Please help me spec a Mac Pro for Adobe CS3

[WritersBlock]

I've just gotten the go-ahead from my much-better half ... I can get a Mac! It'll be specifically for running Adobe CS3 - any advice in spec'ing in out would be appreciated.

Here's what we're looking at so far:

Two 3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 065-6918
4GB (4 x 1GB) 065-7167
750GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s 065-6816
Two 16x SuperDrives 065-6507
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB (single-link DVI/dual-link DVI) 065-6410
Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel)
Both Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and AirPort Extreme 065-6725
Country kit 065-6244 (Whatever the heck that is?)
Apple Keyboard & Mighty Mouse - British 065-6287
iWork '08 065-7553
Mac OS X (English) 065-7507


I've got a 20' V7 VGA LCD display which I'm currently using on my PC, and the guy I spoke with at the Mac online sales number said that it would work as a second monitor with the graphics card, as there's a VGA-to-DVI adapter included with the computer.

Also planning on using my 3-year-old Wacom Sapphire CTE630 tablet until I can talk Hubby into an Intuos, our current HP Laserjet 1300 printer, and probably most importantly, my Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, which the guy at Mac sales wasn't sure would work with it, but there's a big Mac emblem on the box, so I'm hoping it'll be alright. (If not, does anyone know of a good ergonomic keyboard for the Mac? I have terrible Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.)

Do any of you wonderful Mac experts foresee any compatibility problems so far?

And I'm also wondering whether to wait till Leopard is released... how much of a pain is it to upgrade the OS & reinstall everything on a Mac?

Any advice/suggestions greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
WB

[Touchdown]

1. CS3 is universal, so it'll be fast with what you ordered.

CS2 was for the old IBM PowerPC chips, and using it on an Intel mac slowed it down. CS3 is perfect for you.

HP will have mac drivers on their site, and they are usually better with macs than EPSON or Canon IMO. I have an EPSON 2400 now, and have problems with azimuth correction. Margins don't line up, and I can't do borderless photos now (Tiger). Make sure you download the Intel version (Intel) on everything you need, like your Wacom too.

Kensington makes excellent hardware for macs. They do have a ergo keyboard. Your MS one should work anyhow, as long as it's USB. ALl Wacom peripherals work on macs. No problem with the tablet.

Set your mac to "check for software updates" at once a month. That should be good. Got an iPod? Sync up your calendar (iCal) and Addr. book in the iPod tab on iTunes, so you got them on the go.

Upgrading the OS is as easy as loading the CD, and clicking "yes" to the software license. In 12 years and 4 macs, I have never had to re-install everything. Only 3 or 4 programs at various times. My OS crashed once in 2002 or something like that. Your new computer will be much more reliable than any Winbox you may be used to, so get used to not being suprised when everything just works.:hi:

P.S. Don't forget the Bouncing Hula Dancer widget for your dashboard.

[WritersBlock]

3. Brilliant, thanks!

I appreciate all your advice, and I'm especially happy to hear about the ease of an OS update, having suffered from broken Windoze from 3.1 onward.

And I'm glad my old graphics tablet will work, too. I can barely use a mouse anymore.

(Did a Googlage on the Bouncing Hula Dancer widget - Hula'ing Homer has definite possibilities there.)

[reprobate]

2. I've been using the M$ Natural Keyboard Pro since moving to Mac three years ago.

It's basically the same as the 4000 I believe. And M$ has a version of Intellitype for the Mac with which you can assign the top row of customizable hot keys as you like.

Anyhow, welcome to the Mac forum and enjoy using the best platform available. One thing you might miss though is the flakiness of the Microshaft platform.

[WritersBlock]

4. Thank goodness.

My wrists are so bad that typing one paragraph on a regular keyboard will have me in immediate pain that lasts for days.

Now to start digging out all the disks that came with everything...... :D

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Flakiness

You surely jest....

