A mac is never a bad idea. If your constantly having issues with windows i can imagine a lot of these disapearing until Mac OS X. If your serious about your studies (and i assume you are ) then a mac will essentially remove most issues you may have.

You won't have to worry as much about crashes or losing work (due to time machine, look it up on the apple site) Basically you will be able to just get on with your work and not worry to much about maintenance. I do design for digital media and this was one of the reasons i chose a mac.

I would totally go for the mac! Along with the things said, the windows OS full of holes. So not only will you not have to worry about losing work, but the mac stays virus free as long as you're careful (so no limewire!)

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You said it yourself - you have to "put up" with your PC, it's not like that with a Mac (except for Windows fanboys, they just hate everything that doesn't shine out of Bill Gate's arse!)

You could install Windows XP on your Mac as a dual-boot option (using Boot Camp you can choose to boot into Windows or Mac OS X); remember that Windows is still Windows and is just as awful when run on a Mac (although should have no hardware conflicts at least, because all the drivers are supplied by Apple for your specific machine), but it may save you having to re-purchase lots of expensive software for Mac OS X (your Windows software will not run in it). There are several alternatives to Boot Camp for running Windows software on a Mac - here is a list of the ones currently available: [link]
You will need to have a Windows XP install disc which has SP2 or greater already included.

Of course, it would be better if you could get Mac OS X versions of the software you need (Adobe CS3 is the first version that truly supports Intel Macs, CS2 and others are for PPC Macs and are a little slower as they run under PPC emulation called Rosetta), Maya is available too; here's a (incomplete) list of graphics software for Mac OS X: [link]
Some of it is freeware, some is commercial.

Mac's are more suited to multimedia type things such as 3D work or image manipulating, although mac's are good at these sorts of things there is 1 or 2 downsides to using a mac, the first thing being that they can overheat (not very often i might add) and that you cannot change the parts as easy a windows Based PC, so i really depends on what you need to do with a machine really

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If you can barely run them you may not have enough RAM or whatever. That's going to make a big difference no matter which side you pick.

I was a PC user for 11 years when I switched. I really like Mac better. Though my old PC wasn't much to compare anything to. However...as I watch all my PC friends continue to have trouble with their stuff (whether it's old or new!) while mine works fine I have to wonder.

I won't say one's better than the other. (Though I do have an opinion. ) I think it's all a matter of preference. Look around and ask questions, like you're doing. I bet the Mac Pro would work well for you. I have a MacBook Pro and it runs Creative Suite nicely. But you'll have to decide. Hit an Apple Store if you can and haven't already! It's fun to go in there and play. C:

Also, I thought I heard that PCs are better for 3D work. Don't quote me on that though.

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No, Windows stays virus-free as long as you're careful. Mac OS X stays virus-free no matter what.
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I just turned 15 (17th of April), and decided it was time I got myself a laptop for studies.

I have been a Windows user since I was 7, so lets say eight years. I have had both XP and Vista, and I've aswell had LOTS of problems within XP.

This Tuesday, I went out to buy a Mac. It has been my dream for ages having a Mac.
I was quite unsure about the switch from Windows to Leopard (I still have the Windows PC), but I adapted to it very quickly, and I am truly proud to say that I am a MacOS user. I have never tried anything better. I haven't had too much time getting used to it, but by the looks so far, I don't want to go back to Windows. Ever.

It's so much more safe, smoother, faster and user-friendly.

I have a MacBook Pro 17" with 2,5 GHz. Got it for $4 006 and even though it is a lot of money, I don't feel it was a waste. It is a masterpiece truly worth every dollar.


Good luck with finding your optimal laptop/PC. (Just to add, I have always prefered using my PC instead of my old Windows laptop. That has now changed and I sit on my Mac 24/7.)

Best,
Zonk.

Which Macs have you heard of overheating? The laptops can run quite hot but I've never had an overheating problem myself in over 17 years except when I tried to run Crysis on the highest settings (in Boot Camp, which is probably why).

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