PC vs. Mac

[Mark Elberson]

Is there a consensus? Which do you prefer to work with for photo-processing and editing?

[twistedphrame]

I wont vote since I never really used a mac only windows and linux
(programming not photo-processing) but just looking at most of the
windows systems the computers for the most part aren't exactly
powerhouses and windows itself has a whole lot of bulk. macs seem to
have a fairly heavy hit hardware wise (and wallet) along with something
that from the little I've used a mac seems much less bulky. So if I
was given the choice of either system for free definitely would go mac.

[Mark Elberson]

Also, how many people use laptops vs. desktops? For those of you using laptops, do you use an external monitor?

[moldovamark]

I'm a photography newbie, but I use both Macs and PCs a lot. When I'm actually in Lightroom (the only photo software I've used on both) I don't notice any difference in how the program operates.


However, when I'm doing anything else, the Macs are by far the better machines. The interface really is more intuitive, the operating system is much more stable, their customer support is the best I've encountered for any product or service, and, if you're actually comparing similarly equipped machines (same processor speeds, same amount of memory, yada yada) Macs are no more expensive than PCs. (There was an article on Slate or the NYT about this a few weeks ago.)

[Dave Johnston]

I use a desktop. If I used a laptop, I wouldn't do it without an external monitor. Laptop montior's color just doesn't seem accurate enough to me.

[Keith B]

funny thing...my <2 year old MacBook Pro just died this morning. Evidently Mine is suffering from bad nVidia chips. It will be fixed for free but what an inconvenience. I have a handful of files I didn't back up yet and now I have to pull the hard drive out and copy the data off it put it back in and send it in for repair.


Still would never own a PC, but I think I'm going to get a Mac Pro next time. No more notebooks.

[IAMB]

I've been drooling over a Mac Pro since last year about this time, but I just can't seem to justify the cost... especially when I just dropped a bunch of cash on another camera body.





As is, I use a MacBook (the black one from last year) and a 20" cinema display from Apple, though I will admit to using MS Office stuff for word processing and spreasheets rather than iWork.

[Colin]

Primarily laptop. I've got a couple Mac Minis, though one is for the kids and the other is in the storage with the calibrated monitors, pending a move at indefinite date, so right now, crappy laptop monitor. When they weren't packed up, i'd use the calibrated external monitor with either. I tried using the Mac with DPP and Adobe lightroom, though I didn't like the version they had released at the time for DPP on the Mac, found setting the printing options confusing. Lightroom seemed easy, though I couldn't do exactly what I wanted to do, but most things did look 'good'. This isn't a Mac/PC issue, but rather a software issue. I'll get back to the Mac Mini when it's time to unpack, install the latest version of DPP, which is supposed to be identical to the PC version, and I'm hoping things will be different then.

[piiooo]

IMHO, for the same money you get better hardware in a PC, but Mac seems to have an edge in Operating System dept.


Anotheradvantage of a PC computer is that you can even make it yourself, and you get exactly what you want for the money you spend.


The PC modalitycould be also considered a disadvantage, becausequite a fewPC vendorswill offer a fast processor with lots of Ram for a bargain price (a magnet for customers), not mentioning that hard drive or graphics card are just too slow. Such configuration may be fine for web browsing andso forth(which is what most users do).Graphic/video processing consumes lots of hardware resources. From the hardware point of view, a computer is as fast as the slowest major component: processor, memory, hard drive, graphics card etc.


If I'm not mistaken,since Mac started using Intelprocessors, it is possible to run eitheroperating system on either hardware.


I am a PC [:)] The reason? I made it,I know it, if it brakes I can fix it. Vista 64 works very well withmy DPP and CS3.


Edit: I voted "Either is fine" Both systems have great potential in the hands of avid photographer [:D]

[IAMB]

I've heard of runnning Windows on a Mac, but not the other way around (I'm not sure it's even possible - much less feasible). I do know a number of people who run Windows for desktop applications and Linux for online and also have a guy in my department who built some freak processor array with about a dozen Pentium 3s and runs it with Ubuntu.

