Going away to college, hoping to buy a Mac. Which do I need?

[HCSwitch]

Hello forum members, and thank you for your willingness to help. I am going to college next year () and feel that it will be a good opportunity to switch away from Windows, which I have been using for many years. Games were a primary factor when purchasing my past three computers. However, I have not only outgrown computer games, but I feel that I spend far too much time on the computer and would prefer to spend this time interacting with humans.

For the most part, I will be running the following:

Macromedia Flash, Dreamweaver
Adobe Photoshop
Microsoft Office
Safari
iTunes

I had originally planned to buy the 17 inch PowerBook when it was first announced. Weeks later, the Power Macs were re-priced and I wanted a Power Mac with a 20 inch cinema display. Today, I began to think more realistically that both of these systems are far too expensive for how I plan to use them. I am now considering the cheaper Apple computers, but unfortunately have little experience.

How will the iBook and (new) iMac run with this software? How much RAM would you recommend, assuming that I may need to run a few of the above programs simultaneously? I am not concerned about things such as the amount of time it takes Photoshop to filter an image, but I would like to be able to multi-task without noticeable lag. Upgradeability is of little importance. Portability is unneeded, but would of course be nice at times. If I do purchase a laptop, it will most often be used with a full-sized keyboard and mouse.

What do you recommend? If you need more information, please let me know. When considering prices, please note that I will be receiving the educational discount which I believe is nearly 10% off. Price is not the biggest issue, but I do not want to waste money either. And finally, is it possible to purchase the 17 inch iMac without the Super Drive? I hope so.

Thank you very much for your time!

[onegoodpenguin]

I have an iBook and I am in love with it. I take it to every class and use it for notes, but I also use it for Photoshopping and such. It runs well and w/ enough RAM isn't slow. Mine isn't working at the moment, but that's a whole other story :-\

[HCSwitch]

How much RAM do you have, and what size did you get? If you are unhappy with your current amount, how much would you recommend? Also, do you have the 12-inch or 14-inch iBook? How is that working out for you? Thank you.

[moav]

If you are trying to save a little money and want an enjoyable experience with those apps I would recommend getting the 15" powerbook w/out the superdrive... You'll save $500 plus bucks that you could get an ipod with or something. Plus with your educational discount you could get it for around $2200 bucks. I have a 800 mhz 12" ibook and 667mhz 15" powerbook and even though the powerbook is slower the screen size makes it so much more enjoyable to use. I also think that resale is going to be better with the powerbook and the pontential for uprades will be greater as well. If you can wait 3 months or so, they'll probably have a slight upgrade to the 15" otherwise just purchase it now. Compusa in many areas is running 1 year same as cash deals and you can still get a student discount.

[Cheryl]

I suggest getting 512 Mb of Ram, no matter what computer you finally decide upon.

The 15 inch probably would suit you fine. And get the AppleCare Extended warranty. Just in case something happens.

If you do not plan to carry the computer with you to class, look at the iMac. The newest one takes up less room, and is powerful.

[HCSwitch]

I am considering either 512 MB or 1 GB of RAM. I probably only need 512 MB, but I am considering the future. As I mentioned above, my experience is mainly with Dell computers and my two -year-old Dell came with 512 MB of RAM. It is still fine, but I can imagine needing more two or especially four years in the future. Do Macs seem to need less RAM or more RAM than PCs for the same performance?

And speaking of planning ahead: There seem to be two general strategies for this purchase.
1. I can get a lower-end computer (iBook, iMac), use it for two years, and then buy another.
2. I can pay the amount the two lower-end computers would have cost for a Power Mac that would hopefully last four years.

Any thoughts?

I appreciate the comments and will have to decide whether I should go with the first approach or the second. Another thing to consider is that I may be eligible for Apple's Student Developer program which comes with a discount. I have emailed them to confirm that I will be eligible. This discount is one-time-only, so it would be more beneficial with the Power Mac plan. Thanks again.

[HCSwitch]

Also, you mention to "AppleCare Extended warranty". How neccessary do you consider this to be? I have owned six Dells over the course of seven years and have yet to need to use my warranty. Macs seem to be built even better. The warranty for the Power Mac + display costs 250, which I find to be rather expensive. Do many people seem to have problems with Mac hardware? If so, what parts seem to cause the most trouble. Whatever I buy, I just hope it does not have dead pixels.