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Mac vs. Pc: Need Some Ammo UPDATE

IgnatiusTheKing

IgnatiusTheKing

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Nov 17, 2007
3,657
2
Texas
I'm on a Dell right now with a 3.4GHz Pentium D with 2GB RAM and it always buckles under the strain of having multiple CS2 programs open (I always have Bridge and InDesign open, and usually at least Photoshop or Illustrator, as well, and often both).

I'm trying to talk my boss into letting me switch to a Mac Pro (hell even an iMac with a second monitor), but we're a nonprofit so he's being tight with the purse strings. He wants to know why it would be a good idea to switch, other than just the fact that I "like Mac". Can I get some help on ammo to throw at him?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Well, really it just sounds like you need a new computer, regardless. Macs don't cost any more than PC's (comparably equipped). No viruses. More stable OS. Sounds like enough reasons right there.
 
thats not your dells fault. I have a dual core amd PC and it slows down a bit with bridge open too.

if he wont let you get a mac then get a 4 core PC. pretty cheap machines. and pretty damn good.

mac wont make your work faster. If you have a PC with just CS2 installed that you take care of it should be very stable. especially with XP service pack 3 coming out.

however mac is more inspirational to designers. feels cleaner. overall is a bit less stressful of an experience.

my 8 core mac is in the mail :)
 
Thanks for the input. I neglected to mention that our (tragic) website is currently done, by my boss, using Front Page. Needless to say, it's not all that great and he wants me to take it over and upgrade it.

Right now I only have CS2 Design Standard, so I would be upgrading to CS3 Design Premium to get Dreamweaver and Flash.
 
CS3 is awesome. but once again requires more horsepower. definately use that. but that will slow your little "single core that could" down a fair bit. Im using a 3.2 P4 at work. I use CS3. I design websites all day every day. Its fast enough. not for bridge though. bridge runs terrible. but everything else is fine for websites. as soon as I start editing bigger files though the thing falls to pieces.
 
kirkbross said:
2GB of RAM isn't great either way. If you get a new computer, try to get at least 4GB of RAM.
Click to expand...

Definitely going to upgrade the RAM, even if he makes me keep this crappy machine.

thedommer said:
CS3 is awesome. but once again requires more horsepower. definately use that. but that will slow your little "single core that could" down a fair bit. Im using a 3.2 P4 at work. I use CS3. I design websites all day every day. Its fast enough. not for bridge though. bridge runs terrible. but everything else is fine for websites. as soon as I start editing bigger files though the thing falls to pieces.
Click to expand...

I can't live without Bridge, especially on a Windows machine. I have a fierce hatred of Windows Explorer.
 
Eidorian said:
~$600 Dell Quad-core with XP isn't that bad. You can switch over to OS X if you don't have any software baggage.
Click to expand...

The only "baggage" I would have would be the upgrade from Windows CS2 to Mac CS3, but I've been told that Adobe will send you a full version instead of the upgrade version if you are a switcher and "promise" to deactivate the old version once you've installed the new one.

So I'm set there.
 
gothamm said:
Where can i get one for $600?
Click to expand...
It's a basic minitower. You can upgrade the RAM and video card for much less afterward.

IgnatiusTheKing said:
The only "baggage" I would have would be the upgrade from Windows CS2 to Mac CS3, but I've been told that Adobe will send you a full version instead of the upgrade version if you are a switcher and "promise" to deactivate the old version once you've installed the new one.

So I'm set there.
Click to expand...
I've heard the same about Adobe giving you new media/keys if you want to switch to OS X.
 

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IgnatiusTheKing said:
The only "baggage" I would have would be the upgrade from Windows CS2 to Mac CS3, but I've been told that Adobe will send you a full version instead of the upgrade version if you are a switcher and "promise" to deactivate the old version once you've installed the new one.

So I'm set there.
Click to expand...

Yes you can cross-upgrade from PC to Mac.....that's what I did as a recent switcher. I had PC CS2 and was able to upgrade to Mac CS3 for the upgrade price.

-Kevin
 
kbmb said:
Yes you can cross-upgrade from PC to Mac.....that's what I did as a recent switcher. I had PC CS2 and was able to upgrade to Mac CS3 for the upgrade price.

-Kevin
Click to expand...

Did you have to call Adobe or were you able to do it online?
 
I thought id post as i have to Great manchines

PC is
2.4GHz qaudcore
4GB ram
400GB HDD

running CS3 is pretty gd few hiccups,

Macbook
2.2GHZ dualcore
4GB ram
120GB HDD

other than the raw of the fan and the gfx card not keeping up (its intergated)

it beats my qaudcore in CS3 for rendering my vectors and 3d ART.

so much that im selling my qaudcore self built pc and i built it 2 months ago!

im going for mac pro....
 
IgnatiusTheKing said:
Did you have to call Adobe or were you able to do it online?
Click to expand...

I just ordered CS3 Web Premium Online and when I went to install on my Mac, just had to enter the Serial number for the old product.

In my case I have Macromedia Studio 8 (for the PC), so I could upgrade for $499.

For example, here is the chart for Web Premium:
http://store.adobe.com/store/en_us/popup/software/creativesuite/webpremium/upgrade_eligibility.html

In this case I didn't have to go through the whole, fax the letter and promise to destroy the PC copies because I was buying the latest upgrade.

