Mac advice for a Graphic Designer

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Level 1

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Mac advice for a Graphic Designer

Hi,

I’m a graphic designer based in the UK. I freelance and am getting quite a bit of work at the moment. I am currently working off a 2008 Macbook Pro 15” but looking to upgrade. I would prefer an iMac as I would then have a desktop and laptop, but I’m stuck what to buy. I have a budget of about £900-£1000. I have been looking at the 2.7GHz, 21.5” iMac.

I will be working on the Adobe suite (InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator) and sometimes run Final Cut Pro (only very occasionally though)!

Does anyone have any suggestions of what to get?

Thanks in advance.

James

Posted on Jul 30, 2015 8:34 AM

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Answer 1

Jonathan UK

Level 10

163,775 points

Jul 30, 2015 9:22 AM in response to whitaker3000

As a graphic designer, might you benefit from working on a Mac that is equipped with a Retina display (ie including for previewing designs on the high resolution display)?

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Answer 2

Jul 31, 2015 4:42 AM in response to whitaker3000

One drawback of the 21.5" iMacs is that you must order the amount

of RAM you want at purchase time as it is not user upgradable. With

the apps that you are using, they have a tendency to be very RAM

hungry. In addition, the apps, Photoshop for one, highly leverage

the computers graphics processor.

All though the 2.7GHz model has the much better Iris Pro integrated graphics,

it is no match for the models with discrete graphics cards.

If I were you, I would shell out a little more and get at the least the non-Retina

27" iMac. It has a pretty decent discrete graphics processor, a higher performance

CPU, ability to upgrade RAM at your leisure up to 32 GB, and a really nice 27" display.

Once you start working with a screen with that much desktop real estate you wonder

how you could work on anything smaller.

Of course, you could spend yet a little more and get the base Retina model which

has a really, really nice display for graphics work.

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