Maybe I could just be win and Get an Alienware with awesome! Kidding, of course.
So, what would I be giving up in terms of being able to do things with one or the other? What would I gain? Pros and cons sort of thing.
Tell us a little more about your ambitions in school. I assume you are interested in some kind of content creation field, did you have something specific in mind?
Tell us a little more about your ambitions in school. I assume you are interested in some kind of content creation field, did you have something specific in mind?
Graphic Design. Possible advertising, a little web design, or drawing and/or digital coloring/inking for comics. I would actually like to be able to do it all. You see, if I can do it all, I can make more money.
At the moment, I'm in the MACA(Media & Communication Arts) program at MCC(Macomb Community College). Tons of people are saying it's better than CCS(College for Creative Studies), even people who have gone to CCS. I'm being taught by one of the best artist's I've ever seen, Brian Sauriol. I'm taking Advanced Photoshop, Digital Illustration(Illustrator, duh...), and Dreamweaver this semester. I'm thinking about taking some classes with Matt Bush.
Mac is much more expensive for the same performance.
PC is more widely used
There are only a very few specific things that you cannot do with PCs that you CAN do with Macs; foremost being using Final Cut Pro. If you don't even know what Final Cut Pro is, you don't need a Mac.
Macs are more trendy to a certain crowd. Some feel that OS X is more "elegant" than Windows. It's a matter of opinion.
I have used both PCs and Macs extensively over the years. I have used both Mac OS and Windows as my primary desktop OS for several years. I would consider myself an "expert" on both platforms.
I choose PC because it is a sickeningly better value. It is ridiculous how much more expensive Macs are for the exact same thing. Nobody can argue the bare facts: Windows and PCs are just way, way cheaper. They are also faster.
Go with mac if you need either Final Cut Pro or Logic. Otherwise, I highly recommend PC/Windows.
Mac is much more expensive for the same performance.
PC is more widely used
There are only a very few specific things that you cannot do with PCs that you CAN do with Macs; foremost being using Final Cut Pro. If you don't even know what Final Cut Pro is, you don't need a Mac.
Macs are more trendy to a certain crowd. Some feel that OS X is more "elegant" than Windows. It's a matter of opinion.
I have used both PCs and Macs extensively over the years. I have used both Mac OS and Windows as my primary desktop OS for several years. I would consider myself an "expert" on both platforms.
I choose PC because it is a sickeningly better value. It is ridiculous how much more expensive Macs are for the exact same thing. Nobody can argue the bare facts: Windows and PCs are just way, way cheaper. They are also faster.
Go with mac if you need either Final Cut Pro or Logic. Otherwise, I highly recommend PC/Windows.
I will talk to Mr. Sauriol and then I will make my decision. I am leaning toward PC, but I just want to make sure he won't kill me with his for buying a pc. He may disown me as a student. He's a huge Mac advocate.
Mac is much more expensive for the same performance.
PC is more widely used
There are only a very few specific things that you cannot do with PCs that you CAN do with Macs; foremost being using Final Cut Pro. If you don't even know what Final Cut Pro is, you don't need a Mac.
Macs are more trendy to a certain crowd. Some feel that OS X is more "elegant" than Windows. It's a matter of opinion.
I have used both PCs and Macs extensively over the years. I have used both Mac OS and Windows as my primary desktop OS for several years. I would consider myself an "expert" on both platforms.
I choose PC because it is a sickeningly better value. It is ridiculous how much more expensive Macs are for the exact same thing. Nobody can argue the bare facts: Windows and PCs are just way, way cheaper. They are also faster.
Go with mac if you need either Final Cut Pro or Logic. Otherwise, I highly recommend PC/Windows.
Thanks Prime for the sane response instead of screaming "DIE MAC DIE". If I had to have only one computer, it would be a PC. But a Mac is a very nice thing to have too. I am glad my wife prefers a Mac that I can maintain/play.
OP, your teacher should not be forcing you to buy a Mac without a good reason. Talk to your teacher and mention about your budget.
Yeah it really boils down to what most people use in the department/college.
Back when I was looking into going to the Art Institute in Houston for Graphic/Web Design, that school is about 95% Mac based - in which case it would of been pretty obvious for me to get a Mac since that is what I would have been using at school also.
If you school has both platforms, then as Prime said it is a matter of preference.
