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Archive 2016 · Mac desktop question

  
 
anchorout
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Mac desktop question


I've just started a semester of photography school at college. All they use in school are mac machines and my limited experience has been on a PC. I have the opportunity to purchase an older machine - mid 2011, quad core, 2.5gh, 21.5" monitor, 16 gigs of ram, new keyboard and mouse for $700. Assuming everything works as it should do you feel this product will deliver reasonably good processing speed? What about the price, is it reasonable?
Thanks,



Sep 02, 2016 at 08:14 AM
15Bit
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Mac desktop question


What software are they using? Most of the photo editing software is available for both OSX and Windows, and works the same in both. There is no real driving force to choose one operating system over the other for these packages.

Frankly, if you are more comfortable with a PC then i would recommend buying a PC. If you want to make the move to Apple, i would probably recommend a newer iMac over a 5 year old Mac Pro. It will be a fair bit faster.



Sep 02, 2016 at 08:31 AM
freetime101
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Mac desktop question


This video may be of interest:



Do you have your own PC at the moment? Is it lacking in any way other than not being a mac?

I switched to mac earlier this year and it's a fantastic machine, expensive though and the software is the same (Lightroom and PS). The OS itself is different, I think better, others think worse and the keystrokes/short cuts are some times different but even that is usually just using cmd instead of ctrl.

If you have a PC at the minute I would stick with PC
If you have $700 to spend I would stick PC
If you have $1000+ I would look at mac.

YMMV



Sep 02, 2016 at 09:49 AM
Dustin Gent
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Mac desktop question


so i just sold my mid 2011 iMac for $480. I bought it new in May 2011, and added 16GB RAM. I even had the original boxes, discs, etc etc.

I would say no way buy that one. Way too much money for a 5 year old machine.

As for performance, it was still a great machine. Not a speed freak, but decent. My new MBP is a ton faster, but should be as it is new.



Sep 02, 2016 at 02:07 PM
Michael White
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Mac desktop question


I want to build a hackintoshing dual boot desktop myself as I agree the OS is better IMO. Have you looked into a Mac mini? You'll have to provide keyboard, mouse/touchpad and monitor but you probably have that already laying around.


Sep 02, 2016 at 05:20 PM
rw11
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Mac desktop question


SSD or HDD?

what size ??



Sep 02, 2016 at 05:23 PM
Chris Court
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Mac desktop question


I would not buy that machine, the primary reason being that I believe it does not have USB 3. For external storage, there is a huge difference in speed between USB 2 and 3. Aside from that it would likely be a good machine for the majority of photography-based work.

I use a similarly specced-out Mac Mini (the 2012 quad i7 model, which does have USB 3) and find it to be a superb little machine which fills my computing needs very well considering the modest cost.

C



Sep 02, 2016 at 07:25 PM
Dustin Gent
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Mac desktop question


i doesn't have USB 3.0. It has 1 TB 1.0 and 4 USB 2.0 and 1 mini display port i believe.

Perhaps for $500 or under, it would be good to buy - but new ones run for $999 if you are student, and refurbished ones are cheaper.



Sep 02, 2016 at 08:47 PM
Robert E
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Mac desktop question


Hi anchorout,

I work in IT, have over 30 years now, and have both Mac and Windows PCs.
Personally I prefer my Macbook with Retina display over my top of the line Dell 15" laptop.
What you want to look for in a new computer, be it Mac of PC, is the specs of some critical parts.
First is the speed of the processor, which you say is 2.5 GHZ, that's above average, but not the fastest which is usually 3.0 GHZ these days. So that processor is running at a good speed.
Some of the attractive priced computers, especially PCs, are coming thru with processors 2.0 or lower.
The second is the type (not the make) of the processor, in this case a Quad Core, which is very good.
Most are only Duo Core and can't process programs as fast. The third is the memory size, in this case 16 GBs of Ram is very very good. Keep in mind a Windows 7 PC can only use a maximum of 4GB of Ram, even if it has 16GB in it. The processors in a MAC can use more of the available memory.
As far as the age of the machine, if it was before 2011, I'd say it was to old, but being 2011 is not that old, really. Also keep in mind some of the newer ones will lack built in items like a DVD player/reader, also known as the Optical drive. Yes, USB 3.0 is faster than 2.0 but in practical use, you won't notice that much difference unless you are always using the USB drive sockets, so don't make a decision on that spec. The 21.5" monitor is nice size, 24" would be better, but it's still better than a 14 or 15" PC laptop. As for the price, that would depend on the condition of the machine, it's not that far out of line.
Hope all this helps, good luck with your decision.
Best wishes,
Robert E




Sep 02, 2016 at 09:11 PM
anchorout
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Mac desktop question


Gentlemen, thank you so much for all of this good advice.

I do have a PC but I'd like to use a Mac because that is what they are using in school and the interface is different from the PC of course....similar yes, but different. And I think I might like it better.

Michael White and Chris Court, thanks for suggesting the Mac Mini, I will look into that.

Dustin G. - thanks, I will check into just what output ports come on the machine. And yes, I'm a student so it's good to know there is a price break for us if I can go that way.

Robert E. - thank you so much for your detailed reply. That's all such helpful stuff. It's one of the many things that makes this forum such a great resource!
For example I had no idea that my PC is only using 4GB of Ram (it's running
Windows 7) but has 6 GB installed I believe. And yes the machine I was looking at does have the DVD drive. This is advice I will carry with me in a pocket while shopping for this next machine. Thanks again Robert.

