When it comes to photo editing, both PC and Mac platforms can be very powerful and highly capable, with each having its own list of pros and cons. Choosing one platform over the other can be a difficult choice because there are so many different aspects and variables to consider. Hardware, software, operating system, cost, design/aesthetics, simplicity, ease of use, stability, upgrade options, resale value, size, and weight are some of the factors one might look into on both PCs and Macs to make the ultimate choice. And what makes it even tougher, is that some of these factors can carry very different weights. For example, cost and hardware are often the two major factors that influence purchasing decisions the most. So let’s take a look at a number of above-mentioned factors and see which platform is potentially a better choice for photography needs.
Table of Contents
Preface
Having been a PC user since my first 80286 machine many years ago, I have never been particularly attracted to other platforms. I built pretty much every machine I have used so far and I love the fact that I have the freedom to pick, choose, install or upgrade all of the components of my system. I still enjoy the feeling I get after putting components together, firing up the machine and hearing that first post beep and the BIOS screen, showing me that everything is working correctly. Perhaps I love building things too much and fiddling with issues when they come up, but as a techie at heart, PCs have always been my “thing” in both my personal and past corporate life.
Over the years, I have enjoyed trying out many different hardware components and operating systems. I have had my fun days of running DOS, Slackware, FreeBSD, BeOS, Redhat, Fedora, Gentoo, Ubuntu, Windows 2000, XP, 7 to name a few, and not so fun days messing with Windows NT 3.51 and Windows ME. In my past corporate life, I have probably tried out pretty much every flavor of server hardware and operating systems as well, running large enterprise networks with huge datacenters. Such has been my life as a dedicated “PC guy”.
Along the way, I have seen my share of the Apple world as well, particularly when I had to troubleshoot everything I was thrown at in those IT help desk and call center days. At a later point in time, I picked up a few Apple products for personal use, but mostly in the music / mobile area: iPods, iPads, and iPhones (I have been using the iPhone since the third generation). After so many years, my first Apple computer purchase for personal use was a few years ago, when I got a 27″ iMac Retina. I primarily bought it for presentations and photo reviews during workshops, as I did not want to drag a PC with a large monitor with me every time. It worked out great and I have no regrets. Since then, I have been trying to actively use the iMac for everyday tasks, including post-processing.
For the most part, however, I have been able to successfully dodge most of the Apple world, keeping myself away from the hardcore fanboyism that seems to have always been very strong in the Apple community. If a decade ago one could practically get into a fight when talking about PCs vs Macs, it seems like things have not really changed for the better today – any time this topic comes up, people seem to lose it very fast. I understand loyalty, love, devotion, support, and dedication for a particular brand, but in all honesty, none of those really matter to me when it comes to choosing tools anymore. I pick what works for me and move on.
Therefore, I would like to clear up that I have no intention of bashing or scrutinizing either platform. I have zero loyalty to PCs or Macs, just like I have no loyalty for a particular camera or a lens brand. I laid out my past experience for a reason so that you can better understand my background and my point of view. Although I will do my best to remain objective, please keep in mind that it is still my perspective and experience, which can be vastly different from yours. We could be right in our own ways – I guess you could call it “objective subjectivity”, or was it “subjective objectivity”?
So before I jump into comparisons, I would like to ask you, our dear reader, to keep the discussion civil. If you have a point you disagree with me on, kindly state your thoughts and your experiences and share it with the rest of the readers. But if your fingers are itching to type something nasty, please keep it to yourself or vent someplace else :) Thank you for understanding!
The Unboxing Experience
Before we dive into the really important points, let me first talk about something many of us would consider ridiculous – the unboxing experience. Traditionally, PCs and PC components have never exciting to unwrap and unbox, as that was never really the focus of manufacturers. Computer parts would be shipped in ugly, brown carton boxes and if you were lucky to find a neatly printed manual among disposable plastic-wrapped pieces, you would be happy.
Apple has always been about delivering the experience, and it starts with the packaging. The darn box that contains an Apple product is beautiful to start with! Then as you start unboxing the contents, you realize that everything has been thought-out design-wise not only from the product but also from the packaging standpoint. And this experience is mirrored on every product – whether you are opening an iPhone case or a big iMac box. Everything is beautifully and tightly organized, and even simple things like the protective plastic look so strangely beautiful. Simple, elegant, brilliant. And it sure as hell works!
The idea of starting the excitement from the moment one opens the box has been such a huge marketing success for Apple, that everyone has been trying to copy that ever since! Apple really paved the way to make the packaging look sexy, and today, so many other products now have similarly beautiful and shiny boxes, colorful manuals, neatly stacked box contents and the simple, yet elegant design. And whenever we see such packaging, the first thing that comes to our mind is “quality”. Yup, through its products, Apple has placed a subliminal message into our brains, which makes us perceive a product higher when it is packaged beautifully.
Who would have thought that packaging would have played such a key role in assessing product quality?
This one is a win for Apple.
Hardware Differences
All right, now that we have gone through the process of product unboxing, let’s talk about something that really matters – computer hardware. Which platform has better hardware, PC or Mac?
Back in the day, when Apple used to run on IBM’s PowerPC processors, one could argue that there were significant hardware differences between the two, but once Apple switched to Intel, those differences pretty much vanished. Today, both PCs and Macs can run Intel CPUs of similar generation and processing power. The PC architecture is a bit more flexible, since there is an option to also run AMD CPUs (Apple products are exclusively based on Intel microarchitecture), but it is not really an advantage, as AMD CPUs are generally not faster than Intel CPUs. So at the end of the day, there is no underlying hardware difference in terms of raw power – both PCs and Macs are equally capable systems.