My preference for content creation is OSX. I have a more efficient work flow in it over Windows. I always buy my Macs refurbished to save 15-30% off the retail price, which knocks it closer down to the price of a PC. Am I still paying a bit more? Yes. Am I okay with that? Yes.
Thanks Prime for the sane response instead of screaming "DIE MAC DIE". If I had to have only one computer, it would be a PC. But a Mac is a very nice thing to have too. I am glad my wife prefers a Mac that I can maintain/play.
OP, your teacher should not be forcing you to buy a Mac without a good reason. Talk to your teacher and mention about your budget.
Mirage,
I don't think anyone screamed "Die Mac Die"
When people consider a Mac they should be doing it because there is something they either prefer about OSX, or perhaps something that they can clearly do on OSX that is not available on Windows as Prime pointed out. Once again going back to my initial point, what makes a mac a mac, OSX and great marketing. Once a buyer understands that the question becomes "what premium is OSX worth to me?" For some, its easily justifiable, for others less so. Windows 7 is going to make it harder for many to justify the premium for OSX, but once again, that is the question the potential mac buyer has to ask himself, "what is OSX worth to me?" When it boils down to it, that is the only real differentiating feature of a mac, other than its higher price tag.
That does not mean that we never want people to consider Mac, we just think people should do it for the right reason, and the only reason to consider mac is OSX and any unique programs that pair exclusively with it, that's it.
When people consider a Mac they should be doing it because there is something they either prefer about OSX, or perhaps something that they can clearly do on OSX that is not available on Windows as Prime pointed out. Once again going back to my initial point, what makes a mac a mac, OSX and great marketing. Once a buyer understands that the question becomes "what premium is OSX worth to me?" For some, its easily justifiable, for others less so. Windows 7 is going to make it harder for many to justify the premium for OSX, but once again, that is the question the potential mac buyer has to ask himself, "what is OSX worth to me?" When it boils down to it, that is the only real differentiating feature of a mac, other than its higher price tag.
That does not mean that we never want people to consider Mac, we just think people should do it for the right reason, and the only reason to consider mac is OSX and any unique programs that pair exclusively with it, that's it.
I just do not agree with your Mac assessments and "right" and "only" reasons for choosing a Mac. I will not argue on this topic further.
I just do not agree with your Mac assessments and "right" and "only" reasons for choosing a Mac. I will not argue on this topic further.
Mirage, for the record I'm not trying to be a jerk even if it appears so, sometimes things don't come across the way you want in writing. If you recall you are the one that labeled me as "uninformed". Perhaps just a simple writen misunderstanding that drove that, but now I am being serious, I'm curious what you think, please inform me. If OSX or the couple of unique applications exclusive to it are not the only good reason to consider the premium for the mac, what else is?
It's important for a potential buyer to understand if he/she is spending their own personal hard earned, that they are getting a return on investment for the premium they spend. I think that was the whole point of this thread, to inform a potential buyer, not to just throw out whatever mac model we thought we might like. We both seem to agree that Prime's assessment of the situation makes some good sense, but aparently there is something else? If its not OSX, what is it?
Mirage, for the record I'm not trying to be a jerk even if it appears so, sometimes things don't come across the way you want in writing. If you recall you are the one that labeled me as "uninformed". Perhaps just a simple writen misunderstanding that drove that, but now I am being serious, I'm curious what you think, please inform me. If OSX or the couple of unique applications exclusive to it are not the only good reason to consider the premium for the mac, what else is?
It's important for a potential buyer to understand if he/she is spending their own personal hard earned, that they are getting a return on investment for the premium they spend. I think that was the whole point of this thread, to inform a potential buyer, not to just throw out whatever mac model we thought we might like. We both seem to agree that Prime's assessment of the situation makes some good sense, but aparently there is something else? If its not OSX, what is it?
That was the point of the thread, to get "professional" opinions for what kind of buy I should be making. I'm seeing that many people do not like Mac for many reasons, but as I said, I would like to get the best for the cheapest. I do not really have a budget.
It's not about getting best for the cheapest. It's about getting what's best for the situation at hand.
So which to buy largely depends on what software you are planning to run on it. If your taking design classes and everything is being taught from an OS X point of view and you are using windows. While there are certain similarities there are differences in how even the same and similar programs interface between the two applications.
I'll throw in another voice for using the mac. The cost factor isn't as significant as people would have you believe. Mac's are not hugely more expensive then a similarly speced out PC, especially once you factor in bundled software. Where PC's do come in cheaper as you can buy poor quality pc's that run at similar speeds for less.
