Mac Vs. PC for Photoshop

[reicherb]

I must admit, I'm not very pro-MAC, but mostly because I know very little about them. I'm at a school district and we want to start using Photoshop in art class. Here are the two systems I'm looking at. I'm not sure how they compare with each other. Which would be faster? Is the Mac really worth all of that extra cost? Looking at the price, it seems like I must not be comparing similiar systems.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks.


Product Name: Power Mac G4 Dual 1GHz
Power Mac G4 Dual 1GHz w/167MHz system bus
Apple Studio Display (17" flat panel)
512MB PC2700 DDR SDRAM - 1 DIMM
80GB Ultra ATA drive
Optical 1 - Apple SuperDrive
ATI Radeon 9000 Pro dual-display w/64MB DDR
Apple Pro Keyboard - U.S. English
$3,476 each



Compaq Evo D510 convertible minitower
Evo D510 Convertible Minitower
Compaq TFT1720 17-inch Carbon/silver
Intel® 845G chipset with 400MHz or 533MHz Front Side Bus
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 2.80 GHz (533 MHz Front Side Bus)
512MB PC2100 (266 MHz) DDR
80GB Ultra ATA 100 (7200rpm)
1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX200 NV11 64MB SDRAM 4X AGP
32X/10X/40X/16X DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive with Roxio CD Creator and Intervideo WinDVD
Integrated Intel audio
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
Compaq PS/2 Scroll Mouse
Compaq Carbon/Silver Internet Keyboard
Integrated Intel® PRO/100 VM Network Connection
$1,979.00 each

 

[Dreadogg]

NVIDIA GeForce2 MX200 NV11 64MB SDRAM 4X AGP

lose this card and get some card that supports excellent multiple monitor support, then take some money your gonna save by staying away from that mac and get another monitor, just make sure they display excellent colors. BIg thing here is that video card your looking for 2D not 3D! If you really want a Mac, go buy a Big Mac.

 

[Sunner]

If you really want a Mac, go buy a Big Mac.

Yuck! :disgust:

Anyway, I agree with the rest.

 

[WalkingDead]

hell no! The Mac is not worth the money nor the trouble. Take my words for it. I work part time for a education institution that teaches graphic design everyday. We don't have any P4 machines but all our PIII (intel mobo) and AMD (Soyo, MSI, Asus mobo) on Win2K & XP are faster and more stable than our Mac G4s with OS X. The only reason why my school and many other education institutions are still buying Mac is because they're run by Mac fanantics. Those people love to compain about not enough funding for the programs then they turn arround and orders Mac that costs almost 3X as much as a similarly configed Dell.


I do recommand using ATI graphic card because of its much superior screen quality and for pre-made machines I would recommand Dell over Compaq.

 

[reicherb]

Originally posted by: Dreadogg

NVIDIA GeForce2 MX200 NV11 64MB SDRAM 4X AGP

lose this card and get some card that supports excellent multiple monitor support, then take some money your gonna save by staying away from that mac and get another monitor, just make sure they display excellent colors. BIg thing here is that video card your looking for 2D not 3D! If you really want a Mac, go buy a Big Mac.

Can you recommend a card?

Originally posted by: WalkingDead
I would recommand Dell over Compaq.

I won't be going with Dell. We have had nothing but problems with them. So far the Compaqs we have have proven to be much more stable.

 

[Sunner]

A good card for your situation, assuming you won't be running still like 3D Studio and such, would be a Matrox G550, they're pretty cheap, have excellent image quality, and excellent multi monitor support.
I believe they also come as an option for many Compaq boxes, at least they used to, was a while since we bought any new boxes where I work.

Oh and I gotta agree about Dell vs Compaq, for just work, I prefer Compaq, they're not all that fancy or anything, but they do what they're meant to very well.

 

[Czar]

just buy a $3,476 PC instead of the macs, you will get sooooooooooooooooooooooo much more for your money

 

[n0cmonkey]

The internet would not work without MACs.

Get the x86 based PCs. This is an x86 based PC forum after all, and if speed is all you are concerned about, x86 based PCs have the upper hand.

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
The internet would not work without MACs.

Nice one!

I agree with the Compaq/Matrox recommendation btw.

 

[reicherb]

Thanks for the help guys. I'll go the PC route.

 

[WalkingDead]

Can you recommend a card?

ATI Radeon 9000 would do fine for you. The buildin dual monitor support and DVI interface will let you use what ever monitor setup you want it. It shouldn't cost much more than the GeForce MX 2. The older Radeon 7500 and even the original Radeon will also be fine for your need.

 

[Ipno]

I won't be going with Dell. We have had nothing but problems with them.

Really? Fascinating. Dell was never anything but good for me. What kind of problems did you have with them?

 

[Ilmater]

I hate to contradict these people, but there is one reason to buy a mac over a PC, and that's for the kids' futures' sakes. Many graphics arts places use Macs as their sole computing platform because of their history with them, and because they continue to make the Macs look... well... like they do, and that makes a lot of people that know nothing about computers and a lot about aesthetics happy. Regardless, 99% of children, now, are growing up using PCs, and they already feel fairly comfortable with them. However, they're not as comfortable with Macs. So, if they go into the only industry that really uses Macs, they might not be as prepared as others. Plus, taking a step back, MOST colleges still use Macs as their primary computer in graphics art labs.

