Buying a new Computer on a Limited Budget

I know similar questions have been asked many times before, but I am looking

to purchase a new computer. I currently use a 4 year old Dell PC with

Photoshop Elements and primarily use it for Photo Editing, Organizing as well

as a home office with MS Office (Excell, Word and Outlook). My photo's are 10

MPs and are either JPEG or RAW. I have a cable modem, an Epson R2400 Printer.

 

I am considering going to an iMAC, but at $1200 (which is the top of my

range), I would only be getting 1GB of RAM, 250GB HD etc and would have

limited software options. If I stay with PC, I can get a very powerfull

machine & reload some of the same software programs.

 

I know MAC's have drastically less issues and work much more efficiently, but

you can buy a much more powerfull system and have many more software options

with PC. Please let me know your thoughts.

You can buy 1.5x the power, processor, and RAM with a PC as opposed to a Mac. If the budget is limited, PC is more logical. If a pretty GUI is more important, get a Mac.

 

Photoshop is Photoshop, regardless of platform.

For me, I decided to say with PC (Dell have some great deals on their website) simply because it meant I didn't have to rebuy any software, and I could get a much more powerful (future proof) machine for my money. Some people will say that because you can run Windows software on the MAC, you can get the best of both worlds. However my view is that I would run Windows software most of the time and therefore I should just get a Windows machine. Windows software runs much better on a native/dedicated Windows machine.

Thanks. Would you recommend staying with Windows XP vs. Vista through Dell

Hello, try to find a computer store that have end of the line PC, you can get 2x the mac in a pc world of half the price.

I buy at Staples (In Canada) a HP desktop with 2gig, 360hd (and everything you need) for 600$.

If you buy the Mac, you have to buy a complete PS license because you can't upgrade from Photoshop PC to Mac (or from Mac to PC). So add 1000$ more for this.

IMHO there is a die-hard core of Intel and MS haters around. Teoretically they are right. The mac is and has almost always been a superior platform. It can be proved in a lab. Though I doubt many users will notice much of the difference. (1/1000% of users).

BUT!

There is a river Amazonas of SW available to the PC and creek to the mac.

 

In a perfect world, I would use a mac, but I dont here.

Tom

The numbers ... "1.5x the power, processor and RAM" ... does not mean a better or more

powerful computer. Low end PC hardware are typically built of dirt cheap components, I've

had clients with no end of difficulties getting such systems to work reliably and effectively,

and had to add all manner of software and hardware to the basic purchase before it

worked productively as an image processing workstation. With most of these systems

coming with Vista now, even more issues have arisen regards compatibility of peripherals

and software as well.

 

This is not at all to say that a good Windows-based system cannot be an excellent image

processing system. It is simply a warning that it takes knowledge and careful evaluation of

the equipment you buy and set up to really get what you want.

 

The Apple iMac solution is more expensive on initial purchase, but my experience is that

they set up for image processing very rapidly and with minimal fuss, work reliably and

require minimal time and effort to maintain properly. An iMac with 1G RAM and 250G hard

drive, running Lightroom and Photoshop Elements, does just about everything you need

very easily ... and the other software included with the iMac supplies most of what else you

need with little further to buy other than possibly iWork ($79 for spreadsheet, presentation

and page layout) or MS Office ($180; same deal). At 1G and 250G, storage is a little limited

but you can always expand those easily later.

 

It's a toss up to me. Photoshop and Lightroom work the same on both platforms.

Personally, I find I prefer the system that's easier to configure and maintain is worth the

price premium. Most of my clients who have moved to Apple systems seem to feel the

same. But all of them, once their systems are set up properly, get lots of good work done

with good efficiency.

 

Godfrey

<em>Thanks. Would you recommend staying with Windows XP vs. Vista through Dell?</em>

<br/>

I think many people are still a bit wary about Vista, however I think the service packs will undoubtedly sort out the issues that pop-up. I'd go with Vista just to prevent having to upgrade later. It also has some nice photo handling features.

IF you have the competence (or can borrow it) you can build a pretty darn powerful desktop PC for that price with good components out of parts from Newegg.

