Mac Mini

It completely depends what you are looking to do.

If you are looking at photoshop then you might want to take a look at the graphics card as well.

However, with 4Gb of RAM I would think a 2.66GHz duo core processor would be fine. Photoshop, as far as I am aware, is written specifically to utilise both cores. (Whereas a lot of software isn't, and both cores aren't used efficiently.)

CS4 runs perfectly acceptably on my 2.4GHz core2duo MBP, but id hardly say i used it 'professionally'.

Lots to potentially discuss here....

Really depends on you likely usage Count..? If it's just for spotting etc and general light Photoshop work, I'm sure a Mini would be fine....

But if you're likely to get into very large file sizes and complex filters, the more Ram and to a certain extent CPU speed (more important for video work) the better....I wouldn't worry to much on the graphics card side if it's just for 2D work - any of the supplied 'standard' cards will be more than sufficient, even if driving dual 30" screens....

Likely to go for CS Photoshop 5 ? Interested in native 64 Bit hardware support ? (this is where PS will really fly), then you need really to be looking at a MacPro...This will also offer you masses of future expansion possibilities....Personally, I wouldn't be without the towers for many reasons, but one great bonus is they are very adaptable as they grow older - although I use an Intel Quad Pro as my main machine, I'm still also using an older G5 Quad tower, stuffed with cheap (now) ram, which I use in the background, batch processing/automated tasks etc....Easy to convert into a server also...

Worth looking at the higher spec iMac also, which financially will sit somewhere between the Mini and a MacPro set up....I remember seeing a set of speed benchmark tests that actually had the iMac (i7 chip) performing as well as the base model MacPro.....There's a few drawbacks to the iMac however, one of which is being lumbered with that awful glossy screen.....

Sorry, I couldn't tell you a thing re comparative PC performance...I wouldn't be able to get as far as turning the damn thing on without tearing my hair out.......(To be fair, a little bird many years ago did tell me that an equivalent spec PC would be faster, but I just closed my ears and made myself content with all the other pros of using a Mac...However, this was in the days of the PowerPC chip, pre Intel, so I imagine this is no longer the case anyhow...)

Hope that helps in some way!

Steve.

A new spec mini maxxed with ram (From crucial) will be just fine for photoshop.

The latest photoshop CS5 is available from adobe as trial software, TBH I don't 'feel' much speed difference on my macs.

Is the mini still a pig to DIY memory upgrades? Mine's a few years old - early Intel model - but I remember having to brak it open with paint-scrapers and disassemble a good proportion of the innards to get at the memory slots.

quote:

Is the mini still a pig to DIY memory upgrades?

Yes - i still have a spare screw sat on my kitchen window sill from when i did an SSD upgrade. 3 screws are plenty. To be honest though once you've got the case open its not that bad.

James

Thanks for the replies and especially Steve for your detailed one.

Steve, yes CS5 is on my list when it's released and no doubt the more ram the better for it. I had looked at the Mac Pro, but with a starting price of over two grand, I thought of the cheaper Mac Mini. I think you've answered my doubts; Photoshop with three 70mb images open at the same time and a load of thumbnails would be better served by something with a quad in the spec. Oh, I don't know!

Count - you can get a previous years Mac Pro model for significantly less - look out for an ex dem machine that has been cleaned up and set back to an as new system. You still get a full warranty.

I have bought both a Mac Pro and a Macbook Pro from company in Nottingham called Jigsaw and saved quite a lot on the new price, do not forget that the previous model when it was the current model was always considered to be fast - and so more than capable for this years software.

Also keep an eye on apples refurb store you get a bit of a saving there too.

No problem.

Actually, I have a photog friend who recently bought a spec'd up Mini as a stop gap before he moves back to Thailand...I know he's recently produced and worked on files for an exhibition so things must have worked out OK.....If you like, I can enquire and get some feedback on how PS performed...?

I'd also second the thumbs up for Jigsaw - they were a dealer I used a number of times when I used to live and work in London, excellent service, good on prices and they also used to have a very good BTO facility, with a lot of the different configurations available from stock....

Derek's idea of an older or refurb MacPro model is a very good one...To be honest, the real world speed differences (for Photoshop) between the minor CPU speed bumps that occur between models is relatively minor, so a good saving can be made on an older model with little trade off on performance - allowing the saving to be possibly spent on extra amounts of Ram which IS where you will notice performance gains.....

I'll try to give a real world idea: I worked on some large archive scanning/retouching jobs last year for a couple of photographers and after the maximum 16bit capture and added retouch layers in PS, I found myself dealing with Tifs that were well over 1Gb+ !....Fortunately I had the 2 towers to spread some of the load (I used the G5 to do some of the automated batches)...Yes, the Quad Intel had a noticeable nippiness to it when compared to the G5 and was the more comfortable machine with it all (especially when actively working on the files), but all in all, the G5 tower wasn't that far behind, especially when considering its age (in computer terms) and the fact that CS4 would have been happier on the Intel machine.....Maxing the Ram in the G5 Quad made the biggest difference to its performance and ability to keep up with the load I was throwing at it.....(By the way, on these large files, I did used to notice an annoying 'lagging' memory problem - i.e. PS performance would seem to gradually get slower and slower as I worked on the files, as if it wasn't letting go of the Ram use, even when History etc was emptied - only quitting CS4 and reopening would seem to set things afresh....I ended up putting it down to CS4, as it would happen on both machines - Intel & PowerPC, although I have never found it mentioned as a known issue)

To be honest, from what you've said about a few 70Mb+ files etc, I would have expected a recent Mini to cope with that with no problems....As I said in my earlier post, even the imacs are now seriously fast machines....It's more with video related work where a fastest possible CPU and graphic's card performance comes into more play....With 2D photoshop, after a reasonable CPU, I would put all my money into maximum possible Ram - something that is simples with the Pro towers (Max 16Gb on Quad & 32Gb on OctiCore)....The MacPro also has a large L3 cache memory built in....

Yes the MacPro is the more expensive option and takes up more space etc, but it allows for so much future growth and expansion (i.e the 4 internal HD bays are so simple to use), whichever way you may go, that in the long run, for professional work, I think they are the better buy, IMHO....

Steve.

Thanks Gary and Derek, I'll take a look.

Steve, thanks again for your time...I really appreciate it. I've also noticed CS4 progressively slowing my computer as I work through files and yes, the only way to solve it was to close it down and reopen.

No problem, pleasure.

Glad (in a way) to read you have also noticed the same CS4 issue...As I say, I never really ever found any acknowledged issue or solution, so just got into the habit of quitting PS after each file...It was the larger files though, not really noticeable on anything smaller, for me anyway....I use Indesign just as much (if not more) than PS, so was prepared to put up with the annoyance, but if I was 100% PS, it would have been very annoying....

I'll be interested to see if CS5 is the same....Will pick up the suite when I'm next in BKK.

Good luck on the kit buying !

S.

The Mac pro because of it's expandability will last you a long time, I have just added my 5th SATA drive to it and there is still room for one more - 4 inside and two external using the internal sockets.

Quite a few slots to add additional card based function and an easy graphic card process cf iMac and Mac Mini.