Viewing 40 posts - 81 through 120 (of 145 total)
  • Help me decide to buy a Mac, Lifelong PC user what do I need to know !!!!!!!
  • BigEaredBiker
    Free Member

    Just flicking back through the Hackintosh guides remind me why its not worth bothering with – you finally get OSX up and running and then you change hardware or Apple release an update and you are back to square 1.

    If you are considering it, do it as a hobby. If you need a machine for work stick with Linux or Windows on a PC and buy an Apple if you need OSX 🙂

    zap
    Free Member

    DECISION MADE, after visit to calumet. Now ordered two Eizo Cs240 monitors, custom PC being built overclocked i5, ssd, seperate hds, 16gb ram, 2gb graphics etc etc. will wipe and reinstall windows on old PC and use for office and internet, outlook etc, new pc just run lightroom and PS. Cost about 2.3k
    I think better the devil you know. Always admired the Eizo stuff and the new monitor due out 1st nov looks ideal.
    YOUR FEEDBACK INVALUABLE, thanks so much.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    I strongly recommend using Ubuntu

    I don’t, and I use it every day. The OP won’t get anything like the software he needs on it.

    Sounds like he has a good build though. If you buy a custom build you won’t get any preinstalled crap and it will fly.

    After having read the thread most of the arguments against Windows are about XP. If you switched to Mac when XP was about then you should know things are pretty different nowadays.

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    zap
    Free Member

    Windows 7 for past 4 years, didn’t like 8

    MrSmith
    Free Member

    DECISION MADE, after visit to calumet. Now ordered two Eizo Cs240 monitors,

    Don’t forget your calibrator, I expect they recommended an x-rite eye1 but a datacolour Spyder works well with colournavigator and I haven’t had any problems with mine.
    my old eye1 went captut 1 week after the warranty ran out, the filters degrade over time I ended up with a strong magenta cast. X-rite didn’t want to know about fixing it “oh they all do that after a while” 👿

    Archibald
    Free Member

    I read these threads with interest, it always amazes me the bad experiences people have had with windows. Granted DOS was the pits and held PC’s back, Windows 3.1 was a bloody joke. Unix or OS2 should have made it however since NT I’ve never really had problems with MS stuff certainly not to the extent that everyone on here moans about it.

    I honestly cannot understand what these people do to their PC’s, I’ve owned 4 in 20 years all costing considerably less than a MAC. The first lasted 5 years, the 2nd 8 which in fact still works running w2k, the third 5 years and my current which is 2 years old. I don’t think I’ve ever had a virus and maybe did clean installs a couple of times due to me installing a load of tut (my problem).

    I agree with the comments on bloatware that comes with windows is off putting which probably doesn’t help peoples perceptions.

    I don’t understand peoples hate of Windows 8 either seems fine just adding extra on top of the current windows platform.

    As I don’t use MAC’s I can’t comment on how good they are but they must be good due to the outpouring of love for them. My short experience of testing application on them was a bit meh, not slating them because at the end of the day they are just a tool for a job so just pick the one which works for you. I used it for two days, it crashed twice. This surprised me considering all the fanfare of how bullet proof they are and how windows is crap (can’t remember the last time windows blue screened on me must be 5+ years ago). But hey it was probably something that could of corrected and I won’t judge OSX on it.

    I must say that I love Visual Studio and miss it when I have to jump to other development environments – I know there will be haters but for my roles Visual Studio has always been great.

    zap
    Free Member

    @mrsmith already own a spyder 4 pro, however my present monitor setup isn’t good enough to get it working fully

    MrSmith
    Free Member

    All sorted for calibration then.
    How does it work with PC graphics cards and Eizo’s? I know that you don’t use HDMI but display port to get the larger amount of colours with a mac but do pc’s use that? Just curious if you need a fancy expensive card and what interface it uses? I know that it used to be the case that you couldn’t run 2 monitor profiles on a PC unless you used XP but I’m sure that’s changed now.(each monitor will need its own)
    I have CG241W which is pre hdmi and connect with a display port to DVI-d adapter which is the recommended way to connect.
    I’m sure the p.c will fly, especially if it’s a dedicated machine specced right and not for 2screen grot watching. 😯

    BigEaredBiker
    Free Member

    All decent PC graphics cards come with Display Port or Dual Link DVI-D needed to run higher resolutions (above 1920 x 1200) and/or higher refresh rates (100 Hz +).

