Advice on PC laptop and desktop please

[colorflow]

It's time for me to replace my laptop and perhaps also get a desktop fot more power and better display. I know a lot of you use Mac, but I am not ready to make the switch. Would appreciate your input on both a laptop and desktop for suitability for post processing - speed, graphics, value, etc. I already have offline dual storage, so that is not a key issue.

Thanks in advance,
Alan

[wparsonsgisnet]

Alan, I am a long-time dos and windoze user. I told my wife I was allergic to Apple computers. But windoze sucks and Mac's run unix.

My next computer will be a Mac book pro -- with the software to allow me to run dos programs.

Try it, you'll like it.

[colorflow]

Originally Posted by wparsonsgisnet

Alan, I am a long-time dos and windoze user. I told my wife I was allergic to Apple computers. But windoze sucks and Mac's run unix.

My next computer will be a Mac book pro -- with the software to allow me to run dos programs.

Try it, you'll like it.

Bill, the reason I think I am not ready to switch is my wife has her own Windows computer and we share all the data through wireless in the house. So how would we share software and data if I switched? Will it allow me to run both at the same time? Would performance suffer if it did? Thanks,

Alan

[stephengilbert]

"Not ready to make the switch."

I bought a Mac last September after using PCs for years. At first, I found it awkward to change, because the word processing program I used for most of my computer time was no longer available for the Mac and I had to learn Word, but so many things were so easy, that I quickly became a convert. It's hard to imagine that I was resistant for so long. I bought the Parallels program that allows you to run a virtual Windows machine, but never installed it.

Steve

[stunsworth]

Alan if you baought a Mac you would need to buy new software. Although the latest Macs use Intel chips the software isn't compatible. Some companies such as Adobe allow you to switch platforms for a very low cost. But to do that you need to de-activate the old version of the software. So if for example you use Photoshop you can switch to Mac, but only by making the PC version unusable, this may be an issue if you still want to use the application on your wife's machine.

[philipotto]

Simple solution: buy your wife a Mac!

[colorflow]

Originally Posted by philipotto

Simple solution: buy your wife a Mac!

I won't touch that with a ten foot pole...

[stunsworth]

One of the things that ammuses me is when someone say "I want to buy a PC", Mac users seems to be unable to accept that _that_ is exactly what they want to do. People have brains, they can work out what OS they want. It's a computer not a religion. Then again... <grin>

[carstenw]

Alan, I had the same "problem" when I bought a Mac and my girlfriend had a Windows laptop. In the end it was much easier to network the Mac with her laptop than it was to network Windows with Windows. Later on she also switched.

[egibaud]

Originally Posted by wparsonsgisnet

Alan, I am a long-time dos and windoze user. I told my wife I was allergic to Apple computers. But windoze sucks and Mac's run unix.

My next computer will be a Mac book pro -- with the software to allow me to run dos programs.

Try it, you'll like it.

I fully agree !!

I use pc since cpm then dos then windows 3.0, 3.1, 3.11 etc. until XP then when Vista came out, I "emuled" bought it (LOL) and tried it.... and guess what???

I like it so much, that I dumped my Dell X300 notebook and bought a Mac Book !!!!

I today realise the many hours (probably months if I add them up) that I have lost with Windows. It is a real piece of S**T I never believed an apple reseller friend of mine when he had been telling me to switch to mac for over 10 years. But after telling him about Vista, he told me, get an Apple, if you do not like the MacBook I refund you 100%

And after 5 months of Mac use, I am planning to buy a 24" iMac for home now.

Stay clear of Windows and if you cannot, forget about Vista, stay with XP !!!! If you still need some Windows software, get parallel software and open a Windows "window" from your mac desktop. But honestly all what you are probably using on a pc also exist on Mac, even Microsoft Office!

Sorry for insisting, but I wish someone had done it to me many years ago, my apple friend took 10 years to convince me LOL !

Eric

[Shootist]

I am a long time Windows user. Started using Intel PC's with MSDOS and a program call Geoworks.
Then to Win 3.11 WFW and have been upgrading to newer version of Windows ever since. I now use Win XP Pro on the 6 personal PC's I own and the same at work.

I've used a Mac, sparingly, and found no compelling reason to switch to a Mac. Firstly because the program I use on a daily basis are all Windows based and most do not have a Mac version or equivalent.