To take that situation to a more direct comparison go compare prices between different build chassis between Dell's, Lenovo's and Toshibas. You can find similarily spec'd speed machines but the build quality is of significant difference between brands or even between series. A Lenovo T series for example is much better built then an R or S series and the prices are reflected accordingly.
Also lets compare operating systems, cost wise OS X is OS X in terms of what it allows you to do it's the equivalent of Windows Vista/7 Super Dooper version. It's not a stripped down partially crippled Home version. Which isn't to say you need more then the home version of Windows. But if people are comparing to prove a cost point it's worth keeping the comparisons as equal as possible.
I'm a windows/linux network admin and IT support. But at home I run OS X and prefer it without question and in every aspect over my PC. Which I should add is basically just a video game console now. That is one area where Windows machine shine over Mac's. They are better video game boxes.
Though if you want you can very easily put a bootcamp partition on your mac, put windows on there and have access to both windows and OS X and more reliably then using a PC and hacking OS X onto it.
My Mac screams in speed over my PC and they are both running the same processor 3gb of ram only the PC has a better graphics cards on intel mobo's. My original plan was to build a hackintosh so I spec'd out the pc as close as I could. It's running windows 7 and it can't compete. OS X opens apps faster, transfers data around faster and is just generally more responsive across the board. On Benchmark tests of brute power there is little difference. But in actual use OS X wins.
Graphic Design. Possible advertising, a little web design, or drawing and/or digital coloring/inking for comics.
The design industry has a heavy Mac preference. Get a Mac and get used to using it. The next computer I buy will be a Mac.
Windows 7 may have caught up to OS X, but its attendant stable of programs most assuredly has not (at least not for anything in the content creation and delivery field). Every time I need a utility app for something web-related, the Mac solutions I find are equal to or better than the PC ones I'm stuck with.
If you're doing this for school, get a Macbook Pro, which is probably what I'd get anyway. It's the sweet spot between performance and portability.
I agree with Lincoln. Get a Mac and get used to it. Apple's refurbs are top notch. Not only do they come at a significant cost savings, but Apple is prone to upgrading the hardware and not telling you.
I use a 3.06GHz 24" iMac at work mainly for Adobe Creative Suite 4 stuff. Lots of page layout and photochoppery. I'm in InDesign, Illustrator, Bridge and Photoshop all day. It's great. I haven't seen how cross-program drag and drop works in Win7, but it's great in OS X. And Snow Leopard is total win. Installing it on my old MacBook freed up 9GB of space on the HDD!
Would it be worth it to purchase a tablet mac? Or to buy a macbook and get it modified?
Apple doesn't produce a tablet. Anything calling itself a "Tablet Mac" is either misrepresenting itself or a hackintosh that may or may not be legal. Grab a Wacom tablet if you need to sketch onto it.
I know they don't, but if you follow the GainSaver link and look to the right, you will understand what am talking about. All of the Macs on GainSaver are refurbished.
As such, that site makes me leary of anything that might be on it
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LeonardoWake up and smell the glaciersEagle River, AlaskaIcrontian
edited September 2009
"Mac Tablet": the site describes what it is -
The Modbook is the revolutionary slate-style tablet that enables users to draw, sketch and write directly on the screen. To create the Modbook, Axiotron integrates its own hardware and software technology with a state-of-the-art Wacom® Penabled® digitizer and an Apple® MacBook® computer.The Modbook is the revolutionary slate-style tablet that enables users to draw, sketch and write directly on the screen. To create the Modbook, Axiotron integrates its own hardware and software technology with a state-of-the-art Wacom® Penabled® digitizer and an Apple® MacBook® computer.
Resellerratings.com on Gainsaver: 3.18 out of 10.00 lifetime rating! Egads, that means don't walk away, RUN AWAY!
0
AnnesTripped Up by Libidos and HubrisAlexandria, VAIcrontian
edited September 2009
A quick search regarding the GainSaver site garnered wildly conflicting reviews. I wouldn't buy from there unless it was someone else's money.
That being said, I'm on the "if you're going to do graphics, get a Mac" train, and I would say the same thing if you were getting into programming. The available tools and overall environment are just plain better on a Mac. I bought one when I was in college (when I switched to a CS major) and didn't regret it for a second.
