New computer - Apple or Windows?

[407370]

I have a huge black Gigabyte case that I purchased about 3 years ago. The oldest component inside it is about 18 months old.I have replaced all the components to max out the bang for buck ratio on a regular basis and it runs W7. Internal card reader / USB 3 drive, 4 hard drives, water cooling, overclocked Intel I7 etc etc etc.

So Windows for me as I like to upgrade bits on my own but I fully understand the street value of having a macbook.

 

[Solarflare]

I just purchased a new computer specifically for photography, and I found this page very helpful: Mac vs. PC for Photographers: The ULTIMATE Guide

A quite bold title for a pointless rant.

It may be pointless to you, but to someone who doesn't know or understand and hasn't seen this topic a million times its actually quite important and a huge investment. The only thing thats pointless is your post.

That article can be summarized into like three sentences. The rest is self promotion and a ton of vague statements.

 

[RDenhardt]

This year I upgraded from a PC I built with a decent graphics card to a 27" 5k iMac....I wont be going back to a PC thats for sure. It helps my work flow and seems to flow better.

 

[Village Idiot]

I have a huge black Gigabyte case that I purchased about 3 years ago. The oldest component inside it is about 18 months old.I have replaced all the components to max out the bang for buck ratio on a regular basis and it runs W7. Internal card reader / USB 3 drive, 4 hard drives, water cooling, overclocked Intel I7 etc etc etc.

So Windows for me as I like to upgrade bits on my own but I fully understand the street value of having a macbook.

This is why I probably won't ever buy an Apple Desktop unless I go with a used Mac Pro and even then, I have no reason to. My PC is going on 7 years old. I have replaced the GPU in it from a 295 GTX to a 680 GT and a new power supply that crapped out on me last month. At some point this year I may upgrade my i7-920 OC'ed to 4.2 ghz to a new processor and Mobo and get a new GPU when the next generation of nVidia cards come out. I also have a 30" monitor that I'd like to one day replace with a 4k+ monitor for photo and video editing (yeah right...and gaming ). In comparison I've had 4 Macbook Pros in that time frame. If I owned an iMac, I would have had just as much money chasing performance upgrades over just being to upgrade what I needed. The i7-920 isn't a Xeon processor, but I can get similar performance for less money than what a Mac Pro would have cost me. For me, it's just not a feasible choice. But like I said in my last post, use what's right for you.

 

[Griz22]

Thank you all for your insights, thoughts, and opinions.

The only item that hasn't really been answered for me yet is regarding the monitor. I've read that PC monitors sometimes render different image than iMac monitors. Am I completely off base?

Is the 5k Apple monitor superior to the 5k's from Dell or other PC manufacturers or is it 6 and 1/2 dozen?

Thanks

 

[Ysarex]

Thank you all for your insights, thoughts, and opinions.

The only item that hasn't really been answered for me yet is regarding the monitor. I've read that PC monitors sometimes render different image than iMac monitors. Am I completely off base?

Is the 5k Apple monitor superior to the 5k's from Dell or other PC manufacturers or is it 6 and 1/2 dozen?

Thanks

You're completely off base. Apple manufactures nothing. If you buy an iMac then you have an LG display. You can buy one from LG directly or buy better: Eizo

Whatever monitor you do buy: calibrate it.

Joe

 

[Griz22]

Great thanks, Joe!

We can close this thread I have what I need. Thanks again all.

 

[gckless]

This year I upgraded from a PC I built with a decent graphics card to a 27" 5k iMac....I wont be going back to a PC thats for sure. It helps my work flow and seems to flow better.

Why? How big was your monitor before? You can't just say "I upgraded overall and that's why Apple is better". Also, you compared a graphics card to a monitor; not exactly an apples to apples comparison.

 

[table1349]

A man dies and goes to heaven. The first person he runs into as he enters into heaven is the person he most wished to never see again. So the man picked up his bags and went the other way.

So there you have it, Heaven for climate, Hell for society.

PC for climate,
Mac for society.

Remember, your not buying a computer, your buying an operating system.

 

[RDenhardt]

This year I upgraded from a PC I built with a decent graphics card to a 27" 5k iMac....I wont be going back to a PC thats for sure. It helps my work flow and seems to flow better.

Why? How big was your monitor before? You can't just say "I upgraded overall and that's why Apple is better". Also, you compared a graphics card to a monitor; not exactly an apples to apples comparison.