However, there is one disadvantage to Macs – they are manufactured by a single company, while the PC world is comprised of tens of thousands of manufacturers of all sizes. Actually, let me rephrase that: Apple does not really manufacture hardware components. It finds the components it needs and buys them, or works with specific manufacturers on making components that are designed specifically for Macs.
For example, the motherboard, which is what houses a CPU, RAM, video card and all the connections, is designed by Apple engineers, who modify the original Intel specifications to remove certain components like eSATA ports and accommodate Apple’s proprietary ports like Thunderbolt. Apple engineers also write custom firmware / BIOS for motherboards to make them suitable for the hardware and the Mac Operating System (Mac OS). Once the design is complete, Apple has manufacturing partners like Foxconn (China), who then manufacture those parts specifically for Apple.
Product assembly then takes place at a different facility, which can potentially be owned by the same manufacturer. Aside from the motherboard, the Fusion drive, some Apple-specific hardware components, and exterior cases, all other components are purchased from standard PC component manufacturers. For example, HDD, SSD / PCIe Flash Storage, Video Cards and RAM are all standard PC components that are commonly available and compatible. Even the panels that Apple puts into its Retina screens and monitors are made by companies like Samsung, which also manufacture similar components for the PC market.
So why is this a disadvantage to Macs? Because of potential timing issues and the heavy need for R&D resources. When something new comes out, it can be pretty much instantly available in the PC world. With companies focusing on specific components rather than the entire machine, new computer parts can flood the market right after the product is launched. In the case of Apple, things cannot take place that quickly. Product redesign, integration, firmware development, and testing all take time to properly execute. For example, when Intel announced its 9th generation microarchitecture, you could build or buy a PC based on the same architecture. With Apple, you always have to wait until new machines are announced.
While hardware is extremely important in terms of performance, the marriage of hardware and software for a fluid, stable system is even more important. How good is hardware, if the software is buggy or cannot keep up?
I would call this one a tie, as timing is not critical for most people.
Software Differences: Drivers and Integration
One key advantage of Apple is their excellent integration of hardware and software, which without a doubt, has played a huge role in the success of Apple products. Macs are often regarded as more stable than PCs mainly for this reason. And it is true: it is so much easier to take control of software and hardware integration when you only need to deal with few hardware suppliers and components. In short, dedicated hardware always wins.
With PCs, you are dealing with several CPU manufacturers, dozens of motherboard manufacturers that offer different models with different feature-sets and the list goes on and on with all other components, which all have to be able to talk to each other nicely at the end of the day. Once you put it all together, then you deal with software, which is often the root cause of stability issues. Buggy drivers, buggy firmware and sometimes incompatible hardware can be pretty frustrating to deal with for an average user.
Apple products generally do not have such problems. The motherboards are carefully designed to work with the chosen hardware components and everything is cherry-picked to perform the best for that platform. Once components are put together, drivers and firmware are optimized for that specific hardware, so one does not have to deal with third party drivers or support. As a result, you end up with a more stable system and less hardware and software integration headaches to worry about in the long term.
As PC users, we are used to running periodic driver updates, firmware updates and operating system updates. And when things break, which they sometimes do from time to time, our best method to eliminate issues is to do a fresh or “clean install”, wiping everything out and starting from scratch. Mac users rarely go through the same hassles, because software, firmware and driver updates are delivered in a single update package. There are no independent components from third party manufacturers to be hassled with.
Does this make Macs better than PCs? Generally yes, but there is one exception – and that’s Microsoft. As you may already know, Microsoft has been putting a lot of resources into hardware manufacturing with its Microsoft Surface and Surface Book lines of laptops. In my opinion, with this move, Microsoft will be a direct competitor and potentially a direct competitor for Apple in the future, since Microsoft is following exactly the same methodology of successfully coupling hardware and software together. Just like Apple, Microsoft can optimize its drivers and operating system to work well with the carefully chosen hardware, delivering rock-solid stability. And it certainly works – my Surface Pro is one of the most stable PCs I have used to date.
This one is a big win for Apple.
Operating System Differences
What about the underlying software that talks directly to computer hardware, the Operating System? On PCs we have the choice to run any OS, including Windows OS and Linux / Unix (and even Mac OS for that matter), while Macs are designed to natively only run Mac OS. You can install Windows alongside Mac OS and emulate certain hardware components with Boot Camp, but the stability and the support aren’t there. So that in itself can be considered to be an advantage for PCs – freedom to choose any operating system without any concerns. However, most people rarely ever experiment with anything other than Windows and Mac OS, so the ability to run other operating systems natively on hardware won’t matter for most users. Thus, at the end of the day, it is basically the battle of Windows vs Mac OS. So which operating system is better and more stable?
This is one area where Apple fans will defend their territory big time. And I don’t blame them – for some people, switching from a PC to a Mac made sense and alleviated a lot of pains. Dealing with driver and stability issues can surely get frustrating and exhausting rather quickly and when you don’t experience the same concerns on a Mac, you surely get the impression that Mac OS is better. However, that’s not the case – the fault herein does not lie with the operating system per se, but rather with the hardware and software integration I have talked about earlier. If one is able to get solid hardware with well-tested drivers, Microsoft Windows is a very stable and reliable operating system. I personally have not seen a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) for years on any of my machines. Unless you have serious hardware issues or nasty viruses (more on viruses below), you should never be seeing errors!
