I have a friend that does basic design for print (4 color press) No web work or other non traditional media.

Currently she is running a G5 1.8 Dual Processor running OS 10.4

She is feeling the need to upgrade (not sure why - just a need)

She is using the original Adobe Creative Suite and is talking about going to 10.5 & CS 3

After seeing all the comments here (although I didn't follow detail) I have advised her against that combination.

So I'm looking for comments / opinions on a couple scenarios

#1 - Keep 10.4 and upgrade to either CS2 or CS3 - advantages ? disadvantages ? a draw ?

#2- Upgrade to 10.5 and CS2 - same questions advantages etc ...

#3 - open to suggestions


Any real advantage of even putting 10.5 of this machine ?

Any real advantage for someone doing straight print work to upgrade ?

TIA for any insights

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I hear 10.5.4 has more fixes for CS3. But we're about eight months after 10.5's release and Apple still hasn't fixed the bugs that give CS3 problems. And the problems got worse with 10.5.3 (now InDesign crashes when I try to save or export.)

I would stick with 10.4. I think CS3 would do well.

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My first hand experience would be to suggest CS2 and stay with 10.4.11

CS3 is slower on my dual G5 by 20% compared to CS2.


3P

>
> I would stick with 10.4. I think CS3 would do well.
>

That's the direction I'm leaning right now. I remember that you had posted about the many problems with 10.5 & CS3

I think part of her need to upgrade is that she is afraid if she gets too far behind that she will not be able
to get the upgrade on hers (registered & legal) from Adobe

Also the printers have seemed to be on CS3 and she wants to try to catch back up to them.

>
> CS3 is slower on my dual G5 by 20% compared to CS2.
>

Good point. I don't see her upgrading the machine in the next couple of years.
It could use some more RAM (has 1.25GB ) so CS3 may be even more of an issue.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2008 12:59PM by lafinfil.

Adobe is releasing public betas and a lot of chatter has already started about what may be (probably is?) CS4. Given that, plus the ongoing problems with CS3 and Leopard, and from what I've heard the number of apps that need to be updated if you jump to 10.5.x, unless there really is some concrete need, not a whim, to upgrade, I'd stick with 104.x and go no farther than CS2 on a machine I use day in, day out as my main money making machine.

IME, CS3 is mainly slower because of added design functionality such as greater transparency support. It has more effects and displaying those takes more CPU.

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Quote
M A V I C
IME, CS3 is mainly slower because of added design functionality such as greater transparency support. It has more effects and displaying those takes more CPU.

Is it only slower when using those functions, or is there an overall slowdown ?

Her design needs are pretty straight forward - brochures, print ads and other print material

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Quote
lafinfil

Quote
M A V I C
IME, CS3 is mainly slower because of added design functionality such as greater transparency support. It has more effects and displaying those takes more CPU.

Is it only slower when using those functions, or is there an overall slowdown ?

Her design needs are pretty straight forward - brochures, print ads and other print material

I could be wrong and I'm just trying to remember my experience from a year ago when I switched... but I didn't notice any slowdown other than those new features do take some heavy lifting.

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I have versions CS-CS3 on my work machine, and I find that CS3 is noticeably slower, clunkier. I still do 95% of my daily work in CS, and I have absolutely no need/desire to change that. CS3 is fully backwards compatible—the printer can still open and use her files—so "catching up with them" isn't a good justification. Unless your friend needs a certain feature in the later releases, I'd recommend staying with her current setup; she can save the money that's about to burn a hole in her pocket for CS4.

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Le poète doit vivre beaucoup, vivre dans tous les sens. - Verlaine

Another vote to stay with CS or CS2.

The most significant issue many of us have experienced, as mentioned, is problems withe Indesign, which will likely make up a good portion of your friend's business.

Good luck.

Thanks all for comments and observations

I've directed my friend to this thread so she may be registering, and logging in to ask additional questions

I appreciate the help.

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Fantastic thread! I too have been itching to upgrade, but hear too much grumbling to feel secure. Currently running a 24" imac with CS and my system is rock solid. Have had a few issues getting files in from CS3 that I've had to ask to convert back to CS. Not such a bad tradeoff vs. the alternative.

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––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
MacBook Pro 2.0GHz quad-core Intel i7
IMac 27" 3.4GHz quad-core Intel i7

I've been using IDCS3 on a Tiger 10.4.11-running Mac Pro for months at work,
having previously used CS1 here. I've saved many hours of work using CS3 over
what it would have taken me using CS1 because of typesetting features in CS3
that didn't exist in CS1--I don't regret the upgrade in the slightest. I don't notice any performance issues and CS3 has been very stable. This particular Mac has 4GB of
RAM. I and the designers I work with rarely use the whizzier "Effects" other than your
basic transparency and occasional blending modes.

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*We are just a quarantined people under an evil sun.*
--- Richard S. Shaver

I'd be inclined to go with CS2 and Tiger, unless there is a must-have feature in one of the CS3 apps.

No real problems for me and my junior designer with 10.4.9 and CS3 on a Mac Pro 2.66, G4 933 (mine at home) and G4 867. Must say we don't use ID, we're using Quark 7. Mostly Quark, Acrobat, PS, Ill, some Flash and DW from CS3. We have CS2 but have never used it, went straight to CS3.

I can't really find fault with the speed of anything except Acrobat 8 Pro on any of these machines.

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JoeM

Thanks again to all for sharing real life experience - much appreciated.

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Stick with CS. CS3 utterly stinks in 10.4 and apparently stinks absolutely in 10.5. There are times with CS3 that I wish I could go back to an X-Acto knife and amberlith.

Quote
Gutenberg
Stick with CS. CS3 utterly stinks in 10.4 and apparently stinks absolutely in 10.5. There are times with CS3 that I wish I could go back to an X-Acto knife and amberlith.

I have the exact opposite experience. I find all the pieces of the CS3 suite that I use
to be a worthwhile upgrade in a Tiger environment--InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop
and Acrobat. The only significant instability I've encountered has been while using
the Vanishing Point 3D feature in Photoshop CS3 -- application crashes even with the
latest updates applied.

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.................................................................................................
*We are just a quarantined people under an evil sun.*
--- Richard S. Shaver