Which MacBook Pro do I need for Graphic Design and 3D Graphic Design?

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So I am kinda stuck on this one. I know I am getting a Macbook Pro but which one do I get?

Macbook Pro 1- 1,889.00 (with Student Discount)
2.4 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
2 Gb Ram (Will Upgrade to 4Gb myself)
200 Gb 7200 Rpm
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB

Macbook Pro 2- 2,344.00 (with Student Discount)
2.5 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
2 Gb Ram (Will Upgrade to 4Gb myself)
200 Gb 7200 Rpm
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB

And if I do go with the MAcbook Pro 2 do I dish out the extra $250 for the 2.6 Ghz processer?

Any help would be much appreciated!
 
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Your Mac's Specs
15in MBP 2.5GHz Core2Duo | 1.83Ghz Dual G5 PowerMac | 2.0 GHz Dual G5 PowerMac
I would go for the more expensive one. I'm also doing the same thing in college right now, and i went for the more expensive of the 2, am planning on upgrading later too, you can really do a lot with 2 GBs of RAM though.
 
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any Mac can do the job , it's your skill level that will make it the project a sucess
what software will you be running ?
 
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MacBook
any Mac can do the job , it's your skill level that will make it the project a sucess
Exactly.


Very wise words.

As far as what machine to go for, if you are doing 3D work, then the better graphics card will make a huge difference.
 
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I will be running Adobe Photoshop CS3 as well as Adobe Flash, Final Cut Pro, and Lightwave.
If that is the case, then you will do fine with the lesser video card. None of those apps will utilize intense 3D capability.
 
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Not even Lightwave? I mean that is a 3d graphic program? What are some programs that would need that type of graphics card?
 
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Your Mac's Specs
Sooper Fast!
Lightwave requirements.
Macintosh:
Operating system: OS X 10.3.3 (Panther)
System configuration: G4 or higher (G5 recommended)
System RAM: 512MB for OS X (1GB recommended)
Hard drive space: 230MB available (not including content)
Graphics card: Full OpenGL support
Latest drivers from chipset manufacturer
1024x768 minimum screen resolution (1280x1024 recommended)
64MB onboard dedicated RAM per display (128MB recommended)

better card will make it run smoother most likely.
 
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17" MBP, 2.5Ghz Penryn Processor, 4GB of RAM, 200 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive, High Res LED 17" Screen
I haven't used Lightwave for a few years, but I remember it being a resource hog.

I do plenty of Multimedia stuff. I recently got one of the pre-refresh MBP at work. It was essentially maxed out with 2.6Ghz, 4GB of ram, and 200GB 7200RPM HD. I also got the 17" High Res Screen so I can see more.

I just ordered a personal MBP which is pretty much the same thing, but its the refreshed model, and I opted for the 2.5Ghz model. I didn't think the 2.6 was worth $250.

I would recommend the 17", especially if you won't have an external display. You will be able to see much more of your work on screen. I have been working with a 15" Toshiba notebook at home for the past 4 years and I always wished I could see more.
 
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future proof your envestment

regardless of what you are going to do with your new computer, you should always get the most computer you can afford for two reasons. First, the better it specs, the more you can do with it down the road. Second, the better it specs the longer that road will be.

This isn't to say that you should waist your money on things you don't really need. with reference to the things you do need, get the best and most you can afford.
 

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