True, Microsoft has had its share of bad days. Remember the Windows 98 BSOD moment with Bill Gates? We all had our good laugh that day and we have seen many more failures afterwards too. Windows Millennium (ME) was a total disaster. Few people liked Vista and Windows 8 did not get much love either. However, let’s not confuse functional and feature differences with stability issues. I was on a beta-testing team when Microsoft launched Windows 2000 and since the day the OS got a complete overhaul, with the underlying kernel running on NT code, Microsoft Windows has been a solid and a reliable operating system. All the instability issues we have seen have been the result of poor software and hardware integration, which Microsoft started to tackle later on with signed drivers. Still, it is nearly impossible to get every hardware vendor to integrate well with all components of software – the biggest challenge for any OS maker. So if your experience with Windows OS has been bad, you most likely had some serious hardware or software compatibility issues.
As I have already pointed out above, Macs are going to have less overall stability issues due to better hardware and software integration and compatibility issues (except when compared to Microsoft’s PCs). However, that only applies to the operating system layer and the basic, OS-provided applications – the same does not apply to third party applications. Just in the past 6 months, I have seen many cases of all kinds of software crashes on the iMac Retina that I have been using. Badly-written applications randomly crashing, (Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, and other third-party apps) and Adobe compatibility issues with the latest Mac OS, to name a few.
In short, crap software will be crap on any machine, whether it is a PC or a Mac. As a PC user, I always made the assumption that Adobe’s software runs better on a Mac (I thought that Adobe optimized its code better for Macs). Nope, not true. It sucks resources and wastes memory on my PC and it is no different on my iMac.
When doing our first video project, I thought that doing editing on my iMac would be a good idea. After just a few hours and dozens of application errors and shutdowns, I ended up moving the project back to my PC – it was simply unbearable. In this particular case, I was better off working on my PC than on the iMac! I was still experiencing occasional crashes, but there were nearly not as bad. And with a lack of proper GPU support for AMD’s video cards, my Adobe Premiere Pro was much slower on the Mac. Adobe later pushed a few updates to take care of these stability issues, but it was already too late – I did not want to trust the Mac to run any Adobe apps reliably.
In summary, there are no serious differences in operating systems in my opinion. Both Windows and Mac OS are equally reliable.
I call this one a tie.
Viruses and Trojans
What about virus and trojan outbreaks? We hear about this one a lot too, with Apple fans arguing that Apple machines suffer from much less software and hardware exploit issues. This one I have to agree on – and the main reason is popularity. With Apple having a much smaller market share than PC, which is generally less than 15% of the total market, hackers are always going to target machines that are in the abundance.
Simply put, there are far more PCs out there to target compared to Macs. For mass-hacking and denial of service attacks, the more machines in the inventory, the better. So naturally, PCs would be better targets, as they have the volume. But that’s changing quickly. With the rise of Apple machines and gadgets, more and more hackers are targeting Macs.
I would say this one is a win for Apple for now.
Security
Security is another area where I don’t consider one OS to be superior to the other. Both require elevated privileges for installing software, both prohibit easy launching of downloaded files, and operating system files are protected from modifications. Back in the day, Apple fans could brag on Mac OS being based on the more stable Unix platform, but that argument is a moot point for me personally. I have been using Unix and Linux systems extensively (for example, this server is running on a customized Linux server) and I can tell you that I equally ran Windows OS in an enterprise environment, with the same 24/7 stability and availability.
I would call this one a tie.
Design and Aesthetics
I don’t think there is a need to say much here, as we all know which one is going to win. Apple makes beautiful products and sadly, I cannot think of a single PC that is as aesthetically as pleasing as a Mac. When was the last time you saw a truly beautiful PC? There are some slick cases out there, but that’s about it. Once you add all the ugly wiring, the thought of “beautiful and simple” quickly vanishes. PC manufacturers have tried every possible design and the result is sadly one ugliness after another.
The only exceptions are some PC laptops and tablets like Microsoft’s Surface, or Dell’s XPS line with carbon fiber casing. These can be beautiful, simple and sleek to use. But in all honesty, none still beat the aesthetics of Apple products.
This one is a huge win for Apple.
Ergonomics and Ease of Use
Another area Apple is very strong at is ergonomics. The idea of a simplistic design also equally applies to navigation and use of both hardware and software components. After using the iMac, I have to say, nobody has the trackpad in the PC world figured out when compared to Apple. In fact, all PC trackpads suck badly. Every laptop trackpad I have used to date has been junk – very frustrating to use, even on the latest, most expensive machines. And let’s not even remember IBM’s horrible joystick that was stuck in between buttons – what a terrible idea that was!
To truly appreciate navigational ergonomics, give the Magic Trackpad a try. It takes a bit of time to get used to, but once you get the hang of it, you will never want to use anything else. And this trackpad experience is mirrored across all Apple products. It just works! Apple invented multi-touch and hand gestures, so it is no wonder why they are so good at it.
As for ease of use, that’s another stronghold of Apple. When Apple released the iPhone with a single button, people laughed. When Apple released the iPad, people laughed again. But those two products have been extremely successful because of their simplicity of operation. Today, every phone maker is copying the same idea – now we even have buttonless phones!
Another big win for Apple.
Upfront Cost and Performance
If so far it appeared like I was giving all the credit to Apple, this is one area where it will be a huge slam on Apple’s face. If one evaluates cost and performance (which go hand in hand), Macs don’t stand a chance against PCs. I could build a very fast PC, which will slaughter pretty much any Mac out there, at half the cost. Don’t believe me? Take a look at my ultimate PC for photography article and try to find a similarly spec’ed Mac (hint: it does not exist). For about $2K, my PC would be screaming fast, delivering unbelievable performance.
