Why should I jump from Pc to Mac? -Advice please

Spooky1666 · 25-06-2012 3:59pm #1

Hi there.
Following the recent demise of my PC i am in the market to purchase a new desktop computer. Both the Dell XPS 8500 and the Imac 21.5" caught my eye. After tons of hours of research into "why switch from windows to mac" etc I am only more confused on what I should get.
About myself - I am very much into photography. I shot as often as I can and during my time getting into photography I have noticed that the Mac platform was a rather popular choice among the pros, however some had some class pc setups too. I do game, however over recent times I found that it is kind of wasting my life and with going into the Leaving Cert course next year I would like to reduce it vastly. I'm hoping that the fact that the mac has a limited choice of games with help me lol. I will also use the computer for all the basic web browsing, email, word documents, printing etc. I will be using the computer to video edit films and shows of varying length (10 min to an hour and a half) and it is mostly shot in full HD.
I am also a techy and could build my own PC, but I'm not really up for that right now tbh.
I have also noticed that the Imac is beyond the refresh date and therefore I'll wait for the new one if I do choose to go with Mac.
Obviously posting this on the Mac forum will provide Mac biased replies ( maybe not? )

But what I want to know is why should I switch to the Imac from a windows 7 based machine?
What are the benefits?

I have had one PC and 4 laptops so far and the majority of them had a 2-3 year lifespan, and a lot of software problems and hick-ups, that is until windows 7 came out. It is quite stable. (Vista were the worst years of my computing life) :P

If I invest that much money into a mac system will it prove more reliable and better performance wise? ( I can see that spec to spec pc machines are better value, but if you count the Imac display in it could actually add its value worth?)
Sorry for all the mumble on above :P
Hope you can help.

Cheers
Spooky1666

Colonel Panic · 25-06-2012 5:00pm

You won't get biased replies, but these threads always turn sour when someone trolls them saying Macs are overpriced and you should get a PC instead.

Desktop Macs are more expensive then a PC of equivalent spec and use underclocked mobile parts. I don't especially think they're more reliable than a desktop machine, especially one you build yourself if you know what you're doing.

OS X isn't any more or less stable than Win7 these days either.

So only get one if you can afford the price premium and like the software and the hardware. That is literally all you should consider when you are thinking about buying a Mac.

Spooky1666 · 25-06-2012 5:17pm

Sorry, no intentions of sparking any wars.

Cheers for the reply though!

Colonel Panic · 25-06-2012 5:29pm

Nah, it's not your fault! That's just always what happens.

To give you more details. I've got a Windows based desktop PC, mostly for games and always will. My day job is developing software using various Microsoft based platforms but I've also owned one or two Macs since 2002 and have used a Mac laptop as my primary machine for the past 6 years.

I think they're great, but they're just not "better or worse" and really a personal choice. You should try to play with one a bit and see what you think of the software.

Sad Professor · 25-06-2012 5:31pm

I don't have much experience with Windows 7, but I was under the impression that it still requires considerably more maintenance than OS X (which really doesn't need any). Although many switchers continue to carry out maintenance tasks regardless.

Anyway, if photography and video editing is your thing, I'd say you will be quite happy with a Mac. You'll get a lot of basic consumer software for this bundled with the Mac, such iPhoto and iMovie, which are are very good and easy to use.

Colonel Panic · 25-06-2012 5:37pm

Windows 7 doesn't need much maintenance, if any. But being the more widely used OS means it's an easier target for malware for sure. That's about the only negative it's got vs OS X and is security through (relative) obscurity valid for someone who is tech savvy?

Dr.Sanchez · 25-06-2012 6:39pm

One word... Aperture.

Should at least impress the OP, being a photo head and all!

Sad Professor · 25-06-2012 6:50pm

Yeah, Aperture is excellent. It can be got a lot cheaper from the App Store now as well.

Spooky1666 · 25-06-2012 8:08pm

Thanks for all the input!
Yes I'm looking into aperture now, I for the most part I have always been the adobe guy ie. Photoshop and premiere pro.
Not only because they are really popular but maybe because they are kinda the all round best available on windows.
But I'm looking into aperture and final cut pro now and they seem pretty sweet additions to work with, maybe even replacing Photoshop :O They're good value too!
This might just sell me on the mac :P combining it with the sweet display on the Imac as well. ( Got a look at it in the shop there)

Thanks again for the replies!

