So, what bits of hardware matter the most to a designer?
What matters to me is how quickly that .psd or .ai file will open and if the color is accurate. In my arsenal I also use Spider for monitor calibration.
Is a dedicated graphics card overkill for a Creative Suite power user?
Not at all and I would recommend it, but be aware there is a difference with a Desktop GPU and a workstation GPU. Workstations are best described as a guaranteed level of performance. Some higher models are good if you plan on doing 3D modeling.
If not, how fast should a GPU be to handle Photoshop and cutting-edge Web technologies?
How much of a difference would four cores make over two when I run a script in Illustrator?
You would see this in performance the most when trying to open large files or doing a gradient on a large size canvas. I also believe that past CS3 Adobe requires a quad core now or suggests one?
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Does the usage of design software mean that my system would need more RAM?
** RAM is useless in theory if you have a low CPU. The best way to look at it is in relation to a car. The CPU is the motor and the transmission is the RAM. You can have the best transmission in the world and it show a little but if your CPU is low where are you really going?
Two small monitors or one big one?
My feelings towards monitors is based on the users preference. I know some that love a single 30" but I cannot stand not using anything less than dual monitors even if they both are 20" each.
I know storage space is a big deal, so straight solid state probably isn't viable...but having OS and Creative Suite on a smaller drive and throwing in a 1TB drive might work really well. That's the kind of thinking I'm trying to have.
This is a great idea and it helps in hdd performance, too. Just be careful when looking at an SSD you get one that will fit your needs. As stated already I learned the hard way and still have my 60ish gb hdd.
** Along the same lines, has anyone gone to the desktop to save some bucks and regretted it later?
** I've never regretted building my own desktop but purchasing a desktop I wouldn't do unless it was a Mac tower. I have had my ups and downs with it but there are great open source software for diagnosis out there and a few good forums built for people that like to build their own rigs.
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Can a desktop plus a tablet fill in well enough for a laptop?
** That would depend on the usage or what you are doing. If you are doing web apps in coda then you would need a Mac and a iPad would come in handy. If you are dong web design an iPad would come in handy for viewing when you are coding the CSS. So many variations.