Mac / PC Comparison for Graphic Design

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I've been trying to decide for months whether to buy a PC or a MAC for graphic design and I've come to the conclusion that I want a MAC. I've noticed on here that it seems nearly everyone has different reasons for wanting a MAC, but I'm still not sure price/performance is a valid reason, either way.



So I'm interested....Why A Mac?



I'm also sick of people on here saying they can buy a pro PC for really cheap compared to a mac, so I'm posting some serious specs for both. These systems are very different from each other but where one may lack in hardware, it certainly makes up in software.



<a href="http://www.apple.com"; target="_blank">Apple PowerMac G4</a>



PowerMac G4 Dual 1.25 Ghz w/ 1MB L3 Cache/Processor

167 Mhz System Bus

1 GB DDR333 SDRAM (Up To 2GB Available, 4 DIMM slots)

80GB Ultra ATA 7200 RPM HD (4 Available)

4X Superdrive (2nd Slot Open)

ATI Radeon 9700 Pro w/128MB DDR (Dual Display)

1 Firewire 800 & 2 Firewire 400

Bluetooth & Airport Extreme Ready

4 USB Ports



Mac OSX 10.2 Jaguar

iLife - iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, iDVD

Quicktime, iCal, iChat, Acrobat Reader, Art Director?s Toolkit, FaxStf, Filemaker Pro Trial, Graphic Converter, Omni-graffle, Omni-outliner, Preview, Project Builder, Applescript Studio, Interface Builder, Gcc Compiler.



Applecare 3 Year Protection Plan



$4,942.00 CAD or $3,094 USD









Custom Built PC

Dual AMD Athlon MP 2400+(2Ghz) Processors

128KB L1 Cache (2-way associative) 64KB L2 Cache

266 Mhz FSB, AMD 760 MPX Chipset

1GB DDR266 ECC SDRAM (4GB available)

120 GB Western Digital 7200RPM Ultra ATA 100 HD w/8MB Cache (4 available)

Pioneer A05 DVD-R/RW/CDRW (with software) (4-5.25? bays available)

nVidia Quadro 4 750XGL 128MB DDR (dual monitor) AGP 4

Creative Lab Audigy 5.1 MP3 + 3D Wave Table with Firewire Port

Intel Pro1000 MT 1Gbit Copper Desktop Network Card

Blk. 104 key Keyboard & Blk. Logitech 2+wheel Optical Mouse

450W Power Supply

(2) 92mm Fans, (1) 80mm Fan + 3-Fan HD Cooler (5.25? bay)

Tower (in picture)



Windows 2000 Workstation Pro



PC Works Suite 2002 incl. McAfee, Quicken, StarOffice, Digital Expressions, etc.



Three Year Parts and Labor + One Year On-Site



$4,800.00 CAD approx. or $3,008.00 USD



If anyone on here does design work, as a hobby or professionally, I'm really interested to know, why do you personally use a Mac?



[ 01-29-2003: Message edited by: lucys_trip ]</p>

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    That's an awful comparison. You can build a more than competitive PC for much less than that. What you've built will rip of the mac's head and shit down its neck.



    Basically, since Apple has downgraded the low end towers with this latest revision but failed to downgrade the price to match, you get a mac laptop or a PC desktop. ALL of Apple's desktops are quite pathetic when it comes down to price performance.
  • Reply 2 of 10
    ijerryijerry Posts: 615member
    look, if the software you need is only on one or the other, then get that system. If the software is available for both, the speed goes the pc side, as well as the specs and price. If you are going for overall feel, Mac integration, then get a Mac. There is really no wrong answer for what you are looking for. Get whatever best suits your needs. I personally don't like the way Windows works, feels, and hate troubleshooting, restarting, and messing with drivers and installation wizards. So I choose a Mac. But that is me.
  • Reply 3 of 10
    [quote]Originally posted by Matsu:

    <strong>That's an awful comparison. You can build a more than competitive PC for much less than that. What you've built will rip of the mac's head and shit down its neck.



    Basically, since Apple has downgraded the low end towers with this latest revision but failed to downgrade the price to match, you get a mac laptop or a PC desktop. ALL of Apple's desktops are quite pathetic when it comes down to price performance.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I know I could build a PC that is far cheaper, but I don't want a PC, I want a Mac. Why not compare two systems costing the same amount?



    And why is it more beneficial to buy a Mac Laptop that has half the specs of a Mac desktop, but costs nearly the same amount. [ex. 15" 1Ghz Powerbook - base model starts at $4499 CAD. PowerMac G4 dual 1.25Ghz - base model with similar specs starts at $3719 CAD (superdrive, 512 Ram). Except for the portability and 15" screen, it's less than half the performance at $750 more. I would buy an external monitor anyways.



    I've actually been considering buying the 15" Powerbook and the new 20.1" flat to plug into when at home, but I've been worried about how the performance would compare to a desktop. I'm used to a PC world, but I'm sick of it and really want the change.



