The Old question ... Mac vs. PC what do I do?

<p>Hello everyone.<br>

This is my very first post on this thread and although I have browsed and found some interesting answers on Photo.net, I am going to dare asking the same question:<br>

Should I switch to a Mac from a PC?</p>

<p>Here are the facts:<br>

PC: Mine has been rather fast and performing until recently when I started to have problems post processing with CS3.<br>

Importantly, this all started when I replaced the 2 x 1Gb RAM with 2 x 2 Gb RAM. The RAM is to the computer specs.<br>

It has slowed down considerably and after much home tests with the help of knowledgeable technicians (where I bought the PC). One noteworthy note: this is not a CS3 issue only, it also now happens with Pentax PhotoLab which I use extensively for processing the RAW files. <br>

Pretty much everything has been checked before taking it to the tech guys: <br>

Virus ... none; Unwanted bits and that sort of things ... none; cleandisk and defrag done; updated drivers for the video card and BIOS; take the new RAM out and re-install the old ones ... still very slow; tweak the performance section under CS3 to use all the "useable" scratch disks and increased the video allocation... no change. Apparently, Windows software (XP and/or Vista) have the nasty habit of "degrading" after a while and eventually would need re-installing, hence, reformatting which I certainly don't want to do. <br>

I had to bring the unit to them for lab testing. It is presently being looked into.</p>

<p>Now, my bro.-in-law uses a Mac, a high-end one by the sound of it (I haven't seen nor do I know exactly what it is but it did cost him around 2700$). He himself is a software technician with a large company and he knows his stuff. He actually uses both a PC and a Mac, the latter specifically for post processing and all video stuff. He tells me that he never had one single instant of trouble with it for the past one year he's had this Mac machine.<br>

He raves about the fast post processing, even with large TIFF files and batch processing TIFF files.<br>

We have no Apple stores in my little home town and after asking around different shops, Mac-knowledgeable people are practically non-existant here. <br>

What if I get a Mac, then it breaks down ? <br>

Truly, I am getting a bit annoyed with recurring Windows/PC issues; I don't have time for sitting in front of the screen, waiting for an image to finish its rendering under CS3. I need something reliable and fast. Am I fooling myself?<br>

Any comments, suggestions and answers would be extremely welcomed.<br>

JP</p>

<p><a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=3872256">J</a>acque</p>

<p>I own/use a Mac and have for years. I love it and haven't had problems, but local service would be a big concern for me. Mac has great service via telephone, but I have a Mac repair store in town, if I ever did need it. </p>

<p>They both do the job. The software is basically the same. It really is personal preference and what you get used to using. If you are careful about viruses, PC's should not be a problem.</p>

<p>Good luck,</p>

<p>Mark</p>

<p>Mark</p>

<p>You already have a PC and it is not working well, are all these PC people in town helping you out? If you purchase a MAC they have great customer support, but you are correct that in the small chance the hardware of the computer breaks down and you can't drive to a Apple store you would need to ship it to Apple. That is pretty similar to buying a Dell though right? Unless you are willing to pay for in home support, which Apple probably has as well if you pay for it. How far are you from an Apple store? I live 90 minutes from one and if I really had a serious issue I would just spend the time to drive it over there.</p>

<p>No one can answer your question in the end, it depends on how much you are willing to spend, what it would take for you to switch to Apple with your software, etc. But how many Mac people say there are unhappy with their experience and it wasn't worth the extra money? Probably some, but not many. A new PC will work for you just fine, especially one with the new Window's 7, but who knows for how long...</p>

<p>The only thing that MAC is missing is the ability to playback Blu_Ray movies and business presentations recorded on BD DVD media, on large size HDMI LCD/LED screens. <br>

However, you can use high resolution LCD projectors instead and play off regular DVD with upconversion or from hard disc files. Not quite the same thing, though.</p>

