes to a solid colour….why is this necessary?!?!

In any case, I much prefer my Mac, however need a new one!

[andrew_wilkerson]

I am a traditional Windows guy. In fact this is the first Mac I have ever owned. I do agree that Windows 7 is a fantastic operating system, and you can get a lot more for your money going that route (I have two desktops running it). With all that said, I just enjoy using the Mac so much more. While OSX isn’t perfect I just find that the overall experience of designing on a Mac much better.

The other big this is that, programs made for mac for some reason have a little extra polish to them. This goes double or triple for mac exclusive programs like Flux. They seemed to be approached from a usability stand point instead of an engineering stand point.

But you pay for the experience! If you are a budget conscience buyer, a good Win7 machine is 80 / 90% of the experience at a much lower price.

[emma]

Thank you all for your input, I really appreciate it. The apple refurb store is definitely my next stop! I have never even seen it before but sounds like it is quite a safe gamble for saving some pennies. I have a PC at work and it is indeed fine to work with but I had a mac before and now this is my situation! …plus no pc software I have used can compare to coda, 1Password etc. Like Andrew says, it’s just so enjoyable to use. I would love to get an iMac but I don’t have space in my shoebox flat for a table or desk. Damn you overpriced London.

[JamesBarnsley]

“The other big this is that, programs made for mac for some reason have a little extra polish to them.” I agree, including the Mac OS as well as its programs.

“But you pay for the experience! If you are a budget conscience buyer, a good Win7 machine is 80 / 90% of the experience at a much lower price.” I do not agree with the 80 / 90%, more like 40% of the experience.

[jimsilverman]

if you’re concerned about price, get a pc.

if you’re concerned about status, get a mac.

as long as you don’t get a netbook, it’s pretty hard to get a new machine that can’t handle the duties of web design.

[sliver37]

Here in AUS I can pick up a 2011 macbook pro (base 13″) for $600 or less, and the rest of the product line for large discounts. Requires using the student deals to your advantage.

Truth is, web design is so basic in it’s requirements any machine is more than capable.

Awesome quote:
“if you’re concerned about price, get a pc.

if you’re concerned about status, get a mac.”

[Author]

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