So if we look at the desktop space, Apple cannot really compete. In fact, Apple does not want to compete in that space, because it knows that it won’t stand a chance. That’s why Apple’s focus has been primarily on mobile devices, laptops, all-in-one machines and maybe a bit of workstation class environments (Mac Pro). In these areas, Apple surely has very appealing products, which in some cases are priced fairly.
Now there are some exceptions. For example, the iMac Retina is a very unique machine, which actually has no real PC equivalent. If one were to build a similarly spec’ed machine, it would be much bigger in size and its cost would most likely surpass the iMac, since a 5K screen alone would cost $1500+ (the screen is one of the main reasons why I bought an iMac Retina).
So the cost factor has to be looked at on a case by case basis. Overall though, with a few exceptions listed above, Apple products are generally priced much higher than PCs when looking at very similar specifications.
Now if we look at sheer computing performance, that’s another area where Macs will usually lose. PCs can be designed to accommodate high-end components and can be flexible enough to push their limits beyond specifications. One can get a fairly cheap setup and overclock it. It might not be as stable as a result, but it will obliterate a competing Mac in performance. That’s why PCs are so much more popular among gamers, 3D animators and anyone else seeking hardcore performance. People can push hardware to the limits and get far more done in a much shorter period of time.
As expected, this one is a huge win for PC.
Upgrade Options
Another area where Apple struggles is upgrade options. Once you buy a machine, it is easier to get it replaced, than to upgrade its components. Aside from a few exceptions, like swapping out a hard drive or upgrading RAM, there is little future upgrade path for a Mac. PC users can buy components and reuse them in their future builds with ease, saving money in the long term. It is far cheaper to upgrade a motherboard with a CPU, than to buy a brand new machine.
Some Macs make it extremely difficult, or nearly impossible to switch out components. For example, the all-in-one iMac is so stuffed inside, that even an experienced techie would have a hard time swapping basic components like the hard drive. I wrote about this in my previous article on how to buy an iMac.
Now some people might argue that Apple computers are a long-term investment, that upgrades are not needed and the machines generally can serve longer, which makes it worthwhile to spend the premium on them. I am sorry, but I don’t buy that argument. Unless I really want to move up to something faster, my PCs are also built to last for at least 5 years, making them worthwhile, long-term investments.
Another huge win for PC.
Resale Value
When it comes to resale value, Apple always wins hands down. Whether you have just built a PC, or have been using one for a year or two, good luck trying to sell it – PCs have practically no resale value! I cannot remember the last time I sold a PC I built, as nobody really wants them. The majority of the PCs out there are either thrown away or recycled for that reason. I personally end up recycling too, or sometimes use them as “museum components” (hard drive plates and magnets are particularly fun to play with). I am done with accumulating a stash of hard drives, RAM and CPUs – that just ends up going to junk / recycling anyway.
Apple products always have a higher resale value and this applies to all Apple products, not just Macs. People sell used MacBooks, iMacs, Mac Pros and Mac Minis all the time and they fetch surprisingly good prices on the used market. My moderately used Surface Pro 3 that was worth $2K at the time I bought it, is selling dirt cheap today after a year of use – less than half of what I paid for it. And that’s a very solid product with a very high quality and desirability. I would not even think about trying to sell my used PC desktop. I would probably make more money selling individual components, than trying to sell the whole thing and even then it usually would not be worth the effort.
So if resale value on Apple products is better, doesn’t that make them a better choice for long-term investment? Isn’t it worth paying the price premium upfront? Well, if you are the type who does not mind selling computer gear before upgrades, then it would probably be a true statement. However, most of us often end up either keeping computers until they fail and have no resale value, or pass them on to our family members, friends or various donations. As appealing the resale value argument might be, unless you have previously done it and you know that you will be doing it in the future, I would not consider it to be a valid argument.
A potential win for Apple, if you have the track record of selling used gear.
Photoshop and Lightroom Performance
As I have stated earlier, Macs don’t have any particular advantage for running post-processing software like Adobe CC. Buggy releases are equally bad on both platforms. If a piece of software has memory leaks, there is a big chance that those memory leaks will be mirrored on both Mac OS and Windows. And this has been my exact experience when running Adobe software on my iMac – it can be equally frustrating and slow. Occasionally, there are platform-specific issues and compatibility issues.
For example, the infamous menu bug that we have seen on pretty much every iteration of Lightroom is mostly a PC problem. Adobe still cannot figure out a way to fix it, although the development team did come up with a few tricks to try to address the issue. On the latest version of Lightroom, if the software detects malfunctioning menus, it throws an error and asks to restart Lightroom. This particular bug does not exist on OS X. There are some other bugs that are present on Mac OS and not necessarily present on Windows. In some cases, it could be an operating system library conflict. When Apple pushed El Capitan, it presented a lot of problems with Adobe software. It took a few updates for Adobe to make their software usable again. These problems were obviously non-existent on the Windows platform.
In short, there is not much difference in performance when running applications like Photoshop and Lightroom on both Mac OS and Windows operating systems.
This one is a tie.
Display Quality and Calibration Accuracy
While Apple releases very impressive, high-resolution displays / screens for Macs and puts quite a bit of marketing pitch in showcasing their displays as photography-friendly, most Apple monitors are not best suited for accurate color reproduction and calibration. While things have definitely gotten better during the past few years, making Apple screens more or less acceptable for photo work (after the company started to push IPS panels), they still lag quite a bit when compared to professional monitors. So if you work with colors every day and you need the best accuracy, you will have to invest in a high-quality monitor that can be properly hardware-calibrated.