However, I will say that I had a few friends that were graphics arts majors in college, and while they knew how to use the Macs in their GA labs, they owned PCs.

So, is it worth it for our children's futures? Maybe.

 

[Ipno]

But Ilmater, isn't one of the strengths of the Mac supposed to be how easy it is to use? If its so easy to use, why bother training on it, just pick it up if you need it.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Photoshop wants 1 GB of RAM not just 512.

Search "photoshop" here for 2 recent threads on Photoshop and pc-vs-mac

 

[pukemon]

Because for the most part Photoshop is identical on both platforms, either platform will suit you fine. It boils down to personal preference. If you prefer the Windows environment, you'll be happy with a WinXP system, if you prefer the Mac stick with it. If you don't know or don't really care, it's probably safer to go the Windows route.

 

[Spicedaddy]

Yeah, Mac or PC, once you're working inside Photoshop, it's pretty much the same thing. Add another 512MB of ram, and get a second LCD for the Compaq with a video card that has good support for dual monitors (Radeon 9000, Matrox G550), and it'll still be much cheaper than the Mac.

 

[EdipisReks]

more ram and a Radeon 9000 would turn that Compaq into a very nice Photoshop machine. however, i personally prefer having a second hard drive for photoshop's scratch files. it's not that big of a deal, though.

 

[AmdInside]

Go with an NVIDIA card. You'll really appreciate nView with Photoshop.

 

[Hulk]

Originally posted by: Ilmater
I hate to contradict these people, but there is one reason to buy a mac over a PC, and that's for the kids' futures' sakes. Many graphics arts places use Macs as their sole computing platform because of their history with them, and because they continue to make the Macs look... well... like they do, and that makes a lot of people that know nothing about computers and a lot about aesthetics happy. Regardless, 99% of children, now, are growing up using PCs, and they already feel fairly comfortable with them. However, they're not as comfortable with Macs. So, if they go into the only industry that really uses Macs, they might not be as prepared as others. Plus, taking a step back, MOST colleges still use Macs as their primary computer in graphics art labs.

However, I will say that I had a few friends that were graphics arts majors in college, and while they knew how to use the Macs in their GA labs, they owned PCs.

So, is it worth it for our children's futures? Maybe.

Once you start the program, Photoshop for the Mac and PC are almost identical. But, as a teacher, the ON TASK TIME will be greater with a faster computer. Shouldn't we do ALL WE CAN to maximize our children's learning?

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: Hulk
Once you start the program, Photoshop for the Mac and PC are almost identical. But, as a teacher, the ON TASK TIME will be greater with a faster computer. Shouldn't we do ALL WE CAN to maximize our children's learning?

OK, fair enough. You win. Buy a PC. I just didn't know how much difference there was between the Mac version and the PC version. We can only hope that people will stop buying Macs altogether so that we can lower the learning curve.

 

[Gunnar]

I dont think you come here to get an unbiased view of the entire Mac vs. PC debate. Personally, I'd go for the Mac. While many people are counting the bang for the buck, I believe it getting what will increase your productivity, and will keep you from pulling your own hair out.

In addition, the color management on the Macintosh is LIGHT YEARS ahead of the PC, especially if you choose an Apple display, its only too bad they dont make the printers as well, or at least output a calibration code that can be sent to the printer. Secondly, Windows XP is such a PAIN IN THE ASS to use, and its appearance and arrangement is almost irritating to the point of lunacy. While people will argue you can modify the appearance and all, who is going to do the legwork to figure out how to do that? I like the OSX environment better, and maybe its just me, but I like my toolbars floating around, instead of being stuck inside of a windows window. Im not sure you can do this on the PC Photoshop, but you can move just your toolbars to the second screen.

In the end, it may be personal preference, but I think youll be a lot happier with the Mac, make sure you get an ATI card in it, Nvidia for most part blows.

Though it seems you may have made up your mind...

Did I mention Final Cut Pro Express? Yeah, youll like that......

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Gunnar

Though it seems you may have made up your mind...

He made up his mind before starting the thread.

Id actually get a mix of each. That way the children could learn both systems. But I dont know how the budget and rules work out for you.

 

[reicherb]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Gunnar

Though it seems you may have made up your mind...

He made up his mind before starting the thread.

Id actually get a mix of each. That way the children could learn both systems. But I dont know how the budget and rules work out for you.

Actually you are wrong. I figured I come here and everyone would say Macs are better for graphics and I'd go that route. I do admit that I know considerably less about supporting Macs than PCs, but I will learn if that's what I need to do. I've currently got Macs in out TV production studio and our Yearbook/Journalism class, but those teachers know enough about the systems that I have to do very little support.

Budget is a major concern. It appears that the general consensus is that both platforms are going to give about the same experience inside of Photoshop. If I can get basically the same experience for less money, why wouldn't I?

 

[PCMarine]

Originally posted by: Sunner

If you really want a Mac, go buy a Big Mac.

Yuck! :disgust:

Anyway, I agree with the rest.

lol I agree