<p>I am a PC user and have thought about the switch myself. I decided to go with a refurbished Dell PC. Last month I purchased a quad core with 6 gigs of ram and running Vista 64. Price... $489. Blazing speed and runs CS3 just fine. I'm happy.</p>

<p>I use Mac for photography, image processing.</p>

<p>I use PC for business stuff like excel, word.</p>

<p>I've used both PC and Mac for many years - professionally and personally. Some time ago I concluded that the Mac is a measurably superior system for my purposes, especially in the creative realms of imaging, graphics, and the arts, but also in the scientific and mathematics fields. I now rarely use a PC unless it is absolutely necessary, such as working with a client that is a PC-only shop. If I need a Windows environment for a special app, it is easy to bring it up on the Mac, as it is a true dual platform. I only rarely do that, for the reasons that you mention in your post.<br>

The Mac is a much simpler and more intuitive environment to set up, manage and maintain, and OS X is the most stable system I have ever used, as contrasted to e.g., Vista. I've owned at least eight Macs over time and have never had to have one serviced or repaired for a hardware problem, unlike my PC's. I've never experienced virus, malware, spyware etc. issues (although to be honest I have had a virus or two received in email that was passed on to others even though it did not affect my system). In fact, I've never even had a software problem that couldn't be resolved with just a little research into the Apple Knowledge Base or a call to Apple Support. For the last two Macs I purchased, I didn't even bother with the extended protection plan, which for about $200 gives you a global service and repair warranty for three years. However, if you are concerned about service you might want to consider that plan.</p>

 

<p>Mac vs PC has become something like Nikon vs Canon. They do pretty much the same thing and end up costing pretty much the same after you factor in everything, but people have really strong opinions anyway. Switching OSes is like switching camera systems, you're going to need a bunch of new lenses.</p>

<p>If I were starting out I'd go Mac just because of the customer service, tech support and training programs at the Apple stores - nobody in the Windows business has anything close to that.</p>

<p>the only difference when talking about what to use as a *tool* is the price.</p>

<p>Mac cost 2x more vs the same PC setup. difference stop there. Virus? buy yourself a nice anti virus and you wont have a problem.</p>

<p>I use and always use Mac since im 8, im 35 and dont see when i will switch to PC..for now ; )</p>

<p>Mac, if for no other reason than you are currently not happy with your PC. Don't worry about that lack of Mac-knowledgable people. That could be you soon.</p>

<p>I've been a Mac user for many years. But I've also been a member of the team formulating hardware/software standards for the large dual-platform institution where I work, so I'm not an anti-Windows person - some of my best friends and colleagues on the team are Windows users.</p>

<p>Similarly equipped machines from Apple and major Windows computer manufacturers are not that different it price, with the possible exception of the high end - but even there the issue is complex if you take the time to compare carefully. Macs are most certainly not "2x more vs the same PC setup."</p>

<p>I suppose that if you don't feel a strong need/desire to switch platforms it can make the most sense to stay with what you know - you certainly can do photo stuff well on either platform. If you do go with a Mac, unless your needs are really at the high end one of the 24" iMacs with maxed out RAM and hard drive can be a great Photoshop machine.</p>

<p>Dan</p>

<p>Macs are more expensive at the low end but not more expensive at the high end. Sure there are those dumbass commercials, but all they demonstrate is that you can install Windows on crappy hardware. Meanwhile, with Macs you get a better included software package, better value retention (you can sell your Mac in 3 years and the difference between its retained value and a PC's retained value will likely make up for the difference in initial price), less work to maintain, MUCH better customer service (Ever compare the Genius Bar to Dell? If you own a Dell, don't, because it will make you cry) and better industrial design.</p>

<p>Saying a PC is cheaper than a Mac (as a reason not to buy a Mac) is like saying a Toyota is cheaper than a Lexus. Of course, both have their place in the market, but a Toyota customer and a Lexus customer will both have their reasons for making their choice and nieither's reasons will make the other's invalid.</p>

