Mac Opinions, Please

[tomorrowstreasures]

I am to the point of needing to get a new desk top computer. I want to switch from PC to Mac but have not a clue where to begin with my search.

The Mac will be mainly used for my photography. I will be installing Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4. Other than that, I do not have any more criteria.

I would love input on where to begin, what to stay away from, what is a for sure to have and what is a not needed.

Thanks!

Susan

[tirediron]

If you're not familiar with the Mac OS, then I would start by finding a library, or other publicly accessible Mac to play with first. You may well find (as I did) that you just plain don't like it. I had one for a short time, and found that there were certain things (Lack or a right-click context menu etc) that I just disliked so much I wouldn't want one. On the plus side, if you like 'em, you like 'em, and compared to almost all other computers, they're VERY well made. As far as what you need goes, your best bet will be to go into a knowledgable computer store (NOT a big-box store) and discuss your needs with them. Good luck.

[tomorrowstreasures]

TI - doh - what a great suggestion to go try one first!!!

[tomorrowstreasures]

So - what advantages does a Mac have to a PC??? My son tells me that a Mac is meant for someone who deals with art/graphics/photography, etc. But what are the advantages over a PC??

[Marko]

Both macs and PC's are can do exactly the same thing these days. Right now I'm on PC but I was on a mac for a good 6 years.

IMO macs are easier to use (for a newbie) way better designed and are less prone to driver problems, viruses and other incompatibilities between programs and the windows operating system.

That said they (and most of their accessories) are way overpriced imo. Expect to pay at least 50 or 60% more for mac.

Whatever computer you choose make sure it has EXTRA RAM, a nice size HD (at least 1 TB (thanks iggy)) and plenty of room to add usb/firewire accessories.

Hope that helps
Marko

[tomorrowstreasures]

thanks, Marco YOUR opinion matters as does any one's here on ph.ca....- I just spent a good deal of time reading opinions of people i do not know. They are all over the place with the opinions! http://www.popularmechanics.com/tech...s/4258725.html

Makes my head swim...

[Lovin]

If you want less problems, easy to use, fast and virus free, than get a Mac.
You just take it out f the box plug in and that's it.
You will love the colors on your desktop, the neat design and the smart things.
And of course you will need half of the RAM that usually need on a PC.
Basically 1 GB RAM on a MAC = 2 GB RAM on a PC.
CS4 and Aperture will ask for 2 GB of RAM on installation. For Lightroom is fine even 1 GB.

All MAC users that I know. don't want to come back to PC.

[Iguanasan]

I really don't want to get into a religious war of Mac vs PC but since you are asking I'll offer up my thoughts on the matter. I've been doing the computer thing now for about 25 years - my first computer, a Commodore Vic 20 had 3.5KB of RAM and data and programs were stored on audio cassettes. I've used other Commodore machines, PC's, Ataris, Macs, Sun Workstations, and numerous mainframes over the years. They are all just different tools and as long as it will do what you want that's all that matters.

Most of what Marco said is bang on though I think for a hard drive he probably mean 1TB and not 1 gig as that would be rather small. And always remember more RAM is better though anything over 4GB is probably a waste. If you go PC make sure you get a free upgrade to Windows 7 or wait for it to come out and don't settle for anything less than a Core 2 Duo CPU.

PC's are generally cheaper due to the fact that they don't have very good support whereas you pay a premium for Mac's because of the support which I understand is very good. If you are not very geeky then a Mac might be a good choice for this reason alone. They are also very proprietary so components work together well. You can generally only buy Apple components to work with Apple gear and so you pay a premium but you give up a bit on choice.

PCs are a wide-open platform where you can have many components and add-ons made by completely different manufacturers. The competition drives the price down but it also means they cut corners. Generally it's support that loses out as it's the most expensive part of a computer manufacturer's business.

The only reason, capability-wise, to buy a PC over a Mac is gaming. PC's still really kick butt in this area for hard-core gamers. Other than that the machines both surf the net well, they both do email, they both handle most business apps and most graphic design apps with exactly the same performance.

My only caution, if you stick with a PC, is to buy from a good brand. I've bought nothing but Dell for the past 8 years and I've rarely had a problem and when I have had a problem it was resolved within a few days. A friend of mine has bought a couple of HP machines from Futureshop and his computer spent almost as much time being fixed as it did sitting on his desk.

I hope this helps!

[JAS_Photo]

I bought a new laptop last fall and I under estimated what I really needed. When you are running photoshop and Lightroom together it is a big strain on your computer. So if I were to get a new one it would have more ram and more memory. Also, I hook up a printer, an external HD and sometimes a flash card reader and scanner. My LR loads pics directly from my card to my external HD which saves a lot of space on my computer.

I am not a techie but I would say if the computer can run games well, it will run your photo software as well.

[zenon5940]

I started working on computers in 1969 and always have worked on them since ... 40 years in the business.
In 1969 there was no monitor and the mere idea that one day we could see text on a monitor was considered a dream, let alone pictures and color... Then we had monochrome in amber, green and black & white... and color in the late 70's.
Apple came out with computers that were more for doing graphics while IBM had a PC more business oriented. Then there were companies from all over the planet that built copies of the PC. It had become THE standard.
The graphics talents of the Apple/MacIntosh family were appreciated by people in the publication an graphic industry but aside from that, the PC was and still is KING. Today's PC can do everything in graphics as well as a Mac. In addition, many applications are available for the PC and not for the Mac.

As said by Iguanansan, there is a "religious" war between PC and Mac users. I have read somewhere that more than 90% of the computers in America are PC's. This would explain why PC's benefit from a greater number of applications. This is also why there are more danger of catching a virus when using a PC. Also why PC's are half the price of a comparable Mac.

To me the choice is clear. PC over Mac.

This is just my personal opinion...