Speaking of calibration, that’s definitely a weakness of most Apple monitors. On all iMacs, for example, the only adjustment control you have is brightness. There is no way to change contrast or to fine-tune other monitor parameters. Setting desired brightness levels for proper calibration can be painful, since there are at most 16 levels of brightness, versus the typical 100 that you get on good monitors. On top of that, pretty much every Apple monitor has a reflective surface, making them painful to work with in bright environments.
This all does not mean that these screens cannot be calibrated – while Apple does a decent job at color reproduction from the factory, you should still invest in a good colorimeter like the X-Rite i1Display Pro and calibrate every display for best results.
So keep this in mind when looking at Apple monitors. While those screens certainly look beautiful, they are not necessarily the best ones to work with for photography.
This one is a disadvantage for iMacs and Apple laptops. For everything else, you will need to buy external monitors, just like you buy for PCs, so there are similar considerations for both.
10-Bit Support
For years, Apple refused to provide proper 10-bit support on Mac OS at the operating system level, making them unusable for color-critical work. On PCs, video card manufacturers like NVIDIA have been providing 10-bit support for years, as long as you purchase the right pro-level card, like the NVIDIA QUADRO series cards.
Starting from the OS X El Capitan release though, Apple finally integrated 10-bit support into the operating system and now every Mac running the latest OS can finally output colors in 10-bits.
Used to be a disadvantage for Mac, but now is a tie.
Summary
In this article, I have only touched some of the factors when considering a Mac vs a PC. There are many other areas I could expand into, such as software availability, specific ergonomic and design concerns and much more. But I am not sure if there is any value in expanding this discussion even further, as we have already covered a lot.
At the end of the day, the choice of a system does not really matter. Both Macs and PCs are good enough to be used for a variety of uses, including post-processing. I provided my arguments and you can feel free to weigh each one and see which are more important for you.
For me personally, the PC makes more sense to use for post-processing, which has been and will continue to be my platform of choice. I am very familiar with it, I pick and choose what I need and I don’t have to spend a ton of money to get the speed and the components I need. But for others who are not as tech-savvy, or perhaps have bad PC experience, the Mac might be the way to go. It is simpler to use, it is more intuitive, well-designed and will probably have less problems in the long run.
Would love to hear your thoughts and your preferences – please share in the comments section below!
Hi Nasim, thank you for another great article. I also have a long history of building, supporting and using both Windows & macOS machines going back to the mid 80s.
One thing that has always pushed me to the Mac is the way it handles colour & calibration. When you calibrate in macOS (Datacolor Spyder) the entire system is set and all software displays the same colour. On Windows 10, calibration does not seem to be used across the system. File Explorer, Photos and other software don’t use the profile, Capture One & Lightroom will. I find this a deal breaker as photos look different depending on what you use, even a simple thing like a quick view to see what’s in a folder shows the wrong colours. Different web browsers even show colours differently.
Is this something that is being addressed by Microsoft or am I just missing something?
Thanks and keep up the great work!
This was a very well balanced write-up. I have a similar background to you working with many OS’s in IT for decades. I think you were pretty much spot on.
My secondhand, 2014 MacBook Pro Retina 15″ was fine on test prints I made on my new Canon PRO-100, but I did calibrate it for completeness sake. The mirror screen, though, is an annoyance and a health hazard: I have the same complaint about the Surface (I don’t own one but I’ve looked them over at my local Microsoft store) and the Surface’s color gamut seems inferior. I do like the 3:2 aspect ratio of the Surface. I’m a system builder but I’m using a laptop these days due to space constraints in my family’s current home: I converted my desktop box to a FreeNAS server. The MacBook is in the shop at the moment because it de-soldered its graphics chip, a common occurrence with the early, lead-free solder models that I didn’t know about when I bought it.
I also had the MacBook Pro issue, on a 2011 model. After about 3years, it was just out of warranty the issue started. I tried to fix it myself which worked well, but I damaged the keyboard controller, and I trow it away.
Today I use a Wacom Mobile studio 16 Pro, sometimes, if I need more CPU power in combination with a Lenovo Thinkpad P71 (4K model, Nvidia Quadro P3000 GPU, Intel Xeon E3-1505M 3.00Ghz, 32Gb RAM, 2 SSD’s).
When I need a big screen, I add the Benq sw321c, a 32″ 4K Adobe Gamut monitor.
I’m quite happy with the combo.
All calibrate with the X-rite i1 Display Pro.
Thanks for the extensive knowledge!! I am currently in the market to upgrade my laptop and it’s amazing how many overwhelming options there are to choose from. I’m familiar with and like macs (current use for work: 2018 pro), but I’m open to a PC, especially as I have an android so I don’t care as much about Apple. I am a newer photographer and use Lightroom to edit, so my main uses will be for photo editing, general browsing and video streaming. I’m intrigued by both Surface and Macs but I’d love not to spend more than $1k, so I’m willing to open my eyes to more options. It’s hard to figure out what specs (i5, i7.. 8gb, 16gb, memory… etc.) that I can compromise on to get a lower price tag. If you do have any advice, I’d appreciate it! Otherwise, thanks for the article!
😁 a pleasure. I’m away till Monday. I’ll find all the links and doc’s for you. I need to get them all together. Hopfully you will find the stuff I missed.
[Umm… i’m not sure why, but my posts are not displaying, so i’m reposting again here]
Lols… i just feel that some high end gaming PCs or laptops look way better than a Mac… even as a status symbol..