<p>See <a href="http://imagesinlightnw.blogspot.com/2009/06/switching-to-mac.html">this</a> I did it and couldn't be happier</p>

<p>The biggest difference between a Mac and a PC is the Mac is sold by Apple. That's it. Today, they even use the same parts.</p>

<p>Apple goes to great efforts to prevent the user being able to add/remove hardware. That's just history and they have always done it. It was a lesson learned from the Apple-II days. They *do* that to maintain quality control and to prevent the situation like this from happening. It's *not* because of better engineering, it's by design.</p>

<p>If you don't want these issues on a PC, buy the hardware from a tier-1 manufacturer like Dell or HP. Order upgrades only from them. It will work forever and when it doesn't it will be supportable. You cost will now be about the same from Apple. Only then should you compare your problems. </p>

<p>The short answer to all the MAC/PC issues is the idiot behind the keyboard. Knowing what part to stick in does not mean you know what to do with it. If you want to play tech, don't blame the machine. There are consequences to everything and you got hit.</p>

<p>For the record, I use a MAC and PC. Both since they were invented. I have seen just as many badly engineered MACs as PCs. Let go of the myth.</p>

<p><em>If I were starting out I'd go Mac just because of the customer service, tech support and training programs at the Apple stores - nobody in the Windows business has anything close to that.</em></p>

<p>Ask this guy what he thinks of Apple Care.<br /> http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/apple-desktops/159351-problem-apple-care-how-many-bad-apples.html<br /> Then cruise that forum on a regualr basis.</p>

<p>I know a lot people that use both platforms professionally. I work in industries (film and music) that used to be 100% Mac dominated and isn't any longer. In the last five years, I've steered a few friends and a pro photographer to Mac and they now hate me. It's caused me to start following the few decent Mac forums and Flickr groups to help them out. There is a whole army people out there that will state that Mac's reliability and service has dropped significantly since their success with iPhone/iPod.</p>

<p>Mac/PC thing is personal and it all boils down to wishing to use the the Mac OS. And it takes a very experienced computer user to come to this conclusion. For the rest of us, in my opinion, they are over priced and over hyped. Most "non-photo" people that use Mac are simply using them because of effective marketing. Most that will recommend them have been with Mac and lived with the compromises and will rarely share with you what software they miss or can't run. For instance, try to find an iPone user that says they miss surfing flash web sites? Try to find an iPone user that says it's acceptable to not shoot video on their $200 iPhone when their $50 crappy Nokia will. Are you ready for these compromises because this extends right up to using Mac's computers. Just lilke that person in the link I posted.</p>

<p>I recommend you just keep your ear to this forum and others. It's usually people with Mac's and drivers that have problems on PN and yet they are 4% of the photo market. You'd think most of the posts here wuld be Vista/XP issues but it's not. IMO, Mac's aren't all that they are cracked up to be. They're made in China with the same parts. Then you buy into a very closed proprietary "lifestyle". Things like being charged for a new OS (Snow Leopard) which is actually just (in windows world) an update bug me. It's a money grab, imo.</p>

<p>For me personally, the OS is just in the way and could care less really. Except for Ubuntu of course. Wish I could run that all the time. But either Mac or PC, I must deal with before CS4 opens. I don't like how hard, compared to windows, Mac is to navigate through it's contents. "Finder" is a joke compared to Explorer. OS X is clunky and old feeling compared to Vista or Windows 7. These are frivolous concerns though.</p>

<p><em>We have no Apple stores in my little home town and after asking around different shops, Mac-knowledgeable people are practically non-existant here.</em></p>

<p>Nope, I wouldn't do it for this reason alone. Would you buy a rare and unique car in a small town? An Audi A4 maybe? That no one can fix and there is no parts? A good friend of mine lives in a town of 30,000 and is one of three photographers worth applying that label to. He had constant problems with his MBP and it was on the bus shipped to the next largest city 6 times. He let down clients and was late many times while he constantly had to use his old Dell and old software, the one that caused him to "switch" in the first place. He's back on a fancy Toshiba.</p>