That said: If you do want to buy a Mac (or a PC!) please let me know where you'd like to buy it from and I would appreciate it if you would buy it through our affiliate link. It doesn't cost you any extra and since Icrontic helped make your purchase decision, we've earned a few bucks from whomever you choose to buy it from
That said: If you do want to buy a Mac (or a PC!) please let me know where you'd like to buy it from and I would appreciate it if you would buy it through our affiliate link. It doesn't cost you any extra and since Icrontic helped make your purchase decision, we've earned a few bucks from whomever you choose to buy it from
Some schools usually have a student discount program for computers, laptops, software, etc. Don't know if its offered at your school but there may be a way to get academic pricing somehow. I know Apple offers it.
All apple hardware I have owned thus far has been refurbished and I have never had any problems with it - and it includes the same warranty as the new stuff.
From my experiences the refurb discounts have always been bigger than buying new with a student discount.
Comments
Tell us a little more about your ambitions in school. I assume you are interested in some kind of content creation field, did you have something specific in mind?
Graphic Design. Possible advertising, a little web design, or drawing and/or digital coloring/inking for comics. I would actually like to be able to do it all. You see, if I can do it all, I can make more money.
At the moment, I'm in the MACA(Media & Communication Arts) program at MCC(Macomb Community College). Tons of people are saying it's better than CCS(College for Creative Studies), even people who have gone to CCS. I'm being taught by one of the best artist's I've ever seen, Brian Sauriol. I'm taking Advanced Photoshop, Digital Illustration(Illustrator, duh...), and Dreamweaver this semester. I'm thinking about taking some classes with Matt Bush.
You can do everything you need on BOTH Mac and PC
Mac is much more expensive for the same performance.
PC is more widely used
There are only a very few specific things that you cannot do with PCs that you CAN do with Macs; foremost being using Final Cut Pro. If you don't even know what Final Cut Pro is, you don't need a Mac.
Macs are more trendy to a certain crowd. Some feel that OS X is more "elegant" than Windows. It's a matter of opinion.
I have used both PCs and Macs extensively over the years. I have used both Mac OS and Windows as my primary desktop OS for several years. I would consider myself an "expert" on both platforms.
I choose PC because it is a sickeningly better value. It is ridiculous how much more expensive Macs are for the exact same thing. Nobody can argue the bare facts: Windows and PCs are just way, way cheaper. They are also faster.
Go with mac if you need either Final Cut Pro or Logic. Otherwise, I highly recommend PC/Windows.
I will talk to Mr. Sauriol and then I will make my decision. I am leaning toward PC, but I just want to make sure he won't kill me with his for buying a pc. He may disown me as a student. He's a huge Mac advocate.
Thanks Prime for the sane response instead of screaming "DIE MAC DIE". If I had to have only one computer, it would be a PC. But a Mac is a very nice thing to have too. I am glad my wife prefers a Mac that I can maintain/play.
OP, your teacher should not be forcing you to buy a Mac without a good reason. Talk to your teacher and mention about your budget.
Back when I was looking into going to the Art Institute in Houston for Graphic/Web Design, that school is about 95% Mac based - in which case it would of been pretty obvious for me to get a Mac since that is what I would have been using at school also.
If you school has both platforms, then as Prime said it is a matter of preference.
My preference for content creation is OSX. I have a more efficient work flow in it over Windows. I always buy my Macs refurbished to save 15-30% off the retail price, which knocks it closer down to the price of a PC. Am I still paying a bit more? Yes. Am I okay with that? Yes.
Mirage,
I don't think anyone screamed "Die Mac Die"
When people consider a Mac they should be doing it because there is something they either prefer about OSX, or perhaps something that they can clearly do on OSX that is not available on Windows as Prime pointed out. Once again going back to my initial point, what makes a mac a mac, OSX and great marketing. Once a buyer understands that the question becomes "what premium is OSX worth to me?" For some, its easily justifiable, for others less so. Windows 7 is going to make it harder for many to justify the premium for OSX, but once again, that is the question the potential mac buyer has to ask himself, "what is OSX worth to me?" When it boils down to it, that is the only real differentiating feature of a mac, other than its higher price tag.
That does not mean that we never want people to consider Mac, we just think people should do it for the right reason, and the only reason to consider mac is OSX and any unique programs that pair exclusively with it, that's it.
I just do not agree with your Mac assessments and "right" and "only" reasons for choosing a Mac. I will not argue on this topic further.