I mean like, people say that Apple products are like riding in a posh sedan, while PC users are like riding in ordinary hatchbacks.. but i find it the opposite.. Don’t get me wrong, i don’t hate Mac, neither am i a fanboy of either side… Sometimes, Mac users don’t really know much on the technical side and i feel that they are tricked when they pay for overpriced hardware…
Some people tell me that apple products are somehow posher than PCs/other devices as they look better… but i detest. RGB may seem childish to you, but it looks cool.. so much so that RGB setups are actually expensive. I’m talking about the ones that do look cool tho, not a rainbow sprinkle of glittering blinkers all over a system..
tell me if these look “ugly”
)
)
)
(encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/image…r0MF3WWAyJ)
This one is a “Submerged PC” its submerged in clear mineral oil.. as if its underwater/like in an aquarium!
)
Sorry it didn’t post at first – your comment had to be approved manually because it contains some links. I’m deleting the duplicate one below.
Hey thanx dude :)
Personaly, those seem like light boxes, I want my computer to look elegant not “boy racer” The new HPs look pretty cool though. I have a highly modified Octa core MacPro 3,1 32gig RAM, It chugs a bit , but im doing images beteen 500mb and 17gigabyte. I put a PCie SSD in and a RAID0. I’m about to do a 4 SSD RAID0 which is about all I can do now except a 4gig video card, I havea Nvidia GTX680 2gig on, it can do HD in Davinvi Resolve 15.2, but as I said im about at the end of whats possible!
Agreed, bling and fairy lights are not my thing either – best left to those who hwve yet to acquire good taste.
I’m slightly better off than you, but only slightly.
I have a MacPro 5,1 3.46GHz 6-core, 48GB RAM with 1TB SSD System Drive, 2x1TB RAIDO for images and a NVIDIA GTX980TI 6GB graphics card plus 4 other SATA drives. It runs plenty fast enough for my needs but the options are narrowing for the future – unless Apple finally decide to release a new, modular Mac.
“unless Apple finally decide to release a new, modular Mac.” Its being making news!
youtu.be/h22xb2x0sTc
This is a good step for Apple… along with their A12X bionic chip…
Really waiting tho, to check out their upcoming A13 bionic with supposed 2x the transistors of A12x!
Nice Graphics card. my one with 2gig is chugging with DaVinci Resolve in 4k, but still usable. Biggest help was getting a PCIe card that takes a SSD. It just fits next to my Graphics card. I get about 550mb/s read write. That makes a big difference Betty and probably in yours as well. I’m hanging on for a look at new MacPro as too. I am goin to try one last crazy this week and buy 4 240gig SSDs and do a 4 SSD Raid 0 in my 4 HDD bays. This should give a 920 gig hdd with read and write of 1.8gigb/s! but i doubt it. I might get 800mb/s. I’ll report back 🧐
“Biggest help was getting a PCIe card that takes a SSD. It just fits next to my Graphics card. I get about 550mb/s read write. That makes a big difference Betty and probably in yours as well.”
Yes, that’s exactly what I did. Angelbird Wings MX2 – German manufacturer, solid build with native TRIM support. Recommended.
Good luck with the crazy RAIDO but I suspect it might get bottle necked.
yum! that PCI card looks pretty amazing! I ordered the 4 SSD today. Crucial 240gig R/w of about 500mg/s So when I set them up as a RAID 0 It should get 2gig Rear/write, but i’ve read it’s limited to 880mb/s by the backplate which is part of the data lane. Ill report back when I have them,
I guess you bought a wrong card. You bought a PCIe card with SATA connector. So yes you are around 550MB/s. You should have taken one with a PCIe M.2 connector. And then a Samsung EVO 970 or 970 plus and you can achieve over 3000MB/a.
I put one like that in a external case via USB 3.1 and I have speeds over 900MB/s on my laptop via the external SSD.
Yes, I wondered about that, but from what i could find out its incompatible with the macPro 3,1. do you have the info I have missed? As getting that sort of speed your talking about would make a big difference! Im sort of trying to hang in till the new Macpro comes out, or… blasphemy! I build a PC! But i do like the OSX operating system.
You are right, M.2 was not bootable which is why I went with the MX2 – best solution at the time.
This may have changed with High Sierra/Mojave but I am not sure.
I am looking into it as I will go that route if it’s hassle free.
Any further information would be gratefully received.
Hi Betty! I found my way back here, I lost the links when id did the upgrade 2 weeks ago. Well, I got 4 Crucial BX500 SSDs and installed them and set up a RAID 0 by booting in target disk mode and doing it via FW800 on my Macbook Pro backup Laptop. Could not install OSX from the web or by using my original OSX disks which was a bit weird, there was no hidden EFI partition so maybe that is why. I have a couple of cloned HDD’s with El Capitan and Mohave. So I just used the Macbook Pro to clone the El Capitan HDD on to the RAID 0. it would not boot, but I sort of expected that as Ive done this before in 2010 with a G4 Powermac. What you do it boot it in to Target Disk mode and use Disk Utility to run First Aid on Target Disk. it then booted fine, no probs with sleep/wakeup where u usually see a problem. So how fast? A bit disappointed in some ways, but I only was using the Black magic speed test. 690GB read write. But i’m using a a 256k block chunk in the RAID 0, Ill try a smaller one next month. the PCIe SSD (Intel 256GB) is now the scratch disk. Now some wow, Photoshop CC runs much faster. The intell SSD only does 400GB read write. But with some pre fiddling I found my last scratch was doing 200GB read/write. So Ive done a side way step and one forward lol. My IT friends go ooooh nice lol. Where to next? I have a Samsung EVO SSD so ill put that in as the PCIe scratch. I saw a RAID 0 PCIe card, so might look at that. On the subject of your 5,1 it seems all you could do is up the RAM. But thats expensive. You could also change the Graphics card, but again, is it worth the money? i see the new 27″ iMac with i9 CPU and the 8GB graphics card is almost 4 times faster than mine and also faster than the entry iMacPro! Only thing is you cant fiddle and upgrade it your self. You can with a EFI hack run upto Mohave on it. I have done it in on mine and it works well. dosdude1.com/highsierra/😀
I think you are much more tech savvy than me but what you have done is interesting.
