A New Computer: Mac or PC?

Sam Or I · Post by **Sam Or I** » 2005-11-11 10:47am

I am looking to buy a new computer and for the first time I am seriously considering a Mac. Traditionally I have built my PC's.

Heres the deal, I am going to be using the machine pirmarly for video editing and 3d graphics, DVD ripping, plus a little photo shop here and there.

I have never used adobe permier before, but I know final cut. I can use photoshop and lightwave on either machine.

My set price to spend was 2,500, the mac I was looking at was approximately 2,800 (The middle of the line power mac G5 2.5 Dual, with 1 GB of Ram and the ACPP).

Is final cut really that much better than premier or is it all Apple propaganda?

What would a good comparable PC be? (The last machine I built was about 3 years ago, and I have not checked into it for awhile. ) How much cheaper would it be?

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2005-11-11 10:54am

If you do decide on a mac, wait a few months until the intel based ones come out, they'll have better clock speeds as well as improved compatibility in the long run.

Jew · Post by **Jew** » 2005-11-11 12:11pm

DEATH wrote:If you do decide on a mac, wait a few months until the intel based ones come out, they'll have better clock speeds as well as improved compatibility in the long run.

Don't wait. Apple said that the first Intel-based Macs will the the low-end desktops and laptops. That means the Mac mini, iBook, and PowerBook. According to Apple, the first Intel versions are due out in June 2006.

There are rumors that Apple has a surprise ready and that an Intel Mac mini will be out as early as April or *gasp* January. But that is only a rumor. And even if that turns out to be true, it won't be an Intel-based PowerMac, it will be the low-end Mac mini.

In short, if you need a computer anytime soon, don't hold out for an Intel Mac desktop.

As for your decision to choose between a Mac or a PC, I can't help you there. I've been exceedingly impressed with my Mac mini, but I have no knowledge of Final Cut. I never do video editing or DVD ripping.

Davis 51 · Post by **Davis 51** » 2005-11-11 01:12pm

Macs Suck. Go for a PC

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2005-11-11 01:16pm

I'm not going to weigh in on whether Macs or PCs are better, but you totally max out a PC's specs within reason without spending anything even close to $2,800. You wouldn't even have to build it yourself, iBuyPower charges very reasonable markups, as well as a few other places.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2005-11-11 01:42pm

DEATH wrote:If you do decide on a mac, wait a few months until the intel based ones come out, they'll have better clock speeds as well as improved compatibility in the long run.

You're talking about a very long run. If he absolutely needs a computer now, then there's no harm in buying a PowerPC-based Mac. Vendors will continue supporting PowerPC for at least a few years down the road after the Intel switch. And a dual-core 2.5 GHz G5 will last for a very long time, especially since it's got PCIe and DDR2.

Sam Or I wrote:Is final cut really that much better than premier or is it all Apple propaganda?

I think it all depends on what you're used to. But if this means anything, my uncle is a 3-time Technical Emmy winner for online editing on the Oprah show, and he loves Final Cut.

What would a good comparable PC be? (The last machine I built was about 3 years ago, and I have not checked into it for awhile. ) How much cheaper would it be?

Depends. It sounds like you're going to be using this machine for work, which means you need it to be reliable and need support for it. In that case, I wouldn't recommend building your own machine at all. Buy it from a vendor like Apple or Dell that way you at least get support for the whole thing.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2005-11-11 02:36pm

Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:I'm not going to weigh in on whether Macs or PCs are better, but you totally max out a PC's specs within reason without spending anything even close to $2,800. You wouldn't even have to build it yourself, iBuyPower charges very reasonable markups, as well as a few other places.

Well, if he bought one of the high-end professional video cards like the FireGL or the Quadro, he could hit $2,800. I'm not familiar with those cards or their intended purposes though so I'm not sure whether they'd actually be of measurable benefit to him or not.

EDIT: And by that I mean, would someone more knowledgeable about such things please chime in?

Davis 51 · Post by **Davis 51** » 2005-11-13 07:11pm

Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:I'm not going to weigh in on whether Macs or PCs are better, but you totally max out a PC's specs within reason without spending anything even close to $2,800. You wouldn't even have to build it yourself, iBuyPower charges very reasonable markups, as well as a few other places.

Seconded. I have 2 Ibuypower machines, and although one of them gave us some trouble, they replaced the whole machine. (Faulty Mobo I think.) The one I use now has given me no trouble ever.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2005-11-13 07:23pm

Yeah, pro 3d cards like quattros are utterly ludicrous price-wise. Architects and shit buy them all the time, and they're easily more than the rest of the computer monitor included. That said, I'm not sure I'd buy a Mac desktop. I'd never buy a PC laptop for all the same reasons.

