vivek_kadiyala Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>Another thing to think about has more to do with the inherent limitations of the all-in-one (as you mentioned an iMac) design be it a Mac or a PC. There is definately somethign to be said for the expansion and connectivity that having a tower gives you; internal space as well as something as simple as the number of USB/firewire ports. In the long term why not give yourself the opportunity to upgrade components? Sure it may not be as pretty but that's what all that room under your desk is for anyway.<br> This is especially true with displays; it seems every few months the external display prices drop as their size and performance increases. I feel that these days most well equipped machines are quite capable, but when dealing with photos the machine is only as good as the display's ability to accurately reproduce colors, resolve detail, and provide enough realestate to work with the images. Many posters above have stated how long they have enjoyed their computers but in three years I would think that there would be more reason to upgrade the display then upgrade the hardware driving it. Display performance will degrade over time; there is no way around that but a well equipped PC or Mac tower will still have the same processing ability in three years.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pieri Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>hello Charmian,<br> The best advice i can offer is to buy the base model of imac and upgrade the internals yourself. 4gb Ram costs 60 dollars...not the 300 upgrade apple charges. You'll need external harddrives to back you information anyway so don't focus on the HD either. The most important thing is to have basic power and the operating system you enjoy. Personally i love the mac, i switched a few years ago and won't go back. I boot both occasionally for games but that is all. My last bit of advice is if you enjoy the portability of a laptop, then get one! I own a macbook pro. with 2.5ghz and it provides ample power to run both photoshop/aperture among many other programs. I hook up to my external monitor and it's perfect! Now any trips you take, or photo sites you go to you'll still have your photo management with you. <br> -Spencer-</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathancraver Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>I wouldn't worry about the amount of USB and Firewire ports, thats what hubs are for. Plus, firewire can be daisy-chained from one device to the next. As far as display performance degrading over time, that may be true of cheaper displays, but my 20" Apple Cinema display has been running strong for 5 years on my Power Mac G5 with absolutely no degradation in quality or color. You can upgrade the display on an iMac, it's called adding a second display. Once you go to a dual display system, you will never want to go back to one monitor again. Have the photo in one display, and all your tools in the other for a complete and unobstructed view of what you are working on. I would buy an iMac in a heartbeat, but I have no need, my workhorse G5 has been so solid for the last 5 years, I have no need right now, and that says a lot compared to a PC. I have owned and built quite a few PCs over the years, but once I bought my first (and current) Mac, I will never spend real money for a PC ever again.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_symington1 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>I have a dual PC/Mac setup in the sense that I have a big top spec desktop PC (top spec 1 year ago though) and a new 2.4 Ghz MacBook with 4GB of RAM for when I travel (loaded with Lightroom 2, NX2, Photoshop etc). The MacBook processes files as fast as the desktop, doesn't hang, has a a friendly OS - in short I can't wait for my PC to die so I can replace it with an Imac. Having sweated Windows for 20 years (which I still have to use at work) I really wish I knew then what I know now.<br> If money is a constraint then a PC is the only way - Apple certainly isn't economical - but it is a considerably more pleasant experience, in my opinion, living in Mac land.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrypittman Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>I am running a 12 year old Sony Vaio notebook purchased new. I still love it, I did change out the monitor last year, running XP home, not very fast but it gets the job done. I do not use IE, Mozilla Firefox instead (which is great!), also use Bazooka (freebie) instead of Norton AV and Irfanview instead of Photoshop. I tried to like PS but needed something more user friendly. Then I found Irfanview, small footprint and free. Amazing program.</p> <p>My oldest son and wife each purchased Macs. I tried to convert but no way.</p> <p>My youngest son just purchased a new notebook and I thought he would get the Mac, but he ended up with a PC notebook with everything for $600 (he said it has Vista version 2).</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathancraver Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>Another thing to consider, as to why Macs work so well: Windows software is designed around the advantages and flaws of about a thousand different manufacturers products that can be used to build the computer. There are almost infinite combinations of parts that can be used to make a PC. Apple, however, builds the computer and designs the software to run it. That's called total integration, and it makes for a much smoother and more reliable machine. That also explains why some own PCs and never have problems, while others are a total nightmare. Certain hardware and software configurations just don't work well together. With Macs, that is never a problem because they were specifically made for each other (OS and hardware).