Forum friends, Need some advice and input here. I'm going to be soon getting a new desktop (this will actually be my first desktop, I've been working off a laptop the last 2.5 years) and have a simple dilemma; I can't decide between a PC and Mac. I've used a PC all my life and have never really found it to be too problematic, but my hesitation lies in the new Windows 8 OS. The new UI initially looked like a train wreck, but after watching some reviews it really doesn't look to bad to me personally, plus you have the option to switch back to Windows 7 if you don't like 8. But, my hesitation with the Mac is, well, I really don't want to have re learn everything all over again. I've heard that it will frustrate you like never before for 2 weeks, but once you get the hang of it, you'll hate yourself for having ever used Windows. Any truth to that? I'm not too computer savvy, but the specs on each look relatively similar. I've linked in the two I am looking at: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/897215-REG/Apple_21_5_iMac_Desktop_Computer.html http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...aa_aba_Hp_Spectre_One_Intel_i5_3470T_6GB.html Any advice/suggestions/discussion would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I should also add switching from PC to Mac would also force me to switch my editing software too. I work off Sony Vegas now, but you can't run Vegas on a Mac without Boot Camp (I don't even know what this is, but it sounded complicated), so I'd have to switch to Premiere Pro. PP is an industry standard, but I feel a lot of the work I've produced off Vegas is a lot better than other's who work of PP. The software doesn't make your footage or story any better. But, again, switching to PP would mean learning everything all over again and I have a heavy workload coming up in the near future.
I would make the switch over to a mac. I did once i started college. It wont take you 2 weeks to learn "if" youre a smart guy Its actually really simple on the laptop to navigate to what you need. As far as programing im sure its going to cost to buy new, but i think it would be worth it now a days it seems like everything is being done on macs. Say you want to go work for someone and all they run is mac for their work. Now you either dont get hired since you have never worked for them, struggle if do get hired, or start of great since you already know how to work it. I know a lot of editing i did in high school for some of my classes like graphic design and just doing photo editing were done on the big mac desk top we had in class. it was so much faster and just seemed easier to work on for me. Hope this helps. Good luck.
Send Dubbya a PM. He switched to the Mac and loves it. He does tons of video and photo editing too. I'm terrible on any computer so I'm no help at all. He did talk me into a Mac though... I'm learning but don't do video stuff.
Id stick with PC, i build my own computers and quite honestly I don't **** about macs. I also think its cheaper and easier to replace parts in a PC than a Mac. Dont you know someone who knows the basics of building a computer? It'll save you tons of money by building your own computer. Id build one for ya but I dont live where you are.
I'd switch to Mac. I did when I started college as well and have never looked back. iBook, MacBook, iMac, iPhone, iPod, iPad, AppleTV. They work so smoothly and never crash like PC's. And they all work together flawlessly. I've had my iMac since 2008 and have no thoughts or any reason to buy another computer. We also recently got a Capsule to run wireless back-ups every so many hours. Just flawless performance and extreme ease of use is the best way to describe Mac. I also bought an external harddrive just for my film footage this year. Not a Mac brand but designed to work with Mac's. Plugged it in and BAM it was ready to rock. Pulls right up in iMovie just like it's another file folder. You will not be dissapointed.
If you are a computer tech, PCs are fine. If you aren't save your money up and buy Mac. They never get viruses, never slow down, never have problems. Had my MacBook Pro for going on 2 years now, battery life is still amazing and every bit as fast as the first time I turned it on. I do think you pay a premium for this luxury when looking at price vs actual hardware though. Every PC I have ever had has slown down tremendously within 6 months to a year. Some even sooner. And if you are talking about photo/video editing... it seems Mac is the preferred machine. I'll never switch back. Even if I was ready to throw it out the window when learning the new OS.
My first computer was a Mac laptop. Then January of 2012 I switch over to a PC desktop. Currently at school, I work on iMacs which are the Mac desktop computers so I have used both extensively. I really like the Mac interface, its clean and simple. One thing that I appreciated was that I never had to worry about viruses. But, I have friends who use their macs to edit videos on Final Cut Pro and in many cases the program has crashed while editing. Also, It seems to me as if Mac isn't a very universal platform. You gotta find programs and softwares that are made for Apple. My desktop is an i5 Core, 12gb of RAM, 64-bit system, 1T of memory running Windows 7, pretty basic I'd say. I love this computer. I'll first mention the one and only thing I do not like about PC is that you must pay attention for viruses and malware-but thats common knowledge. Aside from that, I use Sony Vegas Pro 12 and I have had zero problems running it for long hours, surfing the web, watching videos, burning discs, etc... Windows is a pretty universal platform, its easy to find and download different programs which I've found otherwise difficult on Mac. Macs are still awesome but as of right now, I prefer Windows. Thats my opinion.
