Laptop Purchase - Mac vs PC

Consultant said:
Wrong.

Try to open a few hundred 5mb jpegs in windows, then try to multi task between different applications. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Why on earth would anyone open a few hundred images at once in a real-life, practical situation? Wouldn't a photo-editing or managing app make a lot more sense?
 
Stop comparing specs. The MBP will do what she wants it to do perfectly. The PC may do it as well.

It's just going to be a whole different experience.

Have her pick the experience she wants.

Comparing prices is stupid.

It's like picking between 2 vacation destinations. You can pick the cheaper one, or you can go to the one you really want to visit. End of story.
 
Gregintosh said:
Stop comparing specs. The MBP will do what she wants it to do perfectly. The PC may do it as well.

It's just going to be a whole different experience.

Have her pick the experience she wants.

Comparing prices is stupid.
Click to expand...

Price is relevant as the tasks she will be using the computer for can be accomplished completely on either a Mac or PC.

Photoshop
iTunes
Internet
Web Publishing
Sims 3

Because of this the largely better Windows hardware at a significantly lower price than the MacBook Pro makes it the logical recommendation.
 
Interoperability

If you already have Macs, why not stick with Mac? Here's the issue:

1. You can get a fine PC for less than a new Mac.
2. A new Mac has some really great assets (like Multitouch trackpads - which really do save a ton of time).
3. The best thing about Mac is that when you find software to do what you want, it's usually quite good. If you start looking for PC software, you'll find dozens of items that do almost the same thing and you'll spend forever trying to figure out which one is better.

The most important thing I see however is that you already have Macs? For only a few hundred dollars more, you can save yourself from interoperability problems by just getting the Mac. That is worth it right there without worrying about any other issues.
 
I was in the same boat, wanted a new laptop, wasn't sure I wanted to shell out for a 15" MBP. Was looking at a HP DV6 1030US, planned to wipe Windows and install Ubuntu Linux. Ended up ordering a refurb MBP, too much hassle switching a bunch of functions over to Linux. Plus, I got to see the two comps side by side at a Best Buy, no comparison.

It's just personal preference, really.

If your girlfriend is comfortable with Windows, then certainly you can find a pc cheaper than a Mac.

Personally I find Windows, XP or Vista, incredibly cumbersome to work with, would use Ubuntu Linux before either.
 
Consultant said:
In addition, the virus components that are required for windows take a certain % of CPU processing power to run.
Click to expand...

I really wish you would stop telling people that antivirus software is "required" when using Windows. It isn't. Maybe five years ago, but here I am sitting using Windows with no AV whatsoever and it's running just fine.
 
There are those to whom the tools are merely a means to the accomplish the work, and those to whom the tools themselves are a fundamental part of the joy of doing the work.

If your girlfriend is merely looking to use any sufficient tool to do the job, get the cheapest tool she'll accept to do that, which would be a PC.

If your girlfriend cares only about the tool and not at all about the job, get the Mac, as it's smooth and pretty.

But since I'm going to assume she cares both about the tool and the job, I suggest that she visit stores where she can try the various systems (or approximations of them). She'll adjust to either OS. But she'll be dealing with the computer physically until she gets rid of it, so she needs to make sure that, regardless of price, it's something she wants to work with every day. She doesn't need a Mac, and I doubt she needs to get a PC for price reasons. She should get the system she will feel comfortable using for a few years, and any difference in price is going to amount to a dollar a day or less, which, in the overall scheme of things, is trivial for someone using a system for real work.
 
jsw said:
There are those to whom the tools are merely a means to the accomplish the work, and those to whom the tools themselves are a fundamental part of the joy of doing the work.

If your girlfriend is merely looking to use any sufficient tool to do the job, get the cheapest tool she'll accept to do that, which would be a PC.

If your girlfriend cares only about the tool and not at all about the job, get the Mac, as it's smooth and pretty.

But since I'm going to assume she cares both about the tool and the job, I suggest that she visit stores where she can try the various systems (or approximations of them). She'll adjust to either OS. But she'll be dealing with the computer physically until she gets rid of it, so she needs to make sure that, regardless of price, it's something she wants to work with every day. She doesn't need a Mac, and I doubt she needs to get a PC for price reasons. She should get the system she will feel comfortable using for a few years, and any difference in price is going to amount to a dollar a day or less, which, in the overall scheme of things, is trivial for someone using a system for real work.
Click to expand...