Mirage, for the record I'm not trying to be a jerk even if it appears so, sometimes things don't come across the way you want in writing. If you recall you are the one that labeled me as "uninformed". Perhaps just a simple writen misunderstanding that drove that, but now I am being serious, I'm curious what you think, please inform me. If OSX or the couple of unique applications exclusive to it are not the only good reason to consider the premium for the mac, what else is?
It's important for a potential buyer to understand if he/she is spending their own personal hard earned, that they are getting a return on investment for the premium they spend. I think that was the whole point of this thread, to inform a potential buyer, not to just throw out whatever mac model we thought we might like. We both seem to agree that Prime's assessment of the situation makes some good sense, but aparently there is something else? If its not OSX, what is it?
That was the point of the thread, to get "professional" opinions for what kind of buy I should be making. I'm seeing that many people do not like Mac for many reasons, but as I said, I would like to get the best for the cheapest. I do not really have a budget.
So which to buy largely depends on what software you are planning to run on it. If your taking design classes and everything is being taught from an OS X point of view and you are using windows. While there are certain similarities there are differences in how even the same and similar programs interface between the two applications.
I'll throw in another voice for using the mac. The cost factor isn't as significant as people would have you believe. Mac's are not hugely more expensive then a similarly speced out PC, especially once you factor in bundled software. Where PC's do come in cheaper as you can buy poor quality pc's that run at similar speeds for less.
To take that situation to a more direct comparison go compare prices between different build chassis between Dell's, Lenovo's and Toshibas. You can find similarily spec'd speed machines but the build quality is of significant difference between brands or even between series. A Lenovo T series for example is much better built then an R or S series and the prices are reflected accordingly.
Also lets compare operating systems, cost wise OS X is OS X in terms of what it allows you to do it's the equivalent of Windows Vista/7 Super Dooper version. It's not a stripped down partially crippled Home version. Which isn't to say you need more then the home version of Windows. But if people are comparing to prove a cost point it's worth keeping the comparisons as equal as possible.
I'm a windows/linux network admin and IT support. But at home I run OS X and prefer it without question and in every aspect over my PC. Which I should add is basically just a video game console now. That is one area where Windows machine shine over Mac's. They are better video game boxes.
Though if you want you can very easily put a bootcamp partition on your mac, put windows on there and have access to both windows and OS X and more reliably then using a PC and hacking OS X onto it.
My Mac screams in speed over my PC and they are both running the same processor 3gb of ram only the PC has a better graphics cards on intel mobo's. My original plan was to build a hackintosh so I spec'd out the pc as close as I could. It's running windows 7 and it can't compete. OS X opens apps faster, transfers data around faster and is just generally more responsive across the board. On Benchmark tests of brute power there is little difference. But in actual use OS X wins.
Brian Sauriol just showed me this. Too much research.:eek3:
Windows 7 may have caught up to OS X, but its attendant stable of programs most assuredly has not (at least not for anything in the content creation and delivery field). Every time I need a utility app for something web-related, the Mac solutions I find are equal to or better than the PC ones I'm stuck with.
If you're doing this for school, get a Macbook Pro, which is probably what I'd get anyway. It's the sweet spot between performance and portability.
Gaming is what Boot Camp is for.
I use a 3.06GHz 24" iMac at work mainly for Adobe Creative Suite 4 stuff. Lots of page layout and photochoppery. I'm in InDesign, Illustrator, Bridge and Photoshop all day. It's great. I haven't seen how cross-program drag and drop works in Win7, but it's great in OS X. And Snow Leopard is total win. Installing it on my old MacBook freed up 9GB of space on the HDD!
A 17" MBP or 24" iMac is where it's at.
Resellerratings.com on Gainsaver: 3.18 out of 10.00 lifetime rating!
That being said, I'm on the "if you're going to do graphics, get a Mac" train, and I would say the same thing if you were getting into programming. The available tools and overall environment are just plain better on a Mac. I bought one when I was in college (when I switched to a CS major) and didn't regret it for a second.
<a href="http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3467298-10517463" target="_top">
<img src="http://www.tqlkg.com/image-3467298-10517463" width="125" height="125" alt="Once You Know, You Newegg" border="0"/></a>
I will probably do that.
But, there are no apples on NewEgg.
All apple hardware I have owned thus far has been refurbished and I have never had any problems with it - and it includes the same warranty as the new stuff.
From my experiences the refurb discounts have always been bigger than buying new with a student discount.
Def browse over to the refurb section of the apple store.