I think your dismissing the processing power of laptops, ofc no one renders a film like Advent Children, but that took a super computer so thats kinda besides the point. You can definitely semi or full professionally edit sound and imagery on a laptop.ghettoperson wrote:
No one does video or image editing on a laptop. No one with any sense anyway.Vilham wrote:
Do you do professional video or image editing? If so get a Mac, otherwise PC.
Poll
Should I get a Mac or a PC?
| Mac | 10% | 10% - 10 | ||||
| Pc | 89% | 89% - 82 | ||||
| Total: 92 | ||||||
Since I'm getting a laptop, I really won't be messing around with any hardware/software configurations really, just installing/uninstalling apps. Btw, how does a Dell XPS sound? Are they overrated, or are they worth the cost?SenorToenails wrote:
I have never crashed my laptop (Windows XP Professional). My desktop has probably crashed about 2 or 3 times in the space of 1.5 years (Windows XP Professional x64). And those were all nvidia driver related crashes.kylef wrote:
That's quite impressive. (no sarcasm intended)ghettoperson wrote:
My PC has crashed a grand total of.... never. Make of that what you will.
You can have reliable PC's, but you just can't mess around with the configuration all the time. Granted, that can be hard to avoid on a windows machine, when everything requires administrator access to run properly.
I would want a decent monitor for photo editing. As for video editing, running something like Final Cut Pro would be pretty taxing on it. I'd also want a much larger monitor to actually be able to see what's going on. And at the end of the day, with the exception of FCP all good video and image editing software is available on the PC as well.Vilham wrote:
I think your dismissing the processing power of laptops, ofc no one renders a film like Advent Children, but that took a super computer so thats kinda besides the point. You can definitely semi or full professionally edit sound and imagery on a laptop.ghettoperson wrote:
No one does video or image editing on a laptop. No one with any sense anyway.Vilham wrote:
Do you do professional video or image editing? If so get a Mac, otherwise PC.
Choosing a mac over a pc for professional video or image editing would have mattered a few years ago.
let this video speak for itself
as most people have stated you should get a pc, mac's are not bad but they are way to spendy for what you get except if you want to have good video editing software (which can be aquired for pc too).
but anyway you asked what kind of brand you should go with.
i would say that you should either get a HP (really good products especially in the higher end) or you should get a zepto (zepto.com) great laptops good customizability, good price range, and good customer support.
and for the love of god DON'T GET AN ACER!!!
but anyway you asked what kind of brand you should go with.
i would say that you should either get a HP (really good products especially in the higher end) or you should get a zepto (zepto.com) great laptops good customizability, good price range, and good customer support.
and for the love of god DON'T GET AN ACER!!!
$3,000?
that would get you a beast of a desktop, dont waste your time with laptops.
you're never going to bring it to class, and some schools have begun to ban them in lecture halls anyway
that would get you a beast of a desktop, dont waste your time with laptops.
you're never going to bring it to class, and some schools have begun to ban them in lecture halls anyway
I agree with S.lythberg, I havent used my laptop at uni other than 5 days in the last 2.5 years in my degree and thats in computer science.
Really? Well, it feels like it would be good to just have with you whenever you need it, and have it has a storage device for everything, like documents, music, movies, and anything else. I don't think I would like having a desktop, because it's just going to sit there in my dorm room, and I can only access what I need when I'm in my dorm room. I also hear that if you want to study, the best place is in the library, not your dorm, so it would be more convenient to have a laptop right by your side.S.Lythberg wrote:
$3,000?
that would get you a beast of a desktop, dont waste your time with laptops.
you're never going to bring it to class, and some schools have begun to ban them in lecture halls anyway
lol 4 votes for mac.
its what you get from gamers.
its what you get from gamers.