Ken








Sep 02, 2016 at 10:38 PM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Mac desktop question


Having moved from PC to mac I would encourage you to make that jump . I still have to use PC for a few things at work plus the rest of the family still have WIN machines and I must say I hate them to death .

But I will also say that as pointed out above most of the stuff you use is win and PC (i.e. LR and photoshop) and is pretty much the same whatever . if you were thinking of doing it just for that then I would say hold your money .

A mac mini is a good choice . don't get the latest as I think they are pretty much sealed units now (not very upgradable) but the one previous would be a good choice .



Sep 03, 2016 at 02:11 AM
15Bit
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Mac desktop question


Just as a point of pedantry, the information regarding Win 7 and RAM is incorrect, or rather it is only applicable if you installed the 32Bit version of the OS. The only reason to do this would be if you have a Pentium 4 CPU (which they stopped selling in 2006 or so. With the 64bit version of the OS (which you almost certainly have), addressable memory is at least 128GB.

I would personally be wary of the age of the machine you buy. Apple do tend to use better components than you get in the cheaper model PC's, but electronics still have an inherently limited life. A good guide for this is the warranties offered on such parts, and the longest warranties i have seen are 7 years for the most expensive Seasonic Power supplies, 5 years for enterprise hard drives, 3 years for Intel and Supermicro server class motherboards. Most "desktop" hardware comes with 1-3 years warranty. In short, on a 2011 model computer you should expect things to start failing soon.



Sep 03, 2016 at 02:53 AM
freetime101
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Mac desktop question


+1 on the Ram thing, only 32x windows is capped at 3 gig, 64x bit is not.
+1 on the Mac mini - good way to go if you want a mac.



Sep 03, 2016 at 03:56 AM
carnac
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Mac desktop question


It is easy to add a USB 3 card to a Mac Pro. They go for $60 to $110 from OWC (Other World Computing).

I have one on my Mac Pro.

I really like the Mac Pro that you are looking at - four internal drive bays that are easy to access. Drives are on sleds and slide in. I have two 3 Tb WD Caviar Black drives that are RAID 1 (mirrored) along with two additional drives that I mount only for back-up. I also have a 1 Tb SanDisk SSD mounted on an OWC bracket in the second optical drive bay.

The SSD made the biggest improvement in overall performance of all the upgrades that I have done.

I have my OS (OS 10.11.6), applications, and scratch drives all on the SSD. I store all my data on the two software RAID drives. I make back-ups to both the additional internal drives and external drives (vis USB3).

Only thing that I would like to upgrade at this time is to a better graphics card (one with HDMI and 4K).

Some good advise on this thread, but people always get mixed up about the Mac Pro machines - the one you are talking about is the large aluminum desk top that used Xeon server grade processors (quad or hex core in single to paired configuration).

http://preview.turbosquid.com/Preview/2014/07/08__21_24_56/macpro_vray_00.jpg29bb3364-222a-4652-96ec-d63cf22e3927Original.jpg


Jim



Sep 03, 2016 at 12:45 PM
Frogfish
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Mac desktop question


anchorout wrote:
I've just started a semester of photography school at college. All they use in school are mac machines and my limited experience has been on a PC. I have the opportunity to purchase an older machine - mid 2011, quad core, 2.5gh, 21.5" monitor, 16 gigs of ram, new keyboard and mouse for $700. Assuming everything works as it should do you feel this product will deliver reasonably good processing speed? What about the price, is it reasonable?
Thanks,


I'm still using exactly that machine and configuration - absolutely no problem running whatever you want. I run LR and the full MacPhun suite as well as APG, Capture NX-D, PhotoMechanic, Aurora HDR Pro, Photomatix Pro 5, Perfect Photo Suite 8, Viveza, Dfine, full NIk Software suite, DX Optics Pro 7, PS4, etc. etc. and often 2-3 of them at the same time !

BTW it is a good idea to use a Mac at home if that is what you are using at school because sometimes there are issues reading/writing to flash if not formatted correctly (must be able to be read by both Mac and PC). Simple workaround but it's easier just not to have to bother and it's not like you are super invested in a PC.

Edited on Sep 04, 2016 at 06:07 AM · View previous versions



Sep 04, 2016 at 06:03 AM
Frogfish
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Mac desktop question


15Bit wrote:
Frankly, if you are more comfortable with a PC then i would recommend buying a PC.

Not to start a PC v. Mac war but a simple observation, if he's using Macs all day at school it's far more logical to continue that process at home than switch to and fro nightly.




Sep 04, 2016 at 06:07 AM
15Bit
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Mac desktop question


Frogfish wrote:
Not to start a PC v. Mac war but a simple observation, if he's using Macs all day at school it's far more logical to continue that process at home than switch to and fro nightly.

I agree, but when budget is tight the choice can be difficult. If we were talking about a higher budget, and thus a newer Mac, it would perhaps be easier.



Sep 04, 2016 at 07:42 AM
misterphil
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Mac desktop question


Go for a 2010 or later MacPro (5,1) its a great machine and very upgradeable with cpu, graphics cards, ram, ssds and more. On the software side keep everything 64 bit if you can. You can install windows 7,8 or 10 on it too and have the best of both worlds in one machine, people often overlook this. Photo editing with a capped ram amount running 32 bit will frustrate you and in my opinion should def be avoided.
Incidentally an earlier post talked about 3GHz cpu clock speed being the fastest but thats incorrect. For instance you can put a 3.46 Ghz hex core cpu in a 6 year old 2010 Mac Pro for very reasonable money whenever you want and there are other pcs that breach 4GHz!



Sep 04, 2016 at 12:33 PM





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