Joe,

If it's "primarily used for Photo Editing" chose a Mac they are made for it, that's why all

graphic people are wroking with it.

OsX is safer and more logic, no viruses, no poblems.

25 years with Mac never a problem, it works faster than a PC with the same ram and memory.

I advise 2Gb DDR ram memory if you are working with Photo editing programs

You will never regret it.

 

Ben

"You can buy 1.5x the power, processor, and RAM with a PC as opposed to a Mac. If the budget is limited, PC is more logical."

 

Not true - at least not if you are purchasing name brands like Dell, etc.

 

For about a decade I've been a member of a committee at my college that works to determine dual-platform hardware and software standards. We spec

comparable Dell and Apple systems in several categories: laptops, general purpose desktop systems, and high end specialized systems for design and video

and so forth.

 

Get whichever platform you prefer, but don't buy into the belief that the Apple solutions are more expensive or less powerful at a given price point. In our

experience the prices for similarly equipped systems are generally comparable - sometimes the Apple option is less expensive and sometimes the Dell version

is less expensive.

 

The issue of relative computing power is also fairly silly, and usually repeated by those with real experience on only one platform. The fact of the matter is that

you will generally get roughly equal computing power and features at a given price point regardless of brand and depending little on platform.

 

In your case, the fact that you already own some PC software may affect you decision if you can transfer it to the new machine. If you plan to get new, more

current software then the equation may shift. (One other consideration is that you can run Windows natively - not in emulation - on current Apple computer,

including the iMac you mentioned. In fact, you can run the Mac OS and Windows simultaneously on these Macs. This might be a way to both leverage your

existing software and ease the transition to a Mac if that is your decision. By the way, it is untrue that "Windows software runs much better on a

native/dedicated Windows machine" in reference to the new Macs - they use the exact same processors that the "Windows computers" use and thus run

Windows natively without speed losses to emulation.)

 

If you do get the iMac (and they have beautiful screens for Photoshop - I use the new 24" model) reduce your costs a bit by getting the minimum memory

configuration and purchasing generic memory and installing it yourself. The memory is no different than generic PC memory and is very easy to install. You can

also expand your hard drive capacity (now or later) by attaching an inexpensive firewire or USB hard drive. These are very inexpensive and have quite high

capacities these days.

 

Dan

if you switch from pc to mac you will essentially be starting over.

possibly you could purchase an up grade "cross platform" for the expensive programs. You would have to check this out.

 

there are sources of pc's that are lower cost.

the big pc companies have "scratch and dent" sites on the www.

Tiger direct and others possibly Aberdeen and newegg sell "barebones" pc's. low prices.

this is a finacial advantage of pc's over mac.

this is NOT a pc vs nac issue, just a finacial fhct of life.

 

be sure that the newer pc has a substancial increase in cpu speed and ram over the old one. not just an incremantal increase.

the dual core amd cpu's have a big advantage over the sinmgle core cpu's amd made them " plug compatible"with the single core processors.

 

a LCD monitor is a vast improvement over a crt.

but avoid a laptop unless you REALLY need to be portable.

 

Xp still seems like a better choice. the scratch and dent pc's may come with XP. try hard for a real cd NOT a restore cd.

 

remember if you get a new " barebones"pc you CANNOT just plug in

your old drive XP will not accept that

 

it will choke up and you will lose all your work.

Win 98 will "find" all the stuff on the new pc and will more or less work.

 

when I experimented with XP I would install it and then move the drive to a new " almost the same" motherboard, It would always stop working.

Dan has hit the nail on the head. Further, why could you not immigrate your current

Windoze software to to a new iMac? Some of the info in this thread is just flat wrong,

written by people that don't know what they talking about. A word of caution, when

running Windoze on a Mac, you are just as vulnerable to the uglies that plague any

Windoze machine, only running Mac OS X offers more safety.

 

As Dan has said, when you spec out the machines, side by side, Macs are no more

expensive than PCs. You get what you pay for, there is no free lunch, and neither Dell, or

anybody else is going to give you the same quality in a PC that you get in a Mac for less

money. It ain't happenin!

