Please recommend a computer for photo editing

[Bitter Jeweler]

Let's see, how many times have I had a blue screen of death on my Mac's?...0

How many viruses have I had on my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had hardware issues with my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had registry issues with my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had installation issues with my Mac?...1 It was the software vendors error that they had fixed by the next day, not a problem with my OS.

How many times have I had uninstall issues with my Mac?...0

Want me to go on???

Oh, do go on.

I have had zero issues with my (windows) laptop, and my 3 year old (windows) desktop.
No problems. Zero.
:roll:
So, whatever.

Canon is better than Nikon.

 

[KmH]

I would want a 64 bit, quad procesor, a lot of hard disk space, and 4 GB minimum of RAM (6 GB would be better). Lots of fans and plenty of power.

I would recommend 2 (500 GB) internal drives (one exclusively for system use), 2 video cards (dual, calibratable (gamma) monitors).

 

[Rhodes7586]

If your willing to spend a grand on a computer, I would rather have over kill on the hardware side now, than not have the ability to run something a few years down the road. I have no experience with Mac's but have alot with pc's. So what I would do is go with at least a Intel Core I5 and possibly the I7 depending on budget. Make sure it has the ability to hyperthread. I would go no less that 4gb (easily upgraded in future), also I would check out some SSD's (Solid State Disks) to put the OS/Install software on. Would also prob. get a video card with a 1 GB because of the fact that software is just starting to utilize this. Might not use all of that now, but you will in the future.

 

[Darkhunter139]

If your willing to spend a grand on a computer, I would rather have over kill on the hardware side now, than not have the ability to run something a few years down the road. I have no experience with Mac's but have alot with pc's. So what I would do is go with at least a Intel Core I5 and possibly the I7 depending on budget. Make sure it has the ability to hyperthread. I would go no less that 4gb (easily upgraded in future), also I would check out some SSD's (Solid State Disks) to put the OS/Install software on. Would also prob. get a video card with a 1 GB because of the fact that software is just starting to utilize this. Might not use all of that now, but you will in the future.

I just put an SSD in my desktop a few months ago and it was the single biggest upgrade as far as speed goes I have ever made. Computer boots/shuts down in about 10 seconds and programs run and open super fast.

 

[vtf]

My daughter uses a Mac for her graphic arts courses in college. Its been highly regarded as a much better system for graphics and photos. PC (windows) is primarily better at word processing and pricing. You wont find a mac under $1000. I myself use a dell pc but dream of the day my daughter passes down her Mac to me.
A good pc for around $500-$700 will get your pretty far. Good luck and check around, You'll be fine.

 

[Mr. Remote]

Macs today have the same hardware in them that PCs do, and they cost about 20-30% more. I have nothing against Macs, but I can't, in good conscience, recommend a Mac to someone on a budget, especially one under 1k.

Try 100% more.... a bare bones iMac starts at $1,200... an equivalent PC about $600. Toss into the mix the fact that the Mac operating system is based off of Unix, which is essentially Linux.... which is free....

But you are right.... I would never recommend a Mac to anyone... budget or not.

Let's see, how many times have I had a blue screen of death on my Mac's?...0

How many viruses have I had on my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had hardware issues with my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had registry issues with my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had installation issues with my Mac?...1 It was the software vendors error that they had fixed by the next day, not a problem with my OS.

How many times have I had uninstall issues with my Mac?...0

Want me to go on???

Yes Mac's cost more in outlay, but their serviceable life is longer, they have far fewer vulnerabilities, fewer compatibility issues and the hardware that Apple uses is dependable top of the line.

While I too would probably not recommend a Mac to someone on a tight budget, I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quality, well written tight system that they can depend on.

I beg to differ... Mac can get a virus just as, if not more easily than a PC. Mostly due to the idea that 90% of mac owners have that they simply CAN'T get one. the fact of the matter is you can, and it'll happen faster than a pc would. The only reason mac users don't get them as often, is because 75% of the world uses PC's.

It would be a huge waste of time for a hacker to write and distribute a virus that will only effect 25% of a collective, when he can gain so much more information from the 75%. About a year ago, i was surfing the web daily, on a PC with out of date (by 2 years) virus definitions, and didn't cop a single virus.

