[hughwolfe]

Hi there,

I'm completely new to this site and have a question concerning which laptop, either MacBook or MacBook Pro will work for me. I have never owned a MAC, but I do have a bit of working time on an iMAC with Photoshop CS3. I would like to be able to use Photoshop CS3, however I'm on a fairly tight budget. Will it work on the smaller MacBook without problems, or am I setting myself up for disaster? Thanks for any help provided.

[shrugs*]

What sort of editing do you do? Depends on the files you're working with, but for the average user it'll be fine. May want to bump up the RAM.

I'm 50% photo editing (3-12MP files) and 50% non-print design (mainly PS/IL .. files normally within 50-150mb) and am very happy with my MB's performance with CS3.

[hughwolfe]

Originally Posted by shrugs* 

What sort of editing do you do? Depends on the files you're working with, but for the average user it'll be fine. May want to bump up the RAM.

Current situation is I don't have a camera either, however I'm planing ahead in that I don't want to buy a computer and then have to get a different one just to have a program work for me. I'm interested in RAW photographay, but like I mentioned above I don't currently own a camera, but it's in the works

[shrugs*]

Do you require a notebook?

Just a thought, since you're on a budget an iMac would provide better performance and much more workspace for nearly the same price.

[hughwolfe]

Originally Posted by shrugs* 

Do you require a notebook?

Just a thought, since you're on a budget an iMac would provide better performance and much more workspace for nearly the same price.

Thats a very good thought and one I have considered. However my current living situation is kind of unsettled, just getting over a divorce thus nothing in the way of furniture and there could be a move in the near future. For this reason I was thinking a laptop would be a beter choice. What I really want is the full out Macbook Pro 17", it's just not in the budget at present. I have seen a good many used Macbook Pros on Craigs list but I'm a bit leary of that way of obtaining a computer, too many horror stories of things bought and never delivered.

[megasad]

Maybe try looking at the prices of a refurbished 17" MacBook Pro then? The regular 13" MacBook willl run CS3 perfectly well in terms of processor and RAM but if you want the larger screen, you can get a 17" model for $1900 right now.

[mduell]

The performance is about the same, the difference is all in the screen. Do you need the bigger matte screen?

The generation-old refurbs (which don't differ much from the current models) are a great deal for MacBook Pros. The $1449 model (2.2Ghz C2D/120GB) with another $65 worth of RAM would be good for you and it's about the price of a higher end MacBook.

[jwpacker]

I would second the refurbished route. I just got my black MB for $1100 shipped, and somebody there must love me, because it came with 2 GB of RAM, like the current models, even though the specs say only 1.

About the only thing that's disappointing in terms of performance is some older apps that aren't Universal binaries and are a little slow to get off the ground. Otherwise, it's been great, doing everything that I ask of it.