</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrypittman Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>Forgot to add it is so nice to have a c: and d: drive. I put all my pics and anything important on the d: drive and if it dies I can format the c: drive and reload XP with no harm to the d: drive.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george_bridgeman Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>I've been using Macs for years; started with an LC II, now have a PPC G5. In my opinion, there is only one good reason to buy a Mac: Mac OS X. I prefer it to any version of Windows (don't forget you can stick with XP instead of getting Vista) and am more productive when using it.<br> However, in this day and age, if you're a reasonably technically minded person (which, by your own admission, you're not but other thread readers may be) you can hack a version of Mac OS X onto a regular PC. Apple hardware is incredibly expensive when you consider what you're getting and price up an equivalent PC yourself.<br> My machine is due for an upgrade soon but I won't be buying a Macintosh again. An iMac isn't going to fly because I can't upgrade the graphics card for gaming (plus most games developers don't make Mac versions) and can't install more HDDs, and a Mac Pro is insanely expensive. I'll build the PC myself and install OS X on top of that, alongside XP (or Windows 7 if it's worth it).<br> With the money I've saved myself, if I really fancy it, I can buy some new glass. Photography is the reason we're all here, right? Why not buy a good enough computer and get yourself that new lens or body you've had your eye on?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrypittman Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p><strong>"not very fast but it gets the job done"</strong><br> that was a misquote. It is still plenty fast.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharne_andrews Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p >I use PC because my budget limits my choice. I tell myself the range of software is better and its adaptability are an asset; but this is dependent on each user’s needs and the compatibility of the system as it integrates with a broader range of devices and applications. </p> <p >When my friends and colleges ask me what they should buy I usually say Mac because if they have to ask they probably aren’t equipped to get the most out of a PC and because I’d feel horrible and frustrated if someone asked me for help after buying a PC on my advice .</p> <p >Buying a PC from a willing and reputable IT supplier or consultant can be a good solution if the technician provides comprehensive after sales service. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank_page Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>I switched to an Imac last year and here is what I like; a) it works, b) no ridiculous messages popping up all the time, c) the design; with wireless keyboard and mouse there are only 5 cables running into the machine and it doesn't need a specially designed computer desk. All in all the Imac design is very neat, clean, and elegant. <br> No upgrade path? I have never upgraded their PCs and by the time I needed to, I really had to buy a whole new system anyway. <br> This thread pretty thouroughly covers the pros and cons for a Mac/PC decision tree. Time to make a decision.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2008. Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>I thought the world hated Vista ! i have a xp pc and a vista laptop and after using xp vista is rubbish i hate it i have heard microsoft is working on some thing new if that is so vista has got to be rubbish and they know it !but mac i dont know much about but i do know that most programs are made for pc !how many on this site use mac's !that is the anwser ! i think this site needs a poll for voting on differant subjects .cheers.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomin8r Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>Hi. It took my friend 2 years to convince me to try a Mac. I ended up in an Apple Store, tried out various ones, and ended up with a Mac Book Pro. Yes, the purchase price did hurt compared to a PC notebook. However, I made my business website in a very short time using iWeb and that saved me more than the cost of the MacBook Pro. I find the iLife and iWork suites very easy to use. Software upgrades are VERY reasonably priced ($79 US for example) vs. horribly expensive PC software. <br> My advice is if you have the cash, try a Mac. Go to your nearest Apple store and check them out.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmz17 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p><quote>Mac...24inch / 3.66ghz / 500gb hdd / 512mb RAM etc etc...basic</quote><br> Hmm, 512Mb RAM? Sounds like a machine of the nineties. Serious machines today sport 3-4Gb RAM. But at least 2.<br> I have a PC equipped with Windows Vista, I also have a Macbook pro. I own several Linux machines.<br> I only use the Windows machine for online banking, since my stupid bank can't or won't figure out how to write standards compliant code. They think 'standard' == Microsoft. I play with the Mac, but mostly my wife uses it, as I find it counter intuitive.<br> 95% of my time is spent on Linux (work==systems development) and (play==photo management). If you don't think you'd get along with Linux, I'd suggest Mac.