MB vs. MBP for CS3?

[munckee]

Hey everyone, I'm new here. I stumbled onto this thread:

http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=16812

via google and was really impressed by the quality of the answers, especially compared to the other sites I've been reading.

I'm looking to replace my newly dead 1.5Ghz Powerbook w/2GB of ram with either a macbook or MBP. My (working) time is spent 85% on creative suite with the other 15% on dreamweaver, flash, and exploring new programs.

I'm still confused on specifically how much difference I'll see between the two machines for running CS3. For some reason I can't seem to understand exactly what difference the integrated graphics will me FOR ME. I can make a decision about case design, display size, etc on my own.

So...
-What are your experiences running CS3 on a MacBook?
-Can you run multiple programs (Ps, In Design, Illustrator, suitcase, safari/firefox) at once, or does it bog down?
-Do you notice (or can I expect to notice) much difference between 2 and 3 GB of ram for my uses?
-Does using an external monitor (in addition to CS) have the potential to slow me down? (Does an external make use of the graphics card?) I usually have my computer hooked up to a 23" ACD.

Thanks!

[Brad]

Welcome, munckee! :)
http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=16812
Oops. :o It looks like I need to fix those broken images. I'll have to revisit that thread when I get home this evening!

I don't have any experience with CS3, but I think I can help with your questions a little. :)

I'm still confused on specifically how much difference I'll see between the two machines for running CS3. For some reason I can't seem to understand exactly what difference the integrated graphics will me FOR ME. I can make a decision about case design, display size, etc on my own.
I imagine the difference would be negligible for Adobe's suite of applications. If I recall correctly, Adobe's apps have little to no GPU-specific optimizations that would benefit from the MacBook Pro's GPU with dedicated memory.

-Can you run multiple programs (Ps, In Design, Illustrator, suitcase, safari/firefox) at once, or does it bog down?
In general with Mac OS X, the only factor that limits your ability to smoothly multitask with multiple applications is the amount of memory your have installed. If you have 2 or 3 GB of RAM, so long as something isn't also pegging the processor (Flash in any web browser, for example, is a huge CPU hog), you should be able to very easily switch between those programs.

[steve77uk]

Well I have got a C2D Macbook Black 2GB RAM and CS3 Photoshop is working for me...

Also have it on my iMac 24" also with 2GB RAM and works a treat... CS3 is universal so that does make a difference. CS2 did run a bit slower, was horrible with 1GB RAM but when I upgraded to 2GB was a lot better to the point where it ran the same as my works PC (weird I know)...

So in my opinion, CS3 works fine on my Macbook with 2GB RAM... Can't say much about the other apps as not used them yet except for Dreamweaver CS3 (and 8 did work ok too btw) which runs absolutely fine...

Hope this helps!;)

[munckee]

Thanks Brad. Will the GPU have any impact on my use of an external monitor? I never had any issue running the 23" off my powerbook; can I expect it to run just as smoothly on a macbook?

[Windowsrookie]

yes, The GMA950 will probably be just as fast as the Nvidia in your PowerBook. It was a really crappy GPU.