Spooky1666 · 25-06-2012 8:43pm

Colonel Panic wrote: »

Windows 7 doesn't need much maintenance, if any. But being the more widely used OS means it's an easier target for malware for sure. That's about the only negative it's got vs OS X and is security through (relative) obscurity valid for someone who is tech savvy?

Yeah that is true, I always took care and the proper maintenance on my old windows PC so I never really had much problems with viruses.

frozenfrozen · 25-06-2012 8:56pm

Would hackintosh be a better option for you? You can game on windows and use osx for whatever. Forget about maintenance, you know you're well able to handle a computer.

The iMac looks great, and it works straight away. But you pay for it. And for the same price you could work more efficiently on a windows machine (you're doing video editing, specs are EVERYTHING)

On Mac you've got Prores 422, a fantastic intermediary codec which could make up for the performance difference almost singlehandedly which on a pc you would have to pay 99$ for a licence to the must better cineform.

If you're only getting 2-3 years out of a computer I'm a bit worried. I bought my current pc about 4 years ago now and I'm only just replacing it. Having said that I bought a Macbook Air in december.

You will enjoy the change to osx. It feels cleaner and smoother, and for photography and video it's perfect. But don't under estimate how much power you need to keep that clean and smooth feeling when you're editing HD video and large photographs. The next refresh of iMacs will almost certainly come with retina displays, and be prepared to pay for it. And buying a non-retina version when the lineup is refreshed will leave you feeling like you got the cheap option, which it will still not be compared to windows!

People often make the mistake of trying to mimic the specs of a mac for a lower price on windows. Try pick a mac, then with the money that would cost, build the best pc. The difference can be really quite huge.

TL;DR
Mac is shiny
Windows will be better at video editing when spending sub 2k on a mac.

DotOrg · 25-06-2012 9:16pm

Spooky1666 wrote: »

I will be using the computer to video edit films and shows of varying length (10 min to an hour and a half) and it is mostly shot in full HD.

for the price, the 27" iMac has an amazing display, you'd find it hard to get an equivalent pc display for the same price. for video editing the big screen is beautiful. the new iMac which should be out in july with the latest version of mac osx, should have usb3, so you can store all your huge files on that, and if you choose an sad for the main computer, it will be an amazing experience for editing video and photos

JacksonHeightsOwn · 25-06-2012 9:18pm

As a mac owner and a previous pc owner I would lean more towards the pc.

Yes macs look the business, yes they boot up in seconds. But the cold hard fact remains they cost far too much money.

They don't last much longer than a pc either Imo.

I'm not knocking apple at all, but do they really warrant the massive difference in price?

Answer. NO

frozenfrozen · 25-06-2012 9:24pm

DotOrg wrote: »

for the price, the 27" iMac has an amazing display, you'd find it hard to get an equivalent pc display for the same price. for video editing the big screen is beautiful. the new iMac which should be out in july with the latest version of mac osx, should have usb3, so you can store all your huge files on that, and if you choose an sad for the main computer, it will be an amazing experience for editing video and photos

300 euro catleap 27" 1440p ips monitor. Leaves 1,300 quid to build a better pc than the base 27" iMac. Moot point.

Usb 3 isn't a valid storage solution. You won't have fast enough transfer speeds to edit HD video. SSDs aren't good for editing video either because of the small capacity. A raid array would be perfect or an ssd for boot and a HDD for storage and editing etc. That can't be done on an iMac...

acous · 26-06-2012 12:05am

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Usb 3 isn't a valid storage solution. You won't have fast enough transfer speeds to edit HD video. SSDs aren't good for editing video either because of the small capacity. A raid array would be perfect or an ssd for boot and a HDD for storage and editing etc. That can't be done on an iMac...

What are the read/write speed requirements for editing HD video? I would have assumed a single usb3 drive would be capable, or a usb3 raid enclosure if not. Thunderbolt would be ideal if the peripheral prices weren't astronomical. Final option is the thunderbolt/firewire800 adapter.

I agree it sucks that apple don't have a reasonably priced and upgradable machine in their lineup, but there are external options these days.

conor.hogan.2 · 26-06-2012 12:13am

Windows 7 and Ubuntu (most solid user friendly linux distro imo), on non mac hardware, are a real alternative to a Mac.

