I need a what.....? configuration woe's

I am trying to configure a Mac Pro. The computer will be dedicated to the following uses: Graphic design (indesign, photoshop, illustrator, quark, etc.),
music production (ableton, garageband, etc.) and minimal—if not "hobbyist"—movie production.

No gaming, no motion graphics.

One display, 23" Cinema

a. So what graphics card does that steer me toward?

b. 3.0 ghz w/4gb RAM and the NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT?

or

3.0 ghz w/2gb RAM and the ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512mb?

I just wonder if its neccesary to upgrade the card with what I am doing. Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

c. Will a 250gb hard drive be sufficient for now? I don't store alot of files and apps on my hd typically its pretty basic stuff. All my graphics files go to an external if not in use.

pardon the novice question. much appreciated


B

Brice0501 said:

I just wonder if its neccesary to upgrade the card with what I am doing. Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

No, it won't be necessary for your needs.

Will a 250gb hard drive be sufficient for now? I don't store alot of files and apps on my hd typically its pretty basic stuff. All my graphics files go to an external if not in use. B

Click to expand...

That would be more than sufficient, especially if you have an external drive for archiving and backup.

With respect to your system RAM, the more the better but don't get it from Apple. Buy it from a third party like www.newegg.com and you will save a bundle.

Thanks!


Can you reccomend a reliable quality brand of RAM on newegg? And what am I even supposed to buy to get this thing ip to 4gb of ram? a.k.a- I dont know a thing about ram


And I am assuming that with applecare I would need to take the RAM out if ever I need to have the computer fixed?

So 250gb HD and the basic graphics card will suit a graphic designer just fine?

B

Brice0501 said:

Thanks!


Can you reccomend a reliable quality brand of RAM on newegg? And what am I even supposed to buy to get this thing ip to 4gb of ram? a.k.a- I dont know a thing about ram


And I am assuming that with applecare I would need to take the RAM out if ever I need to have the computer fixed?

So 250gb HD and the basic graphics card will suit a graphic designer just fine?

B

Click to expand...

I like Mushkin RAM, that is what I have in my PowerBook. They are usually fairly inexpensive as well. RAM is a customer installible part, so no you won't have to remove it should it ever require service. Also, 4GB is nice, but would be overkill in my opinion. I get by just fine with 2GB in my PowerBook. I would reccommend that you start with at least 2GB. If you feel that more is needed, you can always add it later.
Your needs don't require any super-duper-looper graphics card, since all of the apps you listed and things you will use it for don't require anything that advanced. More VRAM won't make a bit of difference for 2D Graphic Design use.

I don´t think you need 3ghz CPu either. the difference between 2.66 and 3 is not that great to be worth extra 800$. get as much RAM as you can for the buck.

tip:
you can see in activity monitor of you need extra RAM. in the system memory tab look the the "pages in/out" numbers. if you run all programs you use and "out" is still 0, that means your current RAM is sufficient.

ii is generally agreed, that 4 GB provides best performance for buck. above that you don't generally benefit that much.

Ya, for your Audio needs, the 2.66Ghz is good enough. Even for your hobbyist Video Editing, it is enough. If you every plan on going forward with the Video stuff or anything like tha,t it should be considered. Also remember, you only spend this money once, make your whatever you pick is worth it....basically what I said before.