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Kyle Yates
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p.5 #1 · PC or Mac????

sbay wrote:
Performance wise you won't see a huge amount of difference in a Mac or PC these days for typical applications.

If you define performance by the application, for example applying a filter to an image in photoshop, then yes there is not going to be much of a difference in performance between PC and Mac especially if using the same software.

If you define performance on an overall basis, like how much time you spend doing crap to maintain the computer, etc. versus actually doing work I think you'd see substantial differences that make it worthwhile for many people to get a mac. Consider how you'd accomplish simple tasks such as finding a file, changing windows, updating software, backing up file, migrating to a new computer, etc. in both mac/windows environment and I'd think you'd find os X more efficient.

Actually with the price of computers AND laptops now being so rediculously cheap I can't honestly say I spend much time maintaining any of them.

This is the PRO forum so I assume a lot of guys reading these posts are either Pro's or hoping to make serious money out of photography.

Given the fact that you can get a Brand spanking new quite powerful desktop computer for around 400 - 700 USD these days including a decent graphics card - (OK I'm not thinking 3D apps and gaming here) - how much time do you think it's worth spending on maintaining an Old one. (Note only the CPU box not all the associated peripherals).

I'm assuming that if you've got PRO quality monitor(s) and printer(s) you just plug these into the new box.

I don't know how much you value your time but if it takes you several hours to fix a computer you might just as well get a new one.

OK if you LIKE messing around with computers etc etc then that's another story or if you want to fix a machine to give to a school / charity etc same thing.

Note that also the above reasoning doesn't apply where your network might have quite a lot of computers -- I am referring here to a sort of "rogue machine" -- one that always seems to have a problem when 99% of everything else works perfectly. In this case I'd be sorely tempted to "Bin" the machine instead of spending any significant amount of time trying to fix it.

People costs are hugely significantly higher than hardware costs today -- amazing how many businesses seem to forget this simple fact.

For pro shooters computers are just TOOLS - we'll use whatever we feel gets the job done in a way we feel comfortable with.

I can't honestly say I really notice much difference in using the PC or Mac environment these days -- once you've got over a small learning curve in the different interfaces.

I do know however if you need to connect exotic type hardware then Windows is more likely to support it (or at least can be hobbled to work).

Similarly if you are still using some older type 35 MM film and tranny scanners for digitising your earlier film work you might find Windows is your only choice for using this hardware.

Cheers

-K

Edited on Jul 20, 2008 at 02:12 PM

Jul 20, 2008 at 02:02 PM

Alistair Watson
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p.5 #2 · PC or Mac????

Well, after many years of Windows (up to XP), I moved to Mac, a Mac Pro to be precise. I too was concerned about the investment in software but the main 3 applications I use are Adobe Photoshop CS3, Dreamweaver CS3 and Lightroom. A call to Adobe confirmed that I could convert these to Mac licenses without a problem, total cost was something like £10 for the shipping. I had to buy a copy of Mac Office, I went for the Home edition in the end since I primarily use Word and Excel though it wasn't expensive, something like 1/4 of the price of the latest Pro version of Windows Office whatever.

All in all I am very pleased I made the switch to Mac. The Mac Pro is built like a BMW and after running Vista for a few months, OS X, in my opinion, is so much nicer to use. I was expecting it would take me a few months to get fully up to speed on OS X but it is surprisingly intuitive.

The only thing I really miss about Windows is actually MS Outlook. Entourage isn't really the same so I now use Mac Mail, basic but it works. Sure, I could look at something like VMWare Fusion to run Windows but I figured if I was going to migrate it should be an all or nothing kind of thing.

All things considered, I am very pleased.

Jul 23, 2008 at 09:06 AM

jay tieger
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p.5 #3 · PC or Mac????

I'm not an IT or PS pro...just a photog with other interests...and user of the same hardware and software...
I've decided to divide my PC use into separate purposes and PCs...one for PS, the other for DVR/MS office work...keeping the former clean and free from all non-photo software, allowing it to run more "cleanly"...it's a $15 2ghz celeron I recently 'thriftshopped' (and to which I added parts lying around...a DVD/RW and a slave HD, separating OS/software on the main HD from storeage and virtual memory on the slave)...eliminating all bloatware on it, it is running surprisingly fast and efficiently with only 768mgRam (that I could double for $50, as well as for another $25 slip in a real 2.66ghz P4)...tho neither seem needed yet...the other DVR/office PC will run one or the other app independently without interfering with each other...

Edited on Jul 29, 2008 at 12:46 AM

Jul 28, 2008 at 08:46 AM

Sergio Mottola
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p.5 #4 · PC or Mac????

just got a 15in macbook pro a few weeks ago, and it rocks.

Jul 29, 2008 at 05:55 PM

zo damage
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p.5 #5 · PC or Mac????

There is only one reason one would not use a mac … being too broke to buy one!

Aug 03, 2008 at 02:02 PM

Kyle Yates
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p.5 #6 · PC or Mac????

zo damage wrote:
There is only one reason one would not use a mac … being too broke to buy one!

I notice it's your FIRST POST --you certainly have a good way of trying to make useful contacts if this is typical of your 'Net activities.

To make a total generalized remark like that shows a number of things

1) Probably very Young - doubt whether you are a PRO (even though this IS the Pro shooter Forum)

2) Totally Ignorant -- unfortunately as you SHOULD know some Apps will ONLY run on Windows and if you use these apps there ISN'T any other choice --even using a VM won't solve 100% of these problems.

3) Probably a Troll who posts opinions before even ascertaining the REAL facts or information the OP wanted

4) Probably a fairly unpleasant over-opinionated individual who has precious little social life and even fewer friends.

Post like these don't ADD ANYTHING to the usefulness of the Forum or contribute ANYTHING to the discussion in hand.

There are certainly many advantages in using one computer type over another but at least present a REASON as to why you would use one over the other.

Cheers

-K

Edited on Aug 04, 2008 at 12:05 PM

Aug 04, 2008 at 12:02 PM

lordarka
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p.5 #7 · PC or Mac????

Kyle Yates wrote:
zo damage wrote:
There is only one reason one would not use a mac … being too broke to buy one!

I notice it's your FIRST POST --you certainly have a good way of trying to make useful contacts if this is typical of your 'Net activities.

To make a total generalized remark like that shows a number of things

1) Probably very Young - doubt whether you are a PRO (even though this IS the Pro shooter Forum)

2) Totally Ignorant -- unfortunately as you SHOULD know some Apps will ONLY run on Windows and if you use these apps there ISN'T any other choice --even using a VM won't solve 100% of these problems.

3) Probably a Troll who posts opinions before even ascertaining the REAL facts or information the OP wanted

4) Probably a fairly unpleasant over-opinionated individual who has precious little social life and even fewer friends.

Post like these don't ADD ANYTHING to the usefulness of the Forum or contribute ANYTHING to the discussion in hand.

There are certainly many advantages in using one computer type over another but at least present a REASON as to why you would use one over the other.

Cheers

-K

Kyle,

You know I respect your contributions greatly, but this multipronged analysis of a person's personality, based on a single sentence he likely posted in jest, is way over the top. You've spilled an enormous amount of digital ink on an issue that you claim to be "100% irrelevant." Aside from impliedly contradicting that original view in the final sentence of your preceding internet based psychoanalysis, what does this add to the thread?

Arka C.

Edited on Aug 05, 2008 at 07:06 PM

Aug 05, 2008 at 07:04 PM


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