    You’re not wrong about HDMI, it was designed with HDTV’s in mind and isn’t recommended if you are doing anything where graphics/colours matter. It can send a RGB signal rather than composites but it doesn’t have the bandwidth of Display Port or Dual Link DVI-D so best avoided.

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    @archibald I was a dos and windows user fir 20 years, the experience was generally dire. Poorly percorming machines graduaooy grinding to a halt, frequently changibg OS which was so expensive to upgrade, frequent crashes, numerous viruses. In thise days you had to use PC as Microsoft had a strNgle hold on soctware. Now no more and since going Mac in 2006 I’ll never go back

    stilltortoise
    Free Member

    wouldn’t expect every car driver to be able to strip down a carburetor but I would expect them to know how to put petrol and oil in it (and find out if they didn’t) rather than going “Fords are shit” the first time it runs dry.

    I have a rule not to bite when it comes to analogies, since they inevitably go way off topic. However, I’ll make an exception because I think you’re onto something here. The fact you would expect all car drivers to know how to put oil in is quite telling. I reckon there’s a huge proportion of car drivers out there who (a) don’t know and/or (b) don’t care to know how to put oil in. At best they might see mention of oil on their service invoice. At worst they pay their service bill and are none the wiser. The most “maintenance” such people might ever learn to do is fill the car up with petrol.

    Apples aren’t perfect. I’ve sat in front of mine tearing my hair out as I tried to fight the Apple way, but there’s no doubt in my mind that using a Mac is a more pleasurable experience than any of the PCs (which I look after) that I’ve owned and used.

    I’ve noticed 2 or 3 of the “I don’t get the love for Apple/hate for PCs” comments have come from people who admit they have not had much exposure to Macs.

    In the interests of balance, Apple are crap at some stuff. Photo management and editing across multiple devices is appalling and I hope iCloud Photos sorts it, but I won’t go down that road.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    At best they might see mention of oil on their service invoice. At worst they pay their service bill and are none the wiser.

    A lot of people don’t even bother servicing. Someone on this very website thought that you treated oil like fuel, and you kept going til the oil light came on then topped it up!

    Cougar
    Full Member

    As analogies go it’s probably quite close, but may be proving the opposite of what I was trying to say. (-:

    I reckon there’s a huge proportion of car drivers out there who (a) don’t know and/or (b) don’t care to know how to put oil in.

    I don’t doubt it. Only the other day on STW, someone posted about a relative who cheerfully drove round for ages with warning lights lit on the dash because it ‘hadn’t stopped yet’.

    I get that some people have no interest in computers cars and just want to browse the web drive from A to B. But when the engine seizes because it’s been driven for miles with no oil in it, don’t blame the car, and for the love of gods don’t be proud of it.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Oil’s probably a bad example these days anyway, thinking about it. I remember a couple of cars back, trawling round garages for ages looking for the right fluid that matched some esoteric standard or other demanded by the book. Only place I found was, and I shouldn’t be surprised really, at a dealer.

    Anyway. Wasn’t this part of the test at some point? I’ve half a memory of having to go under the bonnet when I was learning and point out where all the various fluids went. I can’t remember now whether I was ever tested on it, but I remember being taught it.

    stilltortoise
    Free Member

    But when the engine seizes because it’s been driven for miles with no oil in it, don’t blame the car, and for the love of gods don’t be proud of it.

    OK – so using this analogy on this thread – the experience and perception of Macs is that this scenario simply does not happen, whereas lots of people have had Windows seize up.

    I’m conscious that the truth is that Windows is better than it was and perhaps Macs are worse than they once were, but perception is more often than not based on experience.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    perception is more often than not based on experience.