Assuming you're talking about XPS notebooks... depends. The XPS 1730 is NOT worth it; almost any "gaming notebook" isn't.dan673 wrote:
Since I'm getting a laptop, I really won't be messing around with any hardware/software configurations really, just installing/uninstalling apps. Btw, how does a Dell XPS sound? Are they overrated, or are they worth the cost?SenorToenails wrote:
I have never crashed my laptop (Windows XP Professional). My desktop has probably crashed about 2 or 3 times in the space of 1.5 years (Windows XP Professional x64). And those were all nvidia driver related crashes.kylef wrote:
That's quite impressive. (no sarcasm intended)
You can have reliable PC's, but you just can't mess around with the configuration all the time. Granted, that can be hard to avoid on a windows machine, when everything requires administrator access to run properly.
The 1530 is very nice. If you're in the US, they've got a deal going on, a preconfigured model getting about $500-600 off, and you can further customize it to your wants - all in all, it comes out cheaper. Plus, you can opt for an LED screen which is always a bonus.
The 1330 is nice too. It may be a bit small, dunno how you'll cope with a 13.3" screen, but if you can it's pretty decent. However, for 13.3" notebooks, the most impressive I've seen to date is the LG P300 - 8600m GS which is the most powerful card I've seen in a 13.3" screen, decent battery life (considering the hardware it has), very lightweight. Very nice.
As for the Mac vs PC thing, it depends. If you're looking to save a few bucks, get a PC; most comparable systems will be a few hundred cheaper than a Mac. But the Macbook Pro is quite nice - LED screen, backlit keyboard, decent graphics card, excellent battery life and weight; with an education discount, is actually not that expensive; in fact, it's probably a better value than some other similar systems. But being all aluminum, it might get a bit hotter than other notebooks since it acts as a big heatsink, Apple Quality Control has seemed to have dropped considerably (although their customer service seems to be quite good), and of course, it doesn't have a huge selection of games to play on (but there's always Boot Camp for that).
So basically, I think it narrows down to whether or not you want to actually utilise the Mac OS. Hardware wise, you can get a Mac or a similar PC at similar prices (although the Apple might be a tad more). However, if you're planning on sticking with Windows, get a PC. Try to get to a Apple Store or something and play around with OSX, see if you like it. There isn't a point in installing Windows onto a Mac via Bootcamp and only using Windows, right?
Although with your price range, you'd probably be best off going with a Desktop PC with hardware that can run modern games without a hitch. Then use the remaining money to buy a decent notebook, one with an OK graphics (if you want to play a few games on the go), but more importantly, with good battery life. That way, you have the power to play demanding games, but also can go outside to work on your academic stuff.
Thanks for the great info.Smithereener wrote:
Assuming you're talking about XPS notebooks... depends. The XPS 1730 is NOT worth it; almost any "gaming notebook" isn't.dan673 wrote:
Since I'm getting a laptop, I really won't be messing around with any hardware/software configurations really, just installing/uninstalling apps. Btw, how does a Dell XPS sound? Are they overrated, or are they worth the cost?SenorToenails wrote:
I have never crashed my laptop (Windows XP Professional). My desktop has probably crashed about 2 or 3 times in the space of 1.5 years (Windows XP Professional x64). And those were all nvidia driver related crashes.
You can have reliable PC's, but you just can't mess around with the configuration all the time. Granted, that can be hard to avoid on a windows machine, when everything requires administrator access to run properly.
The 1530 is very nice. If you're in the US, they've got a deal going on, a preconfigured model getting about $500-600 off, and you can further customize it to your wants - all in all, it comes out cheaper. Plus, you can opt for an LED screen which is always a bonus.
The 1330 is nice too. It may be a bit small, dunno how you'll cope with a 13.3" screen, but if you can it's pretty decent. However, for 13.3" notebooks, the most impressive I've seen to date is the LG P300 - 8600m GS which is the most powerful card I've seen in a 13.3" screen, decent battery life (considering the hardware it has), very lightweight. Very nice.