There are people, and not a few, that actually don't like OS X. People that want to have options that they don't have with OS X. People that want to open a control panel that lets them customize the computer instead of offering three options. Just don't assume that people who don't use Mac is because they don't care about their computer. There are a lot of people who even paid more for their computers than they would have paid for a Mac because they want a specific choice of harware and Macs are not about choices.
 
Macmel said:
There are people, and not a few, that actually don't like OS X. People that want to have options that they don't have with OS X. People that want to open a control panel that lets them customize the computer instead of offering three options. Just don't assume that people who don't use Mac is because they don't care about their computer. There are a lot of people who even paid more for their computers than they would have paid for a Mac because they want a specific choice of harware and Macs are not about choices.
Click to expand...

I can testify to this. My University has a lot of Macs which have both Windows and OS X on them. There are clear instructions on how to choose which OS to run, and whenever I go into that room a huge majority of people are using Windows.

One of my friends who bought an iMac also told me that he finds the interface confusing and that he is thinking of getting a Windows machine next time. He says his work is done much quicker on Windows than OS X.
 
So far, it seems that these are benefits of each:

Mac
*Smaller & Lighter
*Better Build Quality & Materials
*OS Stability
*iLife
*Dual Booting
*DDR3 RAM
*Looks
*Longer Battery Life

PC
*Faster Processor
*Larger & Faster Harddrive
*Much Faster Video Card
*Higher-Resolution Screen
*Cost $1000 Less
*Greater Variety of Software
*Connectivity Options (HDMI, additional USB Ports, etc.)
*Bluray
 
I personally have had very few issues with OSX, while have had many issues with Vista and XP. But I'm sure that for some people the opposite is true. I as of yet have not tried window 7 or indeed snow leopard, so can not give my opinion on either. I personally think that OSX Leopard is the best OS that I have used.
 
ditzy said:
I personally have had very few issues with OSX, while have had many issues with Vista and XP. But I'm sure that for some people the opposite is true. I as of yet have not tried window 7 or indeed snow leopard, so can not give my opinion on either. I personally think that OSX Leopard is the best OS that I have used.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing that you never tried Tiger.
 
neiltc13 said:
I'm guessing that you never tried Tiger.
Click to expand...

No I haven't tried Tiger. I've heard that it was more stable than Leopard but I can't personally give an opinion on that. But that doesn't change that in my experience Leopard has been far more stable than Vista or XP.
 
Macmel said:
There are people, and not a few, that actually don't like OS X.
Click to expand...
I don't dispute that. My point is simply that cost should not be the primary factor in determining which tool should be used for performing professional tasks. The computer she gets will have hardware and software components. She needs to be comfortable with both. I am not trying to say that she must prefer OS X. I am simply saying that the purchase of a tool that will be used for a year or more shouldn't come down purely to initial cost.

However, I will stand firmly by my statement that the Mac is prettier than any of the PC options listed. ;)
 
Is she is looking to be hired to a company, then why is she trying to buy her own computer/software, etc now? Most companies that have employees provide them the tools to do what they need to do for the job.

If she is freelancing or wants to do it from home as a hobby, it is a different story.

Why not wait and see where her job is, what they provide, and she might not need to buy anything more than a MB or a small windows machine for web, etc and leave the Photo stuff to the powerful work computer.
 
desiringGod said:
Is she is looking to be hired to a company, then why is she trying to buy her own computer/software, etc now? Most companies that have employees provide them the tools to do what they need to do for the job.

If she is freelancing or wants to do it from home as a hobby, it is a different story.

Why not wait and see where her job is, what they provide, and she might not need to buy anything more than a MB or a small windows machine for web, etc and leave the Photo stuff to the powerful work computer.
Click to expand...


Right now she is working freelance, so I don't think she will be so lucky. Right now I am leaning toward one of the Asus computers, but she wants the Macbook Pro "because its pretty" lol. I do agree on the pretty part though.
 
If you don't have a ton of software for OS X already, there is absolutely no reason to buy a Mac in this case.

