p.c vs mac at DVinfo.net

Dimitri De Keukelaere · August 22nd, 2005, 01:06 PM

I was wonderingwhy mac is so good for professional use and what seems to be the big difference between p.c's and macs.

just an ordinary question :-). I'm not so good into computers :-)

Steve Nunez · August 22nd, 2005, 01:30 PM

You've just asked one of the most controversial questions you can ask. The Mac Vs. PC wars are hotly contested and many here will likely not answer this question- but here's my 2 cents:

They both perform very well in video editing. Some short time back, Macs were considered the better of the 2 platforms for serious graphic and video work- they were considered the more stable of the 2 formats and didn't have 2GB file size limits Windows machines had making them very suitable for video editing. However, PC performance has really improved and Windows XP has made the Windows machine a very viable alternative to the Mac platform. PC's are also generally less expensive and have a tremendous range of 3rd party gadgets available to them. PC's also dominate the market in home computer use- numbers vary but people in the know estimate PC's represent 90+% of the home market and about 50% of the professional market.

The big selling point for Macs is that Apple makes the hardware, OS and allot of the top apps making a Mac OS X machine the most stable (less crashes/freezes) platform for professional work. Apple also tends to design their software to be fool-proof and very user friendly and intuitive- often simple to use. Macs are more expensive to purchase per computing power but they are often bundled with every app needed to produce near professional results without needing to buy additional software. They are designed to be a 1 stop solution to the digital lifestyle- from digital photography, music and video editing- they are equipped out of the box to be fully capable machines.

The arguments go on and on- Mac users will defend their machines with zeal while PC users often quote higher clock speeds and theoretical perfomance benefits of Athlon/Pentium processors.......

this argument simply cannot be won........

.....have a good look at both systems and how they perform and what's available for whatever application you intend to use and make your selection- you really can't lose either way....

...as for me- I'm a Mac user but I do own a new HP laptop and am very impressed with the way it works.

(PS- New Macs will be powered by Intel chips and should theoretically make this argument more measurable on a performance standpoint/level)

Greg Boston · August 22nd, 2005, 01:41 PM

Steve,

You did a great job of summarizing the benefits/trade-offs of both platforms. I was a long time pc only user and was also put off by the higher price tag until I realized just what you pointed out. The included apps out of the box with Apple would easily be several hundreds more out of pocket on a pc to get equivalent functionality. Like you, I have a relatively new Compaq notebook which I use for Canon's DVPC recorder and some other Windows only apps. But I have turned to the Mac platform for editing because I tried FCP and liked it.

My advice to most folks these days is to have both platorms available if possible. Each platform has a few nifty applications that the other does not. And, with gigabit networking becoming more and more affordable, just link the two together and pass media files back and forth as necessary. I am currently using wireless to link an HP tower, the Compaq notebook, and the Apple iMac G5. They work very well together.

regards,

-gb-

Boyd Ostroff · August 22nd, 2005, 09:59 PM

Moderator note: this is the sort of topic which has been literally beaten to death here and elsewhere. Once again it's gotten out of hand, so I've deleted a number of posts which really didn't shed much light on the subject. Unfortunately it seems impossible to discuss this without spiraling downhill into platform wars, so this thread is now locked.

August 22nd, 2005, 01:06 PM	#1
Dimitri De Keukelaere Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Belgium Posts: 113	p.c vs mac I was wonderingwhy mac is so good for professional use and what seems to be the big difference between p.c's and macs. just an ordinary question :-). I'm not so good into computers :-)

August 22nd, 2005, 01:30 PM	#2
Steve Nunez Trustee Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Pembroke Pines, Florida Posts: 1,418	You've just asked one of the most controversial questions you can ask. The Mac Vs. PC wars are hotly contested and many here will likely not answer this question- but here's my 2 cents: They both perform very well in video editing. Some short time back, Macs were considered the better of the 2 platforms for serious graphic and video work- they were considered the more stable of the 2 formats and didn't have 2GB file size limits Windows machines had making them very suitable for video editing. However, PC performance has really improved and Windows XP has made the Windows machine a very viable alternative to the Mac platform. PC's are also generally less expensive and have a tremendous range of 3rd party gadgets available to them. PC's also dominate the market in home computer use- numbers vary but people in the know estimate PC's represent 90+% of the home market and about 50% of the professional market. The big selling point for Macs is that Apple makes the hardware, OS and allot of the top apps making a Mac OS X machine the most stable (less crashes/freezes) platform for professional work. Apple also tends to design their software to be fool-proof and very user friendly and intuitive- often simple to use. Macs are more expensive to purchase per computing power but they are often bundled with every app needed to produce near professional results without needing to buy additional software. They are designed to be a 1 stop solution to the digital lifestyle- from digital photography, music and video editing- they are equipped out of the box to be fully capable machines. The arguments go on and on- Mac users will defend their machines with zeal while PC users often quote higher clock speeds and theoretical perfomance benefits of Athlon/Pentium processors....... this argument simply cannot be won........ .....have a good look at both systems and how they perform and what's available for whatever application you intend to use and make your selection- you really can't lose either way.... ...as for me- I'm a Mac user but I do own a new HP laptop and am very impressed with the way it works. (PS- New Macs will be powered by Intel chips and should theoretically make this argument more measurable on a performance standpoint/level) __________________ Steve Nunez-New York City www.stevenunez.com

August 22nd, 2005, 01:41 PM	#3
Greg Boston Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DFW area, TX Posts: 6,117 Images: 1	Steve, You did a great job of summarizing the benefits/trade-offs of both platforms. I was a long time pc only user and was also put off by the higher price tag until I realized just what you pointed out. The included apps out of the box with Apple would easily be several hundreds more out of pocket on a pc to get equivalent functionality. Like you, I have a relatively new Compaq notebook which I use for Canon's DVPC recorder and some other Windows only apps. But I have turned to the Mac platform for editing because I tried FCP and liked it. My advice to most folks these days is to have both platorms available if possible. Each platform has a few nifty applications that the other does not. And, with gigabit networking becoming more and more affordable, just link the two together and pass media files back and forth as necessary. I am currently using wireless to link an HP tower, the Compaq notebook, and the Apple iMac G5. They work very well together. regards, -gb-

August 22nd, 2005, 09:59 PM	#4
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	Moderator note: this is the sort of topic which has been literally beaten to death here and elsewhere. Once again it's gotten out of hand, so I've deleted a number of posts which really didn't shed much light on the subject. Unfortunately it seems impossible to discuss this without spiraling downhill into platform wars, so this thread is now locked.