I also see no need, and have no desire, to upgrade to the latest Windows OS, Vista. So I will be sticking with XP Pro for as long as I can. A few of the program I use and NEED daily were written for Win 98.

Just remember that when switching platforms you will also need to BUY ALL NEW PROGRAMS. That fact outweighs any thought of the switch.

As to your question.
If you don't want to build your own desktop then Dell or HP is a good bet. Some on all forms will state that Dells are built with inferior parts, that is just NOT SO. That is not to say that some of there lower cost desktops and notebooks are made with top of the line parts. They aren't. But if you go for one of there top line models you get the same parts you can buy yourself.

I've only dealt with HP a few times and that was 6-9 years ago. Didn't care for them one bit but I hear they have come a long way and there support is much better then it use to be.
Toshiba is another good notebook reseller ( I say reseller because all notebooks are produced by 3 or 4 different companies. Dell/HP/Sony/Toshiba/whoever do not MAKE there own units).
If I was in the market for both a new notebook and desktop (But I build my own desktops) I would probably buy from the same company.

[khun_k]

I use both Mac and PC and admit I use much more on Mac than on PC, unless needed. Software is one concern when switching, but if you consider to run the platform for many years to come it is in fact not much a concern. With Mac Book Pro, I am able to run both system natively, on one machine. That way, you may continue to work whatever you needed with your existing PC software and at the same time try some Mac software that came with the computer. When you are running OS X, you can still take file from the Windows HD, for example, sending the email using Mac and perhaps with attachment you made on Windows.
Both systems are quite stable now but Mac has a lot less virus issue to deal with and you will not likely ever need to re-start, re-install again. I think the Intel Mac is a good choice for flexibility.

[wparsonsgisnet]

It is my understanding that dos programs run well in the emulation mode on the Intel-based Mac's. I think I would prefer one of the emulation programs that runs under OS X rather than having to reboot (with Apple's Boot Camp) and will have to do the approriate research at the moment of truth.

That said, I expect to convert my sw to Mac after I make the switch. I'm almost wishing my windoze machine would die ....

The bride just had to acquire an ipod. Using Apple stuff is SO simple. Makes you wonder why a guy like Gates, who has all the money in the world and still specializes in buggy software, isn't serving time for fraud.

Some of the things that drive me crazy (as is evident), referring to my Gateway pentium-D machine at home:
1. During the day, windoze throws away my network connectivity, requiring a reboot,
2. I do a lot of video work (Vegas sw) and I must do a COLD reboot before starting an editing project, or else it aborts in-process more than 1/2 the time.
3. If I have 3-4 processes running (Word, Firefox, and so on) at some point one hangs because windoze memory degrades continually, and I have to reboot for safety
4. On my desk, I have the PowerBook G4 that I inherited from the bride when she got a MacBook recently. It just sits there all week long, allowing me instant web access while my windoze machine is rebooting.

Because of work-related computer responsibilities, I used to have a requirement that my machine at home mimic those at work (windoze, of course). This is no longer the case and the burr under the saddle is beginning to really bother me.

[stunsworth]

Just to put the other side of the coin, I've had my Macbook totally freeze on a few occasions. Can't remember when that happened on my XP desktop.

_But_ none of this is addressing Alan's original question. He didn't ask whether he should buy a Mac or a PC, he asked for advice on buying a PC.

[cuss]

Hi all,
probably this is my first post here, I'm lurking, here, read you all with great interest, but still have never wrote.

Now, this is my word (I mean computers ), and I'd like to contribute.

I used to use PCs, that is for the last 15 years (I'm 30).
At first it was DOS, then it came windows (I mean, win95, we can't call win 3.11 and below, operating system), and I adopted it, and then moved to 98 and then 2k, where I still is. (never cared to update to XP).
Meanwhile I started using linux more and more, especially at work, and, in the end, I need other OS just for few stuff (games).
I recently bought (actually the company bought it to me) a macBook.
surely I'd never bought it myself, but since it came for free, I have to tell you all: it's so good. I'm talking about the hardware.
I don't have dozens of laptop to test it against, but it seems to me a very nice piece of HW.
But it costs. Surely it costs more (almost the double) of many other windows-based, laptop (although, not of similarly speced one, this macbook has a very small monitor, and it's weight is very low, you usually pay premium prices for these features).

What's the point?

To me, if you need something to _bring with you everywere_ consider buying a macbook (not the pro) or some other pc of similar size/weight. You won't regret it, your back is already stressed by the photographic gears!!