<p>As for your slow PC, it could be many things. It could be a matter of cooling. There are tons of hardware and software reasons for it. But the same thing happens to Mac's. My gf is going through it for two years. Her $6K Mac is running at what she calls 50%. Not fair to call it a $6K Mac because half of the $$$ is in monitors. Really nice monitors, btw. But nevertheless, it has been in the shop 3 X's. It runs great for a month and slows to sludge and she puts up with it. In it goes in and the cycle continues.<br /> Because CS4 is 64-bit for Vista-64 and XP-64 and Windows 7 64, you can use more ram than OSX. It's still running CS in 32-bit. It wont always be like this of course and I wouldn't base any long term commitments on todays software limitiations.</p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Try to find an iPone user that says it's acceptable to not shoot video on their $200 iPhone when their $50 crappy Nokia will</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Just to bring you up to date G, you always had been able to shoot video with you Ihpone using a third party application (i do) and you can now with the 3GS 9i also do it) , and soon on the newest Ipod Touch..and there maybe out soon net book..finally. A bigger Iphone that doestn fit in your pocket, but are less powerfull than your Macbook..dam! its already there its a MacBook Air LOL</p>

<p>Back to the real thing now, i always enjoy reading you ; )</p>

<p>Thanks G! How about viewing flash web sites? And what a pain to do texting on a iPhone. But saying all this, I'm expecting a call for my 16 gig 3Gs this week too :)</p>

<p>i use it on my macbook pro as a tethering device for that : )</p>

<p>..oh you know WHE Canadian can use our Iphone tethered..ah ah ah</p>

<p>I hope they will enable that feature soon with a next 3.x release..</p>

<p>I've spent more than a few hours (and dollars) on both platforms. With equally entertaining results.<br>

At the sound of it, you may have had a) bad memory (it's finicky stuff and if mishandled can develop problems), b) mismatched memory (ECC, etc. memory is incompatible with some motherboards and vice versa), c) some other device plugged in that is degrading performance. Without running a diagnostic, it would be hard to say. You can snag something like Evergreen benchmarking software for free, and it will give you a detailed report out of what hardware is in place, what memory speed, drive speed, processor speed, etc. is going on. It even effectively will report back component identities, BIOS & firmware versions and so on.<br>

I have seen both operating systems have problems. So I don't buy into the marketing hype. And as someone pointed out, yeah you can float Windows on a crappy machine (my mother's computer is a good example, but it's been running fine for several years so long as I come by and do maintenance about once a year).<br>

My mobile workstation has a nice Blu-Ray drive, and is more than capable. It is PC Windows based, but then so is Photoshop (native to PC, not to MAC).</p>

<p>Think hard about switching from PC to Mac. If you are use to working with PC's switching to a Mac can be a big headache. Especially if you have tons of work to do and not much time on your hands. Another problem is compatibility issues with other software/hardware. </p>

<p>Jacques, as a Mac user since 1984 I'll sing their praises for a long time. But it seems like your problems are related to the RAM. Have you tested other chips in there? The place that built it for you should have the skills to at least give you a diagnosis.</p>

<p>ME</p>

<p>Yes having access to gobs of RAM in PS is quite amazing when using layers and filters/plugins. Man can it eat it up. Using 12GB I've seen PS want it all, and everything is buttery smooth.</p>

<p>Aside from that they're probably equal except for prices. Don't believe the PC naysayers who claim PC's freeze all the time. And if you run into a three year old who likes the sticks and stones approach by using names like 'Windoze', definitely don't listen to a word they say. Honestly I've never seen a more immature, egotistical, and sensitive user base in my life (not all of them of course). Maybe it's the whole 'iLife/look at me' advertising push. It's a tool, not a baby. I remember those early Apple ads with their motto of not doing things like the rest of the crowd, but ironically it seems like the Apple world keeps you in tight control by charging for OS updates and strictly doing things the Apple way.</p>