    Probably. But when that experience is this,

    I was a dos and windows user fir 20 years, the experience was generally dire.

    since going Mac in 2006 I’ll never go back

    it’s both perfectly understandable, and misinformed. And thus, unhelpful.

    In 2006, Microsoft’s flagship desktop OS was XP SP2 (SP3 was still two years away). And XP SP2 was, being generous, shit. So we’re judging an entire platform based on our experiences of a twelve year old OS and its predecessors.

    It’s about as relevant as me going “well, Macs are rubbish” based on my experiences with System 7.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Macs could be compared to VWs. They used to be really reliable and much better than the competition but the gap is much closer now as others have improved and VW have themselves had some issues.

    As Cougar says, the Windows world is massively different and far better nowadays. It’s comparable to OS9 -> OSX which was when Macs started to become really competitive I reckon.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    OK – so using this analogy on this thread – the experience and perception of Macs is that this scenario simply does not happen, whereas lots of people have had Windows seize up.

    The analogy I’d use is along the lines of the travel doctor before I went to SE asia, if you don’t want to catch something don’t go sticking it in places you shouldn’t. Unfortunately people do…

    and Cougars point is about right, most of those who said never again to windows seem to have not looked back, I took a look at running OSx on a VM to see what all the fuss was about, it’s not that straight forward as if they want to protect their shiney stuff too much.

    Considering how much of a change and stable platform W7 has been some people have missed out why so many don’t see any point it spending a huge amount on a Mac for no real benefit.

    IA
    Full Member

    As a bit of balance…

    I’m a mac person, though as I said I use win7 and linux all day every day too, and win 8.1 has me considering going back to PC.

    Mostly as the things I find myself using my home machine for these days are all “fine” on there too – photo management (lightroom), web, etc. Especially as I use my mac less and less as I use an ipad heavily at home. I’d miss out on some things like the tight iCloud integration of syncing photos/reminders etc – photos especially is nice. But then on the PC side, I’m really intrigued by the Surface concept. Though it annoys me there’s nowhere that seems to rent them, I’d have to buy to try.

    I find modern windows to be /nearly/ as maintenance free as macs, still more updates and reboots to deal with and they don’t suspend (S3) nearly as well, but maybe close enough for me.

    Though having said that, unlikely I’ll change as it’s a big financial investment buying a new machine*

    *yes yes you can get laptops cheap etc these days, but whatever OS I use I don’t use crap machines. Not a lot worthwhile under 1k and nothing I’d want is less than about 1.5k. And selling my current MBP is a hassle and it’s still plenty quick (sandy bridge i7. SSD etc).

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Interesing question – since Surface come directly from MS, do they come without manufacturer’s crapware? This would be a significant move if so. Crapware is a huge issue – just see this thread. It should be optional on first startup – ‘do you want to install a load of badly written shite on your new PC yes/no?’

    IA
    Full Member

    Oh, PC brigade – what do you use for automated backups?

    I use a combo of timemachine and backblaze on my mac, and at work it’s Not My Problem. But what’s good for home PC use? I believe backblaze has a PC client so that’s ok, but what about automatic versioned local backup? I’m not against paying for software.

    No crapware on a Surface. Also no crapware on any other PC bought from a Microsoft Store – but you only get those in the states just now.

    dragon
    Free Member

    Both Windows 7 and 8.1 are great especially running on something half decent from the likes of Lenovo. My work colleagues Mac fell over so often on a recent business trip that we ended up having to use my Lenovo running Win 7.

    Personally I think if you bought a Mac around the late Win XP / early Vista era, then you have point about Macs being better, but now, I don’t think so. Go have a play with Win 8.1, it’s good and boots stupidly fast. So fast in fact, we haven’t rushed out to buy a tablet for the house.

    IA
    Full Member

    boots stupidly fast

    I hate it when people say this. Who’s booting a computer these days, like an animal.

    I’ve been sleeping (roughly S3 suspend in tech pc terms) and waking my machines for instant-on since 2003… (macs)

    My work machines when I sleep them and come back a day or two later seem to either a) have decided to hibernate and thus take time to boot, or b) have just run the battery down.