But if you can afford it a Mac still wins out imo (believe me I have tried looking for alternatives and they are not quite there imo).

frozenfrozen · 26-06-2012 12:24am

Sustained usb 3 write is what about 120MB/s max? I suppose it would be enough for 1080p but not very high bitrate. 4k footage uncompressed is 260MB/s so I suppose 1080 from a not-a-red-camera would be much less. Thunderbolt would be the best bet, but yeah the prices make me want to cry :[.

Bedtime now but I'll have a look at prices of external usb 3 drives tomorrow. I'm not sure how usb3 performs but the seek times are guaranteed to be pretty bad compared to sata, which doesn't lead to smooth playback in editors regardless of max transfer rate.

AlmightyCushion · 26-06-2012 1:35am

If you like the Apple displays and are still thinking of sticking with windows then the Dell u2711 is a brilliant monitor. If you have the money and want to go even better check out it's bigger brother the u3011. Price wise the u2711 is probably about €600 and the u3011 is probably about €1000.

Snowie · 26-06-2012 2:57am

op i used to use pc all the time got into mac and haven't really look back.

i find it really intuitive way easier to look after my files and work flow and it suits me more as an OS then windows did...

Spooky1666 · 26-06-2012 9:58am

Wow, that's a lot of different opinions, as is expected I guess.
Some might be taking it a tad bit too far with video editing here. 4K? Lol I wish, I only shoot with DSLR's in 1080p, not with any cinematography cameras so I think USB 3.0 will be generally satisfactory ( I tend to shot more towards the 10 min side of things then the hour and a half these days) And if I do end up getting a cinematography camera it probably be two more machine cycles by then. And I have to initially ( sometimes painstakingly) transfer everything over with my SD card reader first. ( About 35 mb/s) I only will use usb 3.0 to transfer the files onto a back up hard drive? Is there another way of doing this process that has eluded me? Also I'd photograph a lot more often than film.
I very much appreciate you's researching this all up.

Cheers

frozenfrozen · 26-06-2012 11:36am

If you're not serious about video get the iMac. You will love it, and it will do everything you need and more. Just you're going to need external storage, a usb3 enclosure will do you perfectly for this. 2tb would be plenty. The iMac will handle 1080p dslr footage fairly perfectly, and you can use prores 422 as your intermediary/ delivery, which you can't do on windows.

faceman · 26-06-2012 11:42am

OP I use my iMac for similar reasons to you. It literally is the last computer I'll ever buy! I bought mind late 2007 and I still have it running as great today as when I first bought it. I upgraded the RAM 2 years ago which help give it a boost. I don't see myself needing to upgrade for another few years. Unless it breaks!

GhostInTheRuins · 26-06-2012 11:53am

Regarding aperture, it isn't really too good to be honest. I've used it in the past but wasn't happy with it and I always ended up going back to capture nx2 or photoshop. Nowadays lightroom 4 blows it out of the water.

Spooky1666 · 26-06-2012 2:35pm

In terms of photography I've only used adobe products so far. I might try out aperture if I do get an imac but reading online lightroom still looks much better. For video final cut pro looks very nice. (Not sure about X but I've heard a lot about 7 and seen my friend use it maybe a year back)
I think I will choose the imac this time round. That's because being tech savvy I want to try out the different os's and systems so I want to give apple and mac os a try this time round. And If I end up not liking it or something there will be a few more opportunities to build a pc in the decades to come :P

frozenfrozen · 26-06-2012 5:55pm

FCP X is horrible. just stay away from it. get premiere, it's multiplatform so once you're efficient with it on osx you're ready to go on pc. If you plan on getting seriously into video editing then this would be good because you will find yourself using both mac and pc.

Did I mention Final cut X is terrible? It's really REALLY bad.

Lightroom is fantastic, too.

Enjoy your iMac

Spooky1666 · 26-06-2012 6:27pm

frozenfrozen wrote: »

FCP X is horrible. just stay away from it. get premiere, it's multiplatform so once you're efficient with it on osx you're ready to go on pc. If you plan on getting seriously into video editing then this would be good because you will find yourself using both mac and pc.

Did I mention Final cut X is terrible? It's really REALLY bad.

Lightroom is fantastic, too.