Then, consider that you may as well get rid of the mac os X thing and install a windows on it, without emulation or something like that. There is an intel processor in there, the same as the PCs.

Of course, you are paying for a software that you are throwing away, it's a pity, isn't it?
Well, I have two thing to say:

- The same is true if you buy a windows laptop. You already have windows (XP, which is fine), you don't need to buy a second license to use on your new laptop (as long as you stop using the old one). Still they will sell you a laptop along with a windows license. No matter how hard you try, only dell sell laptop without OS or with linux.

- My father bought a new laptop recently. It cames with windows Vista (o-oh!).
Well, after a month or so of using it, he began to hate it so much.
We downloaded the XP version, got rid of the asta la vista one, and installed a cracked, limited version of XP.
Am I a thief? I don't care, theft are them, who force us to buy the new stuff without even have the possibility of use something else. I don't pretend they realize we may want just linux, I just pretend they understand I may want to use _the old license of windows I've already payed for, and which survived our last laptop crash_. damn!


bottom line: I hate so much windows, I'm glad I spent money (even if not mine ) on a mac.
_And_, I'm a developer, and I use linux, and that's ok.
But I see mac is made for people who don't want to struggle with the computer (everyone of you will like it!! ) and even the most unskilled person, will find easy to start working on a mac, especially when you plug-in your printer/external hard drive/Ipod/etc... which will work without even asking for drivers.

cuss
(writing from a "freed" (by ubuntu) macbook.)

[colorflow]

So what do you all recommend for the screen for the laptop and the desktop, for either Mac and PC?

Alan

[wparsonsgisnet]

Alan, you *are* a glutton for punishment.

There are some threads on this subject that you may also want to look at, but the question is appropriate here.

I happen to use a Sony 19" lcd screen that is very nice ($700, a year ago). What it got me was DVI. At the time I got my Gateway system, I added an nVidia card with memory and the DVI interface.

The resolution of my images DOUBLED.

Several have mentioned the EIZO screen. Do the search and check it out.

[chris_tribble]

Alan - my experience has been:

Desktop - go for high end. I've been using a dual Xeon machine that was built for me in Poland a year ago. 2GB fast ram, 2 x 250 GB internal HDD + stacks of firewire 250GB drives. Lacie 19" 319 monitor does fine by me with a Matrox Millenium P650 card.

Laptop - small cheap Toshiba U200 - it has 12.5" high resolution screen, writes DVDs and will take 2GB ram. This fits into my Domke large satchel when I'm taking handbaggage on planes and is fine for rough edits (I calibrate it with an EyeOne - essential IMHO).

Both machines run XP (pro on the desktop / home on the laptop). They work VERY well and run everything I throw at them with minimum fuss. This includes PS CS3 / LR1 / Nikon Scan and a whole load of office apps. The only thing I don't like about the desktop is that it's a bit noisy.

Hope this helps.

They're not glamorous, they're not designer items, they don't make me feel like a celebrity at the airport, but they get work to my client on time and to quality.

[mustafasoleiman]

Originally Posted by colorflow

So what do you all recommend for the screen for the laptop and the desktop, for either Mac and PC?

Alan

Hello there

I design systems for art galleries world wide and I have about 300 galleries for whom Imy company manages their systems.
I have done this for 22 years.

About 70% of the galleries use Mac, the others Windows PCs.

For my software it does not make a difference as it is cross platform, ie it runs equally on a Mac or a PC, even networked with each other.

As I said it is a 70/30% equation for Mac/PC. The percentages for hardware trouble are 10/90% again Mac/PC.

That is to say that one PC will give me troubles as much as 10 Macs, and some PC troubles are beyond repair, or just not worth the time to fix.

Suffice to say that when they work they both do approximately the same thing.

Where did I put my money?

I have a MacBook Pro 15" and an iMac 24", both running Parallels and BootCamp for when I need to service PCs.

Hope my bit of experience helps.

[johnwolf]

Alan,

If you decide on a PC desktop, you might consider building you own. My son and I started doing so a few years ago and have since built several. Once you identify the motherboard, processor, and RAM that work together, it's more of a relatively simple assembly process. He's thirteen and just built a top-end desktop on his own in about two hours. You'll get exactly what you want at a lower cost.

Personally, I don't understand the PC-Mac debate. I work in applications all day and rarely even consider the OS. Windows became stable with XP, and now is very reliable.

John