On the user interface side of things, Photoshop and iTunes are --the same-- on either OS X or Windows. But if you put more than 4 GB RAM in the notebook, you --will-- want to install 64-Bit Windows on it anyway to take advantage of 64-Bit Photoshop CS4 (which is -only- available for Windows).

When you reduce it to simple math, you will find that you can get a really nice PC notebook (with the same performance as the MacBook Pro) PLUS a Photoshop CS4 license PLUS Adobe Lightroom (which you really should buy when you're into professional photography) for the price of the MacBook Pro alone.

You mentioned nothing that would require a Mac. So somehow, this is a no-brainer: Save a lot of money and get a PC notebook.
 
Mac
*Smaller & Lighter - Will she be traveling with it?
*Better Build Quality & Materials - Does she plan to keep it for a long time?
*OS Stability - Debatable
*iLife - Does she see herself using these programs on a daily basis? Would free alternatives in Windows be acceptable?
*Dual Booting - If you need it
*DDR3 RAM - Negligible difference, benefits seen long term.
*Looks - Does your girlfriend agree?
*Longer Battery Life - Do you know this for a fact?

PC
*Faster Processor - Negligible difference, benefits seen long term.
*Larger & Faster Harddrive - How much space does she need? And is she likely to buy external storage anyway? For speed, I wouldn't know, and I don't believe one can draw conclusions from raw read/write speed to everyday use.
*Much Faster Video Card - Will she need it? Sims 3 isn't exactly Crysis...
*Higher-Resolution Screen - Definite bonus vs 15" MBP
*Cost $1000 Less - Definite bonus vs 15" MBP
*Greater Variety of Software - But is it quantity over quality?
*Connectivity Options (HDMI, additional USB Ports, etc.) - But is she going to use them?
*Bluray - Again, is she going to use it?

If she is DEFINITELY going to be a pro photog, would she want a 17" with matte screen? I know I would. Battery life and screen resolution go to the Mac if so.

Also, would she be happy with her choice if she changed her mind from going pro?
 
nickarmadillo said:
Right now she is working freelance, so I don't think she will be so lucky. Right now I am leaning toward one of the Asus computers, but she wants the Macbook Pro "because its pretty" lol. I do agree on the pretty part though.
Click to expand...

Is she buying the laptop or are you? If she's buying her own laptop I'd suggest you leave her alone to make the decision. If it was me, and my boyfriend was telling me what laptop to get with my own money, we would have issues. I'd suggest that you go with the computer she is leaning towards rather than the one you are, and I'd say that if she wanted the Asus and you wanted the mac.
 
The girlfriend: Thank you for all of the advice; I am still torn between the two.

Basically I am looking for a laptop that I can frequently travel with (locally and internationally) I would rather spend out a little more money on something of better quality that may last me longer, but as a recent graduate don’t have the money to waste so price must be a consideration. Memory is very important; I’ll be filling a lot of internal + external storage space with large image files.

I am quite ashamed to say that I like the MBP “because it’s pretty” but it really is… it is a lot smaller/lighter than any of the “equivalent” PC’s and seems to be solidly built.
I am currently using a desktop PC at home so am familiar with its OS’s already, and am aware of the extra maintenance involved. Whilst these requirements so far lean towards the MBP I find the Mac Microsoft Office package to be a complete hassle and this is something I use almost daily.

As I understand I could dual boot two operating systems on the MBP, perhaps run VMware Fusion 2 to synch them together and file share. I could then, edit on Photoshop CS4, web browse/publish on OS X and work on Microsoft Office, make use of existing PC software on a PC OS, whether that be Vista, Windows 7…

This all sounds lovely but what is the catch with dual booting? What is the word on VMware Fusion 2?







ditzy said:
Is she buying the laptop or are you? If she's buying her own laptop I'd suggest you leave her alone to make the decision. If it was me, and my boyfriend was telling me what laptop to get with my own money, we would have issues. I'd suggest that you go with the computer she is leaning towards rather than the one you are, and I'd say that if she wanted the Asus and you wanted the mac.
Click to expand...


I’m buying AND am lucky enough to be with someone whose opinions I value :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Back
Top