Enjoy your iMac

Cheers, i hope i will enjoy it,
Because my laptop just crapped out on me there. I opened it up from sleep mode and was welcomed with a mouse arrow on a black screen. After no response for a few minutes I turned it off and now windows 7 is corrupted and it neither starts up or goes into system repair

ugh i am so tired of this :l

acous · 26-06-2012 8:43pm

Spooky1666 wrote: »

my laptop just crapped out on me there

Hmm, I wonder how a new macbook air would handle 1080p editing? If you want to dive into the mac experience, the air is really the epitome in my humble opinion

frozenfrozen · 26-06-2012 10:24pm

acous wrote: »

Hmm, I wonder how a new macbook air would handle 1080p editing? If you want to dive into the mac experience, the air is really the epitome in my humble opinion

It works but I've only tried iMovie. I wouldn't even attempt to install final cut or preimere on it. Rendering also takes a horrific time, but the ssd helps for really smooth playback and editing.

irishdude11 · 26-06-2012 11:57pm

There is no reason to pay double the money for a Mac with the same spec as a PC. The Mac is also limited to a subset of the available software, just about everything runs on windows. Maybe back in the Vista days it might have been viable because Vista was crap but MS did an excellent job on Windows 7.

The vast majority of peoples time is spent in applications so the operating system is not a big factor these days as all modern consumer operating systems are more than capable of providing a top notch user experience (although ubuntu falls down here now and again due to driver issues and errors that sometimes occur when installing software, and that is why it is still not suitable for the average user imo, it needs another 5-10 years). There really is very little difference in UI among operating systems for the vast majority of tasks, it is ridiculous to let yourself get rode bareback by apple and pay twice the price for the same spec. It always give me a good laugh when I see a macbook in a pc store going for literally twice the price of windows laptops. The apple guys must get a good laugh out of it too, they prob cant believe their luck that there are people out there who will shell out the extra cash for a lower spec.

I said what needed to be said, thats my one and only post in this thread.

Dr.Sanchez · 27-06-2012 12:06am

irishdude11 wrote: »

There is no reason to pay double the money for a Mac with the same spec as a PC. The Mac is also limited to a subset of the available software, just about everything runs on windows. Maybe back in the Vista days it might have been viable because Vista was crap but MS did an excellent job on Windows 7.

The vast majority of peoples time is spent in applications so the operating system is not a big factor these days as all modern consumer operating systems are more than capable of providing a top notch user experience (although ubuntu falls down here now and again due to driver issues and errors that sometimes occur when installing software, and that is why it is still not suitable for the average user imo, it needs another 5-10 years). There really is very little difference in UI among operating systems for the vast majority of tasks, it is ridiculous to let yourself get rode bareback by apple and pay twice the price for the same spec. It always give me a good laugh when I see a macbook in a pc store going for literally twice the price of windows laptops. The apple guys must get a good laugh out of it too, they prob cant believe their luck that there are people out there who will shell out the extra cash for a lower spec.

I said what needed to be said, thats my one and only post in this thread.

Let the trolling BEGIN!!

Spooky1666 · 27-06-2012 12:25pm

Dr.Sanchez wrote: »

irishdude11 wrote: »

There is no reason to pay double the money for a Mac with the same spec as a PC. The Mac is also limited to a subset of the available software, just about everything runs on windows. Maybe back in the Vista days it might have been viable because Vista was crap but MS did an excellent job on Windows 7.

The vast majority of peoples time is spent in applications so the operating system is not a big factor these days as all modern consumer operating systems are more than capable of providing a top notch user experience (although ubuntu falls down here now and again due to driver issues and errors that sometimes occur when installing software, and that is why it is still not suitable for the average user imo, it needs another 5-10 years). There really is very little difference in UI among operating systems for the vast majority of tasks, it is ridiculous to let yourself get rode bareback by apple and pay twice the price for the same spec. It always give me a good laugh when I see a macbook in a pc store going for literally twice the price of windows laptops. The apple guys must get a good laugh out of it too, they prob cant believe their luck that there are people out there who will shell out the extra cash for a lower spec.

I said what needed to be said, thats my one and only post in this thread.

Let the trolling BEGIN!!

Lol and it begins :P toshiba were very nice on the phone though. The laptop came with a 2 year standard warrenty so they're having someone come pick it up for repair soon. Its suspected that the hard drive is broken. But after only a year and a half? How unreliable are hard drives, they nearly always cause me problems :P

Why should I jump from Pc to Mac? -Advice please

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