I buy a computer this year with vista. It was a bundle. After two try to reinstall vista to make PhotoShop or MS-Mouse or the Printer to work. I give up, and install XP on it.<br>

To be clear. Keep away from Vista. <br>

Even MS software (games for Xp) or hardware (mouse) doesn't work on it. Imagine hardware and software from other cie. PS CS2 doesn't work. CS2 do.

Carl said, "As Dan has said, when you spec out the machines, side by side, Macs are no more expensive than PCs."

 

Enough is enough.

 

I just compiled this list from Newegg:

 

**************

 

APEVIA X-CRUISER-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Model #: X-CRUISER-BK

Item #: N82E16811144151

In Stock

Mail-in Rebate

$79.99 -$20.00 Instant $59.99

 

ASUS P5LD2 R2.0 LGA 775 Intel 945P ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Model #: P5LD2 R2.0

Item #: N82E16813131048

In Stock

$84.99 $84.99

 

HIS Hightech H260PRQT512DDN-R Radeon HD 2600PRO 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

Model #: H260PRQT512DDN-R

Item #: N82E16814161098

In Stock

Mail-in Rebate

$129.99 $129.99

 

FSP Group (Fortron Source) FSP400-60THN-R ATX 2.0 400W Power Supply - Retail

Model #: FSP400-60THN-R

Item #: N82E16817104935

In Stock

$59.99 -$10.00 Instant $49.99

 

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6750 - Retail

Model #: BX80557E6750

Item #: N82E16819115029

In Stock

$196.99 $196.99

 

WINTEC AMPO 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AMD2667-2G2K-R - Retail

Model #: 3AMD2667-2G2K-R

Item #: N82E16820161677

In Stock

$59.99 $59.99

 

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3400620AS 400GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Model #: ST3400620AS

Item #: N82E16822148138

In Stock

$99.99 $99.99

 

Logitech Cordless Desktop EX110 967561-0403 Black USB + PS/2 RF Wireless Standard Keyboard Mouse Included - Retail

Model #: 967561-0403

Item #: N82E16823126174

In Stock

$29.99 $29.99

 

SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22" 2 ms (GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

Model #: 226BW

Item #: N82E16824001096

In Stock

Mail-in Rebate

$349.99 -$30.00 Instant $319.99

 

SAMSUNG 20X DVD?R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM

Model #: SH-S203B

Item #: N82E16827151153

In Stock

$29.99 $29.99

 

Microsoft Windows XP Professional With SP2C - OEM

Model #: E85-05040

Item #: N82E16832116400

In Stock

$139.99 $139.99

 

Subtotal: $1,201.89

 

********************

 

Compared to this from Apple:

 

Subtotal $1,499.00

* 1GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 1x1GB

* 320GB Serial ATA Drive

* SuperDrive 8x (DVD?R DL/DVD?RW/CD-RW)

* Apple Mighty Mouse

* Apple Keyboard (English) + Mac OS X

* Accessory kit

* 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

* ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory

* 20-inch glossy widescreen LCD

* AirPort Extreme

* Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

 

*********************

 

The PC has a faster processor, 2x as much RAM, a larger hard drive, and 2x as much video RAM. And the PC is $300 less.

I just went through this same thing, and bought a Dell e520, Core 2 Duo processor, 240 GB HD, 2 GBs mem, DVD writer, card reader, and added from Newegg 2 more GBs mem, Nvidea 512 MB graphics card (no fan), another 320 GB internal drive, all for around $1200. I had Dell install Windows XP.

 

With all the cash I saved over a comparible Mac, I bought a LaCie 320 monitor (Fantastic!). This is an awesome rig and I couldn't be happier. Amazing performance and breathtaking screen images that match prints from my HP B9180.

PCs ARE cheaper than Macs, IF you are knowledgable enough to buy the components cheaply online from discount sellers like Newegg. The PC price advantage is lost if you buy it from Dell.

You can buy and custom rig an incredibly powerful PC buying components on sale from a highly competitive PC component market online (Newegg, eBay...). If you have the knowledge or know someone who does (and can do it cheaply) then you'll get much much more PC for your dollar than Mac.

