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A PC versus a Mac???

Started by mschonher, February 28, 2008, 04:12:08 PM

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Dave

Dave Ellis
OPR Founder
[email protected]

kiska

kiska
Photoshop 2021, MacPro

Mhayes

 :funny:  :funny:  :funny:
"carpe diem"

Margie Hayes
OPR President
[email protected]

Dave

Kiska,

Watch out for UPS men delivering foul packages to your residence.

Dave
Dave Ellis
OPR Founder
[email protected]

kiska

kiska
Photoshop 2021, MacPro

mschonher

WOW! that's alot of information to consider. First, thanks to everyone who responded. At this point I'm sure of only one thing, the computer is being returned. It proved itself to be very unstable in many ways. Maybe the box was dropped???? For one thing it shuts itself down at least 3 times a day telling me it was in an unstable condition. There were connection problems with the internet, the sound, the display, my graphic pen and much more. I have spent hours with a tech already and it's only been one week today. It couldn't all have been a coincidence. I understand about a learning curve with a new system. This was my 3rd. Dell plus I have bought one for my daughter and grandaughter and never had any problem with any of these systems. I have the Patience to learn a new program, I started with Windows 95 and worked my way up from there. I bought a Vista for Dummies book and had my mind made up that I could and would learn it. As you all know I'm not a very technical person so it could be me. I don't think I would buy a system with Vista installed on it again, MS needs to work out all the bugs first. I would really like to take a look at a Mac. I mostly use my pc for photo editing and restoration and the internet and sometimes simple games like cards or word games. In my gut, I'm feeling very relieved that this system is going back to Dell, however I will miss the larger monitor but not the problems with calibrating it............and speaking of monitors, what do you all recommend buying for our purposes and does the Mac use the same kind of monitor as a pc?

Mary

glennab

Hi Mary

A little more information on Macs for you:

I have a Mac Pro, which I believe right now is still Apple's current "race car" (the newest ones are awesome!).  It's wonderful, but I think it would be overkill for you.  It's very expandable, and I wasn't sure whether I was going to take off on my own or stay at my job, so I wanted a powerful one.  It's been a wonder.  Absolutely no problems at all.  I set it up myself, loaded all the software (I got the entire CS2 suite with Photoshop, Illustrator, In-Design, Acrobat ... all the stuff that would be helpful if I decided to freelance).  The only problem I had was networking it to my G3.  My son had to do that for me.

At work, I have a gorgeous I-Mac, and it's also a phenom.  The computer is inside the very thin monitor, so it has a small footprint.  The monitor is 24-inches (I have a 20" Apple at home), and I think (and I've read) that they're about the best you can get.  I know they've both been very kind on my old eyes.  There are other monitors that are good: ViewSonic, Sony, and some other higher-end ones, but I'd recommend the Apple if you have the budget for it.

If you primarily use your computer for restorations and don't need to load it up with other ram-intensive software, I'd recommend the I-Mac.  We work the heck out of two of them at my office, and I've heard no complaints, other than from my one associate who doesn't have one. (I know our art director did a lot of digging for information before he bought them).  I just got a catalog from MacMall (I shop with them because I get an NAPP discount).  The I-Macs run from $1144 for the 20-inch with duo 2-gig hard drives, 1 gig of ram to $2345 for the 24-inch 2.8 gig Extreme (total overkill!).  Frankly, I find the 20-inch monitor large enough for my use (although I adore the 24-incher at work.)  The only drawback I've found with the Apple LCD monitors (and it would probably be the same with any of them) is that going from a CRT to the LCD is a real shocker.  You'll see things on the LCD that a printer probably wouldn't pick up.  I've had to try to avoid over-restoring every little glitch in a photo, because it simply doesn't matter.

I've heard there are other retailers that sell the Macs for less, so it wouldn't hurt to shop.

I remember the days when Scott Kelby (NAPP's president) was a die-hard Mac guy (don't know if he still is), but he was hilarious in his teasing of "PC-Weenies" when he started his publications (I think Mac Design was the one I read regularly).  Anyone I know who has a Mac is devoted to it, including me, and they usually have several, because the older ones keep going and going and going.

I'll always believe that Macs are more intuitive and user-friendly.  The operating system is easy to manipulate to your liking, and it comes with quite a few cool bells & whistles.  I honestly find PCs cumbersome.  Even my husband can't find things on his PC, and he uses one at work and at home.  Boy, does the air turn blue when he can't do something he wants to with his HP.  Usually we end up using the Mac.

That's probably more blah, blah than you need, but I'd love to see you get a Mac.  Not that I'm biased...