Now....if I wanted to just get the Mac versions of the current software, then yes, I'd have to call up and go through the whole process.

Make sense? :rolleyes:

-Kevin
 
There's one thing no PC can do: Run MacOS X and MacOS X software. On the other hand, with a Mac you can also run Windows, Linux, Solaris, Free/OpenBSD, etc.

There are some compelling advantages to running Windows as a virtual machine, as opposed to running it as the native host OS:

1. Backing up the OS is both easier and more foolproof.
2. If the VM file is kept on an external, mobile hard disk, you can literally take your work with you wherever you go, using nothing more than the external drive. Many VMs will fit on an iPod.
3. You can make dangerous system changes in a copy of your mainline VM, and just throw the VM away if things go bad. Cloning your system when and as needed is both simple, and extremely useful.
4. VMWare has a tool that will convert a natively-hosted Windows installation into a VM. So you can reanimate any current Windows systems as virtual machines.

And that's just for starters. A full essay on why running your OS as a VM is is a really good idea is available here: http://www.emulators.com/docs/nx01_intro.htm
 
a faster computer means you do your work faster, which means he can pay you less.

just do a calculation, and say 'by getting me a MacPro, you will be urning money in XXX months'
 
I ran the "Mac OS is better" and "it's the industry standard" arguments by him already and he wasn't very moved. The "this will make me more productive" argument has only worked a little, I think, because I already work faster than he can come up with tasks for me.

I may have found my ace in the hole, though. I ran the speed test here and finished it in a whopping 5:56. I didn't even know this piece of junk was that bad. I'm going to run it on my iMac tonight so I have an even better point of reference, then hopefully he'll break.
 
I hope you're able to convince your boss that a MP is a great idea.

Arguments for getting a Mac Pro:
  1. It's upgradeable.
  2. It's so powerful right now, that it will last several years.
  3. It can do anything you throw at it, and will for years.
  4. It can run both OSX and XP (or Vista if you're daring).
  5. You won't be asking for a new computer for years.
  6. It retains a higher resale value in case selling it ever became necessary.
  7. It's extremely less likely to contract a virus or other malicious issue.
  8. Apple Care warranty is outstanding.
  9. It will speed up your production, as you can run multiple programs simultaneously without a hitch.
  10. Adobe plays nice with cross grade software upgrades.
  11. You will enjoy your job more, and happy workers are better workers.
  12. It's not more expensive than an equivalent, (necessary?) PC upgrade.
  13. You're already familiar with the OS, and require no time to learn it, unlike what you may face with Vista, which comes installed on the vast majority of new PC's.
  14. You already belong to a large community of MP users, many of which work in the same field, who are always willing to offer exceptional advice regarding any issues you may encounter with the MP in a timely manner.
  15. It's just a flippin' awesome, beautiful machine.
Good luck, and let us know if you get one! :)
 
Biggest problem right now that you have is the 2GB RAM.

Add another 2GB (or even 1GB), add another SATA drive and use it as a swap/scratch disc. Dont pack all your data on the same drive as your boot drive. If you have an external or have room for another sata (yes we're up to 3 now), move all the data there. After you've moved the data, do a defrag on your system drive.
 
IgnatiusTheKing said:
I ran the "Mac OS is better" and "it's the industry standard" arguments by him already and he wasn't very moved. The "this will make me more productive" argument has only worked a little, I think, because I already work faster than he can come up with tasks for me.

I may have found my ace in the hole, though. I ran the speed test here and finished it in a whopping 5:56. I didn't even know this piece of junk was that bad. I'm going to run it on my iMac tonight so I have an even better point of reference, then hopefully he'll break.
Click to expand...
A 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo is going to be more efficient then a 3.4 GHz Pentium D? Stop the presses! Not that you're going to tell your boss that.

While I want you to get a Mac you might be better off settling for a tricked out Dell.
 
Eidorian said:
A 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo is going to be more efficient then a 3.4 GHz Pentium D? Stop the presses! Not that you're going to tell your boss that.

While I want you to get a Mac you might be better off settling for a tricked out Dell.
Click to expand...

1:57 for my iMac, and that's without allocating all the RAM to Photoshop and shutting down all the other programs. In fact, I was running Safari (streaming Sirius), Mail, InDesign, Bridge and iCal.

That alone should make him upgrade me. At this point I would settle for a fast Dell, but I'm still holding out hope.
 
IgnatiusTheKing said:
1:57 for my iMac, and that's without allocating all the RAM to Photoshop and shutting down all the other programs. In fact, I was running Safari (streaming Sirius), Mail, InDesign, Bridge and iCal.

That alone should make him upgrade me. At this point I would settle for a fast Dell, but I'm still holding out hope.
Click to expand...
Like I said ~$600 2.4 GHz quad core Q6600 base price minitower. You can drop in more RAM and a midrange video card easily.

How difficult is it going to be to integrate a Mac into the existing infrastructure?
 
I convinced my boss to let me go Mac and get a Mac Pro 2.8 Single Quad Core earlier this week for Photoshop/Lightroom raw processing. My biggest selling point was that for equivalent hardware the Mac Pro was cheaper than the Dell he was thinking of going with. And the MP actually came with slightly faster hardware than the dell (slower bus speed, memory, etc.).

Yeah Dell does offer amazingly cheap workstation hardware, but it is far slower.
 
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