Need input on which kind of Computer is the best to use for Designing.

[tedbragg]

Illustrator runs great on my Mac Mini. No surprises. No crashes. Only issue I have is lack of a CD burner. I hate that they quit putting those in the Mini :-(

 

[Boudica]

Here's what I did at my last job. Find the quietest, dorkiest IT guy you have and make friends with him. After a while he will load any program on your computer and get you whatever you need. Not to mention, you will make a new friend you never expected to make and he will be interesting and fun to hang out with at work. It's a win-win situation.

However, make sure you delete all the illegal stuff on your computer before he gets promoted to a different job because the next IT guy is going to get VERY upset and literally lock your computer down so hard you can barely check your email without asking.

....Picturing Johnny's sketch in my head right now...

 

[vondegroot]

There's an old saying.
This is a PEBKAC error

Your computer is fine. Right click the task bar, open task manager. See how much ram is in use next time it happens. Probably out of ram.

How have I never heard this acronym before? GOLD!

 

[DL Signs]

Seems like a post like this comes up every few months. Same question, what kind of computer do I need?
Maybe it makes sense with how fast technology changes.
My main computer is a Dell and I'm in the midst of updating all my computers to Dell.
I have 32Gb of RAM and also primarily use Illustrator and it's pretty zippy.

Dell for the win.
That's what I use at home, spec'd similar to the Mac here at the office (processor speed/ ram/ video/ etc), and will run circles around the Mac. And way friendlier on the budget.

 

[Bobby H]

I use a Dell XPS desktop system at work and an Alienware X17 notebook at home. Good NVidia RTX graphics boards, 64GB of RAM and NVMe SSD boot drives in both.

On the Windows side I have NOT been a fan of kit-built PCs. And those seem to be a favorite of many IT guys and local computer stores. Too many of these guys claim they're going to save you a lot of money versus buying a name brand system from a company like Dell. What they do is put a bunch of mystery meat hardware and software in the machine in order to save that money. It is very much possible to buy a kit-built PC that delivers outstanding performance and reliability, but in order to do that you tend to have to do the kit-building yourself and know what you're doing. And you have to approach the task with the mindset of building a great computer system rather than trying to pinch pennies.

 

[unmateria]

No budget, 12400f... Good budget, 13900k (really overkill for illustrator only)
Illustrator use resources as crap, so 16-32gb as much and dont waste into a ver expensive gfx card.
Anyway with a 11700t, you dont need a new computer. Try just disabling graphic acceleration on illustrator or if you have an AMD/ati graphic card, replace it with an NVIDIA one

 

[myront]

I see the common denominator here but I won't get into that. SSD, Memory and Graphics card is the key. 32 or above is good. Steer away from AMD graphics cards too. Dump temp files often.

 

[visual800]

i run dell xps, used system, I buy all used computers, windows 10 (hated to but had to get that) i7-4770 processor, 16365MB memory, run illustrator, flexisigns , photoshop

No updates on operating system and no antivirus, no defender, updates are what ruins computers, run like all the other XPS ive had, flawless

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Staceys advise is to flirt with a nerd and delete the photos afterwards. As a ex IT guy, I support this approach

 

[JBurton]

I just finished setting up the 3rd lenovo workstation here in the office.
Step 1, reinstall windows.
Step 2, profit.
(Still haven't settled on what I'm putting together for myself. I was looking at building a dual xeon workstation with some laughable amount of ram, until I came across the dozens of posts on corel forums where xeon users were having fits. The 14th gen i9 is an embarrassment, and 13th gen isn't going down in price. Seriously considering something like a signburst or puget systems build, but then I don't get to assemble anything...)

 

[johnnysigns]

www.signburst.com..... the Inferno series should handle whatever you need it to do, and the tech support is the best I've seen anywhere.

100% vouch for sign burst as well. Casey is amazing and his products are excellent.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I just finished setting up the 3rd lenovo workstation here in the office.
Step 1, reinstall windows.
Step 2, profit.
(Still haven't settled on what I'm putting together for myself. I was looking at building a dual xeon workstation with some laughable amount of ram, until I came across the dozens of posts on corel forums where xeon users were having fits. The 14th gen i9 is an embarrassment, and 13th gen isn't going down in price. Seriously considering something like a signburst or puget systems build, but then I don't get to assemble anything...)

What are you hearing on the i9? I have 11th gen i9

 

[JBurton]

What are you hearing on the i9? I have 11th gen i9

Just that the 14th gen was the most incremental improvement, to the point that reviewers are comparing a 14900 to a great bin 13900, both are capable of hitting 6ghz, same core counts, same everything basically except configuration out of the box. It's not bad, just embarrassing. Then to top it off, 13th gen is like $550, and 14th is $599. 12th gen is about $350 for comparison.

 

[Humble PM]

Isn't that just tick, tock?

 

[netsol]

I have always used Mac laptops, PowerBook Pro
They have the new chips M3, you can easy last all day on the battery without plugging in.
Now the Mac hate speech is upon us.

you run all day on battery?
as far as i know, all intel chips use STEPPING. (meaning they would.run about 40% faster on AC power
if the cpu fan stops, the

 

[Johnny Best]

No Intel chips, M3 chips in new Macs now

 

[njkreger]

What is your budget? What operating system does the designer prefer - Windows or MacOS? How complex do you AI files tend to be?

I've spec'd several systems out with major manufacturers, as well as built several custom systems for sign shops, and can provide a few recommendations if you'd like.

 

[kcollinsdesign]

There are some very good reasons to use a Mac. Most of those have to do with the fluidity of the graphics and the intuitive nature of the OS and the Apple eco-system. Cost should not be a consideration if you are using the tool professionally; even a modest gain of 2% - 3% in productivity will easily cover the additional cost of a Mac in a couple of weeks. However, you may be more familiar with the Windows interface (I would still give Mac a try).
Within the Adobe environment, what brand of computer you use makes little difference. Mac M chip Multicore Intel processor (with 64-bit support) with SSE 4.2 or later or AMD Athlon 64 processor with SSE 4.2 or later. 16 GB RAM (you don't need any more for Illustrator). Plenty of storage (at least 25% of free storage available, preferably solid state).
Probably most important is to use a regular full size keyboard, mouse, and a generous desktop monitor (some people prefer two, but I find that slows me down). The ergonomics of sitting properly at a desktop will improve productivity and comfort and lead to far fewer health issues.
Some workplace environments require a Windows OS. If tech support is provided, it shouldn't matter which brand of computer you use as long as it meets Illustrator's recommended requirements. Make sure your tech team knows what is required ( https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/system-requirements.html#ai-on-the-desktop ).
Remember, you will be using Photoshop as well, likely a font management program and server, and I recommend Hot Door CADtools.