07-04-2008, 05:58 PM

Hi

I'm running InDesign CS2, Photoshop and Illustrator CS3 at home on:

– iMac G5, PowerMac8,2,
– PowerPC G5 (3.0),
– 2GHz(CPU speed),
– 512 KB L2 Cache on 1 CPU and
– 512MB memory

And my programs are very slow compared to the new Macs at work. I've heard certain versions of CS wont run well on non intel machines (like mine). However I cant use older versions of CS because I need to bring stuff home from work (all CS3).

Can anyone explain my problem and maybe suggest any solutions. Would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Marc

07-04-2008, 06:21 PM

It is probably slow because your running modern, intensive software on an older machine. The PowerMac G5 (I'm assuming thats what you mean) you have now is a very capable machine -- with enough resources put into it. I recommend putting a lot more RAM into your machine. Dependent on your model, you can put as much as 4-16 GB into it. Now, if it's and iMac (I was a bit confused on your "iMac G5, PowerMac 8,2'" statement) you can only upgrade to 1 GB I think. System maintenance with a program like OnyX or MainMenu wouldn't be bad either.

07-04-2008, 07:16 PM

A memory upgrade would be a cheap way to get a large speed boost, not only for the Creative Suite, but for most everything you do on that computer.

Having a PowerPC Mac, at least for now, is not a factor. The CS2 generation runs much faster on PowerPC machines than on Intel machines; CS3 runs well on either.

Even so, an older Mac will not match the performance of a newer Mac; that's a fact of life.

07-05-2008, 07:13 AM

Okay, should have done this a while ago.

Given my Mac (spec above), and the DDR SDRAM / PC3200U-30330 memory I already have in. Can someone point me in the right direction for an extra 1Gb card that meets my type of Mac?

Also, would anyone advise to replace my existing 512Mb card too to gain a maximum 2 Gb of memory? (My Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign are running slowly at the moment)

One last question, I have the 17inch version of this mac. Does anyone know of a reliable site that I can use to install this memory myself?

Cheers

Marc

07-05-2008, 07:27 AM

OWC or crucial can supply the ram you need

also, another way of speeding up CS2 a bit is to adjust the undo levels in Illustrator and Photoshop (I set it as 10 which is fine for me)

Also, Photoshop's history can slow you down, ramp the levels back to a sensible amount


And finally - what are you using for font management and do you usually have tons of fonts open

Lastly - how much free space does your hard disk have

07-05-2008, 07:35 AM

Thanks

I'll try the undo/history thing sounds useful.

I'm just using Font Book at home and there are a lot of fonts in there, but there doesn't seem to be a way to activate / deactivate the fonts like you can in Suitcase at work.

How does it work? Should you just delete the fonts out of Fontbook when you're done with them?

Hard disk wise, I've just moved everything to an external hardrive. So I'm only using 39Gb of my 149Gb available.

07-05-2008, 08:19 AM

You can manage your fonts easier this way

If you are going to start loading quite a few fonts, font book is not the best app, the free font explorer is much much better

http://www.linotype.com/fontexplorerX

If you really want to manage your fonts well I suggest the suitcase (another font management tool - not free) guide (the guide is free)

dl.extensis.com/downloads/ SC/EN/P/Fonts_Best_Practices_in_OSX.pdf

Just substitute use Suitcase with use Linotype FontExplorer

07-05-2008, 08:59 AM

Gteat, I'll give it a try

07-05-2008, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by marc909paul

– 512MB memory

There's your problem.

Ah, I see I others beat me to the punch, so to speak.

For good deals on RAM, try newegg.com. Just make sure you know the exact specifications of your RAM before looking it up, and you should be good. The stuff there ranges from very low quality to very high quality, though, so be sure to read up on a given model before buying it.