The reason you hear of so many PC's getting hit, is not because of the hardware, but because of the ignorant users who don't know what things they shouldn't click on.

My art professor uses a Macbook Pro, and I've watched it crash more than once right in front of me while he was showing me photoshop/flash/bridge work. He got the blue screen of death once as well.

Some friends from my local church use macs, and two out of the four had to have there hard drives replaced due to random crashes and all information being wiped.

and for your uninstall, hardware, and registry issues, I've never had any problems with my PC, except for one update where I had to change a number in the code and reboot to start up. But it took me maybe 10 minutes to find and correct. And the ability to upgrade anything I want in my PC makes it worth having over a mac alone.

If you loosen a screw on your mac your warranty is voided.... WTF kinda ish is that?
=)

As for the OP, I'd say build your own PC. You can get a WAY better pc for 1k if you build it yourself than if you buy it from a brand. Newegg, and that Tiger site mentioned earlier are really good for buying parts, and are generally 20% or more cheaper than your local Best buy or Fry's.

The biggest thing is to get a quad-core processor, and ram to match. BE careful though because TOO much ram will cause problems in your pc, and to little ram will cause problems. I'd say if you get a quad core processor, 6gb of ram should be the perfect amount for photos. (video requires 12gbs).

also mentioned before duel hard drives is a must. Windows uses about 6 to 8 gb's of space alone just to install. running it uses more. so one HDD to run windows, one to store programs and back up windows. then a third or even fourth External HDD would be good to back up your photos, and other important files.

as far as graphics cards go, most brand name desktops put deecent cards in now, my gateway i bought in 09 came with a nice Radeon HDMI card and runs my video games flawlessly on HIGH everything. But if your building your own, i'd suggest going to a site called www.systemwars.com (I haven't been there in a long time but the PC section is called "Hermit Habitat") but make an account and ask what the pc world thinks is the best graphics card at the moment for your wants. they have strong opinions but they know what there talking about.

But graphics cards are just as important as anything else, because they define how well you see things on your monitor. The image quality, color modes, and smoothness of gradients and such.

Lastly FANS, LOTS AND LOTS OF FANS. Photo editing takes up a lot of CPU, photoshop, bridge, lightroom, they use a lot of CPU processes, so you need good fans to keep your PC cool. and even if you want to research it, Water cooling is something to think about, but it has Pros and Cons, so thats your decision.

 

[burstintoflame81]

Let's see, how many times have I had a blue screen of death on my Mac's?...0

How many viruses have I had on my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had hardware issues with my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had registry issues with my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had installation issues with my Mac?...1 It was the software vendors error that they had fixed by the next day, not a problem with my OS.

How many times have I had uninstall issues with my Mac?...0

Want me to go on???

Yes Mac's cost more in outlay, but their serviceable life is longer, they have far fewer vulnerabilities, fewer compatibility issues and the hardware that Apple uses is dependable top of the line.

While I too would probably not recommend a Mac to someone on a tight budget, I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quality, well written tight system that they can depend on.

Blue screens are primarily caused by hardware malfunctions ( in most cases its a drive ). And beings that the macs have practically the same crap in them now, your point isn't very valid. Everything craps out from time to time.

Now to the OP. If you need to do graphics, or music recording, macs are pretty decent, but you can get a faster PC for a lot less money. If you know how to clean your computer from time to time to get rid of things that cause errors, you don't have problems. Also, if you don't install questionable software, or do idiotic things, like open virus laden emails etc etc. Macs are great if all you are doing is photo editing. If you want to use your computer for many other tasks, go with a PC. I would look on EBAY at reputable sellers who sell barebone systems. You can often get a case, RAM, and processor. Then you can buy all the add ons and the harddrive seperately so that you can get exactly what you want, and probably get it cheaper as well. I would spend $500 on the computer and $500 on a great monitor if $1000 is your budget. Also, with computers remember that your set up is only as good as the weakest link in the processing chain. If you have a super fast CPU and a ton of RAM, but your Front Side Bus is garbage, then its a waste. You can't transfer enough information between the RAM and CPU when the FSB is all clogged up. Also, if you are inputing info, data, video, music etc., a PCI based set up is always going to transfer and process faster than inputing the data with a USB device. ( although USB is getting an upgrade this year and should be a little faster ). Similarly, a Firewire input is going to transfer faster than USB.