<p>Usability-wise I think Macs are great, and PC's have wisely copied them a lot. I use a program (Object Dock) that puts icon menus in an easy to use bar at the bottom of my screen just like a Mac, which allows me to avoid the annoying start menu, the added expense of a Mac, and the whole 'iLife' thing.</p>

<p>I've used Macs since 1985. Have owned (by my last reckoning) almost 40. I have also written for years for nearly every major (and many minor) Mac publications. But a couple of years ago, I started using Windows as my main OS. Since then I've purchased half a dozen Dell computers (both laptops and desktop, well, under-the-desk machines). I've supported both systems for a long time and have written software for PCs and Macs going back quite a long time. In short, I'm pretty familiar with both systems.</p>

<p>Many years back, there was a lot to be said in favor of the Mac platform, especially for "creative professionals." To be frank, until the release of Windows XP, Windows sucked. But these days almost none of the advantages of the Mac are decisive, even for creative pros. Macs are prettier pieces of hardware, and the Mac OS is a prettier operating system. There are other little things that I still really like about Macs - like Spotlight (the OS's file search system) or the magnetic power cable connector on Mac laptops. But since SP2 was released for Windows XP, the Mac vs PC debate has become pretty moot. There is virtually nothing that I can do on my Mac OS machines that I can't do equally well on my Windows machines. (I'm running XP SP3 these days - haven't upgraded yet to Vista.)</p>

<p>And note that these days it's really hard to buy a Mac laptop that doesn't have a glossy display. No self-respecting working photographer would want to spend hours looking at a glossy display. I'm not sure what happened at Apple that caused this change.</p>

<p>If you want to run software that runs only on a Mac (say, Aperture), get a Mac. If you are already heavily invested in Mac-compatible hardware, buy a Mac. If you feel drawn to the Mac OS Way of Life, buy a Mac. If you don't like having lots of choices, buy a Mac. That last point by the way is made without sarcasm or disparagement.</p>

<p>Otherwise, consider the PC. Comparable systems will be a little cheaper on the PC platform. Aside from running Aperture, you'll be able to do everything you want on a PC that you could do on a Mac and you can do it just as well. And PCs are, in most respects, no harder to use than Macs, in fact, in some respects, Windows has some advantages that the Mac lacks. Anybody who thinks that Macs are somehow inherently "easy to use" hasn't done much tech support for users on Macs, or simply doesn't know Windows very well. Between 1985 and 2005 I found Macs to be pretty well made, but I certainly had my share of hardware problems. Hard disks died. Several laptops had to go back to Apple for repairs. I got bad memory. I had printer problems. Apple's quality control is very good, but it ain't perfect.</p>

<p>I don't have anything against the Mac, quite the contrary: I really like many things about Macs. But PCs have their advantages, too. And the more you work on the Web in your browser, the less it matters which desktop OS you use. In short, it's your choice and you can't go too far wrong no matter what you decide.</p>

<p>If you are having problems with your Windows hardware, I'd suggest figuring out those problems first. More RAM might indeed be a good place to start.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>The biggest difference between a Mac and a PC is the Mac is sold by Apple.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Interesting. The biggest difference, IMO, is that the Mac runs Mac OS and the PC runs Windows.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Think hard about switching from PC to Mac. If you are use to working with PC's switching to a Mac can be a big headache. Especially if you have tons of work to do and not much time on your hands.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>My in-laws, both retired and not exactly power users of anything electronic, switched to a Mac at my wife's urging (who herself switched at my urging). They haven't missed a beat, and rave about how much they love the Mac. If they can switch, anyone can.<br>

If you think you want a Mac, then make the jump. You won't read a lot of stories from people who make the switch and regret it.</p>

 

<p>Mark: thanks for the reply. I understand your point very well. I agree that the after-sale service could become a problem. I am under the impression that Mac computers seldom break, but we never know.</p>