Don't ask but found yet another issue with Vista...

Me going back to my mac book to finish my manual

:think:

By the way one more resaon why this gaming machine WILL get rolled back to XP Pro

Damn it... you'd think system restore should be easy...

[WritersBlock]

7. Vista's what finally threw us over the Mac edge.

We'd been half-heartedly talking about getting a Mac for a few years now, but couldn't justify the money. But when I decided to get CS3, it meant a new machine. Plus, my hubby's old Toshiba laptop was starting to perform some serious wonkiness. So we were essentially looking at getting a new desktop & a laptop, both of which would probably have to run Vista at least eventually.

And that's when we decided to move to Mac. I'll have my desktop, and he'll replace his laptop with a MacBook Pro.

I'll keep my tablet PC close by for drawing & handwritten graphic work, though. I use a Wacom tablet, but sometimes it's so much easier to actually write on the screen.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. The reason why I kept my tablet

exactly....

[WritersBlock]

5. Ordered my new baby today! ::doing the Snoopy happy dance::

The sales guy said it'll come with Tiger installed, and Leopard in the box. I think I'll wait awhile before installing Leopard, since I've heard it has conflicts with some components of CS3.

7-10 working days for delivery; can't wait!

[Pierre.Suave]

8. Check this thread for what I did to get it as cheap as possible.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=233&topic_id=4836

First of all, do not buy Ram or HDDs from Apple, they overcharge and their are places to get it much cheaper.

Photoshop and CS3 love ram, the more the better. I think upgrading the GPU would also make a difference.

Any USB keyboard will work on a mac, so get the one that you like the best.

Upgrading is easy, if you have already bought it. If you havent, you will get Leopard by default now.

Any questions, feel free to ask.

[WritersBlock]

10. Ouch

Well, we got 2 GB extra desktop RAM through Apple, because we've heard that there's something about RAM for the Mac Pro needing a specific heatsink or something (did we just take ourselves to the cleaners?) I wanted more memory, but we decided that the quad-core processors would deliver more bang for the buck - I hope we were right on that. We got about £700 off the website price of the desktop & laptop together by calling Sales directly & asking if they'd beat the 4% discount we could get from Quidco.com.

I feel pretty good about the price we got, but what I am *very* narked off about is the fact that we placed the order yesterday afternoon, and I got a call from Apple Finance today for a "random security check" that they were performing before releasing the order for processing.

That really pissed me off. When the sales guy first put the credit card through yesterday, he said the card was being "queried," and asked me to call the bank. So I did, and they said, "Tell Apple to put in the right expiry date, and it'll go straight through." Sure enough, he'd typed in the wrong year. As soon as he put in the right one, the transaction sailed through, just like the guy at the bank said it would. I got an order reference number, and I thought that was that.

Until this afternoon, when I got that call and realized the order'd been sitting in the Apple finance office for 24 hours. I can see it taking awhile to process it if we'd applied to Apple for financing, but we paid the full amount on the card.

I got a supervisor to call me back, and he said it was checked because it was a high-value order (as opposed to the random security check the woman who first called told me it was.) I asked him why they didn't call yesterday, instead of sitting on it for a full day, and he started talking about the thousands of orders they get every day, and I'm thinking, okay.. so you thank us for spending a shitload of money with you by delaying our order for a full day, but it's really our fault for inconveniencing you by buying from you when you're so busy...

I didn't cancel the order, but only because I really don't want Vista. But I also really hope the computers are as good as everyone says they are, because I sure don't have very high hopes for the customer service at the moment. However, the guy in finance said he'd put a priority on the order, and I very much hope I'm proved wrong.

[mrgorth]

11. Wow

That's one sick system.

[WritersBlock]

12. Why... what's wrong with it? n/t

[Twillig]

13. "Sick" =

KICKASS!

[WritersBlock]

14. Oh, okay! Thanks (showing my age here, methinks) LOL n/t