 

[LittleMike]

Let's see, how many times have I had a blue screen of death on my Mac's?...0

How many viruses have I had on my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had hardware issues with my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had registry issues with my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had installation issues with my Mac?...1 It was the software vendors error that they had fixed by the next day, not a problem with my OS.

How many times have I had uninstall issues with my Mac?...0

Want me to go on???

Oh, do go on.

I have had zero issues with my (windows) laptop, and my 3 year old (windows) desktop.
No problems. Zero.
:roll:
So, whatever.

Canon is better than Nikon.

LMAO!!!

Don't forget to throw in the Chevy/Ford duel while we're at it.

Seriously though, Mac or Windows will both due. It just comes down to personal preference.

 

[Gaerek]

Let's see, how many times have I had a blue screen of death on my Mac's?...0

How many viruses have I had on my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had hardware issues with my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had registry issues with my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had installation issues with my Mac?...1 It was the software vendors error that they had fixed by the next day, not a problem with my OS.

How many times have I had uninstall issues with my Mac?...0

Want me to go on???

Let's see, how many times have I had a blue screen of death on my Windows 7 machine?...0

How many viruses have I had on my Windows 7 machine?...Not sure, but I've never seen one, and I work in IT, so if I haven't seen it, it probably isn't there or anti-virus got to it first. I can't wait for the first Mac viruses to start running rampant. Just a matter of time...

How many times have I had hardware issues with my Windows 7 machine?...0

How many times have I had registry issues with my Windows 7 machine?...0

How many times have I had installation issues with my Windows 7 machine?...0

How many times have I had uninstall issues with my Windows 7 machine?...0

How much less did I pay for my Windows 7 machine than an equivalent Mac?...$500

Want me to go on???

 

[Vinny]

I haven't read the whole thread but most people in "the arts" prefer the Mac; I personally like the PC. Whatever you buy make sure you buy the better version of the processor (only goes for PC). For Intel its Pentium vs Celeron, I'm not an AMD person but if you do choose AMD buy it's premium version. You should buy a Video Accellerator card - don't share the onboard memory. And don't go whole hog! whatever you buy today will be obsolete tommorrow.

I don't know how much pricing has been mentioned but you can get a HP Pentium I-3, 4 Gig of memory, 640 Gig hard drive and 512 Meg video card for approx $650. Just my $0.02.

 

[vtf]

Not to give away my age but I remember the day the experts claimed a 1 ghz processor would make computers self aware.

 

[burnws6]

My penis is bigger than your penis.

 

[usayit]

How many times have I had uninstall issues with my Windows 7 machine?...0

How much less did I pay for my Windows 7 machine than an equivalent Mac?...$500

Want me to go on???

Please stop because your post is completely utterly useless...

Its like someone going to a doctor complaining of some pain and the doc sayin "Well I feel fine.. go home, its in your head". Who cares if it works for you?

My point being, most Mac users went to Mac because of bad experiences with Windows. In other words, most Mac users are Windows users as well and they switch for whatever reasons. The opposite cannot be said for the majority of Windows users.

As for the money.. big f'in deal.. its their money and they can spend it however they want.

Get over it!


For me... I hated the fact that almost all users on Windows boxes run with the equivalent permissions of "root" on a Mac/Unix/Linux box. Yes.. the majority of the viruses and hacks take advantage of that. I'm not saying Mac isn't more resilient, I'm just pissed off that it took Microsoft 20 years to figure that out (Windows 7 and 2008 server is a good step forward). It has also pissed me off that it took them 20+ years to figure out that I need a decent shell environment to script my work. Don't tell me DOS is as good as ksh, sh, or bash.. because if you do, you have no clue. Windows 2008 server finally has powershell... 20 years later. I too can go on.. but just like I said... what does it matter to the Windows user who is happy? Absolutely Zero.