I admit to getting the horrors when it comes to hacking EFI etc as I don’t have the know how so I try to work within my limitations and stay out of troubles I can’t fix myself.
As I have 48GB RAM already I’m not sure upping it to 64GB will do that much especially considering the cost:benefit.
An SSD scratch disk looks like a good idea though.
My GTX980Ti card is pretty fast but has two limitations. It won’t do 10bit display and until Nvidia produce a Mojave driver I am stuck on High Sierra. As Nvidia and Apple are not talking to each other I may be stuck for a very long time – unless you know of a way round the impasse? As you say, I doubt that getting a high end AMD is worth the money at this stage in the game.
At present my venerable 5,1 is fast enough (BlackMagic 750/350 read/write) so I will continue to wait for the fabled new MacPro tower from Apple.
Well, we all have different tastes…
I’d rather see the stuff inside, if u know what i mean…
Anyways, highly modified Octa core MacPro 3 with 32Gigs DDR3 ECC RAM…. i’m guessing it costs around $5000?i wonder how well it holds on to today…
cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compa…6vsm569025
u could get a 2950x for $900…. Imagine if Apple did make use of AMD processors, though i’m sure if the upcoming Ryzen 3000 series chips are anything like recent leaks, then you could get a 16core CPU @5.1Ghz boost with 13% increased IPC over the 2950X for as low as $560!
it’s old now, A gen6 i7 macBook pro can beat it. Not sure if on graphics though. I’ve been putting money into cameras lately and the speed of the Octa core is still enough though when i did a 17gig panorama from Yosemite it did chug!
Bruh, these all look ugly(kinda cool). I’m pretty sure you are a 12 yo that is obsessed with gaming. I have no problem with that (lol, I’m a gamer), but I prefer the low-profile PCs. I mainly work in Photoshop, Office 360, and Chrome. I use a Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 (Speced out) and it does me well.
“Ergonomics and Ease of Use
Another area Apple is very strong at is ergonomics. The idea of a simplistic design also equally applies to navigation and use of both hardware and software components. After using the iMac, I have to say, nobody has the trackpad in the PC world figured out when compared to Apple. In fact, all PC trackpads suck badly. Every laptop trackpad I have used to date has been junk – very frustrating to use, even on the latest, most expensive machines. And let’s not even remember IBM’s horrible joystick that was stuck in between buttons – what a terrible idea that was!
Apple Magic Trackpad
To truly appreciate navigational ergonomics, give the Magic Trackpad a try. It takes a bit of time to get used to, but once you get the hang of it, you will never want to use anything else. And this trackpad experience is mirrored across all Apple products. It just works! Apple invented multi-touch and hand gestures, so it is no wonder why they are so good at it.
As for ease of use, that’s another stronghold of Apple. When Apple released the iPhone with a single button, people laughed. When Apple released the iPad, people laughed again. But those two products have been extremely successful because of their simplicity of operation. Today, every phone maker is copying the same idea – now we even have buttonless phones!
Another big win for Apple.”
This whole thing was BS for me…. I’m not sure how anyone who doesn’t have a bias can agree with this^^….
I guess the main problem here is that this author has not really checked out gaming devices or high-end peripherals of the PC world… If u just search for gaming mice, u’ll be shocked to see just the amount of stuff that they have on them, and how much more simple they make everything… Gaming mice have 4-7 buttons or even higher, but these buttons can do so much more outside just gaming.. for example my gaming mouse has 2 buttons on the side that i use in gaming, but when i’m web browsing, these 2 keys bind to the forward and backwards navigation buttons, allowing me to surf through pages much faster… Then there are so many ergonomic mice like those from Logitec….. I don’t know who compares trackpads and uses it as a sign of superiority, when obviously gaming mice are 100x more advanced and superior…
That’s just mice… ever seen the gaming keyboards? If u ever heard of Linus, <— youtube techie, search for a few reviews of crazy keyboards, u'll be surprised(some keyboards even have rear view mirrors,,, weird right?)
plus, there's so much more hardware out there that can be used on the PC, like the air bar(Turns any conventional PC screen into a touch screen)
Ever heard of the Oculus Rift?
Sounds like a 12 year-old gamer that doesn’t know how to spell shit.
I’ve always been a fan of the Track Point. My first laptop was a 12″ IBM ThinkPad. I’m typing this on a T420, running Debian. Unfortunately, it’s lousy for photo editing. I’ve been tempted by the X1 Carbon Extreme but I think I’ll wait and see how the new display technologies (mini-LED) shake out.
“Apple makes beautiful products and sadly, I cannot think of a single PC that is as aesthetically as pleasing as a Mac.”
Excuse me what in the what???
Never seen the Acer Predator 21x?
Has this guy never heard of the infamous RGB Lighting/light strips? Just Youtube some high end gaming PCs and look at how awesome those PCs look… with all that RGB lighting in radiators, on the keyborads, mice, etc.. Don’t even forget the awesome aesthetics of the PC Case which could be fitted with all sorts of aesthetics! Liquid cooling tubes with colored liquid in them backlit by RGB LED strips which change color gently, and the case which could be transparent or translucent which can make for really cool Hi-tech PC-from-the-future feel….
