Which Mac Should I Rent?

This question is not nearly as crazy as it sounds. Once you figure out what you need to do with your rental Mac, you have to weigh processing power with portability. You may need a laptop but what’s more important, portability or the size of the screen? If your machine is staying on a desk, do you need processing power or a tidy setup with a minimum of cables? See, it’s not so easy to answer…

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty of selecting the best Mac for you. We could just come up with a list and tell you what’s what. Or we could come up with a grid of computer specs and let you connect the dots. But those ideas seemed kind of boring so we went with some amusing anecdotes.

The Creative Professional – Video Editor,
Graphic Artist, Web Designer, and
Photographic Studios

Your deadline is looming and you can’t get enough speed, screen real estate or ports. You’re simultaneously running Photoshop, Illustrator , Final Cut Pro , Flash and Compression Master. There are scanners, DV tape decks and large format printers attached to your Mac. Inside your machine, there are a couple of PCI Express cards. While you are encoding video in both QuickTime and Flash formats, you are also editing tomorrow’s clips for the website. And you can’t forget to author and burn those DVD’s for the client in NYC and get them to FedEx by 5:30.

Does this sound like you? Then, we suggest you consider a Quad G5, Dual 30” Apple Cinema Displays, 8gb Ram and a terabyte of storage. This machine provides the ultimate in speed, compatibility and capability. If you’re working on a slim margin, you can also consider a Dual Processor G5. Not quite as powerful, but equally expandable.

The Road Warrior – Sales Professional, Line Producer, Marketing Executive and Consultants

You can’t be bogged down with all kinds of cables and heavy accoutrements. Your machine has to keep up with your hectic pace. It needs to be small, lightweight and durable. You may need to write some memos, prepare budgets and check your email. Of course, it would be nice if you could also watch a DVD, upload some photos from your digital camera or sync your iPod while you’re sitting on plane headed to Ohio. The only thing that is really important is attaching an LCD projector so you can show off your PowerPoint presentation for your 3 pm dog and pony.

Are you constantly moving from here to there? Then we suggest the all new MacBook. With sharp looks and an even sharper screen, you won’t miss a moment of Da Vinci Code while you’re on the red eye. When you’re ready to snooze, the MacBook will easily slip into your tote. Once you arrive, you can attach your rental MacBook to just about any type of projector or monitor including DVI, VGA and S-Video using the built-in MiniDVI port. The built-in iSight camera makes video conferences a snap. The all new MacBook is amazingly portable yet incredibly powerful. We highly recommend it for anyone on-the-go. If you need to keep an eye on your expense report, you might consider a G4 iBook. It’s just a little less power in the same form factor.

The Bull Pen – Seminars, Evaluations, Training Sessions, Production Staff and Registration Sessions

They let you in the door at 8 am. The session starts in two hours and you have 25 machines to prep after the CRE technician installs the computers. Five hours later, you get to tear down and be out the door by 5 pm. Your rental Macs have to be stable, easy to set-up and quick to tear down. Your budget is tight and you need the best bang for your buck. They promised you seating for 30 and you’ll be lucky if you can squeeze in 25. You don’t know any of your users personally, so you want to avoid a computer that can easily walk away.

If you have faced a situation like that, you should consider renting a new Intel iMac. Speedy, yet compact, the all-in-one design makes set-up and tear down a breeze. They have built-in wireless networking and can run all of the latest applications. If you need the best bang for the lowest buck, you should consider the G4 eMac. Both machines are among our most popular rentals.

The Producer – Creatives, Preditors and Professional Photographers

You’re on the beach in Phuket, Thailand taking pictures of America’s Next Top Model and you need a portable, yet powerful, computer to wirelessly connect to your Nikon D2X. While you were busy snapping away the video crew spent the day shooting OTF’s with a Canon XL H1 and now you need to put together a radio cut while sitting in your hotel room. Meanwhile your partner has to retouch the photos, generate the galleries and get them uploaded to the server, all from the twin bed on the other side of the room.

Do you need to take creativity with you everywhere you go? Then, you should rent the all new MacBook Pro. With a 17” screen and an Intel Core Duo, you can run processor intensive applications yet still maintain portable flexibility. The FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 ports enable you to hook up just about any peripheral. The internal Airport Express will network with the local WiFi setup. The built-in iSight camera will keep you connected to your loved ones when you’re on location. If you’re working on something for a Cable net, the 17” PowerBook G4 will keep you productive and under budget.

So many choices, so many decisions. Just remember that the knowledgeable sales professionals of CRE are up to date on the latest and greatest in technology. They can help you decide which machine is right for your rental needs. Once you decide on a machine, you can leave the rest to us. We’ll make sure that your equipment is set up and completely functional. You just have to make sure you don’t miss your flight.

This article is provided courtesy of ComputerRentals.com. Founded in 1980 in Los Angeles, California, CRE-Computer & AV Solutions is a nationwide leader of computer and laptop rentals, audiovisual rentals, plasma rentals and more for corporate and special events with services throughout the U.S. and Canada.

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