WTF was MS thinking with Windows ME????

I'm not saying Mac is better, its just that they work better for me. Those of you who can't figure out that everyone has personal preferences is an idiot.



The answer is simple.
* If you like Windows and have a bit of cash.. get a Dell, Hp, or whatever.
* If you like Windows and on a budget, consider building a machine.
* If you have been dissappointed with Windows, go to a Apple store and try them out for size.
* If you are Happy Mac user, no reason to consider windows... just keep saving.

Whatever you do, I'd suggest maxing out on memory (yes Mac manages large amounts of memory quite efficiently).


For Mac users, don't buy apple memory (expensive). Consider getting it from Performance Upgrades; FireWire USB SATA Storage; Memory, more at OWC for a better deal. The issue with Apple is that they don't make a distinction between commercial and consumer memory which results in extraordinary high prices for consumers looking to upgrade memory.

 

[Gaerek]

My point was basically that anecdotal evidence means absolutely nothing. There is so much misinformation about Windows today, it's not even funny. People are making the same jokes about Windows today that they were making 10 years ago, and really, it's old. Vista sucked, yeah, we all know that. Windows 7 is easily the best Microsoft OS since XP SP2, and I'd go as far as to say it is their best yet. How come you called my post useless, but not gryphonslair99? Oh right, because you own a Mac, and you probably actually believe those Mac vs. PC commercials.

If it's ok to use anecdotal evidence to *prove* the superiority of one system over another, let me add my own. About 6 weeks ago I was visiting a friend for his sister's wedding. He wanted a new computer. I tried to convince him to by a PC, but he was deadset on getting a Mac because, and I quote, "It's better at photo processing and video editing." (More lies and misinformation, but I digress.) Without going into too much detail, he had received and returned 3 different Macbook Pros in as many days. They all had some problem that made the computers unusable. He finally got frustrated and bought a Dell that had slightly better specs than the Macbook Pro he wanted, and he had an extra $600 to put towards the new lens he wanted.

I relate this story to show how useless anecdotal statements are. Gryphonslair99 thought he was clever for saying his computer had none of the problems that PCs are supposed to have, when in fact, if you exclude Vista (as most Windows users did, lol) PCs really haven't had any of those problems (save the virus thing) since XP SP1 which was in 2002 I think. Mac users (and I deal with a lot of them) think they are clever talking about the blue screen of death, or viruses and how their Macs are immune to them lmao.

And so you know I'm not talking out my butt, I work in IT in a network that has ~50 windows machine and about 12 Macs. I know how to use them, I use them in daily life. I still prefer PC, but I have nothing against Macs. I'm just sick and tired of all the misinformation and lies that Mac users seem to spout out about PCs. Windows 7 is a great OS that doesn't have ANY of the problems that people seem to think Windows has.

If you like Mac, use Mac, I don't really care. But if you don't care what computer you want, I cannot in good conscience recommend spending extra money on a Mac simply because "it's better at photos and video" (it's not) and "it's more secure than Windows!" (it's not). If you prefer it, then it's worth the money to you. If you don't, then it's probably not worth the money.

 

[Boomn4x4]

Let's see, how many times have I had a blue screen of death on my Mac's?...0

How many viruses have I had on my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had hardware issues with my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had registry issues with my Mac's?...0

How many times have I had installation issues with my Mac?...1 It was the software vendors error that they had fixed by the next day, not a problem with my OS.

How many times have I had uninstall issues with my Mac?...0

Want me to go on???

Yes Mac's cost more in outlay, but their serviceable life is longer, they have far fewer vulnerabilities, fewer compatibility issues and the hardware that Apple uses is dependable top of the line.

While I too would probably not recommend a Mac to someone on a tight budget, I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quality, well written tight system that they can depend on.

If you are going to make the switch off of Windows in favor of a different operating system... make the switch to Linux.

I'm not suggesting that Windows is better... In fact I would agree the Mac has the superior operating system over Windows... but its NOT superior over Linux... and Linux is free. Linux is a quality, well written, tight system that you can depend on.... so why recommend someone pay $1,000 more than they need too?

When you by a Mac, you are paying for an image... not a computer.