[Sinh Nhut Nguyen]

I use PC. With the same amount of money I can get a much better PC, MAC costs too much! Until I have my 800 f/5.6L IS, PC for now[:D]

[ShutterbugJohan]

I use a PC. Any extra money I spend on lenses, so the computer I use is ancient (seriously). I would like to get a Mac someday. :-)

[Tim]

I vote mac. I have a macbook, almost three years old now and it runs faster than it did on the day I got it (installed extra ram). The fact that it hasn't slowed over time is the best part of being a mac owner. I'd assume editing photos is fairly identical on mac and pc, because all the programs we use run on both. But for anything else, I think mac is better.

[piiooo]

I've heard of runnning Windows on a Mac, but not the other way around (I'm not sure it's even possible - much less feasible).


It is doable, you just need a so called EFI-X USB dongle, a compatible with it Intel based motherboard and of course OS X, any major videocard should go.


Windows on Mac is easier to achieve, nohardware change is necessary, if I'm not mistakenone needs Bootcamp software.

[Rodger]

From the hardware point of view, a computer is as fast as the slowest major component: processor, memory, hard drive, graphics card etc.


So my 4 year old dell pc is as fast as the 512 MB of RAM it has? haha oh boy. So thats why it gets moody if I try to open DPP and photoshop.


This is my personal rather uninformed opinion: College is coming up, I've heard wonderful things about photo/video editing on Macs. Since college is on the horizon, a Macbook Pro and hopefully a calibrated desktop monitor seems the best choice to me.


I guess you just gotta go with what works for you too? If everyone knew/could build their own PC I'm guessing alot more people would be PC people lol.

[Mark Elberson]

I use PC. With the same amount of money I can get a much better PC, MAC costs too much! Until I have my 800 f/5.6L IS, PC for now/emoticons/emotion-2.gif
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Nate,


I'd love to see what you could do with a 800 f/5.6L IS!!!

[piiooo]

From the hardware point of view, a computer is as fast as the slowest major component: processor, memory, hard drive, graphics card etc.


So my 4 year old dell pc is as fast as the 512 MB of RAM it has? haha oh boy. So thats why it gets moody if I try to open DPP and photoshop.
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There is only one vendor for Macs (Apple) and hundreds if not thousands of competing vendors in the PC world. Mac will sell you an evenly configured hardware and pretty good and stableoperating system. A PC vendor will try to sell youa more-affordable-than-copetition machine, and if you don't know whatyou need you'll buy it and if youperform any processor/graphic/memory/hard drive intense task your brand new PC willstart choking. If not now wait a year or two for newer and more hungry software to come... Sad but true.

[Colin]

There is only one vendor for Macs (Apple) and hundreds if not thousands of competing vendors in the PC world. Mac will sell you an evenly configured hardware and pretty good and stableoperating system. A PC vendor will try to sell youa more-affordable-than-copetition machine, and if you don't know whatyou need you'll buy it and if youperform any processor/graphic/memory/hard drive intense task your brand new PC willstart choking. If not now wait a year or two for newer and more hungry software to come... Sad but true.
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I think this is right on. The inherent 'superiority' of a Mac isn't, in my opinion, that it necessarily performs better, but rather that it is a complete, well-configured package. Apple controls the hardware and much of the software, and sets the price for the product it wants to offer, and doesn't have to compete on a price basis. You can typically get MORE with a PC package for the same money, but it may be poorly integrated, and compromises may be significant to get the lowest $$ tag for the core specs. I bought an HP for cheap that is a lot for the money, and it'll do for a lot of stuff, and was a good deal as a refurbished unit. However, if I actually configured the laptop I wanted it would have cost several times as much. I still would have gotten better value than an apple, though even so most companies load it with a crapload of software that you want to uninstall. If you're capable, you'd probably just want to format the thing and install the operating system and drivers and key software, and nothing else.


A lot of the entry-level PC setups, particularly those with low amounts of RAM, shouldn't be sold at all. They're only good for startup and maybe e-mail. Run much of anything else and you're swapping hard drive.

[mpphoto12]

i think its all preference.. now adays they can both so the same things for the most part and there fis no right or wrng.. I think Macs ar ebetter for multimedia.. I have the new macbook and its awsome for photoshop , lightroom, etc..

[crosbyharbison]

you've been able to run osx on a pc for a while now...


http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page