    Not tried win8.1 though, are machines better at suspending now? I know there’s new tech there to improve it, hence why 1st gen surfaces were 32bit cos the 64bit support wasn’t there yet.

    dragon
    Free Member

    I’d miss out on some things like the tight iCloud integration of syncing photos/reminders etc – photos especially is nice.

    Doesn’t OneDrive do all this?

    Failing that for files at least use GoogleDrive or Dropbox?

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Oh, PC brigade – what do you use for automated backups?

    Windows backup is great – something I really miss on Linux* – but it won’t back up to network drives unless you have the Ultimate/Business editions on W7 – don’t know about W8. This really pisses me off.

    However you can get round it by creating a virtual hard drive on a network drive and mounting that directly – the OS will see it as a local drive and you can schedule backups to it 🙂

    * Linux has backup tools but it is apparently not possible to do a full system image whilst the system is running like Windows does.

    stilltortoise
    Free Member

    I use Windows 7 day in day out. I use a Mac day in day out. I’ve had them both about 3 years and I don’t (intentionally) poke them anywhere they shouldn’t be and I keep them updated. My experience and enjoyment of using my Mac is as good as it was when it was new. I can’t say the same about the Win 7 machine.

    Let’s also remember that the hardware that Apple produce makes a huge difference to the user experience. My Windows 7 multi-touch trackpad doesn’t even come close in terms of function and usability to the Mac one.

    I have no shares in Apple by the way 🙂

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Oh, PC brigade – what do you use for automated backups?

    In Win 7 – the automated backup tool that schedules and does it to USB or NAS for Images of the OS.
    Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, Owncloud for everything else (about 1 hr from building/rebuilding a machine to having all my stuff back on there with a few clicks.

    I’d miss out on some things like the tight iCloud integration of syncing photos/reminders etc – photos especially is nice.

    Google does a great job of that.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    I’d miss out on some things like the tight iCloud integration of syncing photos/reminders etc

    Yep. Integrates nicely with my W8 phone too 🙂

    My work machines when I sleep them and come back a day or two later seem to either a) have decided to hibernate

    That’s configurable, you know.

    My Windows 7 multi-touch trackpad

    You don’t have a Windows trackpad, you have a Synaptics one or whatever.

    dragon
    Free Member

    Maybe I’m odd and old fashioned but I always turn my computers off. I never seen that advantage of leaving them on / hibernate.

    MrSmith
    Free Member

    some people have missed out why so many don’t see any point it spending a huge amount on a Mac for no real benefit.

    As a seasoned mac user I do wonder why some people buy them when a £300 cheapo laptop will do what they want (browsing/email/spreadsheets) admittedly it will be a hideous plastic thing with zero resale value but it boils down to them wanting a MacBook Air rather than needing one. Nothing wrong in wanting nice things though 😀

    When you get higher up the range and you are using it for work then the ‘spending a huge amount’ is irrelevant as PC based systems are just as expensive and often don’t have the crucial thing you are buying a mac for like the powered FireWire800 port that you need for tethering a digital back or thundbolt for raid systems etc. any small cost savings are immediately wiped out by the frustrating downtime you will get with a windows based system*

    *IME, numerous ‘tech support’ phone calls from PC owning parents that suddenly stopped when I gave them my old macbook. In 20 years of mac use/photography I have had 2 downtime issues that took me a morning of googling and fiddling to rectify, both caused by OS updates that needed a workaround to temporarily fix that was usually sorted by an update a few weeks later.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    *IME, numerous ‘tech support’ phone calls from PC owning parents that suddenly stopped when I gave them my old macbook.

    In our family that stopped with W7.

    stilltortoise
    Free Member

    You don’t have a Windows trackpad, you have a Synaptics one or whatever.

    Who cares? This is such a huge point. I’ve bought an Apple desktop machine; Apple make the OS, a lot of the software I use and of course the hardware. The “one stop shop” is a hugely appealing to so many users. Who wants to hear “that’s not a Windows problem it’s a Synaptics one”. I want things to work and if they don’t work I want to know who to go to to get it sorted.

    stilltortoise
    Free Member

    I never seen that advantage of leaving them on / hibernate.