As for the Mac vs PC thing, it depends. If you're looking to save a few bucks, get a PC; most comparable systems will be a few hundred cheaper than a Mac. But the Macbook Pro is quite nice - LED screen, backlit keyboard, decent graphics card, excellent battery life and weight; with an education discount, is actually not that expensive; in fact, it's probably a better value than some other similar systems. But being all aluminum, it might get a bit hotter than other notebooks since it acts as a big heatsink, Apple Quality Control has seemed to have dropped considerably (although their customer service seems to be quite good), and of course, it doesn't have a huge selection of games to play on (but there's always Boot Camp for that).
So basically, I think it narrows down to whether or not you want to actually utilise the Mac OS. Hardware wise, you can get a Mac or a similar PC at similar prices (although the Apple might be a tad more). However, if you're planning on sticking with Windows, get a PC. Try to get to a Apple Store or something and play around with OSX, see if you like it. There isn't a point in installing Windows onto a Mac via Bootcamp and only using Windows, right?
Although with your price range, you'd probably be best off going with a Desktop PC with hardware that can run modern games without a hitch. Then use the remaining money to buy a decent notebook, one with an OK graphics (if you want to play a few games on the go), but more importantly, with good battery life. That way, you have the power to play demanding games, but also can go outside to work on your academic stuff.
Last edited by dan673 (2008-05-22 04:36:33)
Microsoft Office for Mac: 2008. There are some annoying things that it does (with OSX's spaces), but those are very minor. That and Excel 2008 doesn't include Visual Basic - they removed it cause it's the only VBA app on OSX... Kinda needed that in my computing course at uni... (not really a problem, cause I had VBA at home, and in the computing labs themselves).dan673 wrote:
I keep hearing how reliable macs are, and that you can even install Microsoft products (Microsoft Word) onto the mac osx.
Lets just discount all of those professional photographers who use MBP's (macbook pro) out in the field/on assignment. I use my MBP for all my photography... and everything else. At home, at uni, at cadets (for powerpoint's when I teach), etc. I think that since I got my laptop 3-4 months ago, I've used the PC for less than 20 or so hours. Windows just frustrates the shit out of me now.ghettoperson wrote:
No one does video or image editing on a laptop. No one with any sense anyway.Vilham wrote:
Do you do professional video or image editing? If so get a Mac, otherwise PC.
Both are awesome, especially the backlit keyboard. You should also mention the trackpad. It's insane, especially the newest generation of "multi-touch" trackpads.Smithereener wrote:
LED screen, backlit keyboard
Thanks to all those members who gave a bit more of an answer than the usual Mac vs. PC crap.
Iv never trusted Mac, dont know why
Ever used one?G.Cronin wrote:
Iv never trusted Mac, dont know why
Why is that impressive? My four-year-old laptop has crashed a total of three times for me, two being because of ocing the graphics card, and one from shoving a screwdriver into the northbridge. I regularly have uptimes of several weeks, until I need to reboot for some updates. Windows XP is a really stable os.kylef wrote:
That's quite impressive. (no sarcasm intended)ghettoperson wrote:
My PC has crashed a grand total of.... never. Make of that what you will.
6 days, 23 hours and 40 minutes uptime right now.
EDIT: It's not really 589MHz - it's just on SpeedStep.
Last edited by Freezer7Pro (2008-05-22 07:42:58)
The idea of any hi-fi system is to reproduce the source material as faithfully as possible, and to deliberately add distortion to everything you hear (due to amplifier deficiencies) because it sounds 'nice' is simply not high fidelity. If that is what you want to hear then there is no problem with that, but by adding so much additional material (by way of harmonics and intermodulation) you have a tailored sound system, not a hi-fi. - Rod Elliot, ESP
Macs are inferior for image editing. They are better for video editing and music.Vilham wrote:
Do you do professional video or image editing? If so get a Mac, otherwise PC.
BTW, don't be fooled by the complete lies about Macs being reliable. I work as a hardware engineer for Apple. Trust me, they are no more reliable than PCs, almost certainly less so in fact.
I'll call up Steve Jobs and tell him you said that, unless you give me $500.Bertster7 wrote:
Macs are inferior for image editing. They are better for video editing and music.Vilham wrote:
Do you do professional video or image editing? If so get a Mac, otherwise PC.