Glocksman · Post by **Glocksman** » 2005-11-13 07:59pm

If the software purchases aren't included in your mentioned budget, I'd take a close look at this Dell XPS machine

XPS 400:
Pentium® D Processor 820 with Dual Core Technology (2.80GHz, 800FSB) SZ820H [221-9946] 1
Operating System:
Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition WMCE [420-5585][412-0688][412-0721][420-4927][463-2282][420-5460][420-5476][420-5598] 11
TV Tuners and Remote Controls:
Single TV Tuner with Remote Control TVT2 [320-4279] 306
Video Cards:
256MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) nVidia GeForce 6800 NV6800 [320-4293] 6
Memory:
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz- 2DIMMs 1GB52 [311-5361] 3
Hard Drives:
250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ 250S [341-1058] 8
CD or DVD Drive:
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/dbl layer write capability DV16DVR [313-3737][420-5079] 16
Floppy Drive and Media Reader:
No Floppy Drive Included NFD [341-2457] 10
Modem:
56K PCI Data Fax Modem DFAX [313-2279] 14
Monitors:
FEATURED UPGRADE!! 19 inch E193FP Analog Flat Panel E193FU [464-6426] 5
Sound:
Sound Blaster® Audigy®2 ZS (D) Card w/Dolby 5.1, and IEEE 1394 SBA2 [313-3427] 17
Speakers:
Dell A525 30 Watt 2.1 Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer A525 [313-3807] 18
Keyboard:
Dell USB Keyboard EK [310-5234] 4
Mouse:
Dell Optical USB Mouse OM [310-4037] 12
Office Software (not included in Windows XP):
Microsoft Works Suite 2005 - Includes MICROSOFT WORD plus much more! DWORKS [412-0782] 22
Network Interface:
Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet IN [430-1455] 13
Hardware Warranty:
3Yr Ltd Warr,At-Home Service,and XPS Warranty Support SQ3OS [950-3339][412-0359][902-4502][960-6160][960-8680][960-3642][983-2207][983-2217] 29
Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed):
McAfee SecurityCenter with VirusScan, Firewall, Spyware Removal, 15-months MCAFE1Y [412-0739] 25
Home PC Installation:
No Installation NOINSTL [900-9987] 32
Digitial Music:
Musicmatch Plus by Yahoo! Music - Rip, burn, and create custom CDs faster MMPLUS [412-0843] 27
Digital Photography:
Corel Photo Album™ 6 Starter Edition - Organize and Edit your photos DPS [412-0845] 28
Financial Software (Preinstalled):
No QuickBooks package selected- Includes limited use trial QBSSP [420-5139] 83
Adobe Software:
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 AAREAD [412-0705] 15
Dial-Up Internet Access:
6 Months of America Online Membership Included AOLDHS [412-0687][412-0625][420-3224][412-0787][420-5256] 37
Operating System Backup & Recovery:
PC Restore recovery system by Symantec PCR [464-5503] 135

Add in another gig of RAM, a bigger hard drive, perhaps an Ultrasharp flat panel upgrade, ditch the fluff like the modem and cheap speakers, and you'd be set.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2005-11-13 09:24pm

For low-end econoboxen, Dell and it's ilk can't be beaten, but towards the high end (as with the XPS machines) you start to pay a premium for the Dell badge and warranty.

Stark wrote:Yeah, pro 3d cards like quattros are utterly ludicrous price-wise. Architects and shit buy them all the time, and they're easily more than the rest of the computer monitor included. That said, I'm not sure I'd buy a Mac desktop. I'd never buy a PC laptop for all the same reasons.

Err, that depends on the card... there are pro cards available for under $1000. If it's going to be used "primarily for video editing and 3d graphics... plus a little photo shop" I'm wondering if he falls into the narrow category of people who find such cards beneficial.

Glocksman · Post by **Glocksman** » 2005-11-13 10:17pm

Uraniun235 wrote:For low-end econoboxen, Dell and it's ilk can't be beaten, but towards the high end (as with the XPS machines) you start to pay a premium for the Dell badge and warranty.

True, as the 3 year warranty is a $190 option.
Even then, given the high (in comparison to AMD procs) prices Intel charges the average Joe for CPU's and mobos compared to what Dell pays, a Dell still doesn't come off all that badly to a homebuilt, price-comparison wise.

But if you roll your own with an AMD CPU, the homebuilt is definitely a cheaper way to go in most cases.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2005-11-14 12:38am

Davis 51 wrote:
Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:I'm not going to weigh in on whether Macs or PCs are better, but you totally max out a PC's specs within reason without spending anything even close to $2,800. You wouldn't even have to build it yourself, iBuyPower charges very reasonable markups, as well as a few other places.
Seconded. I have 2 Ibuypower machines, and although one of them gave us some trouble, they replaced the whole machine. (Faulty Mobo I think.) The one I use now has given me no trouble ever.

My brother has a system from the same company. His was very low-end for a gaming machine, but he got it at an EXTREMELY reasonable price and he's VERY happy with it. It's never hiccupped on him, and he got it for less than a much weaker Dell system would've been.

InnocentBystander · Post by **InnocentBystander** » 2005-11-14 01:23am

I cannot report on them just yet (come the end of the week I'll give a report), but Mwave.com offers to build and test whatever bits of hardware you buy from them for a nominal fee($20), or they'll put togather and "test" (no idea how much, my order shipped within hours...) a barebones system, which includes all the "tricky" components to a computer. I enjoy a high level of customization, and the ability to pick and choose exactly what hardware I want from a retail store and get that in a machine is great. No worrying if you do your homework, likely less if you go the "custom system with OS" route. Again, I can't say just how good they are yet, but I suspect that if you know a thing or two about computer hardware than you might consider it.
The only downfall is that all the parts are under the manufacturer warranty, which varies, but is usually 3 years.

Unless you really need tech support or onsite support, I think going with a large company like dell or HP isn't worth it. Sub $1200 laptops are a different story however.