Cheers

Glenna
What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal. ~Albert Pine

(Photoshop CS5 /Mac Pro)

cmpentecost

Mary, have you considered having a local computer store/shop custom build a computer for you?  My computer was built locally, I've never had a problem, and any time I have a question, I can call and speak to the man who built it, and  who knows everything about it. 

Chris

Tess (Tassie D)

The best thing you could do Mary is sit down with a mac and a PC set up in your local store and compare the 2. Navigate round each and see what the differences are.  Any good store should be more than happy to help you decide which is best.
Tess Cameron
Distribution Coordinator
[email protected]

John

#24
Again, I have to throw out a 'pro' Vista plug here... I have had absolutely no issues with it and considering I built my computer myself, I consider that pretty stable! lol.  It was the first time I've ever built a computer and I didn't even mean to build it at that.   I wound up buying a new graphics card for my old machine, then found a deal on a motherboard, and before I knew it I was piece-mealing  it together.  Here's a pic of how it looks (I know it ain't no Mac aesthetics-wise, but I don't plan on entering it in any beauty contests):

E6750 Core2Duo, 4Gb RAM, 320Gb HD, EVGA 8800GTS 512Mb Graphics card, Vista Home Premium 64bit, for anyone who's into hardware (I like overkill, Glenna... :) ).

Not sure if you got a bad apple ...err I mean Dell or not.  Did you happen to notice if the latest service pack (SP1) was loaded onto the machine?  There was an issue with that upgrade that caused machines to re-boot randomly and they pulled the upgrade for a few days until they tweaked it.  Perhaps yours came preloaded with the bad version of that SP?

With that being said, I'm eager to jump on the Mac bandwagon but I have never seen a super huge difference in performance, albeit the OS is really what you're paying for I suppose.  Intel is Intel.


As for monitors... I'm in a pickle as well.  I bought a 22" HP LCD and it has it's moments, but I know it's not up to par.  22" panels seem to be a weak breed in terms of color depth/reproduction, and I've found that there are only a few select panels that are considered 'pro' level in the 22" family.  I'm probably going to upgrade to a 24" sometime this summer if I can find a deal on a Dell.  Their new HC line is getting rave reviews, but they're pricey.

glennab

John, I think it's awesome that you built your computer.  I wish I were that savvy.  In doing it yourself, I'd think you'd have the advantage of configuring to your own use and making it a stable platform.  And I'm with you - I love overkill - but it can get so pricey!  The top-end Mac Pro costs nearly $5,000.  I wouldn't have the beauty I do if it weren't for OPR.  I was actually able to wangle some discounts because I talked to my rep and told her my primary use of the computer.  Good thing, because I'm on a word-processor budget!

I think because many of us Mac snobs are art types, we appreciate the elegance and simplicity of the whole unit.  I couldn't get over the inside of the Mac Pro.  It's so clean and simple.  I can plug in 4 more hard drives if I ever feel I need them, and I wouldn't have to call a tech to do it.  Plug & play works for me!

This will probably be a "forever" discussion until the platforms mesh, which I think will happen sooner or later.  All you youngsters take this technology for granted, but I revel in it, because this is the stuff I read about in sci fi books when I was a kid!  Love it!

Tess, your advice to Mary is very wise.  I went into an Apple store and got tons of information, was able to get hands-on time with the units that interested me and picked the brains of the sales rep.  I'm sure any computer retailer would do the same.  We got Lon's HP at Best Buy, and they took all the time in the world answering our questions to help us decide.

Cheers

Glenna
What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal. ~Albert Pine

(Photoshop CS5 /Mac Pro)

mschonher

Thanks so much everyone, I did get the sp1 with the Dell and it's still unstable. I'd like to go and take a test drive on a Mac for sure. I'm wondering if my current Cannon Pixma Printer and Epson scanner would work with a Mac. Got to run as I'm ready to pack this whole system up and return to sender....Mary

Dave

Mary,

Canon Printers and Epson scanners will work on a Mac with no problem. They're cross platform devices.

Dave
Dave Ellis
OPR Founder
[email protected]

mschonher

Thanks Dave, I wasn't sure about that. I'm going to go look at a Mac today, but it's been great to get my old pc back up and running. I actually got some opr work done today!
What a beautiful baby boy you have there. God bless you and your family....these certainly are wonderful times watching them grow and change every day, I know you are cherishing every day.
Mary

Dave

Mary,

I don't know about cherishing everyday. Last night was not one of Shane's better nights. I think I do better cherishing on a good night's sleep.

Dave
Dave Ellis
OPR Founder
[email protected]