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Hg2491 · Jan 7, 2009, 07:00 PM

Although it is not fair to the people who need more than one battery to surive, regardless of the 8-hour-long life.

Mabelusk · Jan 7, 2009, 10:31 PM

Originally Posted by abeato6

well, I guess it's good if you don't need a lot of portability. But beware, sometimes my 15' MacBook Pro isn't the most portable thing there is. Anyway, it's all about getting used to it I guess. Some people that own 13' MacBooks say that they can't imagine having my 15' MBP because it's way too big. I say that the 13' MacBook is way too small for me.

The thing is, that sometimes you need to sacrifice portability for performance. In my case, I'd rather have a 17" alum MBP because it would let me work on my arq. projects in any place, and with better results than with a 13" MB.

abeato6 · Jan 7, 2009, 11:04 PM

@Mabelusk

I can assure you a brand new $1599 13-inch Aluminum MacBook can do just the job for all your architectural needs

And I'm sure 2.4 Ghz C2D, 4GBRAM, 250GB HDD and an Nvidia GeForce 9400M will kick ass in AutoCAD or w.e

. Maybe you might need a bigger screen, 15-inch MacBook Pro all the way.

slugslugslug · Jan 7, 2009, 11:06 PM

I think mine would be a 24" iMac and a MacBook Air. I suppose since we're talking money-is-no-object here, I'd get the high-capacity SSD setup for the latter.

For backup I might go with the 1TB Time Capsule I use now, or I might just hook up an external disk to the iMac.

Assuming I also have a bigger desk than now, I'd also get a 2nd monitor with the iMac's size and aspect ratio. Probably not the new Apple 24": I'd rather get one with 2 inputs so I can hook both Macs up to it and switch between them if necessary.

I'd also probably get a Logitech MX5500 Bluetooth kb/mouse set.

I'll play along with everyone here and consider an iPhone part of the setup. But if money were no object, I'd still stick with my first-gen model and get a new one when there's a 32GB capacity (hopefully with a few more upgrades too (A2DP, better camera)).

Hg2491 · Jan 7, 2009, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by abeato6

@Mabelusk

I can assure you a brand new $1599 13-inch Aluminum MacBook can do just the job for all your architectural needs

And I'm sure 2.4 Ghz C2D, 4GBRAM, 250GB HDD and an Nvidia GeForce 9400M will kick ass in AutoCAD or w.e

. Maybe you might need a bigger screen, 15-inch MacBook Pro all the way.

Dude, I'm sorry to side with her on this one, but she's right. For sure the MacBook can handle all the programs an architect needs -- individually. But when start firing up apps, I don't think the small 13-inch display is going to work as good as the 15- or 17-inch will. Also, when you start using a couple (dozens) processor-intensed applications, the MacBook will choke.

CreepDogg · Jan 8, 2009, 12:46 AM

Originally Posted by Hg2491

Although it is not fair to the people who need more than one battery to surive, regardless of the 8-hour-long life.

You don't need a removable battery to add additional portable power, as long as the machine has a charging connector. I'm sure there will be more products like this to fill that need.

Hg2491 · Jan 9, 2009, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by CreepDogg

You don't need a removable battery to add additional portable power, as long as the machine has a charging connector. I'm sure there will be more products like this to fill that need.

Thanks for the heads up, CreepDogg.

Chuckit · Jan 9, 2009, 03:18 PM

I cleaned up a few posts in here. Normal discussion can resume without fear of emoticons.

Hg2491 · Jan 9, 2009, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by slugslugslug

I think mine would be a 24" iMac and a MacBook Air. I suppose since we're talking money-is-no-object here, I'd get the high-capacity SSD setup for the latter.

For backup I might go with the 1TB Time Capsule I use now, or I might just hook up an external disk to the iMac.

Assuming I also have a bigger desk than now, I'd also get a 2nd monitor with the iMac's size and aspect ratio. Probably not the new Apple 24": I'd rather get one with 2 inputs so I can hook both Macs up to it and switch between them if necessary.

I'd also probably get a Logitech MX5500 Bluetooth kb/mouse set.

I'll play along with everyone here and consider an iPhone part of the setup. But if money were no object, I'd still stick with my first-gen model and get a new one when there's a 32GB capacity (hopefully with a few more upgrades too (A2DP, better camera)).

What do you plan on doing with those awesome computers?

DeathToWindows · Jan 10, 2009, 09:39 PM

Basically what my lab bought me... dual quad-core 2.8, 6Gb of RAM, 1.32Tb of internal HD, 2x24" panels

goMac · Jan 11, 2009, 05:13 AM

I'd probably want an 8 Core Mac Pro, lots of RAM, lots of hard drive space, GeForce 8800...

