Rookie in need of system advice

[kllauner]

Not going to ask mac vs. pc, my mind is made up and it's windows for me. Besides my day job is working for Intel. I know we are "inside" mac but after I graduate I will continue to work for Intel and it's a windows based company. I am not saying there isn't a Mac or two within my cubicle world but few and far between. OK on to my "rookie" question. I am a graphic design student and a serious hobbyist in photography. I am looking for the best system to run CS4 (now hang on my school is not supporting CS5 just yet), best monitor to display my works of art ...hehe..and photos. What are the questions I need to ask myself when shopping? What should I stay away from? One advice I have been given is ask serious gamers what they look for in a system. Am I better off piecing together a complete package or is there a complete package already put together?  I want a printer that can hold it's own and give me decent quality by home printer standards. Price range is $1000-$1500 for everything. Is this price range a joke?

[themacosxflies]

- Macs can run Windows, and the 'experience' is better than with most PCs as they (Macintoshes) don't come loaded with crap-ware software to down the computer's retail price.
- CS4 is fine. You don't need the latest and greatest no matter what Adobe marketing machinery says. I still miss FreeHand.
- Gamer's advice is a blatant joke. Last thing you want is a display with a super fast pixel response and a quasi-infinite contrast ratio over your desk.
- Sadly, quality stuff is pricey. a printer like the Canon Pixma Pro A3 9500 plus a quality display like NEC or LaCie would go beyond those $1500.
- Spend wisely, the monitor and the printer are way more important to your workflow than the PC itself alone. Any intel CPU is powerful enough these days. Intel rules.
- Also, stay away from cheap mouse & keyboards.

Good luck !!!

[jacklinjones]

As you are more interested in photography than you should select your system on its basis. Visit Apple store where you will find out many models which gives best quality picture and also good resolution with 15" screen display. Use the best graphic card that gives you enough support for best result.

[JohnSebesta]

If you have the knowledge and time, building your own system really is the best value for the money. You can control exactly what is put in your system, both hardware and software.