What is the optimal computing power of someone going to college?

mike: What is the optimal computing power of someone going to college?
I am looking at new macs before i go to college for graphic arts, but I’m having trouble deciding what i need as far as Ghz and hard drive size. Should 2.26 Ghz be enough or should i go up to 3.06? Do I need more than a 320 GB hard drive or should i ramp it all the way up to 1 TB? I just need answers to questions like those, thanks.

Answers and Views:

Answer by cgramer2
Which model(s) are you looking at? Mac Pro, iMac, MacBook/MacBook Pro? That’ll help narrow it down. 🙂 I’d probably avoid a notebook, though, as working in Adobe CS4, especially Photoshop, on a small screen can be maddening.

Generally, I wouldn’t worry too much about processor speed, but more about storage, system memory, and graphics processing capabilities. I imagine you’ll be working on some large projects for college, so a large hard drive (or you can get an external drive to store your projects) would be a good idea.

Also, since you’ll be working on graphic arts projects, a large and high-quality display would also be important.

Bearing that in mind, any of the 24″ iMacs should be just fine, considering the size of the display and their 1920×1200 resolution. Or, if you’re on a tighter budget, you could get the 320 GB Mac Mini and get a 24″ display (I’d check NewEgg for this, as the Apple CinemaDisplay is very pricey).

Or you could save some money by getting a previous-generation 24″ iMac, here:

Apple usually has educational discounts as well, and I believe they have an offer where you can get a free iPod Touch if you buy a Mac for school. Details here:

Good luck!

Answer by Always Confused
Mac book pro 15″:
2.53Ghz intel core 2 duo
4gb ddr3 sdram
320gb serial ata 7200rpm (500gb if you want windows on it too)
nVIDIA GeForce 9400M
sd card slot (for cameras etc.)

you might get some student discount too

check it out here: