[Jeffro283]

Hello,

My name is Drew, and last summer, I posted on here and got a ton of help while researching my Mac Pro. My laptop has finally died on me, and it is time to purchase a new one for the coming school year.

I am primarily a CG Artist. I work mainly with 3D Modeling and Animation, while also working with 2D Animation, large-format print editing, vector illustration, and video editing.

My school is currently instituting a new Laptop program, where students need to bring their own Laptop and software to class. I have no problem with this, other than the fact that I just spent $4000 on a desktop last summer. I am currently in the market for a Laptop, and I am leaning HEAVILY toward a Macbook Pro. I am mainly wanting to use this computer for class, and to work on things while I am traveling. I would like to be able to do a generous amount of 3D stuff on this laptop, but not necessarily render entire projects.

Would it be sufficient to purchase the base Macbook Pro, and possibly put a bit more RAM in it? I am wanting this laptop to be able to do a good amount of CG work, but I also want it portable (read: 15-inch, long as possible battery life...I know CG stuff can greatly diminish battery power). At first, I was leaning more toward the Macbook, but for 3D, I feel like it will totally fail me.

Also, I am considering using this Macbook Pro as a second monitor for my Desktop. This will mainly be running iTunes and Photoshop for when I am painting textures and updating in real-time. Can anyone attest to how well a Macbook Pro works as a second monitor? What about in Windows? Any recommendations for stands?

I am also thinking about upgrading to the 7200 RPM hard drive for the MBP. Would this be a worthwhile investment?

Final question: When you buy the remote for the MBP, can it be used if the laptop is being used as a second monitor? That would be great for times that I am not in the room, or I am away from my computer.

Anyway, thank you for reading all this, and I hope to hear from some of you soon!

Drew

[zombie punk]

Talk to the course instructor about what you'll actually be doing first.

[Jeffro283]

zombie punk,

I am going to be a Senior at the university I attend, and I already pretty well know what I will be doing in all my courses. I will be required to do things that will require a decent computer. From what I believe, and what I have experienced over the last three years of my education, I believe that a plain Macbook may be the wrong choice in terms of efficiency.

I am not exactly sure what your remark means, so if you could elaborate, I would appreciate it. If you think I have a pretty good handle on things, however, then thank you for your concern!

[zombie punk]

Well, all I mean is that the course tutors or TA's usually have a list of recommended specs for machines, especially if the course requires you to take a laptop. If you want it mainly for class, I would go with what they recommend.

[Jeffro283]

They have specs posted...a low end, a continuing, and a high-end. I am going to pick the continuing (which is the smaller Macbook Pro) because I want something in the middle. I want portability, but I don't necessarily want something that won't be able to power a 3D Application sufficiently.

The main uses of this laptop are:
-Campus/Class use (all CG aps)
-Work use (Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, etc)
-Home/Travel use (for CG use while away from my apartment)
-Client meetings (previous laptop was not suitable to show clients)

[Cold Warrior]

As far as I know, the MBP doesn't work as a second monitor.

[Andhee]

I'd go with the base model pro, and then whack 4gb of RAM in from crucial.com or something.

[Jeffro283]

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior 

As far as I know, the MBP doesn't work as a second monitor.

After doing a bit of reading, that seems to be the response. I am not sure why I assumed that I could do this, but it sure would be nice!

Andhee,

Currently, that is what I plan on doing. I am mainly wondering whether or not it is worth it to up to the faster HD for $90.

[applesbiggestfan]

Hey Jeffro! I've been researching Macs for ages and I'm finally coming around to getting one... Heck, I know a lot about them. If you are going to be doing heavy graphical stuff, big 3D projects then I suggest that you should stay with the biggest hard drive, and not get a faster one. The largest for the 15" model is 250Gbs, stick with that, it's a lot of memory for graphics stuff and 3D projects and you wont notice the difference if you would change your HD to a smaller one which is a tiny bit faster. Stick with the 250Gbs... it's best for what you are doing.

[irockdabari]

Why not check out the system requirements on the software you use and just get something better than that?

[applesbiggestfan]

Oh yeeaaah... good point irockdabari.

And one unrelated question: How do you get that text under your reply which says, "iMac G4 800Mhz 256 MB, 12" iBook G4 1.0 Ghz 768 MB, 12" PowerBook G4, 1.5 Ghz, 1.25 GB RAM" or whatever your want... is that your signature or what?

[Ruf993Turbo]

When I was looking to replace the HDD on my MBP, I did a bit of research and saw that the 7200rpm drive was not very much faster than the 5400rpm. Throwing price difference into the equation, I opted for the WD Passport 320gb and took it apart for it's HDD. I only paid $100 for the Passport and about 30min worth of work and I was good to go! Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by applesbiggestfan 

And one unrelated question: How do you get that text under your reply which says, "iMac G4 800Mhz 256 MB, 12" iBook G4 1.0 Ghz 768 MB, 12" PowerBook G4, 1.5 Ghz, 1.25 GB RAM" or whatever your want... is that your signature or what?

It's his signature. Go to usercp > edit signature.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior 

As far as I know, the MBP doesn't work as a second monitor.

Not hardware-wise. But if you have 100Mbps or faster networking it can be done in software. ScreenRecycler gets the job done. It's $25 though.