While I do agree to an extent about the reliability and resale value of Macs vs. PCs, I tend to disagree on some other points. If I were looking at a mobile workstation/laptop, I still think Apple has that segment cornered, and they would get the nod. Some of the members on here are running Macbooks, not sure about actual desktops. Secondly, most on here don't have the photo/video requirements that you do, Cody. Buying a PC/Mac for everyday use is VASTLY different than buying it for video/photo work. Night and day difference. Before you even compare the two you mentioned in your post (I'll come back to that later), you need to look at the things you should prioritize for your build since you're trying to make a living using this. First, I would avoid all in one desktops for the lack of ability to upgrade (aside from Thunderbolt/SATA/RAID enclosures). If you're running Lightroom, PS, Vegas, or PP, you're multitasking, and could benefit from a few specific things. I would get a processor that supports hyperthreading, which, the i5 desktop variant does not. Read up on it here. For that reason, I would start off at least shooting for an i7. Secondly, storage is your friend with RAW files, and video footage. Ideally, for a video editing rig, you would want a quick drive for your OS and scratch drive and to install your apps.. A nice 128GB-250GB SSD would be perfect. Then, I would get a least one other drive (1TB 7200RPM) drive for your raw footage straight off cam. Another 1TB drive for your project files at a min. This also can be a basic setup for a photo editing rig. Some guys like RAID arrays for stripping or mirroring, but you would do fine with just a simple SATA external enclosure (USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt if you go Mac). Thirdly, RAM is your friend with PS, and Premiere (all Adobe apps for that matter). As long as you're running a 64bit OS, go with 16+GB. You will utilize it HEAVILY as your scratch disk in PS and Lightroom. Finally, your monitor. The iMac is an IPS panel, which (haven't done any research to find this) MAY be 8bit, which is good. You definitely want to go with an 8bit monitor to be able to reproduce all of the colors your camera/picture contains. They're also most easily and accurately calibrated (purchase a calibration tool like a Spyder). Avoid TN panels (the cheapest) as most are almost always 6 bit. Many photographers prefer editing on a matte screen as well (the iMac is not), so that's something to keep in mind. I don't really like the look of Windows 8, but as was mentioned in the other thread on here, a quick app (Start 8), and you're back to the Windows 7 feel. In reality, like I said, I wouldn't limit myself to an all-in-one system for heavy video/photo editing, especially with that Mark III you just purchased:D Just my thoughts.
Yeah your needs may exceed my knowledge of computers. I just notice a trend that there are only 2 types of people who reccomend PC over Mac. 1)People who have never had a Mac 2)Computer gurus who know how to work on them I used to be in the first group and don't care to ever be in the second.
I've never owned a Mac, but I've used a few throughout college. Not bad machines at all. I really don't mind them at alll. As a matter of fact, I really want a Macbook Pro with the Anti-glare screen for mobile photo editing, I just have too many other thingd to spend money on right now. I'm definitely not a computer guru (I used to be more up on things when I was in high school, but I've since layed off the geek:D). I will have to say that the overall reliability, and ease of use still goes to Apple for sure. I've never really had major issues with my PCs, but like you said, I know a few things to alleviate some of the issues that can be encountered. Then again, the very fact that you have to know "a few things" doesn't say much about out of the box reliability, does it? The only problem with Apple in Cody's situation (I'm assuming) is that his requirements go beyond daily use. The price gap between comparable Apple and PC products is large enough at the average consumer level, let alone the power user.
Good points on here. I think a PC is more customizable to what you need. You can add in all the ram, HDD, video card that you need in a PC at a lower cost than a mac. Also depending on what mac you get, I don't think many pieces are interchangeable, which means youll have to buy an expensive mac which will be great for the first year or two, but then from there it'll go downhill. PCs on the other hand you can upgrade as the years go on, just make sure to get a good motherboard. Also people talk about malware and viruses, look, ive had a laptop and computer for the past 6 years without antivirus. Ive gotten one virus since then. Just be careful about what you click on. Slow down on the porn and all those advertisements. Also, if you feel like your computer slows down after a couple of months, just make sure you throw all your files into a different hard drive or have the raid 0 format so that all you have to do is just format your computer, then reinstall windows evey 6 months. Itll take only a few hours.
A buddy of mine does videography professionally and uses Mac. My wife and son have made video's on both mac and PC and both prefer the Mac. We have a Mac at home and I use a PC in my business and I prefer the Mac at home.
No offense here but I'll put my 2 year old MacBook Pro up against any new PC, my last Mac ran for 8 years without sinking a dime into it, when you break it down, thats less then $200 a year for a great machine! My 2 year old MacBook Pro cost under $1k.....once again, didn't sink a dime into it since I bought it and it hasn't slowed down at all fast as all get out! I have a new work PC takes forever to do a single project! Not a fan at all!
You can still get a PC with Windows 7 on it. Go to a big dealer or a big Best Buy and tell them you want Windows 7. If you're real comfy with the older operating systems.... I don't think you'll like Windows 8. I got a new laptop for Xmas from my Microsoft son. It's touch screen/windows 8. I'm having fun with it.... but there are some issues that I can't get a handle on. It's truly different. My son helped me a lot with it when I was in Seattle for Xmas and I went and took an introductory class at a Microsoft store which helped immensely. That said,... I could have got this same laptop with Windows 7 on it but not touch screen of course. I'm 69 years old.... I wish I'd done it. However... I'm on my new touchscreen most of the time. It's weird when I go to my old laptop or PC. I keep reaching up and touching the screen. LOL
There is always the option of partitioning your hard drive and installing two different operating systems on one hare drive. Then when you boot up, you just pick which os you want to run on. That way you can have the best of both worlds, and your video software will still work. All the iMacs at my school are setup this way and it's really convenient.
