Need a new Mac...help

[scottrsimons]

Earlier this year we bought 2 new Mac Studio's (M1 Max with 64GB) and put 2-27" displays (not Apple) on them. Operators are happy. There are less pixels than the older 27" 5K iMacs than we used to have but it's still better than they had (iMac and a 22" secondary).

The whole switching of processors and having to try and decide which one reminds me of the old PowerPC days and also the switch to Intel. This seems to be way better. And yet still crazy to think that there are satellites still in space working with 68000 chips, which were in my first Mac.

[pspdfppdfxhd]

I am a bit afraid of all the side issues that will come up. Networking, 3rd party plugins and that sort of thing. I researched most of them and found out the highest OS we can go to is Ventura.

I think everything will be ok except for Quark, but we'll have to keep the old one just to run that. To ask the client to update Quark and buy a new computer...not happening.

Haven't been able to find out if FieryXF that drives our Epson will still work. The server runs on a Windows 10 computer that's hooked up to CWS on the Mac. I reached out to the EFI communiity but have not heard back yet.

[pspdfppdfxhd]

Mac mini with a 3rd party monitor?

[pspdfppdfxhd]

Can't believe I am saying Mac mini...

[Tracy]

Wow, after reading all this I am amazed how little I know about the new Macs. Still chuggin along with a 2015 Imac with 32GB of ram. It's getting painful to use.

files get bigger and bigger and bloatier and bloatier 

[Skryber]

I think everything will be ok except for Quark, but we'll have to keep the old one just to run that. To ask the client to update Quark and buy a new computer...not happening.

Is Quark not dead yet? My coworker picked up a side job for a magazine layout and she will work with a group of designers. The guy running it had them vote which program they will use. I thought she was going to say Quark or Indesign. No! It was between Indesign and Canva! I told her I wouldn't have taken the job. The fact that you are with 6 other designers on a shared layout would have been enough for me to pass let alone Canva. Indesign won but there were "designers" who voted for Canva. I guess she can see how it goes. I would have told that guy I'll do the entire layout and everyone else can work on ads.

[pspdfppdfxhd]

Quark is not dead until our client dies. He's 80.

Canvahhhhhh....noooooo. Worse than Quark if that's possible.

[scottrsimons]

I was shocked by getting a beefed up mini myself but they are working just fine. Although I remember saying the same thing when I first got my first iMac. It wasn't a tower, "professional" Mac. But haven't looked back. And now think the same about the mini/studio. We don't worry about color on screen too much. We proof it and know what moves we need to move from there.

The other thing we did for compatibility reasons, was to setup the old iMac either next to the operator or in a spot where they can remote into them if need be for the software they would not run on the new system. Since we are in a production environment, not everything gets updated right away. But there are times where the computer needs to be and we have to fight all the other issues for a bit. That's how we get around it. FYI.

[Joe]

Mac mini with a 3rd party monitor?

Top of the line Mac Mini with the M2 chip, 32 gb of RAM which is the MAX you can go and a 1 TB SSD is $2,200 plus you still have a buy a monitor, keyboard and mouse.

[DigiCorn]

I still roll with an iMac (late 2011) at home and CS5.5 because that's the only machine at home with CS on it (that runs) for home projects and side/freelance work. I have 5.5 for Windows, but all my OS's are too new that it won't run or install on any of them.

My main Windows 10 is a quad 3.1ghz with 32gb RAM and 2 32" 1080 TV monitors. When I was working from home during Covid, it's what I used.

I'm still working on building a gaming rig that's got a quad 3.3ghz and 16gb RAM (only 2 slots on that board I think - it's in the shop) but it has a kick ass 3gb video card.

[madbugger]

3 x late 2012 iMac 27" at work. Stopped updating Adobe 2 yrs ago as it won't run on those Macs.

Apparently its not a priority.

[pspdfppdfxhd]

I was shocked by getting a beefed up mini myself but they are working just fine. Although I remember saying the same thing when I first got my first iMac. It wasn't a tower, "professional" Mac. But haven't looked back. And now think the same about the mini/studio. We don't worry about color on screen too much. We proof it and know what moves we need to move from there.

The other thing we did for compatibility reasons, was to setup the old iMac either next to the operator or in a spot where they can remote into them if need be for the software they would not run on the new system. Since we are in a production environment, not everything gets updated right away. But there are times where the computer needs to be and we have to fight all the other issues for a bit. That's how we get around it. FYI.

Yo, beef up the mini, beef up the mini, yo, yo.

[pspdfppdfxhd]

Sorry, Sunday night, a few brown pops in, my bad.

[DigiCorn]

Actually, if anyone has a working mini, I'd consider buying it... for the right price...

[pspdfppdfxhd]

I think this might be a dumb question but....

Is there any way to hook up an older Imac to use only as a monitor to the new one? We have another 5k one sitting around here that doesn't shut down on its own like the one I am using.

I'm sure somebody would have mentioned this already if it was possible.