Mac Quandery

[Anonymous]

Guys i need some help!

Im a student studying Architecture in Melbourne

I need some recommendations, I have to buy a Mac to run Archicad and iMill on for uni but are tossing up between 2 models and are looking for a hopefully long term, yet also inexpensiver option which really is a contradiction considering the alternatives.

Option 1 is to buy a G5 1.8ghz 20inch iMac, and upgrade putting in another 512mb ram. This appears to be more than satisfactory for the use of archicad and associated software am i right?

Option 2 is to buy a new Mac Mini 1.42ghz, for which I already have 19in LCD and mouse etc. I would upgrade this to a 1gb ram and a superdrive as well as an external 160gb HD.
Is there any way that this would run ArchiCAD sufficiently?

There is of course my dillemma between spending AUS$1800 and AUS $3000 as a student who cannot see this technology lasting much further than the end of my 5 year degree. Surely something new will be available.

Can you please recommend to me the sensibility and practicality of these options. I understand that the mini mac is not as powerful processor, but would that amount of ram support archicad? The other worry is the capability of the graphics card in the mini, which i take is very inferior to the G5.

I would appreciate any information and tips you could give to me!

Cheers,

Toby

[Anonymous]

~/archiben wrote:

Lennox wrote:
Does this render the first computer slower, or is it still as fast as when it was bought?

the first computer is obviously still as fast as when you bought it . . . but what you are forgetting are the software cycles that happen as well. are the minimum system requirements of archiCAD 9 the same as those of archiCAD 4? no!

this is of course the hardware-software vicious circle that all manufacturers/developers (not just apple!) are marketing to the masses. ooo! the cynicism!

~/archiben

However It is generally agreed that Archicad 9 is more responsive on the same hardware as Archicad 8, just that same 2 years ago when the top of the range mac was a 1.42Ghz G4