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Need compeling reason to go Macbook vs PC

jburrows500

jburrows500

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 26, 2007
135
0
Hells Kitchen NYC
Although from what I see and read, I really like OS X and feel it would be a better choice for doing my home video editing. However, when I look at the value of some of these windows based packages (sony viao for 1400 includes dedicated graphics card, t5500 core 2 duo, 2gb ram, 160 hd, 15" lcd screen, etc) I wonder if I am not wanting an apple because it's slick rather than being logical and buying what appears to be a better value than a macbook with no dedicated graphics card and less ram... Can someone give me a compelling reason why I should go the macbook and not a sony viao laptop to do my video editing... from what I am reading, the mac book might be a marginal tool for what I am looking to do.. others claim that having no dedicated graphics card will have little effect on editing home movies within imovie or final cut express... thanks very much for any light you can shed on this.. looking to make decision within next 48 hours..
 
Have you ever used OS X before? If not, go to your nearest Apple store and try it out.

I really like Macs better then PC's because of OS X. And in my opinion, even the Mini does better at graphics then PC's.

It's really your choice, but I would advise you try out a Mac first before you buy it.
 
Cassie said:
Have you ever used OS X before? If not, go to your nearest Apple store and try it out.

I really like Macs better then PC's because of OS X. And in my opinion, even the Mini does better at graphics then PC's.

It's really your choice, but I would advise you try out a Mac first before you buy it.
Click to expand...


i agree. os x is the best reason to buy a mac. and if you don't like it, you shouldn't be buying one. give os x a test out and see if you like it first. i think macbooks should be fine with editing video.
 
The only time you need a dedicated GPU for video work is if you're going to be using a lot of Core Video-based filters/effects (like the ones used in Motion). If you're just looking to work with iMovie or Final Cut Express, you'll be perfectly fine with a MacBook. And nothing on Windows compares to FCE/FCP for editing. It's a great piece of software. Plus, OS X is just a great environment for working with video. It's hard to give concrete reasons, I just much prefer OS X to Windows for video work.
 
Go with the macbook. Video editing aside it has the most secure OS in the world. There is no such thing as a virus on a Mac. For video editing you won't find as good/ simple to use apps Like iMovie on a PC. My macbook has no graphics card and it edits without trouble. If you do decide to go with a macbook make sure you have more than 1gig of ram in the book. 2 is better. Also you won't have to fuss around with drivers on a mac. On a PC you have to spend hours sometimes fussing with drivers to get the device to connect to the computer. You won't have to install drivers on the mac to get you camera or any other camera you might use to work. Also considering pricing any new macbook you buy will Have the FULL version (not demo) of iMovie already bundled and installed on the system. This means you won't have to go out and pay hundreds of dollars for decent video editing software. So if you buy the mac you pull it out of the box plug in the camera and start editing in imovei. If you by a pc you will have to set up that PC, install drivers, find decent software that works with the camera, install that, before you can start editing. Plus on the mid range macbook the dvd burner comes standard.
 
OS X - the ease of use and enjoyment of the OS is the primary reason i love macs.

Also, the quality of the hardware is fantastic; sure some people have problems with new machines, but i think that this is a small percentage and once the issues are resolved the quality and life of the macs is great.
 
One other variable is the migration of quicken windows to quicken for mac.. I have been a quicken user for over 10 years and just wondering if anyone here is familiar with quicken 2007 for mac.. is it a pretty transparent transition? I have heard mixed things about quicken for mac.. I know amazon reviews are not too favorable... thanks for all of your responses.. much appreciated..
 
That is one area where I think, frankly, you will be disappointed. Quicken for Mac is way behind Quicken for Windows in functionality, and there is no easy way to import your data file from one to the other. I know, because I've been trying to use Crossover Mac (an emulator program) to use Quicken Windows on my Macbook. It'd be fine if I just wanted to start everything all over again, but I also use Pocket Quicken and I'm not sure if I can get the two programs (Pocket Quicken and Quicken for Windows used through the Crossover emulator) to sync.

So, I've been stuck at Quicken 2002 for Mac because thus far I've seen no reason to upgrade and waste my money for "improvements" that are incremental at best.

But with the Macbook, you do have the choice of just booting up in Windows XP and at that point, you basically have a Windows Desktop in front of you. Best of both worlds; then you can use Quicken with no problems and switch back to OS X for iMovie and other things. For me, that is an expensive option, but if you already had Windows XP operating disks, it might be a good one for you.