Oh my! I just realized that I'm typing on that machine right now!

brassplayersrock² · Jan 11, 2009, 05:22 AM

I'd be happy with just a 30'' display (pref. cinema) hooked up to my current laptop. That'd be my ultimate setup

Hg2491 · Jan 11, 2009, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock²

I'd be happy with just a 30'' display (pref. cinema) hooked up to my current laptop. That'd be my ultimate setup

I'm guessing you have a MacBook Pro?

mattyb · Jan 11, 2009, 07:36 PM

Two 30" screens hooked up to a tricked out Mac Pro. This machine would be the main node of my home network with primary network interface, loads of disks, maybe a tape drive. It would be hooked up to the TV and stereo system. (Dunno if this is possible, could a MacPro stream films to different TVs at the same time? Plus stream music to a stereo? - Who cares, I'm dreaming) I like the Apple Al keyboard but I'd probably go with the wireless one, and my Logitech mouse. Great mouse.

MBAir to type away on the couch. Love my 'new' MacBook but it does get a bit hot on the left thigh

Time Capsule with enough attached disks to have the backups in 2 places.

iPhone cos I need something to tell the time with and wake me up in the morning and I'm fed up of my Sony Ericsson.

If the Pro couldn't stream to the 4 or 5 TVs then an Apple TV for each TV.

I'd need a nice office to house most of this stuff ... I could go on for ages here.

brassplayersrock² · Jan 11, 2009, 09:07 PM

Originally Posted by Hg2491

I'm guessing you have a MacBook Pro?

yep

slugslugslug · Jan 11, 2009, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by Hg2491

What do you plan on doing with those awesome computers?

Not really anything that I'd need 2 computers for I guess, but this is supposed to be our dream setup. I'm a grad student, so there'd be a bit of fiddling with Matlab, SPSS, Excel for designing experiments and analyzing data. And then lots of writing and the occasional presentations.

I like to be able to bring my own machine to work sometimes (especially since once I'm done with rotations, I'll probably be in a Windows-using lab). So the MacBook Air is the natural choice because it's super light. And then at home I'd be into using something with a bit more oomph, as well as storage space. But a Mac Pro would just be overkill. Hence the iMac. And then, y'know, why not get an extra monitor while I'm at it?

RobAutoblog · Jan 15, 2009, 03:04 AM

http://forums.macnn.com/89/macnn-lou...onic-stereo/3/

I win.

andreas_g4 · Jan 15, 2009, 09:45 PM

The ultimate setup is the fastest you can get, I suppose. But ff you mean it in the way of "your favorite setup", mine is

20" iMac
(to-be-released) 20" LED Cinema Display
2x500 GB firewire 800 2,5" HD, setup as RAID 0
Time Capsule 1 TB
wireless input

I want to get the external RAID solution with 2.5" drives because they are very quiet, even quieter than the internal 3.5" drive. I am still looking for a way to disable the internal drive by software, since the system sometimes spinns it up. Time Machine w/ TC is imperative in that setup since RAID Level 0 prone to failure.

When I'm reading in my living room, I usually lie on the sofa next to my iMac, which serves (of course) as my digital hub. When listening to very quiet classical music, I don't like the HD noise. So I figure the above solution will help. And I just want to have a different than usual setup.

I am actually just waiting for the new iMacs and hopefully new 20" LEDs…

LEStudios · Jun 5, 2009, 05:26 PM

Currently My Best setup!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3359/...43f5017b_o.jpg

SSharon · Jun 5, 2009, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by LEStudios

Currently My Best setup!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3359/...43f5017b_o.jpg

The reflection of the dock on the desk is so Apple like.

RAILhead · Jun 5, 2009, 05:54 PM

SSharon · Jun 5, 2009, 07:42 PM

Originally Posted by RAILhead

Oh come on, I thought zombie threads are those that are 6 months old. This one had nearly an entire month to go before it was resurrected.

dcmacdaddy · Jun 5, 2009, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by LEStudios

Currently My Best setup!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3359/...43f5017b_o.jpg

The macmini can drive a 30" display? I did not know that. Or have you got a Mac Pro hidden underneath the desk.

As for me, my ultimate setup would be a 24" iMac for home and a 15" Macbook Pro for the road. (Although, when I had a laptop I rarely took it with me in my travels.)

Laminar · Jun 5, 2009, 09:25 PM

Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy

The macmini can drive a 30" display? I did not know that. Or have you got a Mac Pro hidden underneath the desk.

As for me, my ultimate setup would be a 24" iMac for home and a 15" Macbook Pro for the road. (Although, when I had a laptop I rarely took it with me in my travels.)

That doesn't look like 30" to me. But I could be wrong.

Chuckit · Jun 5, 2009, 11:17 PM

Looks like a 24-incher to me.

Laminar · Jun 6, 2009, 12:09 AM

dcmacdaddy · Jun 8, 2009, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by Laminar

That doesn't look like 30" to me. But I could be wrong.

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Looks like a 24-incher to me.

Looking at pics of the 30" Cinema Display on the Apple website I realised just how MASSIVE it is as a screen. I think you guys are right, that is only a 24" screen in the pic.