PC components are sold by competitive vendors...OSX, iMacs ect. are sold by only 1 vendor. Building a custom PC allows you to skimp on a vid card in favor of more RAM (essential for a digital processing rig).

Don't get me wrong. Macs are great machines but if you can build a computer yourself, you can get so much more PC for your money by buying from a huge myriad of competively prices PC component vendors online....but not if you buy the thing from BestBuy or Dell.

Buying a Mac is NOT a bad choice. If you do a lot of research the PC route is cheaper...IF you do the research.

I specificall menmtioned that it was NOT

a MAC vs PC issue, because mac ( apple) is a single source theree is no competition.. with the pc everybody is out there trying to undersell everybody else. There are more pc parts made and that also lowers the cost. as I said it's a FINANCIAL thing .

many use macs and are happy with them.

I would like an idea how windows apps work on a mac and especially a intel-based mac.

 

I tried to be fair, realistic and balanced, don't suggest that we who use pc's are ignorant or misinformed.

the marketplace has spoken lounder thna we can and the winner is the pc.

 

I wish the apple corp well no bad feelings, but they are and will remain a minority. \Just like there are always more windows users than Linux.

According to some here, PC Magazine must be fulla misinformation, here's what they say:

 

<http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2184104,00.asp>

 

If anyone want an excerpt try these, which includes such statements as

 

"Still, the average overall score for Windows-based desktop PC makers is 7.8 out of 10,

the same as last year's...

Of course, no Windows machine comes close to Apple's 9.1 overall score."

 

and, in summary:

 

"Desktops | Apple

What's left to say? If you buy a Mac, not only will you in all likelihood love it, but you're

also going to recommend it to your friends while enjoying all the time you can spend not

fixing it."

 

and

 

"With reliability down across the board for Windows desktop and notebook PCs, the

obvious place to lay the blame, at least with newer computers, is with Microsoft's Windows

Vista OS."

 

Those are direct quotes from PC magazine, the veritable bible of the PC world. It's your

money, spend it any way that you like. :o)

Carl Stone wrote: "[snip] Some of the info in this thread is just flat wrong, written by people that don't know what they talking about. A word of caution, when running Windoze on a Mac, you are just as vulnerable to the uglies that plague any Windoze machine, only running Mac OS X offers more safety. "

 

This cracked me up. Here are some FACTS to burst this little bubble.

 

In the first 90 days since Vista was released only 5 security vulnerabilities were discovered - in the 90 since MacOs 10.4 there were around 34 found.

 

Windows had a total of 61 vulnerabilities in 2006, Red Hat Linux had 250, and Mac OS X 64.

 

I guess that you must have forgotten to mention this bit when you were talking about accuracy & crApple Macintrash security?

Colin, these is not now a Mac based virus, and in all of the years that I've run Macs, I've never

had one, or know any other Mac user that's had one. Now, about Windoze...........

 

Read the PC magazine article, and try this article out for size. At least they have credibility.

 

<http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/silverman/5198104.html>

Joe, I'm in a similar situation: six year old (PC)computer which still works. I plan to replace it, when necessary, with an imac. I would suggest waiting until your budget allows an imac, perhaps with a second gig of RAM.

 

Ken

This is an endless, circular argument. If I had the funds, ALL of my photo work would be done on a MAC, everything else on a PC. Macs drive monitors in a different way. Go to Ken Rockwell's netsite, he's got a good explanation.

Phil, my experience contradicts your statement that you can't get a PC cheaper if you buy from Dell. I just bought the basic computer from Dell and upgraded mem, HD space, and graphics card from Newegg. Total came to about $1200. for a computer with 2 internal HDs, 4 GBs mem, and a graphics card with a DVI connection. And my earlier post was right above yours, and made zero impact on you. It's not like I'm making this stuff up.

Joe, you can add extra RAM later to the imac if the 1gig is not enough. (It should at the very least get you started.) External hard drives are very inexpensive, and 250 Gig should get you going.

 

If you want immediate gratification, get the PC. If you are thinking longer term, I would still go for the imac. That's what I am doing.

Ken