Hope this helps!
 
iW00t said:
It runs Windows too, so you are not left high and dry if you need to switch back.
Click to expand...

i think the OP is concerned with the cost of the hardware and not the availability of software.

that said, i also advise the OP to try OS X. but also do some research. you don't see everything that goes on in OS X. a couple "for instance"s...
- no virus, spyware running in the background or having to scan the hard drive every week or so.
- no drivers. plug in your camera or external hard drive, printer or USB key, whatever - it'll work.

this is not comprehensive, but these things and many more reasons are why people like OS X more than Windows. although, in my view, you really have to know what is being done in the background before you can truly appreciate it.
 
Your best bet!

My advice:

Buy a refurbished C2D Macbook Pro. The 2.16 GHz models run around $1,600. That way, you get the dedicated video card, OS X, and you can run Windows, if necessary. Plus, it still has a 1 year warranty and you can get Applecare! :eek:

I just bought a refurbed C2D Macbook for $1,100 and I love it. It looks brand new in every way I can think of! However, you have to get up early in the day and check the refurb store, because the C2D items sell out quick.

Go :apple: and you will likely be happy.

rendit
 
I just made a movie today on iMovie and burned it to dvd with iDvd.

It's simple and painless, that's about all I can say. I don't remember my Windows machine (2+ years ago) being anything like that.

It was on a CD MacBook, so the C2D should be even faster.

3d graphics cards dont make a diffenence when dealing with 2d images.
 
3 great reasons.
  1. dll Hell
  2. crashing
  3. and my all time favorite, when my roomate lost his start bar after upgrading the graphics card driver.

Ok, so seriously...Right now I'm in a XP laptop, and honestly I'm computer savvy enough to know what XP can and can't do, and I don't do what I know will make it crash. Ergo, (with the exception of a bad battery that doesn't hold a charge and died on me without any warning) I don't remember the last time I had this computer go AWOL and lose any data.

You get a macBook because you want OS X. Dell will give you a much better bang for your buck with their Inspiron E1505 (I hate sony, personal vendetta). Customize it and you'll get a sub $1000 laptop with dedicated GPU, larger screen, etc. What you'll be missing is OS X.

However, OS X doesn't require a dedicated GPU like Vista does, so don't worry about a lacking GPU. In fact, if you plan on playing games build yourself a PC. There's solitare, chess, tetris, and pacman for the mac, and not much else. Not a lot will require a GPU though.. Aperture, Final Cut, and I don't think much else..

RIght now Im holding off as long as possible with this PoS laptop to wait for Intel's x3000 GPU and hoping that Apple will put it in the MacBooks, so that I can boot Vista and play some real games every now and then... but if playing games isn't your concern, there's no real reason why you should worry about a GPU.

What about everything else?
the file system is amazing. Sure, you'll never interact with the file system directly, no low level programming or anything, but it just feels more flexable than NTFS. and the suspend option is amazing. I remember my friend in highschool had a powerbook and she was doing some video editing in iMovie. she closed the lid, and when she opened the mac up again a while later, it just started right back up, and it was seamless. I've never seen XP behave that well before.

What I'm getting at with all of this is that macs have a tendency to "just work" I'd put the little (R) symbol up too, but I don't know how to in XP (which I've used for years). It's the little things like that which make you appreciate OS X more and more every day, so in the end, I think Adobe Primere would work probably just as well for you, and it would probably cost slightly less, but you'd be missing out on a great experience.

I hope this made sense.. I'm running on no sleep and stuck at work study til 12.... delete this if it's a long winded rant without any relevance please okay thanks bye now.
 
http://www.apple.com/getamac/


That is why! In short I have used PC's and Mac's quite a while and there are really only a few key reasons as far as video editing goes. Final Cut Studio is soo much easier and integrated than other programs out there. I have used all but Avid. Also if the computer will also be more than just a Video Editing computer but if it will also be your home use computer, a Mac is a lot better. Windows just has to many problems for me to use it. Only way I would agree to it is if it NEVER touched the internet, even then if I was given the choice, I would feel safer with my work on a Mac than a PC.
 
With your concerns, I would go with a refurbished Macbook Pro. Upgrade the RAM to 1GB or more and you'll be set.
 
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