How well does CS2 run on the MBP?

CS2 runs alright... but don't expect a HUGE jump in performance compared to your Powerbook... depending on which version of the Powerbook you own. Also if you do get the new laptops expect CS2 to crash a lot... if I were you and I didn't NEED to get a laptop now wait for CS3 to come out and possibly the Santa Rose version of the Macbook Pros, then make your purchase... that's what I would've done.

Heavy duty apps like CS2 won't run as well as they can because laptops are not performance machines like the Mac Pro is.

Photoshop runs reasonably to very well on a Mac Pro under Rosette with enough RAM, even faster on G5 PowerMac with enough RAM. I'm talking 4-4.5 GB or more here.

Laptops drives are slow to conserve power. It's used as a memory buffer when one exceeds the RAM with a large Photoshop file. Since laptops have low RAM upgradability options that's a double whammy for a performance app like CS2.

My suggestion is to keep the G4 laptop you got for necessary portability needs and get yourself a performance desktop system for the heavy lifting.

Sit down and run the math, the price of a new MacBook Pro is almost equal to that of a Mac Pro with a bit more RAM and AppleCare. You can always go cheap on the monitor and upgrade it later.

There isn't much room in a laptop for processor performance anymore, processors are going multi-core and generating a lot of heat. Apple switched to intel processors because IBM couldn't make a cool G5 for laptops. However intel is also at the end of the heat line now if you ever ran a MacBook Pro for some time you'll see the results with a burned leg.

So my advice is to keep the G4 and get a desktop system for the heavy lifting until new technology appears for laptops.

Don't listen to people who say Photoshop runs alright on a MBP.

Photoshop runs worse than my old e-machine. Illustrator as well. Running it under parallels found a noticable improvement so Im assumming running bootcamp would even be faster.

I run Photoshop Elements 4 just fine on the MBP.

I would say if it were me, and I didn't NEED to buy a new laptop and I knew what I know now ... I would say wait until CS3 comes out and the core duo 2's have some things ironed out (don't you think there are bound to be some?) and then make some switches.

I'd also say if you decide to switch now, it can possibly be a bumpy ride, so just be ready for it and not do it at a time when you're swamped and need your reliable computer ... meaning at least it sounds like you know the computer you have.

Also, I work in CS2 and it feels fast enough for me with no rosetta problems to speak of since 10.4.8 update fixed certain irritating measurement glitches, but I have not had to work extensively in photoshop or illustrator.

One of the most accurate and honest answers to this question.

I have an AMD64 3000+ and 1 GB of RAM, 7200rpm drive in my desktop. Photoshop flies. I would be embarrassed with my MBP if I put them side by side. It's isn't the load times that get me, its the actual responsiveness of the program itself in everyday use.

I almost want to go back to my desktop to is PSD...

It's a real shame it doesn't run well. I prefer the lighter CS over the CS2 and can only imagine the garbage they are going to pack into CS3... sigh.

"I run Photoshop Elements 4 just fine on the MBP."

nice, but that wasn't the question.

For a photographer it suits me fine, but as soon you fiddle with multi-layered PSDs at silly resolutions it's time to put the kettle on, read a book or catch up with Lost.

That said, anything universal simply rips along.

I would wait for CS3 before you make your purchase. I wish i had the same restraint and patience but my mouth started foaming, the visa came out and the rest was a blur.

S

I have been working on a MBP since March of last year and all I do is work with CS2. While everyone else here can give you partial experience and hypotheticals I will give you real answers.

I ran a Powerbook G4 before my MBP and had 1.25 gHz in it... My CS2 apps in my MBP with 1.5 gHz show no real drop off or improvement. When I had only the stock .5 mHz in the MBP it took forever to open the program, and heavy tasks did take a while. The change for you won't be noticable to what you are used to on your powerbook, and if you stick 2 gHz in it, you may even notice improvements, especially considering mine is a CD1 chip.

The true downfalls will come when you find you should only run 2 CS2 applications at a time... if you run more you will probably have one quit on you. I find InDesign to be the most stable, with Photoshop rarely quitting as well, and Illustrator quitting the most. That pretty much sums up CS2 anyway, Illustrator is always the one that could really benefit from an autosave such as InDesign has.

I don't have as much trouble running a lot of Rosetta apps, as long as the CS2 are kept down to 2 at a time. I regualarly have ID, Ill, Flash, Dreamweaver and Excel all open at once and while slow at times... it's not too bad considering how ridiculous that is. Office by far performs the worst under Rosetta... It's a monster, and anyone using Excel daily has far more to worry about than people using CS2.

" While everyone else here can give you partial experience and hypotheticals I will give you real answers."

Excuse me? How do you know what everyone else's experience with Photoshop is here? Yes, no one else strictly works on Photoshop here...

You have some audacity and quite the ego. What other GROSS generalizations have you thus made on your actual assessments (which of course purely subjective and therefore of little value)?

What do u mean with the Santa Rose version of the Macbook pro? I was waiting for the C2D but its true that i dont need the macbook for now, i can wait a more months.

What will be that Santa Rose version?

Barefeats.com has just done some tests that show that with improvements to Rosetta under 10.4.8 CS2 runs quite a bit faster. If you are running a lot of programs under Rosetta upgrading to 10.4.8 seems well worth it. I upgraded and noticed that Office now boots much faster.

Most programs that require rossetta to run, take a big performance hit when run on an intel machine. I think you
are making the right decision. Wait till the software
is available, then buy the best machine you can to run it on.
Unless your current laptop is broken it might be silly
to buy a new laptop now. Opps, sorry notebook. From
my limited experience todays intel mac laptops run old
software no better than the old g4 laptops did.

By the time Adobe comes out with native software likely
apple will have come out with faster laptops. If your
only use of the laptop is to run adobe software, I'd
wait and upgrade both at the same time. If you also use
other software that is native, and you think your laptop needs
upgrading anyway, then it becomes more complicated.