BTW, don't be fooled by the complete lies about Macs being reliable. I work as a hardware engineer for Apple. Trust me, they are no more reliable than PCs, almost certainly less so in fact.
Last edited by Freezer7Pro (2008-05-22 12:03:35)
The idea of any hi-fi system is to reproduce the source material as faithfully as possible, and to deliberately add distortion to everything you hear (due to amplifier deficiencies) because it sounds 'nice' is simply not high fidelity. If that is what you want to hear then there is no problem with that, but by adding so much additional material (by way of harmonics and intermodulation) you have a tailored sound system, not a hi-fi. - Rod Elliot, ESP
Bertster7 wrote:
Macs are inferior for image editing. They are better for video editing and music.Vilham wrote:
Do you do professional video or image editing? If so get a Mac, otherwise PC.
BTW, don't be fooled by the complete lies about Macs being reliable. I work as a hardware engineer for Apple. Trust me, they are no more reliable than PCs, almost certainly less so in fact.
My current PC (which I've been running for 18 months) has never crashed (except when pushing the limits with OCing, something that is nigh on impossible to do with a Mac and so is not comparable).ghettoperson wrote:
My PC has crashed a grand total of.... never. Make of that what you will.kylef wrote:
They both have their pluses.
PC - well, it's a PC. A wide variety of applications run on it and its customization is almost limitless. Is usually a lot cheaper and a nicely-made one can both perform and feel really good.
Mac - reliability, massively so. My brother's Macbook and Macbook air combined have crashed a total of...once. They are very sexy and you can get a really good Macbook Pro in that budget which means you could install Vista and do a bit of gaming on that 8400.
Tough choice - I know I'd get the mac over the PC for that price range, but that's just me...
Jenspm wrote:
inb4bertster
Ultimately, Macs have massively inferior hardware, are extremely overpriced, have some serious issues that Apple will not admit to, are absurdly expensive to repair and they smell funny.
On the plus side they look pretty and their OS is nice to use provided you don't want to do anything more complicated than writing a word document or cataloguing your family photos.
That goes to my sig.Bertster7 wrote:
Ultimately, Macs have massively inferior hardware, are extremely overpriced, have some serious issues that Apple will not admit to, are absurdly expensive to repair and they smell funny.
The idea of any hi-fi system is to reproduce the source material as faithfully as possible, and to deliberately add distortion to everything you hear (due to amplifier deficiencies) because it sounds 'nice' is simply not high fidelity. If that is what you want to hear then there is no problem with that, but by adding so much additional material (by way of harmonics and intermodulation) you have a tailored sound system, not a hi-fi. - Rod Elliot, ESP
+ mekylef wrote:
Tough choice - I know I'd get the mac over the PC for that price range, but that's just me...
I have both a mac and pc. Simply install your win os on the mac, add bootcamp, and you ahve the best of both worllds
I was going to say Mac but as soon I you said you wanted to play games I'd say pc straight away. Erm I heard you can make your mac emulate windows but it you could just about play CS 1.6 on it.
Macs can run Windows full speed easily. The problem with Mac gaming does not lie there. It lies with the fact that a Mac capable of performing on a par with a decent gaming PC costs about twice as much, often much more.wah1188 wrote:
I was going to say Mac but as soon I you said you wanted to play games I'd say pc straight away. Erm I heard you can make your mac emulate windows but it you could just about play CS 1.6 on it.
Thats what I thought too.Bertster7 wrote:
Ultimately, Macs have massively inferior hardware, are extremely overpriced, have some serious issues that Apple will not admit to, are absurdly expensive to repair and they smell funny.
On the plus side they look pretty and their OS is nice to use provided you don't want to do anything more complicated than writing a word document or cataloguing your family photos.
Well, I won't be playing that much at all, but from time to time it feels like it would be nice to have.wah1188 wrote:
I was going to say Mac but as soon I you said you wanted to play games I'd say pc straight away. Erm I heard you can make your mac emulate windows but it you could just about play CS 1.6 on it.