I had a 21" monitor before, and I only made mention of the graphics card because if you dont have a very good graphics card it wont matter what monitor you have, it will still looks like crap. I also never said that the apple was "better" I dont make judgements like that, especially when a computers specs/software can be "better" depending on what you use it for. I have come to prefer the apple operating system, even though there isnt the freedom which is present on a windows machine. Its fine with me, and ive come to enjoy how well this new computer runs and hasnt given me a bit of trouble. The PC's always seem to have some stutters or given me issues. Maybe its just me. Both computers had nearly equal specs regarding processor, hard drive, RAM, and graphics card... I was saying upgrade as a term for improving how I work, not necessarily the hardware itself.

 

[jcdeboever]

I am not trying to brag but help the OP make a decision. I am an expert in computer hardware and operating systems. The hardware in the Macs are high end hardware. In order to get the same quality hardware in a Windows based operating system machine, you would have to build your own. You could send me a PM with your budget and I could give you a recommendation for hardware but you would have to put it together yourself or take the list into a local Mom and Pop PC store. If you decide to go Windows, DO NOT buy a name brand one off the shelf. Go into a local Mom and Pop PC store and have them build you one based on my recommendations if you can not put it together yourself.

From an Operating System Side, Macs simply are more reliable and are not bogged down with malware and potentially unwanted programs (PUP's). Their file system is substantially different and more efficient than Windows. By default, you are also never logged in as an administrator which has numerous advantages for security, malware, PUPs, and system recovery options. On the software side, MAC has everything available that you need and is extremely optimized for the artist programs.

I personally use Linux which is similar to Mac and have a custom hardware configuration to suite my other needs. If all I wanted in a computer was to use it for office applications, photo editing / art software, and web browsing, I would use a MAC. When it comes to the financial aspect, you will get what you pay for if it's just going in and buying something off the shelf. If that is the case, save yourself the headache and buy a Mac desktop of laptop. Make sure you get at least 8GB of ram and an SSD drive. Invest in an external drive for data storage.

 

[mcap1972]

If you have any knowledge of building computers go with PC. You can make a speed demon for fraction of an Apple equipment.

 

[jcdeboever]

If you have any knowledge of building computers go with PC. You can make a speed demon for fraction of an Apple equipment.

Generally speaking yes but high end hardware is not cheap. For example, Supermicro motherboards, Intel Xeon CPU's, Crucial ram, workstation graphic cards, Intel SSD's, etc. All of these are high quality components and when properly balanced and configured, are comparably priced.

 

[dcbear78]

If you have any knowledge of building computers go with PC. You can make a speed demon for fraction of an Apple equipment.

Generally speaking yes but high end hardware is not cheap. For example, Supermicro motherboards, Intel Xeon CPU's, Crucial ram, workstation graphic cards, Intel SSD's, etc. All of these are high quality components and when properly balanced and configured, are comparably priced.

None of which are in an iMac either.

 

[Village Idiot]

I am not trying to brag but help the OP make a decision. I am an expert in computer hardware and operating systems. The hardware in the Macs are high end hardware. In order to get the same quality hardware in a Windows based operating system machine, you would have to build your own. You could send me a PM with your budget and I could give you a recommendation for hardware but you would have to put it together yourself or take the list into a local Mom and Pop PC store. If you decide to go Windows, DO NOT buy a name brand one off the shelf. Go into a local Mom and Pop PC store and have them build you one based on my recommendations if you can not put it together yourself.

From an Operating System Side, Macs simply are more reliable and are not bogged down with malware and potentially unwanted programs (PUP's). Their file system is substantially different and more efficient than Windows. By default, you are also never logged in as an administrator which has numerous advantages for security, malware, PUPs, and system recovery options. On the software side, MAC has everything available that you need and is extremely optimized for the artist programs.

I personally use Linux which is similar to Mac and have a custom hardware configuration to suite my other needs. If all I wanted in a computer was to use it for office applications, photo editing / art software, and web browsing, I would use a MAC. When it comes to the financial aspect, you will get what you pay for if it's just going in and buying something off the shelf. If that is the case, save yourself the headache and buy a Mac desktop of laptop. Make sure you get at least 8GB of ram and an SSD drive. Invest in an external drive for data storage.

You can buy Dells without the bloatware. We do that for customers all the time.

If you have any knowledge of building computers go with PC. You can make a speed demon for fraction of an Apple equipment.

Generally speaking yes but high end hardware is not cheap. For example, Supermicro motherboards, Intel Xeon CPU's, Crucial ram, workstation graphic cards, Intel SSD's, etc. All of these are high quality components and when properly balanced and configured, are comparably priced.

None of which are in an iMac either.

You'd be hard pressed to build a PC with a 27" 5k monitor, blue tooth, thunderbolt, 2TB drive, and all the other accouterments for $2,099. You can get them even cheaper as well.