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly_flanigan1 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>It really doesn matter. Here i have a couple of dozen PC's and have very little is any of the issues Mac folks rant about PC's. Macs are more goober proof if one has folks that assume; do dumb stuff. A new old stock 64 bit XP box with 8 gigs of ram here is used with CS4 to handle giant files; the box was 450 bucks as new old stock off of ebay 18 months ago; the extra ram several hundred more. A dumb HP mini tower from Office depo last month was 349 bucks; 3 gigs of ram; dual core; Vista; it runs CS2 just fine; it is radially quicker than the Imac 20" unit we got back in 2006 and cost 40 percent of its price. There will be no end to macv versus pc debates. Soem folks can use PC's for a decade with no issues; others screw them up quickly; thus a mac is a safe more expensive buy ; but cheaper for them because of their pc woes.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smuncy Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>Most discussion here has focused on HARDWARE (I'm happy with my 24" iMac with 2GB memory and extra external drives), but for photography use I don't think nearly enough has been said about software. Photoshop works great on the Mac. Elements works great on the Mac. But I seldom use those because I depend so much on Apple APERTURE as my all-purpose image editing/cataloging software. It is an outstanding program, and IMHO justifies buying a Mac just to be able to run it. It works and works extremely well. Sometimes quality is worth a premium.<br> I won't jump into the hardware argument except to this extent -- I've used both, and prefer to use Macs. We are an "all-Mac" shop at work, and its funny how new employees end up purchasing Macs over PCs as their personal home computers when they upgrade.... but that is another story. (BTW - we haven't had a computer virus at work in six years, knock on wood.)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david j.lee Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>a pc? are you out of your mind...??</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_c.5 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>Charmain, this same discussion was just held <a href="00SS0s">here</a>, ad infinitum. All you've done is dredge it all up again.</p> <p>If you'll look at that lengthy discussion, all you will find are platitudes and generalizations about Mac being "better". However, to recap my comments, I'll post them here:</p> <p>Not one Mac user who's posted here has given me any compelling reason (not one) to leave the PC world and shell out the bucks for a Mac. All I've read are platitudes and generalizations (kind of like an Obama speech).</p> <p>Again, bottom line is that there is little difference between a modern PC with recent processor and plenty of RAM, compared with a comparably equipped Mac, save for the operating system and the price tag. You basically have two different personal computers that look different, but do the same thing. Only the PC does it WAAAAAY cheaper. PC wins.</p> <p>Then, compare the differences on the software end of things. You have two different OS's, one works with 10% of the software available on the market, and the other works with the other 90%. PC wins.</p> <p>There is NOTHING you can do on a Mac that I cannot do on a PC. I can run Quark, Photoshop, ACDSee, Lightroom, Illustrator, Flash, InDesign, or whatever I want, and it works just as well, and does exactly the same thing (no, I can't run Aperture, but there are plenty of other solutions to do the same thing). And, there are TONS of other programs and applications I can use that Mac owners can't. PC wins.</p> <p>I've known folks for years who swear by their Macs, but they can't for the life of them give me ANY compelling reason to get one myself. They just swear it's "better". Bottom line: there is NOTHING you can do on a Mac that I can't do on a PC cheaper and just as fast. And there's a TON of programs I can run on a PC that you probably can't run on a Mac, unless it's an Intel version. PC software and hardware still outnumbers Mac 10-1, and, the hardware is still cheaper by a long shot.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howard_owen Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <blockquote> <p>a pc? are you out of your mind...??</p> </blockquote> <p>You know, one of the reasons I migrated to PCs after getting out of the Mac-only environment of design school was the attitude voiced above. Heaven knows our Macs had issues. I can remember trying nearly in vain to get a final project to print in the graphics lab. The server just kept crashing and crashing (remember the little bomb icon?) I saw it dozens, if not hundreds, of times in about a 6 hour period. Not humorous.</p> <p>I sat next to a guy at a restaurant recently, using a Toshiba laptop to catch up on a few things. When he saw me doing a quick edit in Photoshop, he expressed amazement that anyone would use a PC for graphics work. Surely I must be a hobbyist? When he learned that I was a bit beyond the hobbyist level, his amazement quickly faded and he began to voice his disdain for the entire realm of Windows computing. When he finally stopped to catch his breath, I asked him if he'd ever owned a PC. Triumphantly, he said, "Of course not!"<br> To which I replied, "Then you have my permission to STFU." The situation quickly deteriorated. Thank goodness he had enough sense to leave or he might have ended up owning his first PC in the form of a Toshiba suppository.