    Quicker start up times
    Can use as a media library hooked up to Apple TV and hence TV/stereo
    (Allegedly) more power efficient

    IA
    Full Member

    The various comments on google/onedrive/dropbox/whatever photo syncing – yes that kinda works, I’ve used them before, but it’s not as tight.

    At the moment if I take a photo on my phone (say) or on my camera (then import to aperture) – it just appears in my photos on my ipad, my iphone, and in aperture, wirelessly without my intervention. The full res original files too (*knowing look in the direction of windowsphone*)

    I can get close with other solutions, but nothing is quite as transparent, it’s the advantage to buying into the apple stack.

    Maybe I’m odd and old fashioned but I always turn my computers off. I never seen that advantage of leaving them on / hibernate.

    I don’t leave them on or hibernate, I suspend them which is a bit different. It means I can use them like an appliance. Open the lid, start using, close lid when I’m done.

    Yes I could wait another 30s/minute whatever, but why should I?

    A big plus no-one’s mentioned yet is Apple after-sales support is *vastly* better than anyone else. I can book an appointment, take a machine in and get it sorted there and then. I’ve had to use it a few times, and various PC support through work and there’s no contest. Ok sometimes when a work machine dies I can get a new one next day, but sometimes I just want it sorted right now.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Who cares? This is such a huge point.

    It is indeed, but I’m not saying anyone should care I’m just correcting you. Microsoft only make the OS, and as you correctly point out this is the biggest difference between the platforms. It ensures greater consistence on Apple, but at a higher cost. Pay your money and take your choice, that’s fine*.

    However don’t go on about Windows being like it was in 2005 – that’s just not correct any more!

    I want things to work and if they don’t work I want to know who to go to to get it sorted.

    The Apple service centres are another big plus for Apple.

    * I have no problem with choice in operating systems and hardware platforms, I just wish Apple fanbois weren’t such knobbers about it!

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    often don’t have the crucial thing you are buying a mac for like the powered FireWire800 port that you need for tethering a digital back or thundbolt for raid systems etc. any small cost savings are immediately wiped out by the frustrating downtime you will get with a windows based system*

    Do people still plug storage in? For me it’s all networked really, I guess if your hard drive is glued in and you can’t upgrade it you might need one.
    As for down time I think in the last 3 years I’ve probably had 1/2 to 1 day of PC related downtime as I decided to rebuild both machines having installed heaps of software on them for various projects that were all over. Less then half a day and each was back up and running with no issues. I use my machines every day for work and they earn me my money I’ve no issue in relying on them.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    At the moment if I take a photo on my phone (say) or on my camera (then import to aperture) – it just appears in my photos on my ipad, my iphone, and in aperture, wirelessly without my intervention. The full res original files too (*knowing look in the direction of windowsphone*)

    I take a photo with my phone, I do nothing else.
    It’s on all my PC’s
    My Google Drive account
    Any other device with my google drive login
    I can turn on and off specific folders etc for finer control.

    moshimonster
    Free Member

    The acid test is how many Mac converts ever think it was a bad idea and go back to Windows. Anyone here done this out of choice? Most PC fanboys I know have never even used a Mac and so are not in any position to compare them. I reckon most (not all obviously) people who regularly use both systems prefer both the Mac OS and hardware. I certainly do.

    stilltortoise
    Free Member

    However don’t go on about Windows being like it was in 2005

    I didn’t. I actually pointed out that – daily – I use a Mac and a Win 7 machine of similar vintage.

    The big problem with the Apple v Windows debate is that – pun intended – it doesn’t compare apples with apples. Until Windows start offering the 360 degree package – hardware, after-sales service, peripherals etc – they will struggle to appeal to a huge group of users who have different expectations from IT than many of us on this thread. For that reason I should probably quit now 🙂

    molgrips
    Free Member

    I didn’t.

    That was addressed to the world in general, not you. Sorry.

    Until Windows start offering the 360 degree package – hardware, after-sales service, peripherals etc

    See Surface – interesting…

Viewing 40 posts - 81 through 120 (of 145 total)

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