I had to laugh on seeing your comment.
I assume you are a teenager to whom fairy lights and glitter represent aesthetics.
Where on earth are my posts?
Who knows?
Probably buried under a pile of bling.
I have to laugh at anyone who actually considers “unboxing experience” important enough to write more than “who cares, it’s a box”
But this was a fluff article designed to get the Windows vs Macintosh vs *Nix crowd angry.
I agree. I am using a Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 and the unboxing experience was on the level of a Mac. Times have changed people. Also, think about the magnetic chargers on Surface are better than MagSafe.
This sounds like another shit post about fairy lights and glitter make everything better. You effing sound like a 12 year old gamer. Get a life.
I’ve had Macs for 4 or 5 years now and I must say I always felt limited. The OS seems to be “bossy” to me. The argument that I have to learn the “Apple way” is a bit like saying I have to learn to swim backwards. Windows machines are built for functionality and then some looks when possible. Apple machines are built for looks and an attempt to keep the majority of the functionality. Similar to Toyota and Porsche.
Apple knows their equipment appeals to people’s beauty insecurity and thus, they will be able to put up with a lot. It’s an emotional/monetary attachment, which makes it so difficult for people to leave. If people try to argue the change, they will always fail. One needs to take a step back and be super-honest with themselves.
So going back to my first point. I can’t find a Mac being enough for my needs. If it suits your work and play scenario, I won’t try to convince you otherwise.
However, one thing needs to be addressed. Mainly, that Apple’s equipment has been limping a lot lately. Cook seems to have a great mind for business, but when it comes to functional design by integration of features, he’s no match for Jobs. For as long as that continues the Apple hardware will slowly dissociate from itself. Also, the constant removal of functionality that people grow accustomed and reliant upon is a communist aversion tactic of “let’s spin their argument into our own”, i.e. we’ll remove the headphone jack and call it courage. Sort of like, you’ll beat someone up and call that an epiphany.
What?
It just goes to show how there are different horses for different courses.
I started my computer life on Windows and found it utterly counterintuitive, confusing and a dog’s dinner ergonomically. As you say, swimming backwards. One look at Mac and everything fell into place.
Being super honest with myself, I find Mac beautifully designed, ergonomic, well made and yes, costly. Remember, you get what you pay for. Oh, and I don’t feel especially emotionally or monetarily insecure or attached. I just like the product.
You say Mac is insufficient for your needs but you don’t say why or in what respect. It seems to be sufficient for nearly everyone in the graphics arts industry, industrial design, video and cinema and the man in the street. It would be interesting to know what lofty purpose you feel it falls short on.
As for “removing functionality that people grow accustomed and reliant on”, Apple were also the first to scrap floppy disk, Firewire, optical drives and ethernets ports on laptops. No doubt that was inconvenient for some too – for a while. Remember that when Apple introduced its own jack which became the international standard, it made all others obsolete. That was inconvenient too.
The headphone jack is old technology and will disappear from virtually all mobile devices soon – just watch other manufacturers follow suit. The headphone jack is big, clunky and consumes power. Bluetooth/wireless is the future. Removing the jack frees up space for better batteries, more RAM, better processors, better cameras, thinner phones, larger screens and better audio quality (hi-res) via Thunderbolt. It’s called progress. It was also a smart business decision, no arguing with that, as it squeezes the market into a sector (Lightning and Bluetooth headphones) where Apple holds nearly all the cards.
It’s time you got over yourself, stopped whingeing and embraced the future – or overcome your monetary/emotional attachment and go back to Windows.
“Oh, and I don’t feel especially emotionally or monetarily insecure or attached.”
This is from the English Dictionary:
oh | ō |
exclamation
used to express a range of emotions including surprise, anger, disappointment, or joy, or when reacting to something that has just been said.
I think you have confirmed the majority of my points, albeit unknowingly. Moreover, I have stated an opinion and you decided to lecture me. That wasn’t wise, but I’ll give you a treat, I got over myself and chose freedom. I couldn’t justify the ever-limiting and greedy tactics Apple bestows on its users.
Cheers.
“Oh”
Yes, I was expressing surprise at the twaddle I was reading. I am even more surprised that you had to look consult a dictionary to understand “Oh”.
“I think you have confirmed the majority of my points, albeit unknowingly.”
Goodness gracious, I must have fallen through a worm hole into a world of inverted reality.
“Moreover, I have stated an opinion and you decided to lecture me.”
No, you said Mac made you “feel limited” and that “the equipment had been limping a lot lately” (whatever that means). I asked you to explain what you meant by that and you haven’t answered. Have you considered that perhaps the real limitation may lie in the user and your equipment may be limping for reasons closer to home? My equipment certainly isn’t limping.
“Moreover, I have stated an opinion and you decided to lecture me.”
Not really. You made some unsubstantiated assertions which I questioned.
“That wasn’t wise”
Because….?
“I’ll give you a treat, I got over myself and chose freedom. I couldn’t justify the ever-limiting and greedy tactics Apple bestows on its users.”
You mean that between 6.19am and 8.45am you sold your Mac and iPhone and reinvested the lot in Windows and Android? Wow. Fast work.
I am pleased you’ve had a little chat with yourself and I’m overjoyed at your new found freedom – presumably back in the arms of Bill Gates, the well known philanthropist.
Thanks for a great article!
Can you please help me choose the best laptop to buy for post-processing? I also have used pc for years and have been using a dell laptop which is now old and very slow using Adobe Lightroom. I want something light and portable, with a screen I can calibrate and great processing power. Does it exist?
Thanks,