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_c.5 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>I agree, Howard. The Mac world is FULL of elitists, who are all so self-affirmed that THEY have the answer, THEY have seen the light, that THEY are using the smart solution, and if YOU'RE smart, then YOU'LL buy one too. And if you use a PC, well then, you just must be living in the dark ages among the unwashed masses. It's ridiculous.</p> <p>We don't see this sort of elitism in the PC world. We don't see that unfounded snobbishness. And that is why I think I'll stay in the PC world. I've been doing high-end graphics work on PCs for years and as I said, the Mac does not have a monopoly on graphics software, it's the other way around.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris_van_den_broek Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>I can shake hands with Howard<br> We also used Macs at school and man were they a horror. They kept crashing and you'd get that little rainbow wheel just spinning around for minutes on end.<br /><br />I've never understoodd why a Mac is superior to a PC when it comes to graphic design. They both do exactly the same. Also: lots of applications online don't work well on a Mac....</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_c.5 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>Here's an example of Jobs-ian minimalism that typifies the Mac world. I just picked up a used iPod, just to keep some tunes on. My receiver at home as an iPod dock, and my car has an iPod compatible connector for the stereo, so I figured 'why not?'. Never having owned one before, I figure all the functions out except for the power on/off function. I can't see any way to turn the darn thing off. Now, knowing what I know about Macs not having eject buttons on their disc drives because Jobs hath deemed them barbaric and obsolete, I know there must be some way to turn it off. I have to read the manual very thoroughly, because buried in the text is the answer. I read the manual over and over 2 or 3 times. Then, I look in the index under "P" for power, and find it's mentioned on page so and so. Sure enough, you have to press the Play/Pause button for 2 seconds to get the thing to shut down.</p> <p>This sort of minimalism is just ridiculous. It's like that whole dragging the disc to the trash can to eject it thing. It takes things to the extreme.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patricklavoie Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>@Steve/ why would a Mac user need to give you reason to switch? can you make your own decision?..and why do you need to switch if you are happy? Garisson can give me all good reason to switch, and i wont..but i listen to what he said and open my eye and that give me new perspective..not enough to get a PC, but to understand whats on the other side on the fence, and because i always learn when he or Kelly bring infos..i like to learn, like to have new material. Does that make me want a PC..nope, but i fell more inform.</p> <p>@Kelly/ so can you tell me if i have to send flower to a guy or a girl..or simply hit Steve for is assumption that make me sleep badly?</p> <p>@Howard/ you have seen mac crash, i have seen PC going out of control after installing a sony mp3 player : )..i also have seen a brand new car have is ligth panel always off because of a false wired connection..shit append everytime, everywhere, on anything..a bomb icon was the nemesis of OS 7-8-9..good thing they have create os X after..like they have create windows XP , vista and Windows 7 (why 7?..why not 2009 i dont get it, but maybe is the next number version?)</p> <p>@All/ Still the same argument everytime..$, virus, compatibility, bla bla bla..my advice buy anything you want, you got the money, you dont care about the fact that a mac is more expensive for nothing, like me, get a Mac. You are money conscious, you dont want to spend it on something just for the image or the look or the OS..get a PC.</p> <p>For the record, i am a top Mac addict, affionado, ellitist professional across the universe...i will never think of me buying a PC and will sell my Plasma TV to get the $ to get a Mac before BUT i am a intellingent person who understand that when you put aside $, people make there own choice and buy wathever they are comfortable with; i will never give you crap advice about the missing eject button on a Cd as a important reson to get a PC, i will not even talk about virus because you should have a anti virus on any platform anyway, i will not even talk about the incompatibility of Vista / XP / OS X ... because the most problem i have seen for the past 20years always come from a user point of view more often that from a machine.</p> <p>As i say before i have a Mac because i like the feel of is OS, i like the look of the machine itself, and because all my client, my friend and people i sue to send work to have a Mac, so why would i get a PC? this is my personnal reason to get Mac.</p> <p>Oh, i also like Hermes vs Target and will never ask witch one i should buy since i know what i like ; )</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patricklavoie Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>Ah Steve, would you stop bringing that hold trash thing .. you dont like minimalist, get a zune or whatever mp3 player that have a on/off sleep button on it..or get a cd player : )</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patricklavoie Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 <p>"..We don't see this sort of elitism in the PC world.."</p> <p>look at any pc vs mac thread..you will see it both way. Just have a look here : )</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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