    [ 01-29-2003: Message edited by: lucys_trip ]</p>
  • Reply 4 of 10
    Matsu,



    Have you gotten your 12" Powerbook yet? If you have or when you do, can you let me know how you like it?



    What type of stuff do you do on your computer?



    What is your current setup?



    Thanks.
  • Reply 5 of 10
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    first I need to know whether you have a penis or vagina, to think I wasted time being nice to fran, hahaha...
  • Reply 6 of 10
    [quote]Originally posted by Matsu:

    <strong>first I need to know whether you have a penis or vagina, to think I wasted time being nice to fran, hahaha...</strong><hr></blockquote>



    By all means, don't waste your time.
  • Reply 7 of 10
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Well you know, lucys trip, like Marcy's Playground or Jane's Addiction... Howzaboytoknow? Not that it matters to me either way, I suffer from the typing equivalent of turrets, from time to time I emit random brain farts, that don't have anything to do with anything. Though I take you definitely sport one or the other set?



    My fricken PB isn't here yet and I'm getting tempted to just call the whole thing off. As for right now, I have my trust AMD300 at home, a DELL desktop at work, and a selection of macs at my universities (which I don't get to see that often anymore.)



    I type, type and type some more. At work I cruise the net doing "research" -- basically my work and then browsing AI et al unless soem "work" truly needs doing, halfthe time I work from home. I'm thinking to get the laptop and a good bluetooth cell, and the just work from around the city as the mood takes me.



    I'd like to play with a digital camera, I'm waiting on Fuji to release the 6/12MP version of the F602z before I bite.
  • Reply 8 of 10
    Maybe you should ask people who do a lot of graphics arts. . . I don't think Matsu has jurisdiction in this area.



    Anyway, the Dual 1.25 Ghz will be quite fast. Faster than necessary, really. And the reason why you should get a mac instead of a PC has little to do with the hardware, in this case. Designing on a mac is faster. The computers today are so fast that you're probably not going to be going to the kitchen and making a sandwich while you're waiting for your computer to save a Letter size TIFF at 300dpi. (though this will probably be faster on the mac, since they use the same HD's, and the mac actually uses faster memory and has more cache).



    But the mac gives you a big advantage when it comes to human-speed. The way the Mac OS handles multiple applications is easier to work with, especially in graphics. When you have to switch from Illustrator to Photoshop to Electric Image to FormZ to Graphic Converter and back all the time, it's much easier on the mac, since the concept of application hiding is so clean. Plus, there's not a system level mandate for the active window to take up the whole screen.



    My advice: buy a decent mac with a huge monitor, or two monitors. I do primarily 3d modeling and desktop publishing, and I have a powerbook 1Ghz and an 18 inch LCD panel. If you don't have a mobile life, the desktop will serve you better for less money. When I have to go to some office or lab, I just take my powerbook and a DVI-VGA adapter.



    I've been thinking about getting a really cheap PC ($500, maybe $1000 if I'm feeling rich) just to have as a renderslave, but since I don't do much animation at this point I haven't given it too much of a consideration.
  • Reply 9 of 10
    Thanks for the reply's, both of you. I know that took a lot Matsu. I agree completely I should be asking people who work with graphics, but I don't know anyone on here who does, and no one in my life is deep enough into it to offer much advice.



    I personally want to switch because I'm sick of troubleshooting my computer all the time. I'm sick of it crashing. It's very ugly. When I plug a new device into it, I just want it to work and not have to worry about searching the web for drivers. I want superb graphics. I want a stable graphics and rendering platform. I want the options of audio/video production in the future. Composing on my PC is fine, but video creation is complicated and I like the look of Final Cut Express.



    The hardest part of buying a Mac is trying to figure out which one to buy, and whether it will be powerful enough for my needs. Also, I figure I may as well buy one that is going to last for at least a few years.



    I love the idea of a laptop but I won't be travelling enough to fully utilize it. Plus, a desktop will cost me less and be more powerful. When a significantly faster model (PPC 970) comes out, if I want to upgrade, I can use my old model as a server too. I must admit though, the 17" Powerbook is gorgeous, and I'm going to have a hard time passing on it when the time comes to buy. The 15" is far more economical for me, but since MWSF the 17 has been on my mind a lot.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    [quote]Originally posted by lucys_trip:

    <strong>but I don't know anyone on here who does, and no one in my life is deep enough into it to offer much advice.

    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    I do a lot of amateur work in 3D modeling and rendering, and effectively professional work in magazine page & graphic design.



    Leonis does a lot of animation work using a variety of means, and on a very high level.



    scadboy, if he's still around, is a student at a high-end art school. Without a doubt he's a good resource.



    Artman does a lot of work with digital airbrushing



    Then there's the guy whose name I forget (Powermac G4?) who used to make all sorts of fake mac designs in Illustrator.



    I'm sure there are others, but there are quite a few members on AI who are extreme hobbyists (like me) and many who do it for a living.
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