Chance to dole out more advice
hawks1528 (48 pencils) | Wed, 2009-02-25 15:10I am starting classes April 6th for my associates in Graphic Design. I am wondering if you have any advice on the best computer to have. Is a laptop ok? or a desk top better? And do you have a preference to a certain brand, model, or just certain specs etc? I just want to have the best equipment possible to make sure I can do the best job I can do. I appreciate any advice you are willing to give. I currently have a gateway laptop model MX6421, AMD Turion 64 mobile, 787 Mhz448 MB RAM. on C drive still have 67 GB free space, D drive 6.82 G free space...(I don't know if any of this is even relevant..) the only specification my laptop does not match on the list provided by the school is my screen resolution mine is 1280 x 800 32 bit the school recommends 1280 x 1024 Is that a huge difference?
Again I appreciate any advice you are willing to give.
Thanks so much.
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1280x1024 is a 4:3 ratio monitor (old school). 1280x800 is widescreen (like most monitors today). you're probably fine.
if your laptop has an external monitor connection, you could purchase a second monitor that can run higher resolutions. i would recommend doing so, since working on a smaller laptop screen all the time with adobe programs can really suck. there just isn't room for all of your palettes. plus you should be able to set up your laptop to use both screens (your laptop screen and the external monitor), which would give you plenty of monitor real estate.
your biggest problem will be that you may not have enough ram. i can't figure out exactly how much you have from the specs you gave, but you really should have a minimum of 2GB of ram. you can work with less, but it will be slower, and RAM is probably the least expensive upgrade you can make that will give you the best bang for the buck.
Really, you don't need one unless you're getting a mac. It's a moot point especially since I doubt you'll be going out and spending close to a thousand bucks on the creative suite. By the time you graduate, all the junk you bought will be obsolete any way.
I'm sure you have a mac lab at your school you can use if you need it.
Sorry pokie it's hard to tell what "one" thing you are referring to. I will not have access to a lab as I am doing my studies online. And I am unsure what the creative suite is I will be working with Adobe illustrator, dreamweaver, photoshop and indesign.
One was supposed to be computer. :)
Okay, I guess I missed the online part... sorry. Yeah, I guess you do need a computer then!
The creative suite is how they sell the compilation of illustrator, photoshop, dreamweaver, indesign. You buy them all in one package for cheaper than separate. You can get a student discount which is a lot cheaper.
I wonder if Adobe will accept an online course for their student discount. I, too, forgot that this course is strictly online.
Good point from Greg about alternatives to Boot Camp.
Mara
Thanks Pokie for the clarification. Ok, so I will be getting the software because it is included in my tuition, so no need to worry about discounts. Just need to worry about the computer and external monitor. I wish I knew more about computers, anyway I am sure I can find some help.
Thank you everyone for your help. I am soo happy I found this site!
---I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. -Mother Teresa
Tina :)